Stronger by Ang Chris
Chapter 48

Good morning

but every morning she

With the distance between us it was hard to speak to one another since we had no practice, but everymanaged to get to my head with her voice.

The cold mountain air bit at my checks and nose. I huffed and pulled on my jacket and boots rubbingmy arms and legs to prepare my limbs for another long day of tracking and climbing up the base of themountain.

The River phase pack lied at the bottom of the mountain and right now I was scaling the mountain tokill this clever bear. It didn’t matter if it was summer this early in the morning I was freezing.

My pack was positioned in a valley we were surrounded by mountains on all sides the River Phasepack laid on the other side of the eastern mountains and that meant if an eastern wind came itdevoured us in our current position.

There was an eastern wind.

This bear was larger than most if Steven was smarter and guarded his livestock he wouldn’t havebecome so homey

here.

Steven was a loyal friend and I know he is going to fight for my pack. He has a tendency to put his footin his mouth and when he tries to be a strong alpha all he does is come off as an ass.

Being here away from Annette didn’t endear him to me at this moment. I want to know she’s safe butthe men I get from this hunt, as well as getting a threat off my ally is worth this risk.

The bear was climbing higher trying to lose us. I don’t think he knew what he was up against.

“Gray stop looking so f**king miserable!” Steven clapped my shoulder handing me a cup of coffee.

“I’ve left my new wife in danger for you to get rid of a bear twice my size because you didn’t guard yourlivestock correctly. You’re lucky I haven’t punched you in the nose,” I grumbled, sipping the coffee andwalking over to grab some eggs and steak.

“I let my wife track a dangerous wolf for you, alliances are give and take,” he chastised me in a falsetone of authority.

“Lili is a saint for being your wife. I’m sure she saw the mission as a vacation,” I dug into my meat.

Any other pack would have been up in arms at such a blatant insult to their alpha but his men knewbetter than to pick a fight with me.

“I do think I’ll be paying for that comment of Alpha blood for a while. It was only a joke,” he sighed.

“She wants a babe Steven, she is just highly aware you are not ready to be a father,” I kept eating.

“I am not good at any of this Gray. I do what I can for my pack and for Lili. Being a father seems so finalfor my life that’s only started,” he shrugged shaking his head.

“You are good enough to keep them safe and taken care of. As for Lili you should know when to keepyour mouth shut.”

Steven was a relaxed, laid back man who was not meant for the harsh duties of an Alphas life. Lili wasraised to be a Luna out of all her sisters, she took her role with far more responsibility.

“Annette is lucky she has you, you’ll never fuck as much as I do,” he bemoaned his stupidity.

No my mistakes have all already been spent.

“Come on. We should continue the tracking,” I stood up with an empty plate and began cleaning upcamp.

We put our food off at another site up in a tree and set out to replace him again. We had him yesterday buthe crossed the River in a hurry and lost us.

Today I killed him and tonight I flew home and I spent the evening in her arms. All I had to do was riskmy life. Fair enough.

The trees were getting sparser the higher we went and he wouldn’t go past those or I would have himin an instant.

He had covered a good amount of ground in the night. His tracks went on a while before I foundsomething fresh.

The sun was almost at the high point when I spotted him. He was scratching his back. Large grizzly,long claws, a patch of fur missing from a former wound.

I grabbed a spear and took off my coat. He was no doubt going to leave his mark on me. I had onlysome armor on my back and stomach under a shirt.

Annette would be furious if I came home on the verge of death.

“You all stay on the edge of the fight keep him close to me that’s it, he’d no doubt kill anyone of youwith one swing.”

Wolves were not huge fans of guns; we saw hand to hand combat as more honorable. I wanted to usehis meat to feed my pack during the winter. Steven had no say in that the wolf who kills the animal gettheir meat.

Annette could no doubt make a marvelous dish from the beast I saw before me. I can’t wait to have hercooking again. I can’t wait to have her.

Two days without her and I was a starved man.

“You circle him, I’ll draw him out,” I ordered them.

**Time to do something stupid

I waited until Stevens‘ men had the bear circled. They each were just supposed to keep him by me andnot engaged but were equipped with a spear for protection.

When they were in position I grabbed a rock and with only about half of my strength I lobbed it at thebear’s head.

He grunted and found me roaring and huffing clawing at the ground, his breath thick gravely grunts.

“Close in!” I bellowed. I can’t let him get away when he realizes he’s not strong enough for me.

I grabbed my spear with my right hand and reached for another rock and I chucked it at his head again.

This time he came charging at me, I planted my feet and positioned my spear for his heart.

I wanted him angry enough that he forgot that the spear was sharp and came for me. Unluckily hestopped short and clawed at me.

I rolled and tried to cut him but missed. My heart pounding from the sight of him charging me full fury.

I

bed at him and the spear got stuck under its ar

“F***.”

I got out his way and extended my claws to give myself something. He came and swiped at me again Igot under him and dug my claws in only for him to stand up. He slammed down on the spear getting itout of his underarm.

My feet were gone from the dirt he turned violently and whipped me into a tree. Coming up slobberingbiting into my shoulder picking me up and slamming me down again

I had no breath in my lungs from the force, the ground the hardest thing here.

I reached behind blindly and ripped into whatever I could and thankfully he let me go.

“Grayson!” Steven shouted and a spear came arching through the air towards the bear missing byinches.

I launched for the spear wheezing and coughing trying to replace a way to get air into my system adeliriousness clouding me.

The bear slammed his paw into me. I felt something crack.

**F***. **

I felt the metal of the spear and kicked up into the beast’s nose giving myself time to grab it.

I fumbled, crawling away and somehow standing on my feet. My shoulder was bleeding enough to wetmy shirt.

“Grayson!”

The fear in her voice. I heard it. Annette.

Why is she scared? What’s wrong? Could she see this? Or….

I yelled out a long righteous scream challenging this beast in front of me.

He had to die and I had to get home.

I looked behind him the spear started with on the ground behind him. I chucked the spear I had at hishead missing on purpose his eyes followed the spear.

I ran for the other spear laying down on the ground with it at my side. The bear came charging at meagain growling. and bending down to bite into my head but I lifted the spear at the split second time Ineeded.

I felt his heart sink into the metal and I watched him melt away from this earth.

“Grayson!” Steven appeared running out of the forest one of his warriors came up with a medical bag.

“Get me a helicopter, 1 grunted, pushing them off of me.

“Grayson, you need that disinfected and I don’t even want to know how you’re still breathing,” Steventried to get me to sit down.

“I heard Annette. She needs me,” I stood up again. If I thought adrenaline before was intense it was allthat had me standing up right right now.

“HELICOPTER!“I grabbed Steven by his collar. “And if she is hurt in anyway you’ll end up far worse,”

Chapter Comments

Annie Krahn

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Why are they rarely in their wolf form? even in the beginning. Annette thought it odd that no onechoose wolf to compete for her. wouldn’t it be easier as a ginormous wolf… VIEW 1

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