Discovering Their Wolfen Heritage

by Discovering Her Wolfen Heritage (lit)

  Maddie was continuing her walk when she rounded a corner in the path, then caught movement in the corner of her eye. She turned and found herself looking into those same hostile eyes that had stared at her during dinner. Stopping, she looked at the woman warily. She appeared to be actually vibrating with anger and rage.

  “Hello, I don’t think I had the chance to meet you today. I’m Maddie Wind River, Remus’s wife, uh, mate.”

  The woman looked at Maddie for a long moment before she answered her.

  “I know who you are, human.”

  As she spoke, she walked away from the tree, gradually moving around Maddie. She’d placed herself in a position between Maddie and the rest of the pack.

  “Well, I’m glad you know who I am. Perhaps you’d like to tell me who you are?”

  “Yes, it’s appropriate for you to know my name. I’m Nanita, and I’m gonna be the next Alpha Femm.”

  Maddie realized this woman was purposely trying to block the path back to the clearing where everyone else was still partying. She decided it would probably be a good idea to keep Nanita talking until someone else came along or until Remus came looking for her. She didn’t really think she was in any danger, so she didn’t want to use their link to call on him.

  “Well, that’s kind of interesting, since they told me I was the new Alpha Femm.”

  Maddie was shocked at the look of hatred that came over Nanita’s face. The young woman stared silently for so long Maddie began to think she wasn’t going to say anything else. Nervously, Maddie cleared her throat and shuffled her feet. “Well, it was nice meeting you. I’m sure Remus is looking for me now, so I’ll just be saying goodbye.”

  Maddie started to walk back down the path only to swiftly back up when the other woman lunged at her. As the crazed woman advanced on her, snarling, Maddie was forced to retreat farther into the woods, away from the partygoers and any potential help.

  “My people will never accept you as their leader. Given time, Remus will realize this. The longer he blindly hangs onto your union, the more respect of his people he’ll forfeit. I intend to save him from himself and provide him with a mate who will solidify his position as Alpha of the Wind River Pack.”

  The entire time Nanita talked, she stalked toward Maddie, driving her farther and farther into the woods. “Yes, little human. Run into the woods.” She gave Maddie an evil smile. “I can smell your fear, human. It excites me.”

  “Nanita, isn’t that what you said your name was?”

  The only answer Maddie received was more snarling from the advancing woman.

  “Nanita, you have to know this won’t work. Remus is never going to just abandon me and take a new mate. He loves me, and I’ve already been accepted by the pack Elders. It’s not something he’s worried about. How can you believe that you could ever make him forget me and mate with you? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Foolish woman, I don’t have to make him abandon you. I’m going to kill you. Then, after he’s mourned, he’ll be forced by the Elders to take another mate in order to produce an heir. I’m the highest ranking unmated female in the pack. He’ll have no choice but to take me as his mate. I’ll make him happier than he’s ever been, and he’ll forget you in no time.”

  “Nanita, you can’t, um, what the hell are you doing?”

  Maddie became even more frightened as she watched the other woman calmly begin removing her clothing. What on earth was she thinking?

  Where the hell is Remus? I thought he could sense my feelings no matter how far apart we are. Remus, I need you, now!

  Nanita finished removing her clothes and stood in the fading sunshine, showing off her firm body. She continued staring at Maddie, making her feel like prey, Maddie couldn’t tell what she was planning by the expression on her face. Maddie watched the disturbed woman guardedly, more than a little uncomfortable with her lack of clothing. There was something about the look in her eyes, something evil that actually gave her eyes a blood red glow.

  Maddie screamed out as Nanita dropped down to the ground on her hands and knees and began to shift into her wolf. She cringed as she heard bones and joints popping and grinding. It looked like it’d be painful to the young woman, but she seemed to not feel anything at all. It was over in just a few seconds, and then she was facing a huge, deadly looking silver and gray wolf. If she hadn’t been so terrified, Maddie might have commented on what a beautiful animal Nanita made, but as it was, she could only focus on her bared teeth and the growling sounds coming from the advancing animal. Maddie had only one response. She began to back away, trying to circle around to run toward help.

  Remus, where the hell are you? I’m about to be eaten!

  Maddie fought her fear. She tried to get around the wolf to head back toward the clearing, and Nanita seemed to be enjoying toying with her. Maddie would take several steps toward freedom, then the wolf would lunge forward, snapping at her legs and flailing arms. She could swear the damn wolf was laughing when she managed to scrape her teeth over one of Maddie’s arms. She looked down at the blood dripping down her fingers and was startled when the wolf threw back its head and howled.

  Realizing the demented wolf was never going to allow her to head back to Remus, Maddie changed her tactics and went farther into the woods, using the trees and brush to try and keep the sharp claws and teeth from injuring her further. Her arm was stinging and throbbing with pain, steadily dripping with blood as she dodged the wolf’s attacks.

  Seeing some fallen timber below a dead tree, Maddie made a run for the shelter they would provide. She thought maybe she could use some of the fallen limbs as a weapon, possibly striking out at Nanita when she lunged. Unfortunately, Nanita could use the same fallen timber to corner her.

  As Maddie reached the relative safety of the dead tree, Nanita made her move and leapt in front of her, effectively cutting her off from the broken limbs on the ground. Terrified, Maddie pressed her back against the tree and held her arms in front of her body, hoping to be able to fight off the wolf as she attacked. She called frantically in her mind for Remus.

  Remus, help me, please. There’s a wolf attacking me. I can’t win in a fight with her. Hurry, please!

  Nanita paced back and forth, surprising Maddie when she didn’t attack right away. Then, she started advancing slowly, growling and baring her teeth in a threatening manner. Suddenly, a feeling of fury came over Maddie, and the wolf stopped advancing.

  Maddie pushed against the trunk of the tree as hard as she could, wishing she could just push through the dead tree and race home where she’d be safe. That wasn’t going to happen. She was going to die in this stupid forest at the hands of a crazed homewrecker, and Remus would probably never know what happened to her. What the hell had she ever done to anyone to have so many things in her life go wrong? Didn’t she deserve some happiness, someone who’d love her unconditionally?

  I have that kind of love with Remus. This bitch thinks she’s going to take him away and I’ll just lie down and let myself be killed. Well, I don’t think so. I’ve had enough of this crap.

  Maddie felt a sense of purpose come over her, followed closely by a feeling of fury. No way was anybody, certainly not this crazy bitch, going to come between her and Remus.

  Damn, I’ve got abilities of my own, and it’s high time I used them.

  Letting her anger grow and grow, Maddie focused her eyes on the pile of dead limbs on the ground, and suddenly they were raining down on the startled wolf. Maddie watched in glee as the wolf backed away, whimpering as the shower of wood fell down on top of her head.

  “Back off, Nanita, and believe me, I’m only gonna tell you once. You’re getting a small sample of what I can do, and if you don’t back off, I’ll give you the full treatment.”

  Nanita cringed on the ground, looking around like she was trying to figure out what happened. She whined and licked at her paws, then turned to stare at Maddie. Growling, she got up and started advancing again.

  Maddie coul
dn’t believe her eyes when the wolf got up and continued to advance on her. Her anger grew, reaching a level she’d never experienced before. She suddenly knew she was going to die, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. In that instant, she sent all of her fear and regret toward Remus across their precious mating bond.

  Suddenly, Maddie felt a terrible pain in her abdomen. The pain was so strong it drove her to her knees, leaving her gasping for breath. Horrified, she looked on as hair began to sprout all along her bare arms. She writhed in agony as she felt her face contort, making her feel as if her jaw was breaking. The bones and joints in her body began to snap and pop. She felt as if her body was being pulled apart, and there seemed to be nothing she could do to stop it. She no longer feared the wolf facing her. She was more afraid of her own body.

  * * * *

  Remus was beginning to tire of the issues of the pack this afternoon. He’d been in this meeting for over an hour now, and all he could think about was getting back to Maddie. He’d reached out with his mind but hadn’t been able to pick up anything from their bond. He could only think that it meant she was safe and probably getting angry at having to wait for him so long. He should have made sure one of his brothers would look after her.

  “Remus, are you hearing anything we have to say?”

  Remus cringed at the annoyed voice of Vanard. The last thing he needed was to have the Elders angry with him today. He already pushed them as far as he could just by making them accept his mating to what they called “the human female”. How he hated that term, human female. They wouldn’t acknowledge her ancestry since neither she nor Michael showed any sign of being Wolfen. It angered him that his children wouldn’t follow in his footsteps. His son could never be Alpha, at least of this pack. He had to take responsibility for that, though. Nobody forced him to make the deal with the Elders. He never told Maddie that, and he hoped he never had to. It would devastate her to know they were penalizing him and their future children because of her humanity.

  “Yes, Vanard, I’ve been listening, but I can’t say that I’m agreeing with your concerns. I know we have some security issues, but not serious enough to double our forces. What do you think, Brenner?”

  “I think we have some problems that need to be addressed. Just a few weeks ago, your own mate was removed from your home by one of our long time enemies. If we had more men to post as guards around our territory, outsiders wouldn’t be able to get in so easily. A simple checkpoint at the end of the county road where our territory begins would have kept your mate safe on that fateful day.”

  “That’s not a very good example, Brenner, because her brother was the lead car that came up the road. No guard would be instructed to keep out family members. They’d have still been able to drive up to the cabin.”

  “No, they wouldn’t have orders to keep family out, but they would have orders to call up to the cabin to let her know that her guests were seeking entry. And you damn well know they’d never have allowed the cars to leave the mountain with your mate passed out in the back seat. I think you’re too close to this problem, Remus, and you need to defer to our judgment.”

  Remus stared at the Elders one at a time, trying to see if he could sense any underlying issues. After several minutes, he accepted that they had no ulterior motives and decided to give his consent to hurry things along.

  “All right, I’ll agree to increase our security forces, but only by a third, and not…”

  Remus stopped talking in mid sentence and closed his eyes. His mind flooded with feelings of pain, anger, and fear. Maddie was calling to him, and she was in trouble.

  Remus, help me, please. There is a wolf attacking me. I can’t win in a fight with her. Hurry, please!

  Remus jumped to his feet, unmindful of how he startled the Elders. Taking only a moment to explain himself, he rushed toward the door to go and find his mate.

  “My mate’s in trouble and in great pain. I have to find her, now!”

  He dashed out the door, sending a mental message to Ethan and Latan, alerting them of the danger. He could hear the Elders following close behind him. When one of his pack was in trouble, everyone turned out to help.

  * * * *

  Nanita looked on in shock as Maddie shifted. She couldn’t believe her own eyes. She’d thought that Remus’s mate was human. Everyone in the pack thought she was. What was even stranger was that Maddie seemed to be surprised at her ability to shift. What was going on?

  * * * *

  Maddie breathed a sigh of relief as the pain she was experiencing suddenly went away. She turned her head to see where the wolf was and was shocked to see that she was seeing out of the eyes of her own wolf and everything was in black and white. Glancing down, she could see that she now had four legs, and she was covered with a light brown fur. Her clothes hung loosely around her body, somewhat hampering her movement. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a growl coming from Nanita.

  Realizing that she needed freedom of movement, Maddie used her claws and tore her clothing free of her wolf’s body. She peered over at Nanita and decided she had enough and that it was time to get this battle on more even footing. Keeping that in mind, she bared her teeth and growled right back at the angry wolf. Tired of being at her mercy, Maddie decided to take charge of their fight. Snarling and baring her teeth, she began to advance on the larger wolf. It was time to give as good as she’d received.

  Nanita stood silently as Maddie advanced on her.

  She almost looks like she’s in shock.

  Happily, she watched as the larger wolf began to back away slowly.

  Remus, I wish you could see me now. You wouldn’t believe your eyes!

  Maddie, happy to see Nanita backing away, continued to stalk toward the other wolf, driving her back into the forest now. As she advanced, she suddenly became aware of Remus in her head, assuring her that he was on the way. It was right then, while she was staring this angry, bloodthirsty female wolf in the eyes, that she decided Remus would never have to rescue her again.

  Lunging toward her prey, Maddie managed to surprise Nanita and nipped her front leg hard enough to draw blood. Happily, she heard Nanita howl in pain.

  Yeah, you stupid bitch, see how that feels? Payback is a bitch, namely me!

  Feeling the adrenaline, Maddie continued to pounce on the other wolf, confident she could hold her back, or better, until Remus arrived. She loved the fact that even though she was in wolf form, she kept all of her mental abilities.

  Nanita continued to back away, jumping back and forth, trying to avoid the sharp claws and teeth. Carefully watching the other wolf, Maddie waited until her attention wavered for just a moment and then hurled herself through the air, knocking the larger wolf off her feet and landing on her back. In a gesture of pure meanness, Maddie sunk all four of her sets of claws into the unguarded back of her enemy. Unfortunately, she hadn’t thought about what reaction her claws would bring. When Nanita howled in pain, she reared back, tossing Maddie into a pile of dead leaves.

  Nanita got up and advanced on the smaller, fallen wolf. Maddie, lying in the leaves catching her breath, decided she was tired of fighting this bitch and wanted it to all be over. She looked up at the branches of the dead tree hanging over the advancing wolf, concentrated strongly, and the larger branches fell on top of Nanita, effectively pinning her to the ground. The defeated wolf howled at the top of her voice.

  Getting up from where she’d been tossed, Maddie trotted over to look down at the trapped wolf. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned in time to see Remus, followed by what looked like half the pack, come running around the bend in the trail. She was never so glad to see anyone in her life. She looked at him and gave him a big, wolfy smile, wagging her tail excitedly.

  * * * *

  Remus was running as fast as he could. He could sense Maddie was just up ahead, and he was beginning to feel joy and happiness from her. Feeling she was close, he hadn’t even taken the time to shift.<
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  Rounding the bend in the trail, he came to a dead stop. Could he believe his own eyes? As he gazed at the small brown wolf, tears came to his eyes. It was his Maddie, just like Victor predicted. Her body had accepted his wolf DNA, and she’d been able to change without any help.

  Remus couldn’t stop looking at Maddie. She was so beautiful, and she was all his. He glanced over as his brothers came to stand beside him.

  “Remus, is that who I think it is?” Latan sounded skeptical.

  “Well, Latan, if you think it’s my gorgeous mate, then it’s definitely who you think it is.”

  The members of the Elder council joined Remus and Latan. Everyone had their eyes glued to the two wolves in the brush. He knew everyone would recognize Nanita, but no one would know who the other wolf was.

  “Remus, explain.” The harsh voice of Elder Vanard broke into his thoughts.

  “That, gentlemen, is my lovely mate, Maddie. The same Maddie you didn’t think had enough of her family’s heritage to ever be a full member of this pack.” Remus couldn’t stop the sarcastic tone of his voice as he addressed the leadership of his pack Elders.

  Vanard grimaced and had the decency to look ashamed before he answered Remus. “Well, obviously we were wrong. How about you get her to change back, so we can find out what happened here.”

  Giving them a disdainful look, Remus stripped off his clothing and shifted into his wolf body, then trotted over to stand beside his mate. Remus could use his psychic bond with Maddie, even in their shifted form.