Mark of the Alpha (Marking Series #1)

two | crossing territories

two | crossing territories

Copyright © jackie taylor 2014-2016

All Rights Reserved

Annie and Travis spent the rest of the day walking to the Crescent Pack. At nightfall, Theodore became drowsy, so Annie stood guard as he slept. However, she fell asleep sometime during the night and woke up to Theodore thrashing around in his sleep, screaming and crying.

Annie held Teddy as he cried and told her about his nightmare. Once he settled down, they continued on their trek.

Annie felt a pull when they crossed over the threshold of the Callisto Pack border. All she wanted to do was turn back around onto the safety of their pack land. But with the horror they had fled, Annie was certain that her pack land was no longer a safe haven.

The pull to her pack's territory caused more pain as they passed onto no mans land. In between every pack there was a few miles of open land yet to be claimed. Rogues could freely run in this land. Annie and Theodore needed to pass through quickly. 

Annie knew she could run faster in wolf form, so she shifted into her wolf. Her foot had fully healed. With her clothes in her mouth and Travis clinging to her fur, Annie's wolf shot through no mans land.

When new scents invaded Annie's wolf's nose, she knew they were nearing the Crescent Pack border. They crossed swiftly over the border, but Annie's wolf was on high alert. Her ears perked at the sound of paws hitting the ground. Annie's wolf stood her ground in a protective stance with her tail held high.

A brown wolf emerged from the trees, baring his teeth and stopping inches from Annie's wolf. Another wolf followed behind and stood in the same fighting stance.

Annie wasn't about to tuck tail and run. She and her brother ran all this way and she wasn't going to show fear.

Shrugging off her brother, Annie shifted back into her human form. Slanted on the ground, she covered as much of her body as possible and showed she was not here to fight. Theodore stood behind her quietly trembling.

"We have not come to fight," Annie spoke.

The brown wolf growled lowly and the other wolf hunched over.

"Please," Annie breathed. "My pack was attacked and we came here to speak to the alpha."

The wolves were silent for a few moments. Then the brown wolf shifted and the other wolf turned and walked away. The brown wolf, now human, stood in front of Annie and Theodore.

"I'll take you to my alpha," he said sternly, "but that doesn't mean you're off that easily."

Annie nodded and slipped her worn-out dress over her body. The man began walking, so Annie took Travis's hand and followed.

They walked through the woods for a few minutes - the only sound coming from the beating of their hearts and their ragged breathing. In the distance a white building stood tall and proud.

The pack house, Annie thought while gripping her brother's hand.   

The pack house was white with baby blue windows and a brown roof. A wrap around porch settled on the first floor, and small balconies were attached to each door all the way up to the fifth floor. It reminded Annie of the house Noah built for Allie in The Notebook - although, this was much more grandeur.

As they ascended the porch steps, Annie caught a whiff of the most intoxicating scent ever. Although faint, Annie could tell it was a mixture of the woods and some type of cologne. Her wolf shifted at the scent.