Callen's POV - Wednesday Afternoon. Sept. 18
"Why? I am here because my mating pull has led me here. What? I'm a werecat, a snow leopard to be exact. Who? That's my favorite of the three. I, my dear little Faelen, am your mate."
Everyone gasped and glanced in my direction then back at Cameron. Not even my father could hold me back now. I let out another growl and shifted right there, shredding my clothes as I leapt at Cameron. Fae was mine and no one else was going to try and claim him from me.
"Callen! Dad! Someone stop them!" Kenley yelled. I saw Fae's eyes flash with fear and concern and I just hoped it wasn't fear of me and concern for Cameron who was pinned beneath me with my teeth bared viciously in his face. He looked shocked and scared for a second before he shifted underneath me, his lean feline figure managing not to rip his clothes. He kicks up against my stomach with his back legs and manages to shake and pull of his clothes with his paws and teeth. He and I were now circling around, our eyes never leaving each other. I could vaguely hear voice around us and a pressure on my wolf that meant my father was using his alpha voice but my world was in a rage, our mate in danger, and thus it didn't even make it through.
He leapt at me next, snapping his teeth at my side as I dodged him. I spun and tackled him, causing us both to tumble into the wooden coffee table. I vaguely registered the loud crack as it shattered under him. I heard him yelp, mostly likely getting hurt but a splintering piece of the table, and I felt glad that I'd hurt him. Maybe a bit indirectly, but I did.
We jumped about and I saw a large gash with a broken table leg sticking out of his shoulder. The blood was spilling from the wound, down his white pelt and to the floor. I heard a gasp from behind me and knew it was my mate. My wolf was more in control of our body at the moment but the gasp had given me control back. We were scaring our mate but we needed to stand our ground and keep this stranger from trying to take our mate from us.
"Callen, stop. Please." I heard Fae say as I felt two small arms wrap around my wolf's neck in a hug. The tingles shooting through my body told me it was our mate hugging us and I nuzzled into him. The grip tightened slightly and I smiled shifting back slowly and pulling Fae into my arms and my lap. I didn't care that I was now sitting naked in the middle of the room, honestly I've never felt odd about my nudity since it happened often. "Oh thank god. I thought you were going to get hurt." I heard him whisper softly against my neck.
"Kenley dear, run and get the first aid kit from the hall closet please." I heard Sebastian say as he walked over to the snow leopard. He couldn't shift until he got the table leg out of his shoulder, it'd cause more harm if he shifted with it still in. Fae flinched when he heard the yowl of pain from Cameron as Sebastian yanked it out. Then he was shifting back and clutching his left arms uselessly to his chest. He'd be fine in a few hours and completely healed by the end of the night but for now, his left arm was completely useless. I felt a little guilty for it but mostly proud that I'd manage to cause that much damage.
"Callen, not that I mind really but you do know you're still naked and I'm sitting in your lap right?" I heard the barely audible comment from Fae, still having his face buried in my neck. I knew it made him embarrassed but I was actually a bit surprised by his actions and words. Last night he'd run when he let out the oh so tempting moan of pleasure from me whispering in his ear and now he was sitting in my lap without arguing or trying o run, nuzzling his face into my neck. Even though I know he's embarrassed right now, I can feel the heat from his cheeks telling me he was blushing, I don't want to let go and try to find something to wear.
"Of course I know my little Fae, I like this position. Though it might be better if we were alone in your room and I could feel your naked skin against mine." I whispered in his ear, just barely loud enough for him to hear but no one else. I felt the rush of air the left his lungs in a silent moan against my neck.
"Here Callen." I heard Avery say and looked up to see him handing my what looked like a pair or shorts and a shirt. I realized they were my P.E. clothes, forgot they were in my school bag, and sighed. I guess I had to put them on at some point. Fae stood, staying in front of me and at first I wasn't sure why, then I realized he was keeping his back to the group to hide both of our hard members from their eyes. I smiled and slid my shorts and shirt on quickly. I looked around us and could see that most of the others had moved to keep Cameron and I separated, standing in a sort of line in the middle of us. I pulled Fae back into my grip and glared at Cameron who was glaring back. I was now wishing I'd paid more attention to what was going on while I held Fae as well as wishing I'd been able to hear what had been said during our fight. I had a feeling that whatever it was had been the cause for Fae's attitude change. I pulled him into my chest, feeling him bury his face in my neck, and watched Cameron as he bared his teeth at me.
"Why is he touching my mate? You can't keep me from him, it is my right to be with my mate!" He was yelling at me and the others as Fae's mother helped patch up his shoulder.
"He's not your mate!" I growl and feel Fae tremble in my arms. I brush my hand down his back and feel him calm and smile softly at it.
"Enough!" I heard my father and Sebastian yell simultaneously.
Faelen's POV - Wednesday Afternoon. Sept. 18
"Why? I am here because my mating pull has led me here. What? I'm a werecat, a snow leopard to be exact. Who? That's my favorite of the three. I, my dear little Faelen, am your mate."
Everyone gasped and glanced in Callen's direction then back at Cameron. I looked around at everyone trying to figure out what that was about before looking back at Cameron. I only got a second to look at him and see if I felt even slightly drawn to him but I couldn't say I did. Callen still seemed more likely to be my mate than him. Next thing I know, there's a growl as I'm watching Callen's wolf jumping at Cameron.
"Callen! Dad! Someone stop them!" Kenley yelled. I just stood there in fear and concern. Not for the guy that claimed to be my mate but for Callen. I knew he was strong, he's next in line for Alpha, but I had no idea about Cameron. Could he be stronger? What about his lean body? Would it make it easier for him to escape Callen and attack him? Has Callen ever fought another were before? The voices around me faded for a second as those thoughts ran through my made before Ley shook me. "Fae! Focus. Come on you need to stop them!" I looked at her like she'd lost her mind. I was no match for a future alpha and an unknown werecat.
"I can't! I doubt they'd even listen to me let alone stop for me." I said, my voice wavering with a slight whimper. Kenley gave a soft smile and shook her head.
"Callen would."
"No he wouldn't." I counter. She bites her lip and glances back just as we hear the crash of the coffee table being smashed.
"He would. He's your mate." I felt my heart skip a beat and then race as that little word made it's way into my mind. When I looked back, I wished I hadn't. I gasped at the sight of the table leg sticking our of Cameron's shoulder.
"Callen, stop. Please." I say softly as I gently wrap my arms around his wolf's neck in a hug. The tingles shooting through my body finally made sense ad he nuzzled into me. My grip tightened slightly and felt him shifting back slowly before pulling me into his arms and onto his lap. I didn't care that I was now sitting in his lap as he sat naked in the middle of the room. "Oh thank god. I thought you were going to get hurt." I whisper softly against his neck.
"Kenley dear, run and get the first aid kit from the hall closet please." I heard my father say as he walked over to the snow leopard. I knew he'd be unable to shift until it was removed and I chose to keep my face buried in Callen's neck to avoid seeing my father yank the piece of wood out. That wouldn't be a pretty sight. I flinched when I heard the yowl of pain from Cameron, knowing my father had removed the table leg.
"Callen, not that I mind really but you do know you're and I'm sitting in still naked your lap right?" I spoke softly, barely audible, my face still buried in his neck. I was slightly embarrassed but at the same time, I didn't mind too much. I was still a little unsure about Callen being my mate but the tingles I felt at every touch where only with him so I had a feeling that it was true. I knew my behavior was a bit odd, especially after how I reacted last night, but I didn't really care right now seeing as I was cozy in my mate's arms, nuzzling my face into his neck. I could feel my cheeks heating up, the telltale sign of me blushing, and was glad no one could see it.
"Of course I know my little Fae, I like this position. Though it might be better if we were alone in your room and I could feel your naked skin against mine." He whispered in my ear, just barely loud enough for me to hear but no one else. I managed to suppress the moan that had suddenly felt like escaping but it still came out as a rush of air against Callen's neck and I was sure he knew what happened..
"Here Callen." I heard Avery say and looked up to see him handing my what looked like a pair or shorts and a shirt. I realized they were the school's P.E. clothes, figuring Callen must have had them in his bag and Avery had gone and dug them out for Callen. I stood, staying in front of him and keeping my back to the group to hide both of our hard members from their eyes. I saw him smile and glanced away to avoid looking at him while he dressed. I looked around us and could see that most of the others had moved to keep Cameron and Callen separated, standing in a sort of line in the middle of the room. I was then pulled back into his grip and relaxed into his arms. He pulled me into his chest and once again, nuzzled my face into his neck, not easy now that we were standing seeing as I was on my tip toes and barely managed it, but I did it none the less.
"Why is he touching my mate? You can't keep me from him, it is my right to be with my mate!" He was yelling at Callen and the others as my mother helped patch up his shoulder.
"He's not your mate!" Callen growled and I trembled in his arms. He brushed his hand down my back and I start to calm, Seeing him smile softly at me.
"Enough!" I heard my father and Jonathon yell simultaneously.
"Dear, temper." My mother said to my father as she placed her hand on his arms gently. My dad had a short temper when it came to my sister and I.
"Sorry. Now then. Cameron." He said before turning his attention back to him. I turned in Callen's arms to see him, standing flat on my feet now with my back against his chest, his arms wrapped around my waist. "I allowed you on my grounds, in my town, because you said your mate was here. I will not deny you your mate but I'm afraid Faelen is not yours to claim. He already has a mate."
"Lies! I see nor smell any mark or mating on either. Fae is my mate and you can not keep me from him!" Cameron yelled out, a slight tone of desperation in his voice. I saw my mother's face soften in pity and my father flinch at the man's tone. I glanced around and noticed that the others were still baring their teeth at him while the adults had softened their stances, their expressions. Even Jonathon looked as if he felt sorry for Cameron. I felt Callen tense behind me and risked a glance up at him. He looked about ready to attack Cameron again. I glanced back at Cameron and saw him pleading with me to agree. His eyes looked lost and broken. I felt nothing for him in that way, but that didn't mean I didn't' feel bad for the guy. I bit my lip and saw Kenley staring at Cameron. She held none of the animosity the others did, not even the pity or sadness or whatever that the adults did. She seemed more confused.
"What is it Ley?" I asked through our link. I could feel the tension in the room building to a breaking point and I needed to figure out what was going on with Kenley before all hell broke loose. That was the only term for what would ensue.
"I don't know. I feel like I should know something but...I don't. I have no idea what's going on." She replied and that was when it clicked. I knew what was going on. It was actually a common problem and I was surprised I was the only one that thought of it. I pat Callen's hand to get him to let me go, giving it a quick squeeze before stepping away. He looked hesitant but he trusted me, I could see it in his eyes. I grabbed Kenley's hand and dragged her to my side.
"May I?" I asked both my father and Callen's. I knew they wanted to keep us separate, keep Cameron away from me which is why the others had yet to move, but I needed to get close to him to solve the problem. Jonathon looked to Callen, who gave a hesitant nod, before nodding to me. My father looked me on the eye, studying me and looking for something before nodding, finding whatever he'd been looking for. The others finally moved aside and watched with apprehension and curiosity. Cameron smiled up at me, seeming relieved but when I shook my head at him his face dropped.
"So you are rejecting me?" He asked, pain already lacing his words.
"No Cameron, I'm not because we aren't mates. Even if I did, it would do nothing to you." He looked confused and I was surprised Ley had been as quiet as she has been but was also glad for it. I took his hand in my empty one and he looked down at it with confusion and fear. I smiled at him and gestured for him to take Kenley's free hand. Ley looked at me like I was nuts but I smiled at her to reassure her.
"Go ahead Cameron. Do it." I urged him when he hesitated over her hand. She had held it out, palm up, to make it easier for him to take her hand. When he gave a small nod and took her hand, I saw both of their eyes widen in surprise and I knew they felt it. I released both of their hands and backed away. "Mate." I heard Cameron purr and Kenley's face lit up with a blush as she leaned into him slightly. My parents looked at me confused for a minute before they both got it. The others though all still seemed to be lost.
"Alright. All those who are lost, raise your hand." Avery joked though still sounded a bit serious. all the others, Callen and his father included raised their hands. Kenley and Cameron snapped out of their little one on one time and looked up at me. Though I was sure Kenley had figured it out, Cameron still was a bit confused.
"We're twins right?" I asked and they all nod and look at me like I've lost my mind. "Ok well, there have been times where mate signals get mixed up when it comes to twins, especially if both are unmated and in the same room when their mate finds them. The wolf becomes confused by the signals and will often think they are pulled to the wrong twin. Which then confuses the other's wolf. Which is why Cameron thought I was his mate and Kenley was confused. My wolf was telling me that he was wrong and wasn't our mate so I knew it wasn't bothering me but I couldn't figure out why until Ley told me...well that Callen is my mate. it explains why my wolf knew Cameron was confused but not Kenley's. Our wolf already knew our mate was near." I explained and my father helped Cameron up, my sister instantly fussing over him and his injury. Callen glanced at them then at me.
"Sorry for throwing you into the table Cameron. My wolf had control and you were threatening to come between us and our mate." Callen said before pulling my back into his chest again.
"Not forgiven." He replied but smiled slightly before looking down at Kenley. "But since your mate and my mate's sister helped fix the problem, I'll forget it." He said and Callen just shrugged. I could tell he didn't really care if he was forgiven or not so long as Cameron was no longer trying to claim I was his.
"Oh behave you. I happen to like Callen." Cameron tensed and let out a little hiss at Ley who just smacked his good shoulder. "As a friend and for my brother. Relax." He relaxed almost immediately and I smiled. They'd be great for each other.
"Oh my little babies. You guys are growing up." My mom gushed, breaking the moment entirely. I couldn't help it, I laughed. I found it funny that we were only a few days from our birthday and yet already had found our mates. Well they found us but it was still interesting. I of course, was still going to refuse to officially become mates until my birthday and I'd have to make sure Callen knew it.
"Oh god, mom!" Kenley whined and hid her face in her mates neck to avoid anyone seeing the blush that had started to spread across her face. I knew my sister wasn't going to wait. She wasn't as adamant about it as I was. I'd 'date' Callen and get to know him a bit before Friday, allow him to treat me like his mate but would not let him mark me just yet.
"Come on Kenley. Let your mother have her fun. It's not like it's everyday that her only kids find their mates." My father said. I noticed that my father seemed a bit sad about something when he said that. I couldn't figure out what but I was distracted from my thoughts when I felt Callen leaning down and kissing my neck in that spot where my neck and shoulder meet. I arched into his body and let out a gasp followed by a small whimper as he continued to lick and kiss that spot. I knew he wanted to mark me and I had to distract him.
"And if someone doesn't stop, she'll also get to see one of her babies reject their mate." I managed to say without moaning at Callen's attention to my neck. I felt him tense behind me and look at me with shock and hurt and I rolled my eyes.
"Oh Fae, don't say that, even jokingly. It'll hurt him deeply if you do." My mother said as she clung to my father's arm. I looked at Callen and could see the hurt in his eyes. I smiled softly at him and squeezed his hand in mine before pulling it to my mouth and kissing his fingers.
"Sorry. But I don't want to be marked until my birthday and you were getting dangerously close to doing that." I told him and he looked a little shocked and disappointed that I was making him wait. Not like I was making him wait a year, just a few days.
"So you're going to make me wait a few more days to mark you as mine even though you already know I'm your mate?" He sounded defeated and a bit depressed. I heard my mother tsk behind my back. She knew my reasoning for my decision but she still didn't approve that I was going to make him wait. I have a feeling she already knew somehow, she knows everything when it comes to my sister and I, but she was going to leave it be until I found out before or on my birthday. Now that I have, she's probably expecting me to just jump at the chance to be marked and mated with my mate. Normal parents wouldn't want their kids to have sex before they were eighteen. There have even been wolf parents that wouldn't let their children mate until they were seventeen even if they had already found their mates. Oh but not my parents. No, they are just fine with it. I mean Ley and Cam are over in the corner eating each others faces and I was sure he'd be marking and mating her right there if it weren't for his arm. I mean seriously, am I the only one who sees them right now? I glanced around and realized I probably was. Everyone else's focus was on me and Callen, great.
"Yes, I am. I just really don't want to be claimed, even by my own mate, until I'm of age. I've had too many problems in the past to just forget it all and let you claim me. Please Callen, can you just wait a few more days to mark me?" I needed him to agree to this one thing, to wait for Friday, I know that it's asking a lot of a wolf, alpha especially, to wait to claim their mate especially if they've already been holding back from claiming their mate. I was sure Callen knew since he first saw me and just hasn't said anything. I was sure he was going to try and keep it from me until I turned seventeen but Cam had tried to say I was his and that would have infuriated his wolf which would only heighten his need to mark me as his, making it hard on him to fight it. I could see the flickering of colors in his eyes, his wolf and him fighting for control.
"Faelen..."My father said in his warning tone, the one you knew meant business, meant that he knew what was best and we had to listen. I turned to look at him and I knew already what he was going to say. I had no intentions of listening to him though. "It's not right to force your mate to wait for you even if it's by a day or two. I'm surprised he's been able to wait as long as he already has to want to claim you. The small problem that happened with Cam has thrown his wolf and him out of balance with a threat of you being taken from him. You can't expect him to be able to wait until Friday now."
"Your father is right sweetie. Why don't you take Callen upstairs with you and at least talk to him about why you want to wait and then listen to his side of things too." My mother added in. That was the last straw. I couldn't just let them rule my decisions. I needed to get out of the house and I needed to do so now. Ley looked at me, her eyes widened in shock as well as understanding as she caught onto my plans. She was to slow to stop me though. Before anyone could stop me, I was gone out the glass doors that led to the backyard an then to the forest. I was stripping my clothes off as I ran, ripping some of them in the process and leapt into the air and shifted just as I reached the forest edge. I landed and took off at my full speed. I kept to the trail my father had marked at first but quickly turned off and ran through a rosemary bush and then through the lavenders a few feet away. The two scents would mask mine long enough for me to think and get away from the pounding of paws that I'd heard catching up to me shortly before I ran through the bushes. Now, I was greeted by silence as I ran, not even my paws made a sound as I ran across the forest floor. Not until I heard the devastating howl and I knew it was Callen that had followed me, the clenching of my heart at his howl only solidifying my assumption.
I wasn't sure how long I'd been running, wasn't even sure how far away from the house I was but I had come to a lake that fed into a stream running off to the north, a waterfall falling into the lake over the rocks jutting from the side of the cliff. Sniffing the air, I found it was safe here and padded up to the lake, taking a drink before deciding to shift and go for a swim in the water to calm down and cool off, as well as wash the rosemary, lavender, dirt, and sweat from my body. I shifted and dove in, the icy temperature causing goose bumps to break out across my skin until my body adjusted to the temperature. I had just began to relax and lay back to float on the water when I heard a twig snap. Not wanting anyone to find me and knowing I had little chance to escape unless I found somewhere to hide, I dove under the water and swam for the waterfall, hoping that there was a gave or at least an indent in the rocks that I could hide in. Surfacing at the water fall, I was glad to see, well not exactly a cave but large enough for me to sit comfortably behind the water fall without being hit by the water or hoping I didn't lose my balance and fall forward.
From my vantage point, I could see a wolf appear from the forest and walk up to the lake. I didn't recognize the wolf and from where I was and not being in my wolf form, I couldn't' even tell if I recognized the scent to see if it was someone else from Callen's pack. Thankfully, the water and being in my human form, they wouldn't be able to catch my scent either. Well, not once it ends at the lake anyways. That was when I noticed something off about the wolf. There was blood pouring from a wound in it's side and it looked about ready to collapse as I watched it sway slightly while trying to get a drink. It was probably a rogue, making me realize I'd come quite a ways out of my territory where rogue were free to roam through. I watched as it turned, looking as if ready to leave but it fell to the ground with a loud whimper and despite it's tries to stand back up, it only resulted in the wolf falling back to the ground.
I sighed, knowing that it wouldn't hurt me, wouldn't even be able to raise it's paw to try and it was too hurt to just leave alone. I looked around, waiting for whatever had caused the injury to come running through the trees to finish the job but nothing showed. I slid back into the water and swam to the edge of the lake near the wolf. I saw it try to lift it's head and let out a snarl in warning but it only came out as a whimper. I climbed from the lake and held my hands up to show I meant no harm. I'd had to deal with a few rogues before so I knew the best way to approach one was to show you meant no harm and give a show of submission as a sign of good faith. I tilted my head slightly to expose my neck and the wolf shifted back to human form. It was easier for us to heal from major wounds in our human forms because otherwise, we were trapped in our wolf forms until it healed over. As I kneeled beside the guy now laying on his stomach before me, I noticed the slight reflection of something in his wound.
"I'm going to have to turn you over to get a better look, alright?" I said making a reach for him and was glad to see him nod to me, though watching my every move very carefully. With as much care as I could, I slowly rolled him onto his back, wincing when I heard him hiss out in pain, and looked over his wound. It was worse than I thought and there were silver shavings in and around it. I winced when I noticed the full extent of his wound. "You were attacked by a hunter weren't you?" I asked and I saw the pain and fear flash through his eyes before he nodded. "Alright give me a moment, we have to try and clean the wound and get as much of the silver out of it was we can." He only nodded and bit his lip in an obvious attempt to keep from yelling out in pain.
I looked around and found a thick stick on the ground and quickly rinsed the dirt and loose bark from it before holding it up for him to bite on. I didn't need him biting through his lip and causing more pain. He bit into the stick with a bit of gratitude in his eyes and I went about finding something to help carry the water to his wound as well as something to hold the silver. It wasn't as harmful as stories make it out to be for us. We could touch it but not large amounts of it or for long periods of time and if it was in a wound or swallowed, it slowed our natural healing abilities to worse than a humans and would start to poison our blood if left too long. Thankfully, his wound looked recent enough to keep any major damage from happening so long as I got the silver shaving out of the wound soon.
After what felt like hours, though was probably only about ten minutes, I'd managed to remove all the silver shaving from the large gaping wound. It was one time I was grateful for small hands and that the shavings weren't embedded into the wound but looked more like someone had tossed them into the wound before it could heal. That meant it was probably a newbie hunter which made me relax, knowing it took years for a hunter to perfect their tracking skills only after they've managed to perfect the hunting skills and their choice of weapons. This was a sloppy attack and, though it would have been very deadly and possibly killed this man if he'd left it, it wouldn't actually cause damage to most wolves. This guy had just chosen to push through the pain and didn't even care enough to stop before he collapsed which is why it was bringing him harm. Most would have gotten away and shifted back immediately and dug the shavings out themselves. Something about this guy just made me think he was the type to fight through the pain and think he was stronger than he was.
"There. All cleaned out and I found some healing herbs. Do you think you can sit up?" I asked and was glad to see him nod then try to sit up. I quickly moved to help him until he was sitting up and I let him go. I quickly ground up the herbs on a flat rock I'd washed off. I took the hollowed out fallen tree branch, yes I broke it down to a decent size and hollowed it out myself with the help of my claws and a really sharp broken rock, and filled it with water before dumping the herbs into it. I swirled it around a bit to let the herbs mix into the water a bit before handing it to him to drink. When he set the makeshift cup down, I looked at him expectantly then down to his wound. I was glad to see it was no longer bleeding and in fact looked to be healing at a normal rate again. Well, normal for werewolves anyways.
"Thanks." I snapped my eyes up to meet the man's when I heard the hoarse voice speaking it's gratitude. I smiled at him and was glad to see a small smile from him in return.
"No problem. You honestly didn't look like you'd make it much longer if I hadn't helped." I answered honestly and regretted it a bit when I noticed a small flash of anger in his eyes before it was gone and he sighed.
"You're probably right. I honestly didn't think it was that bad and I'd be able to make it to the safe point and get it looked at by someone and warn them about the hunters." I tensed when he said hunters, as in plural and more than one.
"You meant here were multiple? They usually hunt separately unless going after a pack." I said, actually a bit worried about this now. Though I had no idea where I was at, I knew that my territory wasn't that far away and thus were too close to where the hunters were supposedly at.
"Ya, I know. I was surprised too. I had seen the one, maybe only sixteen at the most, and I knew that I'd be able to get away without injury easily and if not, then I'd get be able to kill him or escape with minor wounds. When at least three other stepped out and circled me I didn't think I'd be able to make it out alive. The main wound and the shavings were from the kid, definitely a new hunter. The others mostly kept me from escaping but didn't step in. Even yelled at the newbie to not try and follow me when I managed to get by him and escape. That confused me even more. You'd think they'd want to hurry and get rid of me, especially since in their eyes, rogues are violent and dangerous."
"Not all but most. And that's very odd. Did you manage to hear anything else they said, maybe while the newbie fought you or after?" I asked, I needed to see if I could piece together what was going on.
"Hm, maybe. I know the others were having a conversation but it sounded mostly like simple everyday conversations and after was mostly them telling the newbie to not follow me then faintly heard them instructing him." He said as he drifted off into thought, trying to remember something that might be helpful. "Oh, they had all shushed one of them when he mention something about red wolves and using them to get rid of the rest of our kind. I didn't think anything about it though. I mean there are no such things as red wolves." I was frozen now. Not in fear of the hunters in general, so long as us and the pack stayed out of the forest and our wolf forms until they were gone, we'd be fine. The problem was they knew about my sister and I and apparently knew something we didn't. I didn't think there was anything special about us aside from having a different fur color.
"Are you sure that's all you can remember?" I asked and he looked over at me then reached his hand out to ruffle my almost dry hair.
"Ya, nothing to worry about really. I mean they were headed towards the town a few miles the other direction so as long as you stay out this way, there's nothing to worry about." That was all I needed to hear to know that they did in fact know of my sister and I and where we were. I had to get home and fast, make sure my sister and I dye our hair, or at least get wigs to hide our red hair in case they figured out that our red hair signified our red fur. "Whoa there little guy. What's wrong? I just told you not to go that way and no offense kid, but you're barely what, twelve? You won't stand a chance against them and the wolves that own that territory won't take you in, they won't let anyone near their borders if they can help it."
"My family has reasons for not letting anyone in, now more so than ever. But if you wish to enter our town or join the pack we are allowing to live there, you're welcome to come with me. And for you information, I turn seventeen on Friday, a few days from now." I told him as I turned back to face him, standing at the edge of the forest facing the direction the man had come from when he made his first appearance. I watched as his eyes widened in surprise and recognition then in amusement.
"Ah, you must me one of the pampered princesses, well prince in your case, that other have mentioned before. Though I thought they had said it was two girls. No matter. And sorry, didn't mean any insult to you, my comments about your family or your age." He said before he slowly stood and winced slightly but otherwise seemed fine. I glanced at his wound and was glad to see it almost healed now. though he was definitely going to have a scar because of the silver. The herbs were definitely helping him though and it would be safe for him to shift now. "As for going with you, I might just take you up on your offer. Being a rogue is not exactly my ideal life choice. I'm Gavin, I was part of the Silver Moon pack before the alpha lost his mind and destroyed most the pack, scattering the rest." He informed and I looked at him with sympathy. I'd heard of what happened to his pack a few weeks ago just after it had happened. I'd also heard of this man in particular.
"Faelen. And I've heard of you. You were the Beta of their pack, almost as strong as the alpha. I'm sure Jonathon's pack would be more than accepting of you. Come on, if we leave now, we should be able to bypass the hunters and make it back to the territory with enough time to warn them all and take precautions. You'll have to guide me back since I've never been this far out and have a bit of a problem with directions. Also, be prepared to eat your words. This hair color is natural and an exact match to my fur." Without waiting for a reply, I shifted and took off in the direction he'd said the territory was.
"Whoa, guess I owe you another apology then." I heard him say before I heard the sound of his paws pounding against the ground behind me before he finally caught up then led the way. We had only had to halt and take another route twice because we scented hunters. As we neared the territory borders, I suddenly heard howls go off, one that sounded like Ley was close and started the chain reaction. I cursed under my breath and let out a loud bark to shut them up. The howls halted immediately and then six wolves emerged from the bushes around us. I heard growls aimed at Gavin and growled back to tell them to back off. I was relieved to see Kenley walked through carrying a few blankets in her hands.
"You know, next time you plan to run away, at least let me know you're alright. Forget Callen, I was about ready to go crazy with worry for you and Cam may or may not have claw marks on his cheek because he tried to keep me from trying to go out and look for you." I shifted and launched myself into her, hugging her tightly. "Alright, alright let go. Take a blanket and introduce us to your new friend, or should I say your guide back home?" She joked as she handed me a blanket then Gavin.
"This is Gavin, ex-beta of the Silver Moon pack. We need to get out of the forest now and keep everyone in their human forms." I turned towards Callen's father, now in human form and wrapping a blanket around him. "Call your pack to our house and do it fast. Everyone needs to hear what Gavin saw and know they can't shift." I saw his eyes light up with realization but he gave a simple nod and I knew he was taking care of it now.
"Done, now let's get you home and find some clothes for Gavin." He said before he led us out of the forest to the back gates of our property. I barely made it out of the tree line before I was yanked back into a hard chest and had kissed being placed down my neck towards my collarbone. Ki heard a chuckle, I assumed to be Gavin, and then my sister's giggle as they all headed into the property. I knew it was Callen from the tingles shooting through my body and the kisses that had trailed down my neck. We were now the only ones out and he lifted me up bridal style and clutched me close to his chest before we headed into the gate. Neither of us said anything and I just let him nuzzle his cheek against the top of my head. I was actually dreading having to tell everyone what I'd learned. There were hunters headed straight for us and they were coming for me and my sister. I couldn't stop my body from trembling and was actually glad when Callen held me closer. I couldn't stand the thought of being separated from him now and there was a good chance it might happen after all.