Page 1 of Mating at Midnight: Book 1

Chapter 1

Nyah Lightfeather

The only sounds that could be heard were that of the forest animals either looking for something to eat or hiding from predators. As my Rufulous, reddish-brown wolf, hunched low under a low bush, I caught the smell of a deer. I look to my right to see an extremely large doe taking a drink in the small stream. It lifts its head, sniffing the air. Maybe it senses me but cannot see me. This kill would be a bounty for my family. The doe looks from side to side before continuing to drink, unaware that death is just around the corner. I let out a low growl before leaping from the bushes to attack. I sink my canines deep into the deer’s neck. The deer tries to put up a fight but is no match. Finally, with a hard twist of its massive jaw, I break its neck. Putting it out of its misery.

My body tenses as I release the deer. I raise my head, sniffing the air. A scent I’ve never smelled before enters my nostrils. I instantly get into a defensive stance. There’s another predator close. From its smell, I can tell it’s another wolf. My father is very strict about others hunting on our lands, so whoever this wolf is, I know for sure they are trespassing.

Suddenly, a large black wolf appears in the clearing fifty yards away. Clearly by its size and dominant stance, it’s an alpha male. Yellow eyes lock with mine as the wolf bares its massive teeth at me. He lowers on his legs as if he’s ready to run towards me and attack. My daddy, who is the Alpha of our pack, always told me to never back down from any wolf; large or small. So, I get in the same position, growling, and displaying my sharp fangs.

If the wolf thought I was going to give up my kill without a fight, he’s by far mistaken. This is my family’s land and I’ll bedamned if I let a rogue wolf think he can come here and take what’s ours.

The wolf snarls as he races in my direction. I ready myself for the fight but become confused when the wolf comes to a complete halt when he’s midway between us. His freaky yellow eyes flash to blue then back to yellow. What the hell was that? He tilts his large head to the side before snapping his elongated mouth. Now that he’s closer, the wolf is larger than I initially thought, not that it would have stopped me from going up against him.

Not knowing what the wolf was doing, I stayed in my stance. This might be a tactic to get me to let my guard down, but that wasn’t going to happen. I continue snarling, waiting for his next move. The wolf surprises me as he lifts his head and lets out a deep howl before running off in the direction he came from.

I’m left there dumbfounded, wondering what the hell was that all about. Maybe, when he realized I wasn’t going to submit and turn over the deer, he figured it was better for him to go on his way. He was in unfamiliar territory and one screeching howl from me would have my family here in no time, but I didn’t have to do that because since my older sister, Kenia and I were little ones, daddy taught us how to defend ourselves in both our wolf and human forms.

After waiting another ten minutes to see if the wolf would return, and he didn’t, I grabbed the deer and dragged it to the four-wheeler.

At the ATV, Kenia is waiting for me in her wolf form.

Letting the deer go, I shift. “I got dinner,” I say.

She nods her head in my direction, baring her canines, triumphantly with her golden eyes fixated on me.

She shifts, shaking her head from side to side. “I see. You did good, lil sis,” She smiles. “I was tracking a buck but heard a howl. Did you hear it? It didn’t sound like someone from our pack.”

I nod, picking up my jogging pants from the seat of the four-wheeler. “I did. It was from a trespassing wolf,” I informed as I put the pants on, then my t-shirt.

“Daddy’s not going to like that,” Kenia warns, putting her clothes on as well.

“I know, but it ran off. Hopefully, it won’t come back,” I say.

“I hope not, because you know daddy doesn’t tolerate intruders hunting on the land. Remember what he did to those hunters?” she asks, raising her arched brow.

How could I forget? A few years ago, daddy caught two human hunters illegally hunting, but instead of killing deer, rabbits, or other game, they had killed a young wolf shifter. Enraged from what they did, daddy shifted into his wolf and...let’s just say there’s still missing person posters hanging around.

Daddy’s usually lenient when it comes to our own hunting on our property, but that’s only with those in our pack. Outside wolves, he treated them the same as humans unless they came to him for permission. It was a sign of respect, especially since he is the Alpha of our pack.

“I’ll let daddy know. He’ll probably send out some of the guards to do a perimeter sweep,” I return.

Kenia giggles, “Let’s hope daddy won’t put us on lockdown like he used to when we were younger.”

I roll my eyes, laughing, “I seriously hope not. We’re grown ass women for God’s sake.” I smile, then say, “I’m so glad you’re back even if it’s only for a few days.”

Kenia’s back home for a week’s visit before she leaves for Arizona. She became a Veterinary Specialist to help our kind and now she works for an outreach program that travels around the States and abroad to help others. When she has free time, Kenia always comes home.

“Me, too. I really needed this. It’s hard sometimes to see how cruel the world can be, which is why we keep our true selves from humans. With all the divides going on from race, religion, sexual orientation, and such, imagine how society would treat us if they knew.”

I didn’t even want to imagine how others would view us. I’m sure there would be some who would accept us, but then there would be the ones who feared us and thought of us as a threat. That’s why it was so important to never let others outside of our Pack know our true nature.

“Not to change the subject,” Kenia says. “Are you ready to start your new position at the hotel tomorrow?”

I grin from ear to ear. “I am, but I’m nervous as hell.”

“Why?” Kenia asks. “You know that damn job inside and out. You’ve worked the front desk for the last three years while you went to college to get your hospitality and management degree.”

“I know, but it’s not that,” I murmured.

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