Hidden in Sheridan (Tainted Series: Book 1)

Moon: FIRST QUARTER

Sterling - A Pack? How did a whole pack slip into our territory unknown?

I take another deep breath, their scent moves across my mind their pattern carefully calculated. Covering the west side of the Motorbike and pressuring it towards the northeast.

Adrenaline pulses between my wolf ears and I sprint on all fours for the sound of the motorbike. Which to my surprise, turns back towards me. Clearly Levi had anticipated the wolves intentions and was hoping that by turning completely around he might foil their plan.

As I run the thick evergreens break open into a flat stretch of hill. A blanket of snow covers the ferns which coat this untouched space, until Levi’s black 250 bike tears through it at top speed. Trinity holding tight behind him.

As I watch them rip through the snow toward me the same Grey-Wolf is in pursuit. And he’s fast. The fact he’d caught up, let alone kept in stride with the dirt bike, was admirable, but that’s also all he was doing.

Avoiding the Grey-Wolf Levi drives over the clearing straight for the trees on the opposite side. That’s when I catch the next scent seconds too late.

A planned attack. Perfectly timed. The moment Levi and Ity were ten yards from the trees, a large Black Wolf leapt from the shadows. It sails passed Levi biting down on Trinitys hood. The fabric tightened around her neck and ripped her backwards from the bike. She and the wolf slam into the ground and like a tangled mess, roll until the back of Ity’s head cracks against a fallen tree.

The Black-Wolf rolls to its feet with ease and lunges on top of her again, its teeth primed to clamp down on her neck.

In blind desperation Ity pulls a branch from the ground and wedges it between the animals teeth and jaws, pushing with all her strength to keep it away.

I use this chance and lunge for the Black predator. Though twice my size, I know Ity cannot hold him off for long.

I force my jaw to bite down on the back of the Black Wolf’s neck and pull. But Black easily regains his footing and throws me off of his shoulder.

I stumble to stay on my feet and prepare for a second attempt.

Black shakes my bite from his blood soaked shoulders. Though I’d gotten him once his eyes glint with laughter..

A deep growl resonates from my assailant sending a shutter down my spine all the way through the tip of my tail. This isn’t the growl of a regular wolf. Nor is it the growl of a beta Lycanthrope -

He’s an Alpha!

Only a full blown Lycanthrope Alpha’s growl can shake me to the core the same way my father’s growl does. I fight the urge to cower and submit to this foreign leader. I cannot win a full on fight with such a powerful Alpha, but Trinity is laying behind me now. I am the only thing that stands between her and this beast.

Was it worth it, I wonder unapologetically. Was she worth dying for? I could easily step away, let him have her. If I don’t move I’m risking my life for someone I’ve spent a year knowing. But after Black is done with Trinity, who would be next?

Without realizing it I back up, one step, two … the Alpha was growling and stepping closer at the same time. ‘No’. I shake my head, planting my feet once more. This isn’t about Trinity. This pack has invaded my families territory.

A warm sensation ripples through my chest, pushing my shoulders back and lifting my head higher. My pack knows I’m danger. Help will arrive. I just have to stall a bit longer and if I die in the meantime, it will be defending my territory.

My heart pumps loudly in my ears but my eyes keep focuse. The muscles stretched across Black’s back, tightening the black fur against every muscle crease. I pay attention to his paws, again twice the size of mine. They shuffle carefully from one to another leaving divots in the white powder. He jumps to the right and pauses, instantly I follow.

He’s testing me.

The Black-Alpha almost looks amused at my attempt to anticipate his movements. He leans back on his hind legs preparing to lunge, until a third growl comes from my left. Instantly followed by a yelp which caught both my and Black’s attention.

Rolling out of the trees a large DarkGray-Wolf threw a young Brown-Female across the ground. Mud and blood, stain the white snow trailing after her.

‘Dad’! Relief spreads through me at the familiar DarkGray-Wolf.

Black-Alpha rushed to protect his beta, putting himself between her and my father. The two size each other up. But I don’t wait. I hear a low rumble roll through my Alpha’s throat and my job was clear.

I turn back to Trinity, she too watched the sudden arrival of the others and in turn looks confused. Lowering my head, I attempted to show her I meant her no harm.

Her deep green eyes study me carefully, tracing over my wolf ears and muzzle but nothing about her suggests she’s afraid. By this point any human would usually reek of fear but she still smelled … confusing. I shake the odd smell from my nostrils. The smell of the Alpha was so thick on her that it must be masking her natural pheromones.

Of course she was scared, how could she not be?

“Ity!” Levi shouts and stumbles through the brush. Two other wolves flank at his side but my paws dance across the snow as relief spreads like a blanket across my entire body.

They made it! We can win!

Rory, though only two years older then me, is much bigger in wolf form. His white coat of fur rustles in the breeze. He’s the only pure white Timberwolf in the pack. No scars, no discoloration or birthmarks.

He was unique in that way.

The other wolf, is at least twice the size of Rory and instantly positions himself between me and the fighting Alpha’s. That’s HANK, my other college age brother. He too is a white timber wolf with gray brush marks on his hind legs and a scar across his snout. His ice blue eyes are unique to the pack, both of which sharply watch dad block the foreign alpha’s attack.

Levi drops to his knees, his jeans soaked by the snow, he checked her over quickly. Ity’s smeared in mud and slush but she’s too busy looking over her own shoulder at the fighting Alphas to care.

I couldn’t help but watch as well, the sounds of the battle cause my whole body to ripple with worry. The two other wolves from the Black Alpha’s pack had disappeared at the appearance of Rory and Hank, but they hadn’t gone far.

Their scent still lingers nearby.

Taking a deep breath I shift myself back into human form. “We have to get her out of here.” I say the instant my body would allow.

Levi’s eyes grew wide. The urgency of the situation had caused me to forget the basics of being in the presence of a human. Together we look at Trinity. Luckily her eyes were away and she failed to see the unnatural occurrence. Eventually she turns back and blinks, looking between us.

I don’t know what I was expecting. Considering the series of events, perhaps I expected her to look frantic, or even panicked but nothing in her expression relayed that emotion. She was simply waiting for us to make the next move.

“The motorbike’s stuck up in a tree, but it will work once I pull it out.” Levi explains keeping himself calm, which was a difficult task considering his heartbeat raced inside his chest, pushing his pulse beyond that of a normal human.

Hank snorts and motions for us to move. I reach out my hand out to Trinity, at the same time as Levi. My hand was down first, but Trinity ignores both and pushes herself to her feet. Wiping the mud from her hands smearing it across her dark washed jeans, Levi doesn’t wait. He reaches out, takes her by the wrist and pulls Trinity into a run.

With Rory and Hank in flank position, the three of us stumble through the brush. I can still smell the two wolves in the trees. They were following.

But why?

Pulling some branches from my hair we manage to stumble out of the thicket to discover the black 250 dirt bike wedged between the trees, just as Levi had said. Bent up and dirty, but presumably still in working condition. The problem is the multi-grey wolf that pushes out of cover directly between it and us. While at the same time, the brown female emerged off to the side.

Hank leaps ahead, turning his attention to the brown female. He must sense she is the more skilled fighter. With her silent approach, I have to agree. She would be quick and quiet, her scent barely noticeable, but there was something else about the wolf with gray paint brush tail that made me weary.

I maneuvered Trinity and Levi behind me, putting me directly behind Rory. If either of them need backup, the task would fall to me.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Levi grip Trinity’s elbow pulling her to back away with him. And that’s when the female attacks Hank.

CHAPTER END