Page 27 of Howl For Me
Damara refused to stray far from Gavin. It was like her animal knew her place was to be at his side. So Damara quit fighting her beast and let her lead the way. As the pack enjoyed the run, Damara’s wolf became playful with Gavin’s. Every chance she got, she brushed up against his wolf, playfully nipping at him, teasing his animal.
The pack was in good sport, bonding with one another. When she’d first arrived with her parents, they’d introduced her to other members of the pack their family were close to. She had to admit, it was uncomfortable meeting people she had known since she was a child.
Everyone had the same look in their eyes.
Pity.
She tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t help but feel more broken. Why couldn’t she remember? Why didn’t she heal like any other shifter would have and kept her memory?
She put a smile on her face and acted as if it didn’t bother her. She would beat this. She would do whatever it took for her to gain her memory.
She trotted alongside Gavin and slowed, glancing around for her parents. Gavin yipped for her, and she shook her head and wanted to find them. She wanted them to run alongside her, too. She motioned for him to go ahead as other wolves followed behind him.
A snap of a twig in the woods gained her attention. Her wolf turned toward the sound, curious as to what it could be. It wanted to investigate, and she wanted to find her family.
Rabbit.
Of course, her wolf wanted to see if a small animal was hidden in the brush.
She flickered her eyes to the wolves that jogged past her. Her wolf was drawn to the darkened area. She took a few steps toward the sound, sniffing the ground for evidence that a small animal was near. She caught the scent of a rabbit, and her wolf grew excited. She took a few more steps away from the pack’s path, mind set on the trail of the rabbit.
The smell grew stronger, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the brush. A small bush shook gently, and she trotted over to it, her snout to the ground, tracking the rabbit’s scent.
Her ears pricked up the sound of low growling that appeared behind the bush. Her wolf instantly went on the defense. The hairs on the back of her neck rose while she stared at shrub. Her heart pounded as she screamed for her wolf to run back toward the rest of the pack.
Leave! Go find Gavin!she yelled, but her wolf ignored her.
The brush moved, and amber eyes met hers. This wolf was much larger than her. She took a step away, unsure of who the animal was. She kept her eyes on the it, moving farther away from it, not wanting to turn her back on the beast. Her heart slammed into her chest watching the animal creep forward.
A howl filled the air.
Gavin.
The wolf paused in its pursuit of her. Its growl deepened. Its lips pulled back, displaying its massive fangs before turning away and disappearing in the woods.
She scanned the area where the wolf had once stood. A head butted her shoulder, and she jumped. She turned and found Gavin’s curious eyes next to her. He walked around her and pushed her toward the path the pack had run. She glanced back at the spot where the other wolf had vanished.
Gavin stood in the same spot she had vacated, looking in the direction of the mysterious wolf.
She let loose a yip to gain his attention. She wasn’t sure who that was in the woods, but she was sure Gavin would find out.
* * *
“I thought you said that the perimeter was secured?” Gavin growled, stalking toward Solon.
The end of the run had commenced. Some of the pack lingered around, socializing. Some were still in their wolf form while others had already shifted back to their human bodies.
His beast was in a rage that a stranger had made his way onto the pack’s property. Gavin could sense the other wolf near Damara. His eyes narrowed on his enforcer while he approached him. His animal was close to the surface. It demanded for Gavin to shift back and race into the woods to trace the mysterious wolf.
“Alpha, we did,” Solon replied, his eyes lowered out of respect.
Gavin’s alpha powers radiated from him, feeding off his anger. He didn’t take too kindly to failure from his men.
“Then tell me why there was a random wolf growling near my mate. On our property. Explain this to me, now,” he demanded, standing directly in front of Solon. It took everything he had to not reach out and choke the life from his enforcer. His wolf was on edge and wouldn’t hesitate in disciplining his wolves for their fuckup. They’d just got Damara back. He couldn’t lose her.
Not now.
Not again.
