The Run To Quinn

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Mom sensed my uneasyness and stood up, kissing my forehead. "Quinn, I love you dearly. Please don't get your hopes up. They might be the Alpha and Luna but that doesn't mean they're always right. And your father... well I think he'd kiss their toes if they asked him too."

You would think that's because they're the Alpha and Luna, but honestly my dad was like that with everyone. He wanted to always help people, to make them feel good about themselves. If I learned any important lesson from my father it was to be kind.

I rubbed the back of my neck and yawned, exhausted from my day. It's not like I did anything important, I just really liked sleep.

Dad came back in and smiled at me. "Awe. Look at my girls." He rubbed his hands together. "Yamina, prepare Quinn. She's about to be a Luna."

Mom and I rolled our eyes at the same time. "Oh shut up Oliver. Don't get her hopes up." Mom snapped

"My hopes aren't up, mom. I'm fine." I stood up from the bed and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to head home, thank you for dinner."

She rubbed her cheek against mine, a classic werewolf hello and goodbye.

I walked to Dad and tried to give him the same goodbye but he picked me up by my waist and spun me around, my laugh filling the house. His dark brown hair that had started growing out tickled my nose. My green eyes came from my mom, my dark brown hair came from my dad.

"Leaving so soon? Q, we should make a fort again!" He set me down and messed up my hair, laughing. He winked at me, his auburn eyes lingering on me for a second longer. I knew he cherished these moments.

I smiled at him. "Dad I'm twenty. I don't really—"

He pinched my cheek. "I know. I'll just have your mother make me one. Goodnight, girlie."

I kissed his cheek. "Night dad."

I walked outside into the cool air, the moon high in the sky like Earth's lamp. I took a deep breath of Spring, the damp leaves of yesterday's rain and the rich grass filling my nose.

I carefully looked around the woods and took my clothes off, setting them in a neat pile on the porch and jumped into my second skin, the bone breaking so natural to me.

A person shifted when they turned 20. They could finally tap into a part of themselves that they always felt but never had. Of course, it was painful as Hell. I think I remember asking my dad to end me right there in the grass from the pain. But now... I was shifting like I blinked. I could do it naturally, easily, like a breath.

A particular breeze swept past my nose and I almost followed it but stopped myself. Someone was camping out, the hickory smoke smelled good but I wouldn't interrupt them.

I looked up, not seeing any smoke, and froze. Was there a fire? I smelled one but... where was the smoke?

My wolf, a small and nimble grey and black one, took a cautious step forward. She perked her ears, listening for sound but there was nothing.

No humans came out this far in North Dakota. So it wasn't a human made barbecue. But there was no noticeable smoke so how did I smell hickory burning?

I shook my head, my fur catching in the breeze. I was overreacting again.

Great. Maybe my Heat was coming. That or the Alpha was right, crazy emotions really did mean you were going to meet your mate soon. Having a Heat basically meant that your body craves for your mate in a more... embarrassing and unusual way.

Something howled in the distance and I got low to the ground, ready to pounce.

I was going insane. Real scary, Quinn, a wolf? Howling in the woods? At night? Near a werewolf pack? Because that was so unusual.