Warrior for a Mate?

Louis

***Alpha Louis POV (Dancing Moon pack alpha)***

I felt off, something was up with the girl who protected the Beta's daughter, but I couldn't figure out what it was.  Alex, my wolf, couldn't either.  He was my original form, but over the years, I have learned the true meaning of shifter.  If I could convince an animal, I could become it.  I knew that today was the day that the girl was supposed to find her mate.  That was the whole reason for the games, but I was the only um-mated male in my pack and I was positive I wasn't hers.  IF she were my mate, she would have to be a shifter, and all I could smell was wolf on her.  The thing is, shifters are far and inbetween these days, and we have grown to accommodate were instincts.  We still can't mate with one, the combination of our species means that we are infertile to each other.  Suddenly, a knock came to my door.

"Enter." I said.  Ariel entered the room, she was one of the elders of our pack, her gift of distinguishing species has come in handy lately.  We ran into a group of werebears a few months back and her ability aided us in being able to know that. 

"Alpha, there is something different about the girl, but its so strange that even I don't know what it is.  Amethyst has gone to the games, in hopes of figuring out what she is. "  She said.  I instantly perked, if Ariel doesn't know what she is, that must mean that she's important. 

Alpha Louis, you better hid your pack, the rogues have come. Alpha Mike said through pack link. 

"Ariel, it's the rogues again, you take care of the pack, I'm going to go and help fight." I said.

"Okay Alpha." She said as she hurried from the room.  I opened my room and shifted into my cheetah form.  I sprinted to the trees, seeing the dark in the forest.  I came across a mountain lion being attacked by the girl with the raven hair that I had seen around the pack house.  I shifted to wolf form, not wanting the lion to see me as a cheetah because there is a disturbance between the prides and attacked the girl.  She gave one last look at the lion and ran off.  I walked up the lion, still in wolf form, it looked at me with awe before it closed its eyes.  The wounds on it's neck weren't healing so I shifted back into my human form and lifted the lion.  It was incredibly light considering how big it was.  Halfway back, I felt a sizzle in the air and realized that the cat had shifted back into human form.  I adjusted my hold and glanced down. 

I almost dropped her.  Her fiery red hair was what caught my attention.  I swore this was the girl that was fighting the rogue.  Maybe she had a twin, there is no way that this girl is a shifter, she still doesn't smell of anything but cat, but I swear it's the same girl who smelled only of wolf earlier.

Alpha Mike, you need a pack doctor, the red head was attacked the by a raven haired girl.  The bleeding isn't stopping. I said.  Suddenly, the alpha was standing in front of me in wolf form.  He nodded to his back and I carefully placed her on it.  He took back off through the trees, heading in the direction of the pack doctor.  I shifted and went back to my office in the complimentary home for my pack.  I slipped on a pair of shorts than headed toward the pack doctor.  Something about this girl seemed off and I was determined to figure it out.  When I arrived, the nurses were running in and out, screaming random nonsense while Alpha Mike was calming each and every one of them down. 

"What's happening?" I asked.  Alpha Mike looked like he was going to say something but one of the nurses cut in.

"She has a 150 degree fever that is steadily rising and the alpha here isn't doing anything! He says she's fine, but that is clearly not the case!"  She said.

"Fahrenheit I assume?" I asked her.

"Yes."  She said, then another nurse popped her head out.

"175." She said before going back into the room.

"Look alpha, either you tell us what's happening or we are going to soak her." The nurse said.

"Okay then, EVERYONE OUT!" He boomed, authority dripping from his voice.  I turned to leave with the rest, needing to keep my lack of alphahood facade up for as long as possible.

"Not you Alpha, you may want to see this, though she may kill me when she comes to and figures out that I told you."  He said looking at me.  The pack doctor and nurses had all left the building.  We entered the room where she was being treated and what was happening to her shocked me.  She was laying on the bed, sweat pouring from her face and the thermostat she had attached to her was reading incredibly high temperatures. 

"Come on Jackie, just finish already."  Alpha Mike said.  "Just let go, we'll be here waiting."  Suddenly, she started to glow, the thermostat bursting as the temperatures became too hot for it to record. 

"Advert your eyes alpha." Mike said as he turned around.  I quickly turned around.  A flash of heat filled the room, as if a bomb had gone off.  "Three... two... one..." Mike said before turning around.  I turned around and did a double take.  Laying on the bed was a girl, she looked similar to the one originally there, but she seemed younger.  As we watched, she began to age, like she was growing up in a matter of minutes.  Eventually, she seemed to be 18 and stopped aging.

"What's your name?" Mike asked her.

"My name's Jackie, though you can call me Jack." She said.  Her voice was a little different and her hair was less bright, it was still red, but seemed to be slightly duller.

"Well, Jack, how do you feel?"

"Like I was just reborn, how is the pack?" She asked.

"You remember?" He asked, looking confused.

"Yeah, I do."  She said.  She then turned toward me.  "What are you doing here?" She snapped.

"Alpha Mike invited me."  I said softly, worried that she would kill me.

"Mike I swear..." She started

"Jack, why don't you go shower, you're a little dusty."  He said, that was when I realized that she was no longer in the hospital robe that the pack doctor had put her in.  The red dress she wore looked as if it were on fire, but he was right, she looked to be covered in black ash.

"Mike, this conversation isn't over." She growled before heading out, the dress seeming to spark.

"Sorry about that Louis, she's a little cranky every time she..." he shook his head, seeming to try and find the right word, "changes." He said.  I nodded, kind of understanding what he was talking about, but not really.  I looked at the direction she left in, not sure what was going on.  I felt a pull but she didn't seem to reciprocate those feelings. 

"What's the matter Louis?" Mike asked me.

"Nothing, I think." I said.

"You think?" He probed.

"Well, I have a feeling, but I'm not sure what to do with it." I said.

"Follow it, our instincts are usually right on, you should know that by now."  He said with a slight shake of his head.

"You're right." I said as I turned and headed out the door, following my nose, she may try and hide her scent, but it's still there.  After a while, I came across a cottage that didn't seem very big, I would be shocked if it had two full sized rooms.  I could hear her walking around the house, clearly talking to her wolf.

"It's not right... yes I know the signs... noooo, I can't.... oh hush! It's not like I wanted this... Okay, well you sit tight, I have someone else to converse with."  I froze, positive that she was talking about me.  I slowly let out a breath when she continued to talk to herself.  "What do you think? Could it possibly be?... I don't know, it's not safe... I've already been reborn once today, I can't... it could kill me again!" I did a double take, again, has she already been dead today?  I wanted to barge right in there when something made me stall.  "You are the only one who can prove it.... don't you dare say that to me... you may not be my first but you were right there with me... I was 3 when I finally convinced you... I know.... give me 30 minutes to sleep and build my strength... yes you can wake me up once you know I'm strong enough... okay..." I heard her move through the house and then the creek of a bed. "Night."  I decided that then was the perfect time to make my get away.  I needed to clear my head, I shifted into my hawk form and flew toward the sound of water.