by W. J. May
"I will. Please protect my sister."
"I will, rest assured."
Dru looked back to Karis and winked. "I'll see you later tonight."
She left without hearing what her sister had to say, her body quickly transforming into her Lycan form. The world before her grew rich in color and scent; her ability to see more clearly, to hear more acutely and to feel the slightest movement of air beside her gave her an advantage that the Hunters would never have.
She ran toward a female human who had pinned David, one of their elders, to a tree. It was obvious that the woman was lithe and strong, based on her one-armed hold on the large wolf. Dru shifted her shoulders as she reached the scene, running full speed, her body sliding along the earth as her teeth connected with the woman’s Achilles tendon. Dru jerked hard and blood poured from the wound as she righted herself and growled loudly.
The woman screamed and dropped David, the elder whimpering before gaining his bearings and running toward their escape. Dru turned her attention to the rest of the camp, where a few remaining humans were still fighting some of their strongest wolves, neither side relenting and yet no one winning. Dru could see a few humans running with heated excitement toward the exit most of her pack had taken.
It was only a slight shift of her head that saved her from an arrow in the side of her face, the wind giving her advance notice of the incoming weapon. She rolled across the ground and bounded toward the Hunter with the arrows, the woman's eyes the most vivid green she'd ever seen.
Dark curls framed the woman's alabaster face, her beauty ethereal and almost stunning. The thought faded fast as Dru shifted to avoid another arrow and leapt in the air, pushing herself off of a large oak tree to plummet into the Huntress. They rolled together, the weapon lost to the struggle, and Dru landed on top of her, swiping once to lay the female's face and neck open. The beautiful creature jerked to her right just in time, so that Dru's claws still cut her flesh, but not enough to kill her.
The struggle shifted as the woman turned the fight, punching Dru hard in the muzzle once and stunning her. Dru’s eyes burned with hot tears, making it hard to see. The Huntress seemed to know exactly how to fight Lycans. Dru struggled to get away as the woman pinned her body to the ground, her free hand punching with strength she shouldn't have, over and over. Dru growled and struggled, finding her freedom as someone barreled into the female and knocked her off.
The white wolf.
Dru pulled herself up quickly, her vision impaired and her face bleeding, thanks to a sharp ring the woman was wearing. The white wolf had to be twice Dru’s size and was snarling in a way that even scared Dru. She backed up a little as the Huntress put her hands up in defeat, and the wolf pressed the woman, nodding his head, as if giving her the right to leave. Dru barked and moved in to attack the woman again, but the large white wolf cut her off, his commanding presence leaving Dru helpless, unable to disobey him.
The woman looked at them both for a moment, her small hands covering the open wounds on her face before she ran toward the rest of her group.
Dru ran toward the large wolf and plowed into his side with her head ducked low and the full weight of her body behind her anger. How dare he let her go? Just because she was beautiful she was afforded a free ticket to kill and pillage?
The wolf rolled Dru, pinning her to the ground, but not before she bit a small chunk from his cheek. The wolf howled in pain. His body was much larger than Dru's, and he dropped her to the ground and pressed the full weight of it against her. He growled in her face, his eyes filled with emotions that bordered anger and lust. She nipped at him again, rolling out from beneath him as his face bled.
Two large male Hunters headed their way, and Dru moved in to begin another fight, her body already weary. The last time she remembered being so tired after a fight was the night her mother had died, and that was a night best left unvisited.
The white wolf pulled ahead of Dru, his large body launching into the air as he attacked the bigger of the two men. Dru started to follow suit, but her Alpha came out of nowhere and attacked the other man. Dru hit the ground with grace and backed up to watch the large black wolf work quickly to rip the throat out of his opponent, the white wolf doing the same with as much expedience.
The two males looked at one another and growled as awareness dawned on them. It was unheard of amongst their kind to have more than one Alpha male in a confined space at any given time unless negotiations were underway. Even when one retired and another moved into the position, the former one had to leave the pack.
The heat of the battle with the Hunters was nothing compared to the fight that brewed between the two large wolves in front of her. The opposing colors of their large forms brought to mind the battle between good and evil as they circled one another.
Dru moved between them, nipping at the white wolf, encouraging him to leave. He'd helped them today and she couldn’t stand by and watch him lose his life in the process. His fur was coated with blood, blood that had been earned by killing humans beside her pack. He growled at her, which caused Derik to move in even more. Dru nipped again, slinging her head to the side to tell him to leave, and he did. He looked at her for a moment more, the dark blue of his eyes calling to her, and then he was gone.
Dru turned to face Derik as the large black wolf moved toward her. He nuzzled her and licked at her nose and face. His efforts to clean the blood from her were quite natural, but fear for her sister had her pulling back. She nodded toward their exit, and the large black wolf moved back, urging her to go. Dru turned to run down the path toward what was left of her pack, but not before looking over her shoulder to ensure that the white wolf wasn't in trouble.
Derik nipped at her hind legs and she took off again, the wind welcomed as her body ached from the slight beating. The Huntress had been skilled and fearless, the woman someone Dru could find herself wanting to know if they hadn’t been deemed enemies.
Why had the white wolf shown up? Had he been here to save them from the fight or to protect the Huntress? He most certainly had stepped in to save Dru, and yet he had given the Huntress protection also. Did he know her?
Perhaps he was just a respecter of women altogether and wouldn't allow harm to come to any of them. That was unacceptable as the Alpha of a pack. The Alpha had to be willing to kill without thought or reprieve if his pack was in danger. Did the white wolf have no pack? Was he truly alone as Dru had deduced the first time she’d laid eyes on him? And what about Caleb? She was sure he’d given off the scent of an Alpha too, though scents were trickier with unfamiliar humans, or even wolves in human form. Could the appearance of this dark-haired man and the white wolf be related?
The white wolf was familiar and yet not. His appearance planted a seed of hope in her for a different future, one where Derik was not their vile dictator anymore, but where they would find a benevolent leader, one that loved them and cared for them as a father or husband might. She picked up her speed, her thoughts slowing her down as the forest blazed past her. Derik was at her heels, his large body hovering just beside her. He could run much faster than he was, his intent obviously to stay with her and protect her.
They slowed down a while later as they approached a stream, Dru's breathing labored and her side hurting from hitting a large root when she’d fallen with the Huntress. Derik changed into his human form, his large naked body bruised from taking a beating, much like hers. She morphed as well and waded into the icy cold water, her teeth clenched together as a groan lifted from her.
"You okay?" he asked as he moved to stand in front of her. The water was up to their chins and the summer sun was doing very little to warm the cold current.
"I've been better. Those humans were far more experienced than any I've ever seen."
"Yes, well some of them were just humans and others were Hunters from the Circle of Elders." He reached up and used his thumb to softly wipe the blood from her face, his careful movements almost endearing.
"The Circl
e of Elders? I don't know if I've ever heard of them." She let him finish and begrudgingly repaid the favor, though her actions weren't as soft and caring. He was a bastard, and she knew his moment of kindness wouldn't last long. He'd proven that time and time again.
"I'll tell you about them when we reach safety tonight. The lands that our scouts found us are only an hour from here, so it's not too much farther." He caught her hand and pulled it to his lips, licking and kissing at the pads of her fingers before using his grip on her to pull her body flush against his.
Heat spread immediately through her, her breath catching as her hands came to rest on the large muscles of his shoulders. He used his free hand to capture the back of her head, pulling her in fast as his lips pressed with hunger to hers. She pushed back and he grumbled no, kissing her with a passion that she had honestly written off as fairy tale. The moon would be full and heavy in the sky that night, and the call of its ecstasy was already resounding within her kind.
She pulled back again, though her mind had already laid waste to the idea of not getting close to him, her daydreams vivid and painfully delicious. He growled and made love to her mouth, his hand moving from the hold he had on her hair down to her back and then lower, encouraging her to wrap her legs around him. She started to follow his command as the image of Caleb appeared in her mind.
His soft, kind smile and deep, demanding gaze that beckoned her lust and possibly even her love.
She pulled back, her forearm coming up to block Derik as he nipped at her.
“No. Back off. I have to know if Karis is okay,” she insisted, effectively pulling herself from him, “and your brother will be looking for us.”
A look of pain crossed his features for a moment, but then he disappeared beneath the surface of the water. She wasn’t going to question her good fortune.
Dru waded from the creek and transformed back into her Lycan form so that her body would heal more quickly. Derik surfaced a moment later, the scowl on his perfect mouth telling her that he was less than pleased with her decision to deny him again.
CHAPTER FIVE
Dru slowed as they reached the new campsite, her legs aching and body weary. Karis ran toward her as she approached, her sister hitting her knees and pulling her into an awkward hug. Derik trotted past her without a glance and made his way toward the rest of the pack, who were for the most part in human form.
"Oh my God, Dru. I thought something had happened to you. After losing Mom and Dad, I don't think I would survive it." Karis buried her small face in the side of Dru's neck, Dru rubbing her face against the girl's hair.
She let her sister cry a little as she scanned the people in front of her, the white wolf nowhere to be seen. Karis pulled back and tried to wipe the tears from Dru's fur, but Dru nudged her away, moving beside her and turning toward the growing crowd of people.
A few people turned and started to clap, and before long the entire pack was clapping and whooping for Dru, Karis laughing as tears rolled down her cheeks. Derik walked out from a large tent just beyond the crowd and added his applause as well, a look of pride on his handsome face.
"We all fought hard today, and though we lost far too many of our family members, their sacrifice will be honored tonight as we release their souls to our ancestors. A great celebration has been thrown in the heavens. Won't you join me in celebrating their lives down here?" He lifted his hands and everyone raised their voices in agreement.
For the first time all day, Dru caught the look of loss sitting heavy on Derik's face. He felt the pain of loss because he was their Alpha. Whether he was a bastard or not, he was forced to emotionally suffer the death of his people. She moved past him, brushing along his leg as she hurried toward the tent that smelled like her sister. She morphed quickly and worked her hair into a bun on her head, her skin clammy and her legs weak.
Dru pulled a white cotton shirt over her head and slipped into a pair of loose black britches that were a size too large. The pack had various boxes of clothing that were carried from place to place, and their supplies and other necessities had been moved just before the battle that morning. She had always wanted to go into the human village and get a new dress or something more formfitting, but time and money had deemed those things impossible.
She finished making herself somewhat presentable and slipped out into the early evening celebration. Members of the pack stopped to thank her for fighting so hard beside them and for helping Derik to protect them as they journeyed to the new camp. She hadn't realized until that moment that it had just been her and Derik fighting at the end. He deserved the credit, not her, but sacrifice was expected of him, so no one would offer him praise.
Dru scanned the crowd, happy to find her sister engaged in laughter and storytelling with some of the girls in the pack. Seth was nowhere to be found, but he would turn up soon and she would slip into his arms; the warm hug of a friend was much needed at the moment. She spotted Derik and moved to the other side of the fire, sitting down on a large log and closing her eyes for a minute to rest.
Derik’s voice brought her to. "I'm proud of you for what you did today. Staying behind and fighting beside me shows that your father's blood runs deep in your veins."
The anger over him killing her father would never be too far from the surface of her emotions, and yet it was the way of their kind. Derik had been Alpha for two years, and her father wouldn't have been pleased with Derik’s methods, but he would have been impressed with his results, because he had been leading their pack effectively. Derik wasn't kind or caring, but for the most part they were all safe, well fed and still together in family units. Having someone care for them as her father had was a dream long passed.
"I didn't do much, but thanks."
She shrugged, and he moved to sit next to her, the soft cream-colored material of his shirt accenting the dark hues of his skin. He pressed his shoulder to hers and ran his fingers down his face, a deep sigh leaving him as they sat in silence.
She wasn't sure what to say. To thank him would be an affront, because he’d done nothing more than was expected of him. To promise him help in the future would sting his pride, as if he needed her help. Anything she might say could start them down another warpath, and she was much too tired to battle with him again. The moon moved further into the sky and the pull of the desire to mate sat heavy in the air.
Many of the other mature members of their pack had left to be with their mates or gone into a nearby town to find company for the evening. She looked around the remaining faces and felt the first stab of fear.
"Where’s Seth?" she asked, realizing that she had said it out loud when Derik sighed again.
"He didn't make it."
"What?" She turned toward Derik, her heart almost stopping in her chest as she tried to piece together what he was telling her. "Where is he? Did he have to stay behind for some reason?"
Derik reached out and ran his hands down her arms, pulling her to stand with him as he wrapped his large arms around her waist. "No. He didn't make it."
"I heard that, but where is he?" She pressed her hands to Derik's strong chest, the soft cotton of his shirt leaving little buffer between her skin and his.
"Dru. He laid down his life for our pack this morning. He fought beside me and he didn't make it. He was killed by two arrows from a woman's bow before I could get to her." He held her close as she let herself relax against him, her forehead resting on his chest as her breathing became labored.
"Oh my god. How? Why? Where was I when he needed protection?" she whispered as the weight of Derik's chin rested upon her head. She had been in the forest—flirting with a human. She had been testing fate and daring it to give her something more than the good man that had taken her into his arms and deep into his heart. Seth wasn't her true mate, but they had made a life together, one that was comfortable and easy.
Tears filled her eyes and dripped down the front of Derik's shirt, his arms tight around her as he whispered soft words of comfort. She d
idn't want his comfort. She wanted revenge.
Dru pulled back a little and looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me at the creek? You must be hurting from the loss more than any of us can imagine."
He lifted his chin, his jaw locking as his eyes showed no sign of anything other than stark concentration. "I feel his loss as I would any other from the pack. When I became Alpha everything changed for me and Seth, and though he was my brother by blood, every one of our members is mine by inheritance."
Even in the midst of such a devastating tragedy, he wasn't going to let her in. He wasn't going to offer her any semblance of partnership, friendship or companionship. The boy she'd been pledged to and had come to love as a child was nothing like the man before her. She moved her hands to her face, wiping away her tears and tucking away the painful emotions that surfaced from knowing she would never laugh with Seth again or snuggle up to him on a lazy afternoon. That would be for her to suffer in private.
"You need rest. Go now before the moon reaches its peak. I will put Zarith in charge of watching over everyone."
"Where are you going?" she asked, pulling back to look at him. The moonlight spread across his handsome features, the dark glint in his eye calling to the wolf inside of her that desired a male worthy of creating her family with.
"I'm going to the village. Just hope I don't kill someone in the midst of my passion and rage." He growled softly and reached over to touch her face, his thumb brushing her mouth. "I want you so damn bad, and yet it would be the end of me."
Dru said nothing as he bit his lip and studied her for a minute, the heat in his gaze only causing her blood to boil with desire. He finally turned and jogged toward the forest, the desire for him dying down slowly as the wind of the evening rolled in and covered her heated skin.
It was only a matter of time before she would be by his side, hating life forever. Pairing up with Seth had simply been a means of stopping Derik in his tracks. He wasn't the man she wanted him to be, so she avoided him, and he held her at bay. He didn't want to hear her speak truth over him and force him to change with the sheer power of her seductive will. She didn't want to go to bed hating the man next to her, only to wake up to him every morning.
