I reminded myself to think about that later. First things first—food. The deer herds preferred open fields surrounded by thin forests, so I knew exactly where to look. Since their fawns had been born over the spring, they wouldn’t be moving around yet.
An hour later, I’d arrived at a familiar clearing. Deer often grazed here, and sure enough, I caught a whiff of their scent. I kept low to the ground behind a stray tree, staying out of sight.
They were too far. Hunting was a waiting game sometimes, which was something my youngest brother Sage still didn’t understand. He was immature and impatient, preferring to rush in and scatter the prey instead of using his head.
I worried about him sometimes. He was an adult omega who still hadn’t had his first heat. I obviously didn’t mind if he had no interest in romance, but ever since Len joined the pack and bore the twins, Sage seemed unusually drawn to them. I wondered if Len’s presence would awaken his desire to start a family, too.
At least Sage is young,I thought with exasperation.I’m the oldest and I still don’t have a mate…
I dug my claws in and out of the ground, suddenly feeling a bit annoyed. There were no wolf shifters in the reserve besides us. At first, I thought this was a good thing because we never had to fight for territory except for our spat with Klimt. But it also meant I had no chance of finding love unless I left the territory, and with the twins to protect, I didn’t want to risk it.
A low growl of frustration built in my throat. Where the hell was I supposed to find a mate? I wasn’t getting any younger, and if I was honest with myself, it felt like I was racing against the clock now.
What if I never found a mate? What if I was just the cool older uncle, unmated forever?
“Pull yourself together, Dax,” I growled beneath my breath.
I was stronger than my doubts and I knew I’d get over it, but sometimes a man just needed to indulge a moment of misery.
A new thought wormed its way into my head. It was a fantasy of running into my mate the same way Hugo had. The two crossed paths like a pair of shooting stars, destined for each other. Hugo only had to wait a few weeks after leaving our old pack to find his mate, who was basically served up to him on a platter.
I shook to rid myself of those ugly, jealous thoughts. I was happy for Hugo and Len, truly. They both meant the world to me, and they deserved their happiness.
I just wanted happiness, too.
My emotions got the better of me and I let out a loud, heavy sigh.
I realized my mistake a second later. The deer heard the noise. They abruptly lifted their heads, saw me, and scattered like a flock of frightened birds taking to the sky.
“Shit!” I swore.
I took off after the one closest to me, but even it was too fast. The herd’s head start ruined my chance of making a kill.
I knew a lost cause when I saw one. Not wanting to waste my energy, I slowed down and sat with a disgruntled sound. What was wrong with me? Usually I kept a clearer head than this…
Frustrated with myself, I stood up again. Lupa wanted deer meat and I wouldn’t be satisfied returning without it. Her uncle was no quitter.
Instead of wasting my time chasing deer that were already skittish and afraid, I turned and ran in a different direction. This time I was going further than we ever had before, deeper and deeper into this grand, sprawling territory of ours. I’d be a trailblazer for the pack. I would find another deer herd, abetterone, and bring home the juiciest kill for us to eat.
I journeyed for another hour, further away from the grove. With frequent stopping and sniffing, I soon caught the scent of deer. I recognized it as deer, of course, but these were different and unfamiliar. It was a completely different herd than the one I’d accidentally scared earlier. If luck was with me, these deer might never have encountered wolves before. That would make a hunt easy—but only once.
I crested the slope, keeping my belly pressed low against the grass. My dark brown fur would stick out like a sore thumb against the lush green grass so I had to be extra cautious. A valley sprawled out below me, skirted with trees that multiplied into a small forest. The scent of deer was strong.
There.
The source came from a field ringed with trees, the perfect location for the herd to graze safely. I saw many hinds and fawns, with the bucks standing proudly separate off to the side. My eyes slipped immediately to the bucks. A natural mute wolf might have thought it easier to pick off a young fawn, but I didn’t have the stomach for that. Not after watching Len give birth to his babies and me becoming a mushy, sensitive uncle. The thought of taking a fawn or a weakened hind sent an uncomfortable shudder down my spine.
A buck it was.
I slunk closer to where the majestic beasts stood, grazing in their own private area. They appeared to be natural animals, not shifters, but it was impossible to tell from scent alone. Only if I heard them speak would my suspicion be denied.
I remembered when Hugo had first met Len, when he was being chased by a nasty fox shifter named Red. The fox knew Len was a fellow shifter yet chose to pursue him anyway. The thought made me growl. That stinking fox had followed our pack all the way from Len’s warren to the wildlife reserve like an annoying fly who refused to be swatted away. We didn’t see him every day, but he was around, waiting and watching. He hadn’t eaten any shifters while in our presence, as far as I knew, but the red rat still pissed me off.
Focus, Dax!
A sudden jerk of movement drew my eyes. From this distance, I wasn’t quite sure what I was seeing. A single buck stood on the outer edge of the herd, almost as if shunned, but the antlers on his head were absolutely striking. His head was lowered to graze and he didn’t seem to notice the group of bucks slowly approaching him from the trees.
“What the hell are they doing?” I said under my breath.
The group of bucks moved with purpose towards the single grazing male. It wasn’t unheard of for deer to chase bucks from the herd, especially with a herd so large. Crowding always lead to stress and discomfort. Maybe that particular buck was upsetting the status quo. I had no way of knowing, and frankly, I didn’t care. If they were going to chase him away from the herd, that only made my hunt easier.
“Come on,” I growled quietly. My blood buzzed with excitement.
In my excitement, I crept a few paw steps down the hill. My muscles bunched to spring. As soon as the buck was flushed, I’d be on him. I didn’t even care that an adult buck was almost always too difficult for one wolf to bring down. The thrill of the hunt was like a drug.
My paws prickled with excitement. Even if I couldn’t hunt him alone, I could harass him back to the pack and we could all bring him down together…
I licked my lips. We were going to eat well tonight and it was all thanks to Lupa.
