A Wolf Scorned by Taylor Spratt

Amira

Itore through the trees, not looking back. No matter how much they called out to me, I was determined to never go back, not while I still had a chance to be free.

I’d shifted for the first time and immediately learned why the first shift was one everyone both looked forward to, and dreaded, at the same time.

My mind raced, spiraling out of control, and pain radiated through my body. My entire anatomy had been rearranged, my bones breaking and reforming me into my wolf.

I ran through the forest, making random turns every few paces. Wolfy and I were one, our every desperate step was every bit as much hers as it was mine.

My heart thundered in my chest, as an irresistible urge knifed through my body like lightening, and I heard one word screaming in my head.

“Chase!” Wolfy demanded as a grey rabbit sprinted past us. I stopped running, my claws digging into the grass so I could stop and stalk the rabbit.

“Meat! Food! Hungry!”Wolfy chanted, her thoughts now hard to distinguish from my own.

Without even realizing it, I was suddenly chasing a rabbit through the trees.

“No, Wolfy. We need to get as far away from here as possible. Don’t you want to be free?” I insisted but as Wolfy fought to stay in control so she could hunt the rabbit.

I kept running, managing despite the pain in my body. Wolfy had taken me half a mile, to God knows where, chasing the damn rabbit.

The pain intensified and I dry heaved, coughing. I forced Wolfy to yield and took back control. I halted in my tracks and the rabbit sped away, disappearing under a thick coating of moss on the forest floor.

The pain. Why did it have to hurt so much? My head was spinning. My stomach was burning, and my spine throbbed like it was breaking apart.

I sniffed at the air, looking around in all directions to find some sign of life. Preferably that of civilization and not my captors.

All I saw were thick brown trees stretched out around me for miles. Nothing to be heard but the sound of chirping birds and my own breathing.

“Amira! Amira, can you hear me? Are you all right?”a voice channeled into my head, one that didn’t belong to Wolfy.

“What is this sorcery? Who is this?” I thought, scanning my surroundings and seeing no one.

“It’s Miles. I’m using telekinesis. All Alphas can do it so long as the other person is in wolf form.”

“But you're not an Alpha. This isn’t Miles. You're lying.”

I took off, sprinting through the trees, as if trying to outrun the voice. I arrived at a steep slope and ran downhill, using the thickening trees for cover.

A dark shadow stretched across the land, the overhead tree tops forming a canopy blocking the sunlight. I crouched down in my dark hiding place, panting and whimpering from pain.

“Amira, I can sense your pain. Please, let me help you. If you keep running you could die out there.”

“How do I know you're really Miles?”

“A wolf's first shift should never be done alone. You need someone to help you. I would never forgive myself if you get hurt. Please, Amira. Don’t run from me anymore. Not from me.”His voice was so kind, so earnest. It must have been Miles. Neither Syrus nor Callum cared for me like he did.

Besides, Miles was almost as powerful as an Alpha. He could have an Alpha’s powers.

I straightened my legs, trying to stand, but it was no use. I collapsed on the ground, my fur mixing with the dirt.

“I can’t move, Miles. It hurts so bad,” I cried, still struggling to stand.

“Don’t move. I’ll come find you. You just have to let out a locator signal and I’ll know just where you are.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Take a deep breath and try to relax.”

“Okay.” I took a few breaths.

“Now, I want you to close your eyes and feel your life force. It’s the energy that dwells inside of all shifters. Just feel for it and let it loose. I’ll be able to feel your signature then.”

I closed my eyes and searched within myself and a thought came to mind.

“Miles, if I do this you have to promise not to take me back. I’m done with cages. My life is my own, and I decide where I go and what I do from here on out. Got it?”

After a long pause, Miles replied,

“If that’s what you need, then okay. I won’t take you back.”

“You promise me?”

“Yes, I promise. Now hurry before you lose consciousness.”

I reached within myself, feeling deep for my life force. It was just like in the hole when they took our energy to send to the cities. I’d done it a million times before.

I let my energy loose and I felt it dissipate in the air around me.

“I have your location. Hold on. I’m coming as fast as I can.”

I lay on the ground, my wolf’s instincts leading me to lick myself to ease the pain, but it did nothing.

After a few minutes of waiting, a rustling sound seeped in through the trees. The sound of a pair of boots sliding down hill came next.

I growled letting him know I was hiding under some branches.

A pair of strong hands lifted me off the ground and helped me into his arms.

Dread pooled in the bottom of my stomach the instant I saw the long white hair from the corner of my eyes.

“Callum?”

I howled, struggling in his arms. But I was so weak, a baby could have put up more of a fight.

“Come on, now. Calm yourself before you worsen your injuries,” Callum said calmly, rubbing his palm over my belly.

It felt amazing. Why did it have to feel so amazing? I was literally drooling as he rubbed my belly, soothing my pains.

“You lied to me,” I said telepathically, coming out of my belly rubbing induced stupor.

“If I didn’t say I was Miles, would you have allowed me to come save you?” he said, running his hand over my back soothing my aching spine.

“Well, duh, no I wouldn't have!”

“Exactly,” he murmured, while continuing to pet and rub away my pains. I didn’t know how he was doing it. It had to be an Alpha ability because the more he rubbed the more my pain dissipated.

“See? I told you I would help you.”

The last bit of strength left my body, and I shifted back to human form.

I was now being held by a man who repeatedly threatened to end my life, while I was completely fucking naked!

I tried to move. But I was too weak to do more than weakly struggle and push at his chest.

“You better not look at me, you jerk!” I hissed like an angry snake.

“Don’t flatter yourself, half-breed. If I want to see a naked woman all I need to do is make a phone call and there’d be half a dozen lined up at my door within minutes,” he boasted, and began carrying me up the hill.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Back home to the pack lands.”

“What? But you- you said I could go free. You didn’t even want me with you in the first place. So why not just let me go free?”

His eyes went steely and trained on mine as he continued to climb.

“I am sorry, but you are too valuable to us to let you go now. You will be all healed by tomorrow and then your training begins.”

“You’d better watch your back, Callum. My wolf's a fighter. You wouldn’t want to get her on her wrong side.”

“Are you threatening me, little half-breed?” Callum chuckled.

“Oh, you better believe it, pal.”

“Very well, then.” Calum reached the top of the slope and gingerly strolled us through the trees. “Challenge accepted.”