As I listened and used my Omega senses to figure out what was going on above, I tried to keep my panting quiet and slow it down a bit. My Omega abilities have been put to sleep for a while because I hadn’t seen many wolves roaming in no man's land – and I always avoid the place where they train and practice hunting – I’d gotten out of the habit of constantly using my Omega senses. These senses were likely to be rusty from disuse, like stiff muscles that needed to be limbered up, but I could still tell and sense that all four had gathered around the small bush and were inspecting it. The bramble bush wasn't much bigger than the average wolf, so I wasn't sure how effective it would be as a deterrent for them. They were aware that I was present, and their attention was still drawn to me and the burrow underneath the bushes.
I noticed one of the wolves shift into a human form. Not long after that, I noticed a rope pass through the burrow entrance. As I heard the bramble bush shake and crack, my heart began to race once more. The man grunted as he and one of the wolves hauled on the rope that had been looped around the plant's base. Another wolf joined in, and the bramble bush was uprooted from the thin rocky soil with a rustle of leaves and loose dirt.
I could see blue sky through the entrance a few moments later. A black wolf peered into the burrow, blocking my view. As he measured the distance between us, his sharp brown eyes locked onto my terrified eyes. He took a step back before beginning to dig at the tunnel's entrance. As they widened the tunnel, the dark brown wolf joined him, and their powerful legs made quick work of digging out the loose dirt and pebbles.
I wriggled against the wall behind me and desperately looked around, but I was at the very end of the tunnel and there is no way out. As they got closer, I began to tremble and made a low growl. There was soon insufficient space for the two wolves to dig, so the black wolf backed up and let the dark brown one takes over the entire digging operation.
I whimpered in terror, knowing that he was close enough to reach me with his paws if he tried. He sat back on his haunch seconds later, inspecting the tunnel's remains. As he shifted, I blinked in surprise. When he leaned forward, I pushed myself back against the dirt as far as I could.
"Come here, you..." he said, reaching a large hand into the tunnel, but my wolf form didn't stand a chance against the large man, so I snapped my teeth in warning. It didn't seem to bother him as he reached for me again. I swatted his hand with my paws, attempting to dig my nails into it. It wasn't like a scratch would deter a werewolf in either form, but there wasn't much else I could do. I growled, this time it is loud, trying to make it a serious warning as he reached deeper into the burrow.
I swung my head around to bite his hand as his fingers brushed against my shoulder. My teeth clamped down on warm skin, and the faint taste of metallic blood indicated that my teeth had pierced his skin. He grunted in surprise and jerked his hand upwards, out of the tunnel, as an automatic reflex. My head hit the top of the tunnel as a result of that biting scene and was somewhat stunned by that hit, pushing me to let my guard down. He skillfully grabbed the scruff of my neck, taking advantage of my dazed, stunned state.
I yelped in terror, trying to scratch him with my claws because I couldn't land a second bite from the way he was holding me. As he dragged me out of the tunnel, my claws scrabbled against his wrist and forearm in fear. I writhed in his grip, trying to break free.
There wasn't enough space to shift, and even if there was, it wouldn't help me much against four skilled fighters. He quickly pinned me to his chest with both arms, a well-known tactic for preventing runts or young pups from reverting to their larger human form. I struggled in his grip, but it was futile.
He backed out of the hole he'd dug before turning around to face his three human friends standing behind him. They all appeared to be in their twenties, and they were beaming with pride at their success in locating me. The guy holding me chuckled as he told them, "Sure has sharp claws, for a moment I was beginning to wonder if I had managed to grab a feral cat."
When the previously tan-colored wolf took a step forward, I redoubled my efforts to break free. But the man who was holding me had me firmly pinned in his arms, and my struggles didn't bother him. The approaching man blinked at my terrified attempts before saying, "Easy there.” He said in a comforting tone as he tries to pacify me. “Calm down.”
He drew his hands closer to me and I could almost bite them but I practically froze in disbelief when he began to softly pet my fur, despite the fact that not much of my fur was visible due to the way the man had me pinned. I examined the man, still in this disbelief. They had ambushed me for half an hour, chased me halfway through no man's land, dug me out of the ground, pinned me tightly so that I couldn’t shift and escape, then one of them told me to calm down? Go easy? What the hell was wrong with these guys?! I made a low growl, low enough to still allow the man to pet my fur.
He blinked in surprise. "Wow, this kid has a lot of soft furs."
The guy who was holding me snorted. "Well, those teeth and claws aren't exactly soft."
Another guy came in closer and tilted his head in confusion as he examined me. "Uh, guys, I don't believe that's a puppy."
The other two looked at him as if he were insane before returning their gaze to mine. They mistook me for a puppy? They clearly needed to have their heads checked. Pups were like dogs with oversized paws and tails. My body proportions were normal for a mature wolf; I was just a lot smaller. To be fair, if they were in wolf form, I was about the size of an eight-month-old child. But I don’t believe I look like a pup or maybe they have never seen a runt before?
They all turned to face me, their expressions varying from disbelief to confusion. One of the men sniffed. "Well, he hasn't got any scent."
Puppies didn't have any real scent until they reached adolescence, but they missed the obvious fact that I smelled like the forest rather than having no scent at all. That made a significant difference for those who were paying attention to what was going on around them. I tried a little twisting, but this guy was clearly much stronger than me. Another guy approached, and I pinched my ears back even more with a growl.
"Some rogues can camouflage their scent. Look at his ears, they aren't oversized like a pup's would be. Come to think of it, a pup would not have been able to evade us like that. He had far too much coordination and pulled far too many evasion tricks for a pup."
The man who was holding me looked down, surprised and unsure. "However, a runt would be unable to survive as a rogue..."
When the fourth guy approached, the other two backed up to let him pass. I froze in terror as my Omega senses detected his Beta blood. He wasn't an actual Beta, but was likely the brother to one and definitely had Beta parents, as well as the added strength and speed that the bloodline gave him. He suddenly leaned his face close to mine, and I bared my teeth in a silent warning.
He glanced up at the guy holding me as he commented, “And how about these sharp teeth? Obviously not the typical baby teeth, eh?” Someone off to the side started laughing, then the man with Beta blood in front of me spoke again. "If we put you down, can you shift so we can properly apologize for our actions without you inflicting scratches and wounds on us?"
My growl lowered down until it faded, my ears somehow relaxed. I blinked slowly, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice when I was surrounded by four of them – one with Beta blood. It was a little surprising that they wanted me to change positions so that the apology could be delivered face to face. It was a more respectful gesture than simply apologizing to me while I was in my small wolf form.
They wouldn't have asked me to shift if they didn't intend to harm me, right? Because I am certainly carrying weapons in my human form and could use them, in case they harm me. I gave a wary nod to the man who had been speaking. The person who had pinned me had already loosened his grip. He knelt down to gently place me on my feet before standing up and taking a few steps back to make room for me.
Was it true that they thought I was a puppy or was this a trick? They clearly had the upper hand over my wolf form. They had also identified me as a rogue at this point, and rogues were known to have tricks up their sleeves in case they were cornered in human form. Rogues could be quite unpredictable at times, so he was understandably cautious about my actions, even if I was a runt. Before shifting, I took a look around at the four people around me. I blinked, felt my wolf form shifting to human form, and moments later, I found myself standing on two feet. As I shifted my weight and considered my possible escape routes, I kept a wary eye on the four people around me. The guy who had pinned me was turning bright red, and they were all stunned. I took a look at myself, but I was dressed normally. Why were they embarrassed and their face turning into almost a red tomato?
I, once again, look at myself from head to toe and thought of the weapons I have. I wore a heavy belt knife and carried a bow and arrows in my backpack. I was aware that I had a number of slim blades balanced for throwing hidden in various sections of my clothing, but they were well hidden from view.
I returned my gaze at the four of them. With all four surrounding me, I wasn't going anywhere unless they let me go. I have a half-chance of escaping, running into the nearest tree and using the forest highway but… damn it, I surely know they would still catch me. I wish a feral wolf could ambush us so that I can run away.
The three men took a little step back and averted their gazes from me. Except for the one guy who pinned me to his chest. He was gaping at me, clearly surprised. "You're… You’re a girl!”The guy beside him coughed while I blinked slowly at his sudden realization. They probably assumed that I was a male like most rogues in no man’s land. He looked away in embarrassment when he realized that his surprised expression was too obvious and his statement sounded a lot more frantic than shocked. He looked to be in his early twenties and was a bit slimmer than the other three guys.He rubbed the back of his hair as he mumbled, "Uh, sorry about that... Didn’t know you are a girl."I nodded slowly in acceptance of his apology; my senses told me that it had been sincere – my Omega senses are still open, just in case they are planning something dubious. The fourth guy stepped forward, and I shifted my weight uneasily to turn and face him.
The basket, well, similar to the burrows I slept, it matched my size and unlike the burrows, there are tiny holes where light and air could peek in. Luigi is currently carrying the basket in his jaws and they all took turns carrying the basket with me in it. They covered more ground in a day than I could in a week on foot. I bet we are almost halfway to their territory.It was a silent run and quite relaxing in my case. Now I felt bad for letting them carry me in a basket. They were probably mindlinking each other and their pack, but I wouldn't be a part of the pack link until the Alpha bound me to the pack in a ceremony of acceptance.When it was already dark, they made me sleep in the basket while they curled up around it in case wild animals ambush us. It was unsettling to sleep, but I trusted them to keep any predators away. Most animals wouldn't mess and challenge four full-grown werewolves.I was surprised that they didn't pick up on the scents of rogues w
We crossed the street and began walking up the main walkway to the pack house's entrance. Although I was nervous about meeting the Luna, the large double doors ahead, draped with vines and flowers, looked truly inviting and kind in my eyes.Sighs, I was a rogue, as well as a runt. Those two words kept bothering me and trampling my confidence. I was afraid of being turned away again once she sees me up close. And if the Luna rejects me, I would be in unfamiliar territory with no real resources or supplies that I had accumulated at my previous location.The gentle breeze carried the scents of lilacs and jasmine to my nose, but with an odd undertone. I took a deeper breath; I'd never smelled anything like this scent before. I was curious as to what kind of tree or plant it was. On cool nights, it reminded me of the rich smell of the deepest parts of the forest. The scent practically demanded that I pay attention to it.I was a runt, but not a slow thinker. Sc
I sipped my tea slowly as I looked over at my mate, who was sitting beside me on the bench at the table. He was adding cream to his coffee, but I could tell he was mostly focused on me, even though his eyes were focused on the cream pouring into his cup. The others were still reeling from the impact of their ordeal. My Omega senses had mostly recovered, but they still had a long way to go before they could return to their former level of ability. This is the first moment I could experience the power of a mate bond. Now I understood why mates are crazy in love with each other. Mate bonds do give that relentless power, like fanning the flame even brighter, even if you simply exchange glances with your mate. I was still staring at him when his amber eyes locked into mine. And a smile formed on his lips, my heart just skipped a beat just by his smile. "By the way, my name is Aeonix, but everyone calls me Nix," he introduced. His presence and scent made me feel at ease in
I laughed as I ran under a curved, fallen tree, built as a jungle playground for young pups, without ducking it. While Nix had to take a detour around to catch me. If he tried, I wasn't sure he'd be able to wiggle his way into the middle of this tree in his wolf form. He was simply too big for something intended for children. I may have been running quickly, but he was only trotting to keep up, adjusting his speed with mine.We left the jungle playground and head out to the forest. As we got closer to the deepest part of the forest, I slowed down and Nix took the lead.As I studied the smell of the trees and plants around us, I followed him up and down various trails. He was walking quickly, and I was trotting alongside him. We entered a small meadow, and I perked my ears at a bush on the other side, but I wasn't concerned because I could smell and sense the approaching sentry. A grey dappled wolf emerged with a rustle. Nix was not surprised to see him and approached t
We took a break by a stream to get a drink. A large log had fallen across the creek and was partially off the ground because it was propped up against the far bank. I quickly scrambled up on top of the log after glancing at Nix, who was still drinking. He raised his head and tilted it as he looked at me with curiosity.I was now sitting on the log, level with his brow. I grinned at him, despite the fact that my face was not yet in any way level with his. He hadn't moved from where he was standing next to the log while drinking. I knew I'd never win a wrestling match with any wolf, let alone an enforcer, but that didn't stop me from leaping onto his back.As I landed on his shoulders, I wasn't sure if he felt the impact of my fifteen-pound body. I knew my toes wouldn't be able to reach through the thick fur on his back, let alone scratch him. They did assist me in holding on as I grabbed a mouthful of fur and wiggled side to side amusingly. As he flopped down to his sto
As we passed other members in the streets, I received a lot of strange looks. But I can sense no threat from their stares. Most were simply excited while whispering with those around them when they noticed that Aeonix is holding my hand. I opened my Omega senses and tried to reach their surface emotions. I found that some of them were surprised, intensifying the murmurs around the place. I can sense their happiness and anticipation. A couple of them were envious, and I caught one or two disapproving glances. But positive emotions prevailed. I gave out a shy smile, relieved that most pack members accepted my presence in their territory.Nix encouraged me to walk around the territory, pointing out each shop and stall and explaining what they typically sold. But my gaze was drawn to the library. I didn't read very well in my younger days and wasn’t quick at picking up the contents of a book, but I enjoyed trying until I fall asleep. And when I became a rogue, I didn't have
We eventually arrived at another store with baked goods on display in the windows. The smell of the bread and cookie was drool-worthy. I licked my lips in an attempt to savor the delicious smell. I heard Nix chuckle on my side and I gently jabbed him and rolled my eyes. I didn’t know that an enforcer can tease and make jokes. As we walked inside the bakeshop, a woman in her thirties raised her head, wiping the flour off her brown apron. "Ah, Nix, it's good to see you again.” She turned to look at me and asked, her motherly voice reminding me of my late mother, “Who's your friend?" Nix grinned as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in closer to his side. "This is Etheral," Nix said glancing at me and then back to the lady. The smile on the lady’s face was replaced with confusion. She gaped at Nix and said, “Wait, I can’t believe this. Are you two—?” The lady shifted her gaze between me and Nix. She clapped her mouth when Nix kissed my