The Alpha Instinct

Chapter Thirty: The Welcoming Committee

Lennicks turned away from us, flicking his tail in annoyance before he started moving again. Leo released a small groan but is the first to follow, the rest of us picking up pace behind them. The silence envelopes us once again which doesn't bother me much-in fact I welcome the silence after all the excitement over the past couple of days.

It's only when I hear the sound of a twig snapping in the distance that the silence becomes unsettling.I turn my face towards the sound and halt my movements. I wait for a minute but I can't sense anything out of the ordinary. It was probably a deer or something, I think to myself to calm the paranoia. I begin moving again but in the back of my mind my instincts are screaming at me that something is off.

There was another snapping twig, followed by the sound of rustling leaves on the ground. My wolf surged toward the surface instantly alert. My eyes traced the trees around us as the hair on the back of my neck rose on end, telling me that someone was watching us.

"What was that?" Leo questioned with a tense voice.

"Probably a deer-" Libra suggested trying to calm down her brothers obvious panic. I noticed the way Silver and Lennicks ear twitched, trying to follow the sounds.

I caught a rush of a shadow out of the corner of my eye and I turned my face quickly to find nothing but empty space. I picked up my pace as did everyone else, knowing that we weren't in the best condition to be caught up in another entanglement with the enemy.

A low rumble echoed through the trees, "That doesn't sound like a Deer to me-" Leo whispered to his sister.

A wolf stepped out of the tree line in front of us, its head hung low and his fur bristled up as it stared down Lennicks. Lennicks let out a low warning growl. His growl was drowned out when a choir of growls echoed in the trees around us. My eyes narrowed as I watched wolf after wolf step into view, completely boxing us in.

"Deer my ass!" Leo growled softly as he moved closer to his sister.

The wolves surrounded us, snarling and pawing at the ground as if waiting for the signal to sink their teeth in. I pulled my lip back in a snarl of my own taking up a protective stance near Silver and Marshall. Lennicks was growling low in his throat as he turned in a slow circle taking in the fact that we were completely surrounded. I felt my skin prickle with awareness when the formation around us broke apart and a large man stepped into view, a pair of shorts hung low on his waist.

He was clearly a wolf of authority but he wasn't an alpha, that much I was certain of. His dark eyes skimmed over our group, faltering for a moment when they landed on Libra. He recovered himself quickly with a shake of his head, "You are trespassing on Rebel territory pure bloods. I suggest you turn back the way you came. I'll even give you a head start before I let my men hunt you down." The tone of his voice was unyielding and dominant. The wolves behind him let out snarls filled with blood lust and the hunger for the hunt.

My body tensed beside Silver and I shot a glance in Lennicks direction waiting for him to say or do something. Lennicks ears pressed back against his head before He shifted back into his human form. I noted the look of uncertainty in his eyes, clearly he had not been expecting this welcoming committee.

"Ah, so the snake has returned. It's been longer than a week -" The man spoke with a twinge of amusement.

"I understand that but-"

"No buts-The alpha told you the conditions of your agreement. It was a limited time offer and you failed to deliver on time." He barked over Lennicks not allowing him time to explain himself. I could tell that these men just wanted a reason to kill the pure bloods-their hatred for them clouded their reason. I gritted my teeth in frustration, "I demand to speak with your alpha!"