Heart of a Wolf

“They will in time. If you won’t run with me tonight, will you join me tomorrow? They’ll be a great bonfire, and I—”

“I’d love to.” At least by then, I’d have my feet placed firmly on the ground.

“Tomorrow then,” she said, turning away from me but not before nuzzling me one last time.

Tomorrow.

Chapter Fifteen

The smell of woodfire filled the air as glowing embers rose toward the night sky. Gathered with the rest of the pack and Val at my side, I couldn’t have asked for a better evening. Val had a way with the pack that I couldn’t understand. The wolves bowed their heads in thanks whenever she walked by.

She’d done them a great service, one they wouldn’t have needed if I didn’t run off in the first place.

“Calm your mind,” Fallen said, slowly approaching me from our left. “I can sense your distress from here.”

No doubt Ash could as well. As the lifeblood of the pack, it was her job to tend to every wolf, not just whoever stood at her side. Fallen had started to explain the hardships of one mated to the Alpha, but she never got to finish.

As if on cue, the Alpha looked my way, her eyes full of concern as she waited for the clamor of voices to quiet down.

I’d only ever seen her shift once, and according to Fallen, Ash had fought the pull of the moon to avoid doing so. Did that mean she’d refuse its call tonight as well?

The longer she looked in my direction, the more unsettled I became. Beside me, Val ran a hand through my fur, gripping it ever so slightly when a tremor ran up my spine enough for her to feel it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked in a low whisper, leaning into me as she spoke.

I shook my head. “Nervous.” It was only half-true, but it wasn’t like I could talk to her about Ash and Dani all the way out here where the rest of the pack could overhear us. “I haven’t run with the pack before…” I explained. “All of them, I mean.”

Val offered me a reassuring smile. “You were never good at group activities.”

“Only because Mom wouldn’t let me play.” But this wasn’t a game, and as soon as I took my place beside Fallen, the pack would know. They’d know everything.

“Ease your mind,” Fallen said again, using the same gentle tone as before. “You’re going to make my wolf more restless than she already is.”

“That’s hard to believe,” I said with a hint of amusement in my voice.

Nodding in agreement, she turned her attention to Ash who continued to look our way. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the way Fallen regarded me or because of how new Val and I were, but whatever the reason, Ash refused to look away from us.

Before my nerves could get the better of me, I took a deep breath, smiling when Fallen’s sweet scent intermingled with that of the fire. Other scents joined in as well, some of them bitter, but not nearly as offensive as when I first arrived.

Knowing Fallen wouldn’t leave my side, and wanting to protect my sister more than anything else, I quieted my mind, watching Ash as she finally took her place in front of the fire.

Unlike the rest of the pack who took on their pelts, she had on the same dress she’d worn before. The glow of the fire made the pale fabric brighter than it already was.

Something stirred in my stomach, mirroring the unease I’d felt at my first b

onfire. But Ash wasn’t calling me up there this time. She wasn’t going to ask me to shift in front of everyone else because I already had.

Still, it was my first full moon, and like me so many weeks ago, it was Val’s first bonfire as well. With her hand still in my fur, I smiled at her familiar scent, the sweet smell growing in intensity as she scanned those present around the fire.

The pack must’ve noticed it as well, their eyes turning to her all at the same time.

“Why are they staring?” Val asked, her tone being one I couldn’t read. The slight bitterness under her scent, however, told me all I needed to know.

“They can smell you. Your scent,” I explained.

“Like how you could smell me after I finished work?”

I crinkled my nose at the memory. “No. Your emotions.