The moon has risen in the sky. I stare at the fat, waxy orb. Why am I like this? Why would I be so cursed to be so weak and so strong? I can’t hide my omega side forever; myheat will come. It’s inevitable, and then if I still haven’t found freedom…I will be at my pack’s mercy, and they won’t have any.
I’ve survived two of them locked in my basement with toys and various creams and teas that dull the heat. But the last time I emerged, I found Benson and Liam on my mountain, unable to explain what they were hunting. It has been the wake-up callIneeded.
Frieda spent forever concocting the perfect blend that would steal the danger out of me and just leave me writhing in my own self-pity. Dulling the heat, suppressing the overwhelming scent. No wolf and no fury.
An omega without a wolf. Who ever heard of such stupidity?
I hear a howl and turn away from the moon. It’s echoed by another and another. I listen carefully and realise that I can identify them easily. Khaos called first, answered by Angel and Riot.
I tilt my head back and let out my own human wolf song. It drifts into silence. The night seems so much more alive knowing they are out there.
With a last look at the view, I head up further. There’s one place on this mountain where I can get the herb I need for this brew, and I can only find it under a full moon. I wish Frieda had removed some of her spells that hid her secrets on the mountain, but she was paranoid, and for good reason. The town hated her, the wolves even more so.
The last thing I want to do is hurt them or sexually assault them because my heats got me all twisted up. It’s worth braving the danger to protect us all. I’m grateful Frieda showed me how to find it at all.
I walk across a fallen tree, refusing to look down at the forty-foot drop into a crevice there is no way out of. Falling down there would be a death sentence. The familiar path lulls me into complacency. Once I get to the cliff, I smile grimly and tighten my backpack straps. I throw myself at the cliff wall, dragging myself up.
Three feet. That’s all I make before Angel slams into me. I hit the ground hard, my arm going numb, but Angel’s fur is standing on end. He’s crouched low, his teeth bared and ears pinned.
“Angel?”
How did he find me so fast? I look around for the others, but it’s just him and me. There’s been something between us for a while now. The fear morphed into something deeper, like an understanding. He knows what I am, and I know what he is, and we both guardedly accept each other.
But this…the rage surprises me.
He lunges forward and snaps; I dart back against the cold stone and sit there, stunned by his aggression.
I grab my bag and stand up; I reach for the wall again, but, this time, I have to dive out of the way of teeth.
“What the hell, Angel!”
He snarls, but it’s echoed by another. Hazard trots over to us, his tongue hanging out in a way that I have never seen another wolf do before. It’s far too dog-like an expression, and most wolves wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that face.
But he looks adorably pleased. He noses Angel, who calms down and then turns to me before raising his head and looking up at the wall.
“I need to go up there.”
Angel growls and moves on stiff legs even closer. Apparently, that is not an option. Pushy, pestilent wolves.
Hazard looks up at the cliffs and then suddenly puts his head between the wall and me and shoves me away from it.
“What are you doing?” I shriek. “I have to get up there.”
They don’t let me go, just bully me further and further away from the cliff.
“Stop, come on, I have to get up there. What are you doing?”
It’s cute, though, and Angel hasn’t interacted this much with me in ages, and despite the fact that I need to stay away from them, I don’t want to. I’m lonely.
Hazard jumps away from me, dipping into a play bow. Angel chases him. I follow, walking behind them through the dark forest.
When I get to the tree line, I suck in my breath and stand there, poised, one hand on a cool tree trunk as I watch.
The meadow is silver blue, reflecting the light of the enormous moon, but I’ve never been here before.
Wrath darts out from the other side, racing so fast he’s a silver blur. Angel and Hazard wrestle and play. It’s like seeing versions of them that I’ve never seen before. Even Khaos comes down and runs with them.
I stare until I can’t silence the ache in me. I shift behind a tree, leaning up against it, my fist to my mouth to silence the muffled cries.
