Echoes of an Alpha

Six: Intruders

Arek brushed past Kusal as he ran out the mansion. Kusal counted to ten before following. Even he was not immune to the fact that being anywhere near Arek felt like playing with fire. Kusal ran into the woods for a minute before losing Arek completely. This is ridiculous. How can he be so fast on foot? There was no way he could catch up, not as a human. He grunted and shifted, growling.

Arek heard the wolf trailing his steps, slightly annoyed that the lofty-minded leader of the Arm decided to tag along. I can't believe I let my guard down around that girl! But then again, it's not like I really care if she leaves and never returns. He slowed down for a second. Why was he running after her?

Kusal sped past him. Arek glared. He could practically feel the glee radiating off the leader of the Arm. Dog.

Arek flew past trees and branches. He stopped sharply upon seeing Kusal in human form.

"Any idea where she's heading?" Kusal stood calmly. Nothing about him suggested he had been running at top speed. He crossed his arms.

Arek opened his mouth.

A woman's scream echoed through the forest.

"Mullin." Arek recognized her voice instantly. "The younglings. They're west of us. Head to them, but from the other side."

Kusal took a step forward, bending down, and shifted. He dashed into the forest.

He better be there in time. Arek got on his knees and shifted. Brown fur covered his back and a strip down his nose. The rest of him was grey. He lifted his nose and sniffed. Fear. Other than that, he could not smell anything out of the ordinary. He raced in the direction of the scream. He could taste blood in the air.

There they are.

Mullin, two other women, several young pups and toddlers were gathered in a circle. Around them were three wolves with reddish-brown fur. Standing next to the wolf was a woman wearing pants and thick boots.

She's from the North, Arek realized instantly.

Mullin's eyes kept glancing between the wolves and the child in her arms. She was trapped: she did not have the time to shift, but as a human she could not fight against the wolves.

Where is the member of the Arm that was supposed to protect them? Arek found him on the ground, a large tear in his neck.

An unfamiliar growl came from the center of the circle.

Arek lifted his head. Who is that?

A brown and white wolf, smaller than the others, bared her teeth at the red wolves circling them.

"There is no need to cause bloodshed," the woman from the North said, facing the wolf protecting the children. "I know who you are, and we have come for you, daughter of the wind." She waved her hand, and one of the red wolves snatched a pup and held it lightly in its jaws. "If you come with me quietly, my guards will ensure that the others stay here until we are well out of the East clan's territory. No harm will come to them if they comply."

Inessa backed up, lowering her nose and staring at the pup in the wolf's jaws. It whimpered softly. They will never become a sacrifice for me! Inessa bowed her head and began to shift.

A black wolf sprung out of the forest and ripped into the neck of the wolf holding the pup.

Inessa stopped shifting. Kusal? She looked in front of her. Arek? He was there in human form, holding the woman in a head lock. The other wolves leapt into the air towards him.