The Bite (Book 1)

Original Edition - Chapter 14: Friends

My wolf was gentle with me. She felt my pain and understood. She understood but she pushed me harder. She knew that we were strong, that I was strong, and she was damn well determined to make sure I knew that.

They let me have my space. Even when I went for runs in the morning, they let me have enough space so it seemed like I was on my own. On my own with watchful eyes around me. I would run to the border of the land, where patrol wolves were stationed, and come back.

The patrols didn't bother me. They were usually mated males or females who Levi said were alerted by Lander to keep their distance. It was nice to see other wolves, though; there was a need inside me to find more of my own, to find a pack. I knew it came from my wolf. I wasn't ready, though, not yet at least; not until I could conquer the demons of my past.

It was crisp out this morning. The summer air was sweet, warm, and gently breaking through the morning chill as I ran. Elliot was somewhere behind me. He had volunteered to go with me today. He kept his distance and left me to my thoughts, but he kept close enough to keep a watchful eye on me.

My wolf loved running and I loved letting her loose. She was so natural in the woods; it was like a domain that she was been familiar with for years. It was in these moments when I felt most at peace; when I could let the troubles of my past disappear with each stride I took deeper and deeper into the forest.

I loved this form. I loved the way the dirt felt on my paws and the way the breeze combed through my fur. It was euphoric. A feeling that I would die to protect; a life that I would die to protect.

We rounded a tree and made our way down a line that Levi had previously marked. It was our usual route, one that I was careful not to drift too far off of on Levi's orders. Then his scent hit me.

Liam.

I knew he wasn't our true mate, our wolf knew that much. Levi said what I felt towards Liam would be multiplied by a thousand when that happened, and that thought in itself scared the hell out of me because Liam smelt damn good. He smelled like a new spring forest and a crackling fire. He smelled like a strong male, a very strong male. It was a scent that seemed to dance around my nose; a tease. It was tempting, to say the least. I didn't want to jump his bones because of it, but it did make my wolf lick her lips.

But she knew he was not ours. She was wary, as was I. Especially after our spar. A spar that left a very bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe it was the way he looked at me with lust in his eyes that unhinged me, or the way the bond called to me that made me feel vulnerable and scared, but I have never felt so viscous before as I did when I had his neck in my mouth.

My wolf skidded to a stop and looked around. There was a female wolf on patrol not too far from here. She usually was there about this time, and my wolf and I had grown accustomed to seeing her and giving her a wolfy smile, which she returned, during our morning runs.

The brush was thick as were the twigs on the ground; there would be no running through here undetected.

A snap. I looked in the direction it came from to see him prowling out from behind a large blackberry bush; he had been watching us.

He was a fine wolf, and I would be lying if I said anything different. He was black, like his father, and full of youthful muscles. His eyes, like Levi and Lander's, were silver; like a knife slicing through me as he let them greedily scan over my form.

My wolf did not like that. While I was not keen at all on this whole 'mate' thing, I agreed with her in the notion that no male but this 'mate' of ours should be looking at us in such a way.

She let out a low warning growl for him as the hair on our back began to raise. She let her fangs peek out of her mouth and hissed out him as he took another step. A rumble came out of his chest; a warning. We may have bested him before, the scars on both of us were evidence of that, but we knew he would not best us again.