Running With Wolves

They were supposed to meet me here, in the one place our father warned Cheyenne not to go. But if there was one place to escape Eastern Blackwood within twenty-five miles it was Falcon Ridge.

Conan wasn’t answering his phone but I could fill him in later. For now, Jasmine and Rune would do.

Jasmine appeared from behind a tree suddenly and approached me with a nod. I knew she still wasn’t happy with me but the fact that she came was proof enough that she hadn’t shut me out completely.

“What do you want that you couldn’t tell me on the phone?”

“I want to wait until Rune gets here so I can tell you both at the same time.”

Jasmine made a noise of annoyance and crossed her arms; my own annoyance flared at her in response.

“I found letters about Cheyenne that might have information about her disappearance. I know you don’t like me but you never had anything against Chey. If my missing sister is inconveniencing you by all means leave.” I snapped.

She straightened then, no apology left her lips but she didn’t leave either.

A moment later a car approach and for a moment it confused me.

Rune didn’t drive.

But Mia did.

Dread filled me and I couldn’t even make myself feel guilty.
This was one thing that could not and would not included Mia’s involvement. I couldn’t tell her about Weres and I certainly wasn’t going to tell her about pack conspiracies.

“I found Mia,” Rune stated when they approached.

“She was walking,” Mia explained as she came to a stop beside Jasmine who was glaring at her. “I offered to give her a ride and she told me she was coming to see you.”

I nodded mutely, what the hell was I supposed to do now?

Mia glanced between Jasmine and I then shifted on her feet uncomfortably. It didn’t take a genius to understand she was where she wasn’t necessarily wanted.“I’m sorry—I didn’t realize, is this a private thing?” She questioned suddenly glancing between Jasmine and I. “I’ll leave, sorry.”

She turned to leave and before I could speak Jasmine had snatched her arm, her nostrils flaring.

Mia turned to her in surprise, her eyes meeting Jasmine’s bottomless black orbs.

Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight

The singular word brought with it anticipation and excitement, my Were was pacing back and forth hungrily, wanting it. I locked my jaw and forced her presence from my mind with an exhale. This was Jasmine and Mia; Jasmine couldn’t fight Mia, it’d be disastrous, not to mention I’d never allow her the chance.

“Jaz-“ I warned with a start taking a half a step toward her.

The wolf within me shifted in an instant from anticipating a fight to demanding Jasmine to back down and obey.

Relent. Relent. Relent

Jasmine tilted her head to the side wolfishly as she eyed Mia up and down. She was ignoring me and my Were wanted a go at her for the blatant disrespect. I could nearly physically see the door shut off between me and Jasmine that held the bond to an Alpha and its pack. Jasmine had cut me off, tuned me out, and both she and her Wolf were eyeing Mia all to closely to prey than friend.

“You know, I never realized before because I never got close enough. You were careful of that weren’t you? Who the fuck are you?” Jasmine demanded cuttingly, her voice razor sharp and dangerous.

She was statue still, her breathing even, she was perfectly controlled and perfectly dangerous.

“Jasmine let her go.”
But I could feel Jasmine’s fight against my order. My Were could feel her Were fighting against me, not out of disrespect but to….protect?

Mia said nothing as she stared at Jasmine with her mouth open and fear worked its way into her eyes.

“I asked you a question.” Jasmine snarled and with a quick jerk pinned her to the wall. A yelp issued from Mia like a kicked puppy as she stared at Jasmine with fear sparkling eyes.

“Jasmine!” I yelled, the razor edge in my voice matching hers. “Let her go!”

“I-I’m Mia,”the Dakota native stumbled. “Just Mia…if this is about Conan-“

An all to wolfish growl issued from Jasmine and I knew her Were was just under the surface of her skin, one thin membrane suppressing an unrestrained rabid wolf from Mia’s neck.

“Jasmine I ord-“

“This is NOT about Conan,” Jasmine snarled, her face inches from Mia before her eyes turned to me. “and don’t you fucking dare test Alpha orders on me Sage.” Her head whipped back to Jasmine. “Do. Not. Lie. To. Me. I can smell it on you.”

“S-mell wh-hat?”

Jasmine bared her teeth at her, her hand coming up to grab Mia’s jaw. “Were”

“Jasmine that is enough! Mia doesn’t know anything. She has been living in my house of course she smells—like that.”

“No,” Jasmine locked her jaw and shook her head. “I know what you smell like and I definitely know what Conan smells like. I know the scent of everyone that has entered your house in the past six months Sage because they are or have been Pack at some point.” Her grip tightened on Mia. “She smells different. New. She certainly doesn’t smell like pack.”

“Jasmine you’re mistaken.”

“No Sage,” She snapped. “You are.” In one quick motion she tossed Mia to the ground and in the next the membrane that separated Jasmine’s Were from the world was gone and a grey timber wolf was snarling at Mia. I opened my mouth to yell at her when I noticed something peculiar.

Mia wasn’t screaming or crying or even panicked. A Wolf was snarling inches from her face and Mia wasn’t reacting the way a normal human would when confronted by an angry wolf.

Mia swallowed hard and stared at the brown eyed wolf with unwavering eyes.

I approached the two slowly, suddenly not sure of the things I had been only seconds ago. Rune hovering directly in my shadow with her head cocked like the curious unphased wolf that she was.

“Sage she isn’t scared.” Rune whispered beside me.

“No,” I stated, my lips pursed and my eyes narrowed. “She’s not, is she?”

I wondered briefly if Conan had told her the truth of us but it was like Cheyenne said, Conan was loyal to our father, to our pack. He would never tell an outsider about us, not even his girlfriend. Conan tried to be obedient because he didn’t want to give the pack another excuse not to like him.

Jasmine had to be right. Mia had to be Were. The thought didn’t sound right to me. Mia was human, Mia was my human friend, she knew nothing of Weres. We were just two people who were new to the big city.

“Sage, get it away.”

I said nothing as I drew closer. We had both been new. Mia was from North Dakota; there were still Native American Were’s left in North Dakota. My father had met with a pack once and considered them allies of Blackwood; even Viktor considered them allies. They were peaceful folk, they weren’t confrontational. The question was not any longer, was Mia Were but which pack did Mia come form? Was Mia spying on the Alpha’s daughter? Or was she an allied Were?

“Where are you from?” I questioned, enunciating each word carefully.

“Sage,” She pleaded but Jasmine growled beside me.

“Answer the question Mia.”

“You know where I’m from,” her eyes pleaded with me but I couldn’t relent. I’d allowed her into my life, into my home, a potential threat to the people I loved. She wasn’t just toying with me, but my brother. Pleading would do nothing. “I’m from North Dakota.”

Mia glanced over my shoulder and yelped. I turned to see what she was looking at. Rune was beside me, but no longer a petite blue eyed girl but a petite blue eyed white wolf. Rune paced around Jasmine and Mia like a circling shark and I wondered in that moment who I had less control over: Strong willed Jasmine or half wild Rune.

Rune’s tail twitched, her head low and ears back and before I could open my mouth she lunged at Mia, her teeth barred. She landed on Mia except Mia wasn’t human when she hit the leafy ground. She was an unusual shade of reddish brown with deep brown keen eyes. Rune lunged at her but Mia darted back. Jasmine came around to her left, cornering her. They snapped at her threateningly, their jaws inches from her face and legs until Mia’s head fell low, her ears back, and her tail between her legs in submission. But she wasn’t submitting to them, her eyes locked with me, submitting to me.

“Let her up. Both of you Turn.” I could feel the power thrumming in me like an adrenaline rush and on cue the two wolves backed up and then they were Rune and Jasmine again. Neither of them looked at me as their eyes pinned the foreign Were between them, their bodies taunt and ready to spring again.

My eyes locked with Mia. “Turn.” I commanded.

Her tail swished hesitantly but then she was Mia again. All three were naked, their clothes piled feet away, yet none of them baring any shame. We’d been Turning since we were children, modesty is the first thing you get over as a Were.

“I’ll ask you again, where are you from Mia?”8

She closed her eyes, moisture coating her eyelashes. “My full name is Miakoda, I’m from North Dakota, a Lakota tribe, many used to be Sans Arc.”

"Sans Arc?” I questioned. It sounded vaguely familiar, a name or a place I’d heard once in passing.

“Your father met my pack a long time ago, before my memory serves.” She murmured quietly, not meeting my gaze, still submitting.

“Did he like them?”

A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips as her gaze finally met mine. “Yes,” she stated. “I believe so.”

I shook my head confused, “Did we meet by accident or were you tracking me?”

“By accident I promise. Our encounter was true Sage, we were both trying to escape our homes. That’s why I never told you. This was never a life I wanted.”

“When did you know I was Were?”

She swallowed hard and her gaze fell. “A few weeks after we met. Not long after that I discovered who you really were. Sage Wolfe, Corneliu’s daughter, Alpha of Blackwood.”

“Still you said nothing.”

“You were Were like I was, but like me, you were trying to forget that life. You being a Were wasn’t a factor in our friendship Sage, yes it made me feel closer to you then others that we’ve met in New York but it wasn’t why we became friends.”

I eyed her apprehensively but saw nothing but earnestness in her response.

I sighed then nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Jasmine’s gaze who had been trained on Mia like a guard dog was now eyeing me incredulously. “Okay?! She lied. She’s a Were, she trespassed. She knows a lot about our pack, what if she goes back to her own!”

“Don’t sound like such a conspiracy theorist Jasmine. Yes she’s Were and she knows a lot but she’s never gone behind our back. She has always been right here with us.”

“This is ridiculous,” Jasmine through her hands up in the air.

“I trust her Jasmine that should be enough for you.”

“Enough for me? No,” She snorted, her nostrils flaring as her eyes turned to sharp daggers. “Not nearly enough.” She cocked her head to the side and sneered at Mia. “I wonder how Conan will take the news. He never was fond of liars.”

Hesitation and fear flickered across Mia’s eyes for a moment but then it was gone. “You’d like that wouldn’t you, for Conan to hate me for it?” Mia snapped back defensively.

“Yeah, actually I would.” She shot back heatedly.

“Alright that’s enough both of you. Just put your clothes back on we have things to discuss.”

“Oh don’t put them back on for us,” A cool voice stated.

The lot of us turned startled to see a group of men spread out and approaching us. They moved silently across the deadened leaf littered ground, quieter than a doe; Weres. I glanced back at the girls but it was Rune’s face that became seared in my mind.

For a moment the level of fear seemed odd to me on Rune’s face. Even with strange men approaching, it made us all uneasy, but Rune was downright fearful in a away that didn’t make sense. Rune didn’t fear men, they didn’t intimidate her the way they did for some female Weres. Traditionally, outside of Blackwood, female Weres are less common then males, many take human wives then spill the beans about their less than ideal lineage. But on top of that females Weres were normally less resilient and weaker but Rune didn’t fit the quota for a normal female Were, in fact few Blackwood female did.
She was scrappy as hell, quicker than any male I’ve ever met, quiet as a ghost and as lethal as any full grown Alpha male. So for Rune to show such blatant fear in this moment could only mean one thing: She was in Heat.

Jasmine cursed, a quiet chant of ’No, no, no’ issuing from her lips.

Rune wasn’t the only one in Heat.

Which made everything now twice as worst.