Border

Colin ran through the woods until he reached the border of their lands. He sniffed the air and knew that a patrol would be around sooner rather than later, so he only had a minute. By now, his father would have given an order just shy of 'kill on site.' Colin shifted back into his human form and rooted around some fallen logs until he found his pack. He had them stashed all over the woods, waiting for Peter to banish him. He slipped on the shorts, shivering slightly in the cold air. He would adjust soon, but the switch from being covered in thick fur to bare skin was always jarring.

He had fifty bucks, two knives, a canteen, and some food. He took a bite of dried venison and walked through the neutral mile that separated the Yew Coven and the Half-Moon Pack's lands. He knew that Claire was there, and his father had forbidden him from staying at the vampire's home, but not from finding her himself. And if any of those witches laid a hand on his mate, he would rip them to shreds.

The wolf inside of him smiled at the thought, pushing his brown eyes to glow amber for a moment. He shook off the feeling and stared at the border. It was less than two days ago that he had last crossed this line, but it felt like ages. He had been so excited that he hadn't even noticed. But now? Now, the thick stench of burnt mugwort and mountain mint practically built a physical wall, crinkling up his crooked nose.

He knew that the moment he crossed the line, they would be alerted. So, Colin took another bite of his food and shoved the bag back into his pocket. He stretched, rolling his strong shoulders before taking a step over the line.

As he predicted, he did not make it more than ten yards over the border before three witches appeared. One of the two men stepped forward, his arm crossed. "What do you think you're doing here, mutt?" he spat.

Colin did not shift and only nodded his head down, trying to show that he meant no harm. Lifting his hands in the air, he said the line he had practiced for the past hour, "I'll come without force." He didn't trust the witches not to use his words against him; they were almost as tricky as fae.

"Do we get to collar this stray?" the woman shouted to her leader, sounding excited by the prospect.

The man raised a brow and rubbed the back of his shaved head, watching Colin's behavior closely. "Jocelyn told us to be on the lookout for something crossing our borders. I'm guessing this is what she meant."

The three moved towards Colin, all ready for some sort of trick. His wolf pushed at his skin, unhappy with being outnumbered on unknown lands. Colin swallowed his anxiety and followed the leader without another word.

They walked for nearly an hour before coming upon a large stone house, not unlike his own pack house. They stood in a garden, waiting. Colin noticed the patch of wolfsbane growing only a few yards away and shifted uncomfortably on his bare feet. The woman followed his eyeline and offered a sly grin and a wink. Colin grimaced but said nothing. He stayed unmoving with his captors for a few more minutes, at least until he caught a scent. Claire's scent. It was too much; he couldn't control himself. All it took was one flash of his wolf surfacing, and the witches turned on him.

The leader turned to the man beside them, who had remained silent. He cracked knuckles and lifted his hands. His dark eyes glowed silver as rocks jumped off the ground and flew at Colin, knocking him to his knees. Panting and a bit surprised from the sudden attack, he stood back up and began to shift in defense, snarling viciously. Tearing his fresh shorts, he jumped into wolf form, charging at the witches. But something hit the back of his head, and he cried out, slumping down instantly.

He shifted back, and they put the silver cuffs on him, wrapping his waist in a blanket before picking up the unconscious young man. "This was too easy," one of the men commented.

The other shrugged and shifted Colin to his other shoulder. That didn't matter to him. His only job was to bring anyone who crossed the borders to the prison. So that's what he did.