1 Chapter 1: Help

The brightly lit hallway narrowed as she tried to push her way toward the scent. Damp earth after a summer's rain and Jasmine flowers at night permeated her senses. The light grew brighter as the aroma increased. Its intensity was hypnotic.

In the center of the white light was him, but as the illumination pierced her eyes, his dark silhouette turned into a black doll-like figure and then split into a thousand tiny squares falling to the floor. Her frantic hands tried to piece him back together while the squares converged into a single letter … K.

Hadleigh woke abruptly. Even with the ready reminder of her sister's nearby snoring, she was disoriented. The scent still thickly lingered in her nose as though he was sitting next to her. She sat forward pressing her fingers into her eyelids hoping to see more but it was gone.

The respite was brief. Within seconds her mind was racing again, replaying the same questions she had during all of her waking hours, lately.

‘Why haven’t I shifted yet?’

‘What happened to Dad?’

‘Will I ever find my mate?’

She decided a change of scenery would serve as a distraction. Perhaps a jog would help.

Once outside, the fresh summer air brought her into the moment. When she found the familiar path in the woods going west she picked up the pace. It stretched to the rough edge of their territory.

By the time she hit a mile and a half, the runner's high had kicked in and life was temporarily more manageable. Once she arrived at the edge of the territory, it was only a second before she could smell another wolf. That was quicker than she expected.

Hadleigh crouched down beside a tree to remain hidden as this most likely wasn’t a friend. She heard quadrupedal footsteps approaching. The wolf was close, yet she couldn’t reliably pick up the scent. She wasn’t strong enough, yet.

A flash of red fur through a leafless lilac bush caught her eye. She held a sweaty strand of her own red hair between two fingers studying it. A coat of that color was very rare outside of her pack. While she pondered who this could be, she heard new footsteps approaching from outside the woods.

A second wolf?

She cursed herself for being so careless.

Hadleigh tried to remain still as the red wolf inched closer. She could see him raising his nose to catch the full scent of her. Glancing around, he trained his ears in her direction. Then, his yellow eyes locked with hers.

Without hesitation he leapt at her, shoving her down, snarling and growling over her. His wrath was ferocious as he lowered his mouth to her face. Those two golden eyes were filled only with rage as the pupils fully dilated.

The weight of his front feet on her shoulders was crushing. She could feel his paw pads spreading, driving her into the roots and twigs on the ground. The earth was cold against her skin.

His gritted teeth were whiter than the elders in her pack. A younger wolf close to her age, perhaps. He snapped at her first for show, but she surmised the real bite would be next.

‘Please Goddess … not now.’

Just as it seemed that the new wolf was about to clamp down on her throat, a flash of dark fur emerged from up the hill and flew over a broken log. Hadleigh watched as a black wolf collided with the red-furred enemy, pushing him off her and stunning him. The dark one took advantage of the loner’s instability and launched onto him again.

The two rolled around causing red pine needles and multicolored leaves to become woven into their fur. In one quick aggressive motion, the newcomer used his smaller front teeth to nip the scruff of the other. The red wolf whined sharply. Once released, the enemy skittered away into the darkness.

Hadleigh sat firmly against the nearby tree she had been using for cover. The black wolf had won without resorting to unnecessary violence. He must be tempered enough not to kill unless he had to.

A leader of sorts?

At once, he turned around and then walked toward her. As he approached, Hadleigh noticed that his eyes were a different color with the right blue and the other brown. Matching his eyes was his fur as it was black on the outside longer strands while at the roots, a white undercoat. His pupils widened as he studied her in the dark.

She could feel the warmth of his breath against her face and neck. He smelled vaguely familiar to her.

“Thanks,” she finally said with a small smile. He studied her for another second and then he raced off. Hadleigh stood up and watched him cross over toward the other territory in the west. His speed was impressive.

Maybe even close to her own.

All the way back to her den, she wondered about her savior. She couldn’t help but feel connected to him. While showering, the foreign feeling of hope infiltrated her spirit. When she finally returned to her bed, she fell asleep blanketed in comfort.

***

“Hadleigh!” shouted her beta.

Donovan's voice jarred her out of deep sleep. Immediately hopping to her feet, she got dressed and walked in the direction where the voice came from.

There was her beta standing in the hallway smiling. He waved to her and led her outside. When she looked to her right, she saw someone she didn’t know leaning against the wall of her den.

“Yes?” she finally asked.

“This is Keiron. He’s here to train you.” Donovan pointed to a tall young man.

While Keiron stood in front of her, she could tell how muscular he was. The black jacket he wore added to his size and despite his slight slouch, he was much taller than her. His thick black bangs were in front of his face as he kept his head down. Then, he slowly raised his chin up to look at Hadleigh.

She stared into his eyes: the right one was blue, the left brown. An electric sensation made her chest flutter. The “K” she saw in her dream, the smell from the night before … this had to be the one from her vision. She swallowed hard.

“It–It’s nice to meet you,” Hadleigh was finally able to voice.

“And you as well,” he replied. His presence was commanding. Hadleigh's beta waved and went back inside. Left alone, the two stood there for a moment in awkward silence. Hadleigh had to fill the quiet to quell her anxiety.

“So, you’re here to help train me?”

“Hopefully. That depends on you though.” He studied her. “You ready?”

“Now?” she asked in surprise. He nodded. Nervousness tickled her chest, but she managed to grant him a confident nod.

Hadleigh ran inside to change. Once she was in more comfortable clothing, they commenced the training with some warmup. The first few moves were easy but then he stepped it up a bit. After further demonstrations of what he wanted her to learn, she was able to improve with each run-through.

Hadleigh's coordination and fast learning instilled confidence in her.

“Okay, come at me,” he said.

She sped into him and hit him hard in the stomach, causing him to stumble ever so slightly. He waved at her to do it again but this time, he planted his feet. When she came into contact with him, there was no give to his body. Hadleigh slammed into his strong body again and nothing happened.

“What’s the point of this?” she asked him with her hands up.

“I want you to do what I just did. Stand your ground when I come to you.” He walked by her, getting in his stance. “You may want to pull your hair up.” He eyed her with judgment.

“Let's just get on with it,” she said flippantly. He shot her a serious look. Her bravado wasn't welcome.

“I don’t want to be here anymore than you do but you need this,” Keiron said sternly.

Hadleigh stood her ground and waited. When he didn’t approach fast enough for her, she impatiently dashed toward him. He gripped her small shoulders with ease, instantly ceasing her momentum.

“That wasn’t what I asked you to do,” Keiron said as she struggled against him.

“Then why weren’t you coming at me? If you're just going to screw with me, why should I listen to you?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.” He waved his finger at her. Once more she pushed into him, and he held her firmly, stopping her. She ground her feet into the earth trying to force him back while he grasped her trembling arms. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. Her small frame was no match for him.

“Don’t laugh!” she shouted. He let her go.

“Fiery one, aren’t you?” he commented. “Do you think that is any way to talk to a Ramsey?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock.

“You’re the alpha there aren’t you?” She stared down at the ground. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Hey,” he said. She picked her head up to meet his eyes. “Never mind that, now. Just listen to me when we’re training.”

“I AM listening,” Hadleigh said with a slight whine.

“There’s more work to do, though. Your pack is worried and they don't have the skill to train you adequately. You could have been killed. Do you understand?” Hadleigh glanced at Keiron and meekly nodded. “I think we’ve had enough for today. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, and the next day.”

“Wait! Last night … that was you, right?” she finally asked.

“It was.”

Hadleigh stood still as she watched him shift, run to the woods, and then disappear without another word. She waited alone for a few minutes noticing the ever-approaching rainstorm that late summer can bring. The thunderheads clawed higher into the sky. When she peered toward where Keiron had gone she had the urge to follow him.

Quietly, Hadleigh tracked him. The storm's sudden gusts of warm wind helped her unrefined nose pick up his scent. The aroma motivated her and she hastened her pace. Whether she wanted to be or not, she was intrigued.

When she arrived at the site of her attack the night before, fear of the encounter nearly caused her to turn back but her curiosity won out. Just over the next hill, she thought she could see Keiron in his wolf form. His hearing must be very good because he turned abruptly and scanned the area.

Hadleigh ducked out of sight, but it was to no avail. His rapid ascending sprint caught up to her easily. He shifted and stood over her in human form. For a moment she wished their magical conditions regarding intact clothing weren’t in place. She would have liked to see him nude.

“What the h*ll are you doing?”