Chapter 2
(Jane)
Since the incident with the big dog that turned out to be a wolf, my day has been pretty normal. I work at my father's company, handling the business importations from Hong Kong. We've had a long-standing relationship with them. I did my internship here, so it’s not entirely new, but it’s still a lot of work. By seven, I was ready to leave. I cleaned up my desk and made a to-do list for tomorrow. When I got home, I noticed Neil’s car still wasn’t there. So, I grabbed Maxx’s leash and put it on him. I decided to leave Nilo at home this time because the last time I took both of them out, it was a bit much. A Doberman and a German Shepherd are way stronger and heavier than my 115 pounds. Maxx, being a year older than Nilo, is smaller than an average Doberman, so Nilo is actually bigger than him. The walk went smoothly; no stray dogs in sight, and Maxx listened to most of my commands. When we got back home, I opened the door, and Fritz darted inside like there was no tomorrow, quickly hiding under the car. I put Maxx in the backyard with Nilo and went back to look for Fritz. Lying on the ground, I peered under the car, trying to spot her reddish fur.
“I could get used to this view,” a voice suddenly said.
Startled, I hit my head on the car. More carefully, I crawled out from under the car and saw my boyfriend standing there, grinning widely, holding a pizza box in one hand and a six-pack of beer in the other.
“Well, my view’s not bad either,” I winked at him.
He just laughed and I rolled my eyes. He put the beer down, extended his hand, and helped me stand up.
“So, are you checking something under your car? Is it making that noise again?”
“No, Fritz just ran out as soon as I opened the door, and…”
“Told you! She wants to be outside. Just let her,” he interrupted.
I pinched his arm and shot him a sharp glare.
“She doesn’t want to, but she’s fast. Help me find her.”
“She’s at the door.”
I turned around and there was Fritz, sitting at the door, waiting.
“She knows we’ve got food, and she’ll do anything to get some for herself, just like always.”
“I know, Neil. But could you say no to that little face?” I said, picking her up and giving him puppy eyes.
I saw him grab the beer, and we both walked inside, settling down for dinner. It was a normal evening. Neil decided to watch a soccer match on TV, so the conversation slowed down. I gave Fritz some cat treats to keep her occupied, and my thoughts drifted back to that wolf. His sleek black fur was stunning, but it was his eyes that really left an impression on me. They were so full of emotion, almost human-like, which made me feel… “safe”? No, that’s not quite the word I’m looking for. It was complicated.
“That’s definitely not a penalty! Is he blind?” Neil shouted suddenly, making me almost spill my beer.
I glanced at Fritz, and her fur was standing up like a Halloween cat.
“Baby, are you listening to me?”
That took me by surprise even more, and with nothing else to say, I just nodded and tried my best to focus on the soccer match, hoping I could answer his questions later.
It had been a week since we last saw the girl, and Kelly was starting to get impatient.
"Stop pacing in my mind, it’s driving me insane," I snapped.
"I want to see her, mate."
"I told you, she’s not our mate."
"She is!"
"No! She’s just a fragile human, nothing more. Now stop saying that and focus on finding a suitable Luna for the kingdom."
"No, I want our mate. We’ve already found her, we need to go back."
"You hated that place, Kelly. So just stop, I don’t need this crazy right now."
-Alpha King, are you even listening?
I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing that the daughter of the Iron Fang pack was walking beside me.
"Kelly, what did she just say?"
"Don’t know, don’t care. She’s not the mate," Kelly growled back.
Great, now I was stuck with a clingy she-wolf and a stubborn wolf as my companions on this walk.
"If you don’t remember, you’ll owe me a kiss as an apology."
She was too close now, her blue eyes flashing in my mind. I caught a glimpse, and the memory of brown eyes struck me like a thunderbolt. Instinctively, I shoved her away.
"Don’t get too comfortable with me. You may be alpha blood, but I’m still your king."
I let my alpha king tone cut through, hoping she’d get the message loud and clear. The anger wasn’t about the kiss—it was the fact that just the memory of those brown eyes wouldn’t leave my mind, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake them for the rest of the day.
I couldn’t take it any longer. I turned and sprinted, letting Kelly take over as the transformation tore through me, my clothes ripping as I shifted. I felt the cool breeze of the ocean as I ran, not stopping until I crossed into our territory.
Then, I caught a strange scent—decaying flesh, rogues.
"I know, Kelly. Can you count them?"
"Three, and there’s another smell. Not a rogue, but they’re injured."
"What are we waiting for?"
I sprinted faster, the adrenaline kicking in. In just a few minutes, I saw the rogues attacking a small male wolf.
"William, it’s a pup!" Kelly warned.
"I’ll take care of the rogues. You try to reach out to the kid’s wolf, tell him we mean no harm."
"Got it."
This was it—the sign I needed. I howled, drawing the rogues' attention, then lunged at the nearest one, sinking my teeth into his neck. Hot, metallic blood dripped from my mouth as his body went limp. The other two were frozen in shock, so I shoved them aside with ease. They were no match for me in size.
Why kill them fast when I could have some fun? The brown rogue tried to scramble away but took off in the opposite direction.
"I’ve already communicated with the pup," Kelly said. "He’s on his way to the packhouse and should pass Hitch, Red, and the reinforcements soon... you’ve got a runner at your twelve, William."
I was too busy fighting the reddish rogue to answer. "I know, Kelly, but I’m kind of tied up right now."
"Okay, I’ll inform Hitch and Red."
As Kelly’s voice faded, Red appeared, quickly taking the rogue off my back.
"Problems of being too big, Alpha?" Kevin teased through the link.
"Don’t worry. Red and I have this one handled. Mark and Hitch are already tracking the runner."
I glanced back, seeing Red already finishing off the last rogue.
"Mark, how’s the chase going?" I asked, linking in.
"Already finished, Alpha. On my way to Iron Fang Pack territory."
It had been a week since we last saw the girl, and Kelly was starting to get impatient.
"Stop pacing in my mind, it’s driving me insane," I snapped.
"I want to see her, mate."
"I told you, she’s not our mate."
"She is!"
"No! She’s just a fragile human, nothing more. Now stop saying that and focus on finding a suitable Luna for the kingdom."
"No, I want our mate. We’ve already found her, we need to go back."
"You hated that place, Kelly. So just stop, I don’t need this crazy right now."
-Alpha King, are you even listening?
I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing that the daughter of the Iron Fang pack was walking beside me.
"Kelly, what did she just say?"
"Don’t know, don’t care. She’s not the mate," Kelly growled back.
Great, now I was stuck with a clingy she-wolf and a stubborn wolf as my companions on this walk.
"If you don’t remember, you’ll owe me a kiss as an apology."
She was too close now, her blue eyes flashing in my mind. I caught a glimpse, and the memory of brown eyes struck me like a thunderbolt. Instinctively, I shoved her away.
"Don’t get too comfortable with me. You may be alpha blood, but I’m still your king."
I let my alpha king tone cut through, hoping she’d get the message loud and clear. The anger wasn’t about the kiss—it was the fact that just the memory of those brown eyes wouldn’t leave my mind, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake them for the rest of the day.
I couldn’t take it any longer. I turned and sprinted, letting Kelly take over as the transformation tore through me, my clothes ripping as I shifted. I felt the cool breeze of the ocean as I ran, not stopping until I crossed into our territory.
Then, I caught a strange scent—decaying flesh, rogues.
"I know, Kelly. Can you count them?"
"Three, and there’s another smell. Not a rogue, but they’re injured."
"What are we waiting for?"
I sprinted faster, the adrenaline kicking in. In just a few minutes, I saw the rogues attacking a small male wolf.
"William, it’s a pup!" Kelly warned.
"I’ll take care of the rogues. You try to reach out to the kid’s wolf, tell him we mean no harm."
"Got it."
This was it—the sign I needed. I howled, drawing the rogues' attention, then lunged at the nearest one, sinking my teeth into his neck. Hot, metallic blood dripped from my mouth as his body went limp. The other two were frozen in shock, so I shoved them aside with ease. They were no match for me in size.
Why kill them fast when I could have some fun? The brown rogue tried to scramble away but took off in the opposite direction.
"I’ve already communicated with the pup," Kelly said. "He’s on his way to the packhouse and should pass Hitch, Red, and the reinforcements soon... you’ve got a runner at your twelve, William."
I was too busy fighting the reddish rogue to answer. "I know, Kelly, but I’m kind of tied up right now."
"Okay, I’ll inform Hitch and Red."
As Kelly’s voice faded, Red appeared, quickly taking the rogue off my back.
"Problems of being too big, Alpha?" Kevin teased through the link.
"Don’t worry. Red and I have this one handled. Mark and Hitch are already tracking the runner."
I glanced back, seeing Red already finishing off the last rogue.
"Mark, how’s the chase going?" I asked, linking in.
"Already finished, Alpha. On my way to Iron Fang Pack territory."
I made the same decision and headed toward the pack territory. As I entered, I found a pair of pants and a shirt. The shirt was too small, but the pants fit fine, so I shifted into my human form. Hitch was the first to arrive, his white fur contrasted with a brown mask, and his clear blue eyes stood out. He quickly disappeared into the trees to find clothes. Moments later, Red showed up. His fur was a mix of tabby grey and brown, and he already had a shirt and pants draped over his muzzle, so he decided to transform right then and there.
Don’t get me wrong—being a werewolf is amazing, but it’s not exactly pleasant seeing your friends completely naked every time they shift back.
“Kyle!” Mark called out, glaring sharply. His long black hair hung over his right shoulder, and his nose scrunched up so much that his freckles appeared as a single large dot. “We’ve talked about this already! Can’t you at least shift behind a tree and get dressed before coming out? Is that really too much to ask?”
I kept a neutral expression, just focusing on the sound of approaching footsteps.
“Alpha King, thank you so much for saving my younger son and heir to this pack from those rogues.”
The Alpha of the Iron Fang was walking toward me, flanked by two warriors—one to his right and the other close to the little wolf I’d seen earlier. Now that I looked at him closely, I saw the young wolf’s fur was a light brown with black front paws. Most alpha descendants have black fur, but it’s usually minimal.
"He’s still in wolf form, Kelly," someone whispered.
"Yes," Kelly replied, "When his wolf smelled the rogues, he panicked and forced the kid to shift. It likely hurt so much that he’ll stay in that form for hours."
As werewolves, we can shift into wolves at a young age, but the first transformation is excruciating. We usually avoid it until we can handle the pain. It takes at least sixteen years for the pain to be bearable, but in some cases, it can take even longer.
"As a gesture of gratitude," the Alpha continued, "my daughter and other she-wolves will dance for you and your companions tonight at dinner."
The daughter looked uncomfortable, her father’s words clearly affecting her, a sign my command had worked on her.
“Who says I want to see that?” I muttered.
“Oh, come on, Kelly,” someone teased. “We can still enjoy a show with a bunch of she-wolves dancing for us.
