Brian Shaw is the future Alpha of the Silver Ravine pack. Thanks to his unwavering conviction that his mate should be the only person who shares his bed and body, he's been staying away from women his whole life. The importance of one's mate has bee...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Leaving the pack in a situation where no one could confidently say we would be safe tomorrow or any of the following days was surprisingly easy. My top priority right now was Karen, and even my instincts as the future Alpha of the pack quieted down compared to the raging need to have him safe in my arms. Or at least somewhere where I knew he wouldn't be in danger. Not knowing where he was and what was happening to him drove me crazy. It was the worst kind of torture a wolf could experience. Like a black nothing full of nails and needles slowly expanding inside their whole being with no hope for the future.
The only thing I knew was that he was alive. But because of my own stupidity and ignorance, I had no idea in what state he was. We weren't bonded. My wolf side was blindly reaching for something that wasn't there yet, and the neverending void it found made everything so much worse.
After getting some food in my stomach so I would have enough energy to go on, I called Daniel to let him know what was happening and went back to Karen's car. I had no idea where to start, and the place where he most likely went missing seemed like the best bet. Even though the scents were almost gone by now, it was better than nothing.
Looking over my shoulder, wanting to discuss the possibilities and our next steps with the Council tracker, I couldn't help but wonder what help this Elias guy would be to me. Councilman Richard seemed to believe he was the best tracker out there, but with his physical abilities, I doubted it was the case. He looked sick, almost as if he would pass out any minute now, and that was the last thing I needed.
"Are you okay?" I asked, unable to hide how irritated I was. No matter how I looked at it, he was going to slow me down. There was no way he would be able to keep up with me if I caught Karen's scent and followed it, especially in my wolf form, if we, by any chance, ended up following the trail into the woods.
"You don't have to worry about me, Mr. Shaw. I am well aware my appearance might make you doubtful of my capabilities, but that is just the way I have always looked. My body and mind have never failed me during the years I've been working for the Council." He crouched down and picked something up, staring at it for a whole fucking minute. Standing up, he handed the object to me.
"Sniff it," he ordered, making the hair on my neck stand in resistance. My eyes went wide, and completely ignoring the thing in his hand, I found myself backing away.
"You are an alpha?" I asked, unable to believe it. Despite his weak appearance, the moment he commanded me to sniff the thing, his alpha voice came out, clashing with my own alpha nature. It came across as a challenge, and while my human side knew he wasn't challenging me, the wolf within me saw a stranger, an alpha at that, trying to order me around in my own territory. That was against all the rules and precautions every pack had to make whenever there were visitors or passers-by from other packs. It was a question of territory, power, and safety.
He sighed and slowly lowered himself down on his knees, his head bowed down in a very submissive manner.
"I apologize for my impudence. I get too immersed in my job once I start. It was not my intention to challenge you in any way. I renounced my alpha status years ago, and I don't have any desire to change anything about my decision. My choice is, unfortunately, in name only. And while it was accepted by the Council, it doesn't change my disposition. I sometimes forget to watch my voice." He kept his head down, eyes directed towards the ground.
