Page 1 of Midnight Moon
One
Crouching between two tall pines,I lifted my nose and inhaled deeply. The woods’ natural scents filled my nostrils, as familiar to me as the smell of my own perfume. I grew up in these woods, ran through them almost daily ever since I first shifted and merged with my wolf. But though the woods were familiar, I knew there were many places left unexplored.
And, right now, my opponents could be hiding in any one of them. I’d hoped to be able to smell them out. Either they weren’t nearby, or they’d managed to mask their scents.
Knowing the two shifters and their competitiveness, I’d bet money on the latter.
“Smell anything?” My partner for this exercise and best friend, Stephanie, whispered so quietly it could only be heard with shifter hearing.
“No.”
“Shit.” Like me, she knew how good our opponents were. As the alpha’s daughter, my senses were superior to the average wolf’s. The fact I couldn’t even catch a whiff of Hunter or Mike wasn’t a good sign.
“What do we do?”
“I don’t know.” I pursed my lips and stared at the orange ribbon tied to the trunk of the Limber Pine fifty feet away. There’s no way Hunter and Mike would leave their flag unattended. It was almost certainly a trap.
Stephanie shared my thoughts. “They’re probably hiding nearby, hoping to get the jump on us when we expose ourselves.” She peered around the shrubbery currently hiding us from sight. Her brown eyes gleamed as a plan came to mind. “If I cause a distraction, do you think you can grab the ribbon and outrun them?”
“As a wolf, one-hundred percent,” I said, “but in this form, I’m not so sure.” The competition had few rules, but one decreed competitors could not shift into their wolves. We had to sneak up on our opponents, retrieve their team flag, and return to pack headquarters—all while in skins.
“What if my distraction buys you a fifteen-second head start?”
“Hmm.” I mapped out the path to headquarters in my head. I knew these trees better than anyone in my pack. I could weave through them quickly, whereas the terrain might slow Hunter and Mike down. “That might work.”
“It’s a plan then.” Stephanie rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck from side to side, acting as if she were about to embark on an Olympic sprint. “Get ready.”
I nodded and shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, eager to bring an end to this competition. We’d already been out here for five hours and the sun was about to set.
“Wait for me to draw them away, then make your move.”
“Got it.”
Stephanie peered above the greenery, her eyes alight with the thrill of the competition. Then, she burst through the shrubs into the small clearing between us and our opponent’s tree.
The next instant, a broad torso stepped into view.
Stephanie didn’t hesitate. She ran towards the tree with the orange flag. A second male body appeared to her left, blocking her path. That’s when she deviated and ran to the right.
Hunter and Mike gave chase.
I made my move.
I traversed the distance between me and the tree on light feet, careful to move quickly but quietly. I could hear the guys crashing through bushes and swatting away tree branches as they tried to capture my nimble friend. She couldn’t outrun them forever, but I didn’t need her to.
I reached their precious tree with a gleeful smile, but the sound of a pinecone crunching beneath my hiking boots wiped the smile from my face.
The crashing through the forest stopped. I heard Hunter yell, “She’s just a distraction. Find Blair!”
Too late.
I swiped my pocketknife from my back pocket and sliced the orange ribbon. Holding my prize in a tight fist, I hopped over a fallen log and took off.
The woods blurred into a smear of greens, grays, and browns. My speed might not compare to my wolf’s, but it was far better than any ordinary human. I bobbed and weaved through the terrain as I followed the downward slope to pack headquarters, my breath coming in even, well-conditioned spurts. By my estimate, I only had another half mile to go. I could easily make that in three minutes.
I broke through the trees and into the clearing that housed the majority of our pack members’ homes and businesses. Impending victory tasted sweet on my tongue.
Then, I heard it… heavy and quick footfalls.
