I never knew the willow grove by the old sawmill had so many uses. I, for one, have used it shamelessly for my rendezvous with Gabe. There are so many secluded dens, shaded by trailing branches and vines. The further you go, the more privacy you get. I am sure every single one from the pack has made use of it in their young and carefree days. The reason I am telling all this is that I expect them to use the dens for modesty’s sake. Nobody wants to see other people’s dangly bits when they are about to shift. I certainly don’t.
But alas. Nobody shares my sentiments. Even during the rogue attack, people had just partially transformed, keeping their pants on, but here there is no such concession. I flush in embarrassment as people start stripping right in the middle of the road. Tops are pulled over heads, shoes are shrugged off and pants slide down indiscriminately. Many couples help each other, and in the process, get a bit carried away. Some shy ones, and most of these are young girls, take refuge in the thick bushes, but the shameless ones have no such qualms.
These include, among others, Gabe, Jeff, Billy and Tammy.
Gabe smirks, pulling off his shirt and tugging at his waistband. Jeff follows the suit and Billy and Tammy. The ground becomes strewn with clothes as the commotion increases. The air fills with a clamour of hisses, grunts and cracks. Bones snap in the weirdest of ways as bodies begin to twist and mould themselves into a different shape.
I groan, scrunching my eyes shut. Around me are cackles of laughter. Tammy, too, enjoys my discomfort as she strips and turns into her wolf. I open my eyes as something nudges against my leg. It’s Tammy’s red wolf, looking into my eyes.
“Chop chop, Danny. Quit being a chicken and strap my backpack.” Her voice sounds in my head over the newly formed pack connection. My eyes light like a bulb.
“Finally. Back to our normal self, are we?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“Yep. Now hurry up.” She demands, dancing around me. I grin.
“Right ho.” I gather her stuff from the ground to shove in her backpack, then strap it onto her. It’s weird to touch her in her wolf form. Her soft fur shines like red-gold silk. Her ears are erect and almond-eyes alive with life yet sombre. I sit in front of her and stroke her furry head.
“Are you okay?”
She blows a soft huff. “I don’t know. I guess.”
“Stay with me. And if you need to talk, remember, I am here.”
She gives me a look, then nods and saunters away. Someone else nudges my back, and this time it’s another wolf, asking for the same help.
I spend the next ten minutes collecting clothes and tying backpacks. Arthur and others not joining us on this trip help the remaining people and everyone is ready in no time. Everyone except me, Olly, and Tina.
Billy’s light brown wolf comes forward to carry Tina, who happily straps his pack to her own chest to climb him. Her bushy brown hair is tied up in a band and her cute, upturned nose is scrunched in excitement. However serious this trip for the family, it’s clear Tina cannot contain her excitement. Her honey brown eyes sparkle with thrill as she cracks a wide grin.
“Oh, Danny. Isn’t this exciting?”
“Yep!”
I give her a thumbs-up and turn when Gabe’s silver wolf saunters towards me with the confidence of a wolf coming for its prey. He hunches in front of me and my mouth goes dry. Riding him has different connotations. I cannot possibly bring myself to imagine it. He, on the other hand, has no such qualms.
“Must I…?” I plead in my head, looking into his sparkling silver-grey eyes. His mouth twists in a smirk.
“Yes, darling. You must.”
My face heats as I climb on him, strapping his backpack to my own body. His fur is sleek, so soft, I do not think I’ll last even for five minutes.
“What if…I fall?”
“Well. What are those long legs for? Use them. Now is the time.”
I lick my lips and clamp my legs around his back. I can see he is enjoying this. He gives a satisfied grunt until I lean forward to grab his pointy ears.
“Ouch! That hurt, Danny!!”
“Safety precautions.” It’s my turn to smirk. “There are your reins. You will follow my lead and obey my commands. Do as I wish, or else…”
“Hey! You can’t take Adam’s revenge on me. I don’t deserve this…”
“Well, tough luck! Giddy-up, boy!” I laugh, ignoring his protests as he turns round and round to wiggle out of my clutches. I never knew this would be so much fun. Riding a beast, being in command, making him do whatever I please. It feels I am in my element.
The hairs on my neck stand up with a familiar sensation and I realize we are being watched. I do not even have to turn to see who is watching us.
My legs tighten around Gabe, the evil me enjoying the situation to no end. I wish this was him. I focus on Adam and say it in my mind, slowly, deliberately, taking my sweet time–I. Wish. This. Were. You.
The prickle on my skin intensifies into a swift burn, then disappears altogether. I snort with laughter.
“Why are you laughing? It’s not funny!” Gabe grumbles in my head.
I tut, ruffling the fur of his sleek back. “Nothing that concerns you.”
Finally, everyone has shifted, and I and Tina are aboard our rides. Billy’s light brown wolf is already plodding towards the side gate where the others have started exiting. The last one left is Olly, who looks at Jeff expectantly.
Unlike I and Tina who have chosen to wear our warm joggers and jumpers, Olly wears her skimpy denim shorts. They expose her legs tantalisingly and Jeff practically drools.
His dark brown wolf moves towards her and goes down on its hunches. Olly smiles victoriously. Behind them, Myra watches from the shrubs, her dappled grey wolf whimpering to hide back into the bushes.
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I sigh as I adjust myself on my ‘ride’.
“Just don’t drop me, okay? Or I’ll never ride you again.”
A salacious laughter fills my head. “No chance, darling. And you will only ever ride me, mark my words.”
A furious red colours my face as I dig my legs to drive him onward.
Hmph! Men!!
*****
I will never forget the next few hours. The campgrounds are beautiful, but the woods have a different allure. They are free, untamed, magical. The silence vibrates around us as the wolves file out in an orderly fashion. John leads us, along with ten of his commanders. Behind him is the Luna and the rest of the pack. Sentries are placed at regular intervals on the side lines to shield us from any side attack. Ten more ferocious wolves bring up the back, covering us from behind.
The Beta…I see him a lot, yet don’t see much. He keeps hovering around as if the weight of the world is on him. To tell the truth, I do not know why he looks so strained. It’s not like the rogues will attack a procession full of hundreds of wolves. It must be a habit. From what I have seen so far, he takes his duties seriously, too seriously in Gabe’s words, for his own good.
It must be a trait he picked from his mother. Phyllis married John for the good of the pack. She had a full right to reject him after her father’s death, yet she went along with it, just so the pack won’t fall apart. Not only that, but she also wants her children to follow her path. Jeff is tied to Myra and Tammy…
I wonder how much of Phyllis is in her son. How far Adam can go for the sake of his pack.
Shaking my head, I look forward. I do not know why I keep thinking about him. Today of all days, I need to keep my head clear. I need that space for other things, like these serene pastures, green hillocks, and beautiful meadows full of wildflowers.
A mile from the camp, we start gathering speed. The cool wind whistles through my hair as we race ahead. My face stings with its chilly bite. The forest hums in my ears as we pass rocky outcrops, plunging ravines and thickets full of all sorts of wild shrubs.
The siblings keep roughly together with Tammy ahead of us. She looks much better than she has in the past few days. She sprints ahead of the boys with an alarming speed. There is something about being out in the open. The wild always has a way to free yourself of your woes.
I myself cannot get enough of it. It’s the best ride of my life. I lean over Gabe to grab his fur, my legs tightening around him.
“Enjoying?” He pings me over the connection.
“Yesss…” I sigh back, contented.
He rushes on as I bounce precariously, but I am not afraid. This is great. I can do this for hours, no…days, if only… The image of a majestic black wolf forms in my head. Powerful. Sleek. Untameable. His green eyes boar into me as something static crackles with tension.
Irritated, I hmph. Time and again, again and again, I do not know why my stupid mind keeps going back to him. It’s becoming an occupational hazard. If I am to be with Gabe, I must put a stop to this madness.
“Mr. Gru.” I type a text on my mental cell phone, very polite and professional. “Please stop stalking my mind. I am going to be with your brother. I am off limits.”
I hit a ‘Send’, and I turn my attention to the others. Riding on Billy’s light brown wolf, Tina looks elated. Myra rides ahead of all us, even ahead of Tammy. Her dappled grey wolf is just as small and chubby as her, yet she surpasses everyone in speed. There is a lethal agility with which she soars, like an arrow out of a bough that will hit the mark no matter what.
Yet something about her is unnerving. It shows the way she keeps glancing back every time the path turns or goes over hillocks. Everyone knows that look is for Jeff. He himself is aware of it yet ignores it with practise.
He is facing a different problem. Riding on his back, Olly looks quite queasy. Her face is puce, eyes watery from the sharp wind. With one hand, she keeps wiping her runny nose and the other hand is not enough to keep her hold on Jeff. Twice now, she has slid off, only to land splayed on the ground. Luckily, it was soft ground so she didn't get hurt, but the third time, she lands straight in a ditch.
We stop our ride as she gets out somehow, looking sour and super annoyed. Jeff is puzzled.
“I don’t know what’s wrong. I am being careful.”
“No, you are not. You are going too fast, and you are too slippery.”
“I am going the same speed as others. And Danny and Tina are fine…”
“Well, I am not. Just slow down for me, okay?”
The argument continues for a while. The entire pack stops to wait for us. Finally, Gabe sends a SOS, and someone turns up with a harness. We let out a relieved sigh as I strap it on Jeff and Olly finally sits on him safe and secure. I hand her my scarf, then tighten the straps a few of times to make sure they are safe, before giving them a go.
“I am not made for riding. I am meant to run.” Olly snaps, hiding her annoyance. “Just wait a couple of days. I’ll turn into a wolf myself.”
No one argues as everyone hopes she is right. We cannot imagine her tantrum if she isn’t. I too fervently hope she gets her wish because if she doesn’t, I don’t think I have a chance to make it myself.
The day rises as we zoom through the landscape. The ground runs beneath padded paws. In a few hours, we cover hundreds of miles. As the sun sinks to the west, we pass by a vast grey lake. A command sounds through my mind to halt. This is where we’ll break for the day.
We set up our camp on the bank of the lake. Wolves shift back and dress up warm for the night. This time I don’t flinch, but keep my eyes to myself. I need to get used to this if I am to survive here.
People spread out, lighting small fires. Some hunters come back with fresh kill and a smell of roasting meat fills the air. There are some rabbits, and baskets of wild berries. Adam has caught a wild boar that roasts tantalisingly on a spitfire.
The evening is quiet. People are sitting in groups, huddled around the fires. Somewhere someone starts singing. It’s a song of the old that filters through the chilly evening air. I cannot get the words, but the tune is of sweet longing.
I see Tammy sitting on a rock by the lake and go to join her. The chilly breeze brings goosebumps to my skin and I hug myself. Tammy’s eyes are still on a distant point on the horizon.
“You see that cliff? It’s where the shrine is.”
I look up in the direction of her vision. Ahead, right beyond the lake, the forest slopes upward. Dark grey mountain ranges loom all around us, but the peak she points to is the highest. It shoots like a spear, impaling the clouds with its sheer strength and brutality. It’s about a day’s ride from here. A shiver runs down my spine as I realise how close we are. This might be one of the last times I talk to Tammy.
“May I ask a question?” I glance at her, expecting her to deny, but she stays quiet. I plod ahead.
“Damien is your mate. And mates are supposed to…feel for each other. Now we know he is a vampire, and vampires don’t have feelings, but you… Do you not feel anything for him?”
“Do you know how we met?” she asks without turning her head, her eyes still pinned to the peak. “It was at that shrine. There are caves there, dark caves with roofs opening to the moon. They are beautiful. They say it’s where the Moon Goddess appeared for the first time. She found her mate there and made a life with him before he died, and she left the earth. Legend has it that whoever finds their mate there are the luckiest ones, truly blessed by the moon goddess.”
I listen in surprise. “Then why are you...”
Tammy gives a shiver, the cold finally catching her. “The day I saw him, I was with father. He was there for a meetup. Damien was in a chair right opposite me. I sat there while the others talked, unable to take my eyes off him. There was something about him that left me spellbound.”
“He hypnotised you?” My heart sinks. Tammy smiles.
“He tried to, but he could not. That’s how he knew I was his mate. Another thing about mates is that, Danny, you cannot use your powers to seduce them or make them do your bidding. The mate bond must be honoured with full consent. It must be mutual, without any magical intervention.”
Right. My head is spinning. This mate bonds and mating are as confusing as dating. In my YA novels, a click of a bond and the male sweeps the female into the sunset with or without her consent. Here it’s just too complicated.
“So he could not seduce you?”
“No. He tried and failed. He tried again and failed again. He kept trying for the next three days. I was just confused. I didn’t even tell father. Then on the last day, I saw him again, in the caves. He was with a girl, having sex, drinking her blood as she writhed in pain. When he was done, she flopped on the floor like a lifeless doll, and his minions carried her away. I somehow made back to our quarters but nearly fainted. That’s how father knew. That’s how everyone knew I had a mate bond with him.”
After that I don’t say much. The delicious aromas of the meat waft towards us, but I have no appetite. The night gathers around us as we sit in silence. I grab Tammy’s hand into my clammy ones, more for my comfort than hers. The next few days are going to be hell. I clench my fists and pray to the Goddess for her blessings, but she is nowhere in the sky.
***** *****