Page 22 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

“Never mind,” I muttered. “Fine. I’ll leave.”

Everyone watched me, their eyes piercing me until I left the café. Even through the windows lining the corridor, I watched them all follow me like they expected me to spit and swear and put up a fight. I glared back at them, especially my mother.

The instant Oswald banned me from the Lodge’s living quarters was the instant they had enough reason to disown me. They’d just been looking for an excuse!

As the sun sunk into the horizon, I stood outside in a sweater and jeans, fuming. They wouldn’t even let me eat. What did they expect me to do? I had no money to buy food from the vending machines. I had no car to drive into one of the nearby cities. I could barely hunt, especially with my fire-red fur.

But I supposed I had no other choice.

If I wanted to eat, I’d have to catch something myself.

Chapter 9: Aria

A bright half-moon illuminated the forest in patterns of silver filigree and formless darkness. I was part of that darkness, slinking between the trees in the deepest shadows so my auburn fur wouldn’t give me away. Taking care not to step where the moonlight spilled through the canopy, I glided quickly over the grass, my nose attuned to the smell of prey.

The rollercoaster of emotions I’d endured over the past couple of days kept coming back to me in flickers. I tried not to let myself be distracted by the gravity of my parents’ rejection. If anything, thinking about how they stood by while I was kicked out of the café just made me angrier. It filled me with the ambition to prove that I could take care of myself, and not only that—but that I was a capable wolf, I was more than my Alpha training. I could hunt, fight, or do whatever my pack needed of me! Even if they didn’t want me now, I’d prove what I was worth! Those thoughts kept me focused on my mission long enough to track down the scent of a young deer. My stomach gurgled with excitement and desperate hunger. I hadn’t eaten all day and hoped my eagerness wouldn’t botch my hunt. My heart couldn’t take another failure.

I pointed my body in the direction of the smell, moving fast and low like an arrow.

The scent was already ten minutes old, which meant I’d have to move fast to find the deer. I ducked and wove between the trees, keeping my eyes peeled for my prey, my confidence rising as the scent grew stronger.

Then, in the middle of a clearing bathed in moonlight, I saw the deer grazing peacefully. It must have been a fawn from earlier that spring, just now losing its spots, its mother nowhere in sight. I dropped down to stalk closer to the animal, my tail twitching in anticipation. My muscles coiled, ready to strike. I held my breath and waited as the deer slowly stepped away, turning its back on me…

Only for a growl to rip through the air. The deer looked up and leaped away at the same time that two bodies came hurtling out of the trees into the clearing, enveloping one another in teeth and nails.

I shot upright, my eyes wide—first came the shock, then frustration as I realized my dinner was getting away. Turning on my heel, I almost gave chase before recognizing one of the wolves locked in combat. Even in the moonlight, I knew that silver colouration, the hints of black fringing his hackles and tail—it was Luke! His massive body was tense, muscles rippling under his fur as he braced himself against his assailant.

What was he doing out here?

Clearly, he’d gotten himself involved in some kind of trouble because the wolf fighting him showed no signs of stopping even after Luke broke contact, backing away and snarling in warning. The other wolf bared its teeth and advanced on him, waving their tail high with challenge.

I second-guessed whether it was wise to expose myself, but in the time I spent deliberating, two more wolves appeared out of the darkness, surrounding Luke. Now he was outnumbered.

In the blink of an eye, the three wolves converged on Luke in a snarling, spitting flurry. My heart leaped out of my throat. I couldn’t let him get ripped apart by these wolves! Desperate to help him, I launched out of the bushes for the nearest wolf. I didn’t think about the danger—all that mattered was helping Luke. My combat training was at the forefront of my mind, latching my jaws around the side of my enemy’s neck.

The wolf shrieked with surprise and withdrew from Luke, twisting around to snap at me instead. Alarm bells rang in my head as I backpedaled away from their fangs while keeping a hold on their neck. My teeth sank into their flesh, and I tasted blood, but my training urged me to clamp down in order to inflict as much pain as possible. I didn’t want to kill them, just get them to back down.

In the corner of my eye, I saw the other two wolves biting at Luke with clearly malicious intent. Luke caught my eye before he was drawn back into the fight. He was just as surprised to see me here as I was to be fighting alongside him.

The wolf in my grip wrenched free, losing a clump of skin and fur. I spat it out and snarled, but the wolf seemed unfazed by the gaping hole in their neck. The sight wrung my insides with fear. I darted at the wolf for a second attack, and this time they met me head-on, our gaping jaws clashing and teeth clattering. They sheared my muzzle just above my nose, opening a deep wound that soaked my muzzle in blood. I raked my teeth across their eye, and they squealed in pain, recoiling, but it was too late: I’d blinded them.

My heart slammed in my ears. Luke had one wolf pinned while the other grabbed his ankle and was trying to pull him off. I whipped around and lunged at the wolf, yanking on Luke’s ankle. They unleashed a fiendish growl and turned on me, biting my ear. The pain shot through my head. I whipped my maw side to side, shredding the flesh on their haunch before they finally let Luke go. While he dealt with the wolf under him, I sparred the wolf in front of me, thinking of new ways to incapacitate them like I’d done to the first wolf.

Before I realized it, I had two wolves on me. The blinded wolf still had one good eye to see out of.

My panic battled against sheer determination. I couldn’t screw this up—my life depended on it, and so did Luke’s. I looked between my two opponents, and when they both launched at me, I ducked and skirted out of the way, causing them to crash into each other. While they fell in a tangled mess, I grabbed one of their tails and pulled it, breaking the vertebra and eliciting an anguished howl. But they quickly got to their feet and surrounded me. Their teeth rained down on me, and for a split second, I regretted immersing myself in the fight. Every bite made my terror explode, distracting me from my training. Was this how I was going to die?

As one wolf pinned me to the ground with their teeth in my neck, I thrashed, kicking and biting—the blinded wolf dove for my underbelly. My life flashed before my eyes—but before they made contact, their head reeled back, then their body was tossed aside. Luke had grabbed them and tore them off of me.

The other wolf let me go. I sat up, realizing that the wolf Luke was fighting was gone, leaving only a pool of blood in their wake. Luke savagely ripped into the blinded wolf, sending them running after tearing out their other eye. The last remaining wolf turned their attention back to Luke, but now they were outnumbered. I got to my feet and snarled.

Seeing that they had no allies left, the wolf growled, frothing, and lunged—but instead of hitting either of us, it ran right past us, disappearing into the forest.

Luke and I panted, our bodies covered in blood, staring at the spot where the attackers had vanished. My legs trembled, but I stood strong and dazed with victory, even if my body yearned to collapse.

“Are you okay?”Luke asked in wolf tongue.

His voice broke me out of my daze. I looked up and found his intelligent amber eyes locked on me.“I’m fine,”I insisted, but the hollowness in my voice implied otherwise.

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