Page 20 of An Alpha's Commitment

I licked my lips. It wasn’t intentional, but this was my alpha and I couldn't wait for the part of the evening where we got to fuck.

He pulled on his jeans, not bothering with any other clothing. There was no point when we'd be shedding it again in minutes.

“Let’s go,” Talius nodded his head towards the door.

“C’mon,” Isca turned to me, rocking from one foot to the other. He had hurriedly put on jeans, having recently slipped out of the bed he’d been sharing with Talius. He was eager and clearly full of nervous energy, his pale skin flushed pink.

“I’ll be right there,” I dragged my t-shirt over my head, folding it quickly and dropping it on the chair, before slipping my socks and shoes off. I hurried to the door, grabbing Isca’s hand and pulling him along with me.

“C’mon, whatcha waiting for?” I teased.

Isca stumbled after me, and Talius followed more casually, letting us rush ahead in our eagerness. Or maybe it was just me that was super-eager. I could tell Isca was nervous and I wasn't giving him time to change his mind. But when we got to the front door, we stopped and waited for Talius to catch up and pass us.

It was customary for the Alpha to lead the way, probably a throwback to when wolves weren’t shifters, when there were dangerous threats in the wild, and the biggest and the strongest went first.

The full moon runs were more social than anything else these days. We ran for the sheer pleasure of being close to our wolves and our pack, feeling the power of the moon surge through our veins. It was a freedom that the human form didn’t allow. We’d be primal and wild, though we’d still retain a sense of ourselves. New unions often began on these nights, when the wolves were more animal than human, and the night was filled with adrenaline and the intoxicating scents of familiar and unfamiliar wolves.

But we were safe. Both Isca and I smelled of the Alpha leading the run, and I had his mating mark as well. Talius would be nearby. As long as we ran together, Isca had nothing to fear.

???

When we arrived at the clearing where the packs assembled, everyone was busy stripping off in preparation for the run and stashing their clothes under trees and bushes. I snickered to myself, imagining the chaos if a bunch of humans tried to do this. With such a large group, they'd never find their own clothes again, whereas we shifters could do it easily by scent.

There were a lot of unfamiliar faces.

"I don't know all these wolves," I murmured, looking around the crowd.

There were more unfamiliar wolves on this run than I would have expected, more than we normally had. I saw several who were friends of members of our pack, who'd come up from the city. I saw Talius talking to them, watched them bare their necks to him. I didn’t think we’d have to worry about them. It was the mass of others standing off to the side looking out of place that bothered me.

“The Inverlochs have brought a lot of strangers with them tonight,” I observed to Talius, when he came to check on us before the start.

His bushy brows drew together, lines creasing his forehead.

“There’s a festival down on the coast this weekend,” he told me, “and they had a lot of visitors on their land. I’ll make sure Lucius knows to keep an eye on them. Stay as close as you can to me during the run, and if you need me…” he broke off and tapped the side of his head with his index finger. I understood. I nodded.

Talius left us to go say something to Johnson, the head beta and Talius’ second-in-command for our pack. Technically, Lucius was second for the pack run, being a Pack Alpha, but Johnson would be keeping a supervising eye on our members. I knew he'd be keeping watch over us too. Although Talius would stay as close as he could, he wouldn’t be right beside us all the time. Johnson was large for a beta, and his wolf was almost as large as Talius'. I had no doubt he would defend Isca and myself with his life if he had to, though it was hardly likely under these circumstances. Still it was reassuring knowing he was there, given Isca's undefined status in the pack.

Talius made his way through the crowd that was now packed into the clearing. He was taller than most, and I saw him reach Lucius. The two Alphas inclined their heads together, a discussion taking place. Probably Talius was warning Lucius to keep his plus ones under control. Lucius was nodding thoughtfully.

Talius moved to the edge of the clearing, jumping up onto the remains of an old tree trunk that had been felled years before we took over the farm and which he used as a kind of podium. He put two fingers between his lips and a piercing whistle rang out across the clearing. The ensuing silence allowed him to address the assembled shifters.

“Welcome everyone to another night run. Most of you know me, but for those that don't, I'm Talius, Alpha Wolf of the Leongatha pack, your hosts for tonight.

Tonight we have the Inverloch pack running with us, many of whom you already know.”

A murmur of approval rippled through the gathering and there was much nodding of heads. We all had friends in the Inverloch pack.

"...and we also have some additional guests as well."

He turned towards where Lucius was standing near the log.

“Welcome Lucius, and welcome Inverloch wolves and guests.” Talius’ voice rang out over the assembly.

Lucius inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Talius continued, “Leongatha wolves, I expect you will all be on your best behavior – to all other designations and to our guests. Other than that stipulation, have a wonderful night. As customary, refreshments will be available for everyone back at the pack house, whenever you choose to return.” He paused and with a wry grin added, “A word of warning to our guests - if you come in too late the pups will have eaten everything. Our pups have voracious appetites.”

Loud chuckles greeted this statement. The younger pack members always finished earlier than the rest of us, and they usually put a big dent in the feast before the remainder of the pack returned. But I’d prepared extra this time, with the help of the betas, and I was sure there’d be plenty for everyone.

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