Wild at Heart
Chapter 10

I lifted my head and breathed the scent of the woods into my nose. It had been so long since I went on a run by myself, but it was definitely what I needed. Nick had a meeting with Daniel that had to do more with his wedding than it did about the pack, so I gladly sat this one out. I didn’t even have a desire to plan a wedding of my own, let alone one for the beta. I know Nick will be expecting me before too long, but for now I was enjoying the quarter moon lighting up my fur in between the leaves of the trees. I don’t know how long I was laying in the woods before I jumped to my feet when a new smell hit my nostrils. This scent wasn’t from my pack. I let out a warning growl to my intruder as the wolf came into my view. She was a big beautiful wolf with dark brown fur and matching eyes. I couldn’t put a face to the wolf of any of the East pack, but I knew the scent was from Octavia. She began circling me in a threatening motion. I couldn’t tell what her intentions were and I couldn’t mind link a wolf outside of my pack. Was she here to get revenge after the stunt I pulled at the training center? I lowered my head and growled again, warning her to back off. I wasn’t looking for a fight, but if it was a fight she wanted then I was ready. Suddenly, an identical wolf appeared behind Octavia. I could only guess it was her twin sister, Ophelia.

I was starting to regret taking this run by myself with the East Pack still lurking around our territory. I was confident that I could take on Ophelia, but I wasn’t so confident I could take them both. Taking on two Omegas from a neighboring pack was difficult on its own but taking on twins that grew up sparring together since they were pups was a whole different challenge. They had the upper hand in this situation, and I didn’t like my odds.

And if my odds weren’t questionable enough already, a third wolf I didn’t know joined them. This wolf was different; definitely a male and it seemed as though he was communicating with them rather than joining their fight. I watched their interaction for a moment, still on guard in case they wanted to fight. To my surprise, the twins backed off and went running into the woods, leaving me and this stranger alone. I don’t know what he told them, but it was enough for them to listen. The wolf began to morph and the human left in front of me was a new face. I growled lowly at the man in front of me.

“I’m not a threat.” He said as he held his hands up in surrender. I eyed him up and down, he was tall with hair so dark it was almost black and gray eyes that eerily reminded me of Derek. He was handsome, but the bridge of his nose had a hump from an old break that wasn’t properly healed. “My name is Chase, I’m an Omega from the East Pack. I overheard Octavia and Ophelia talking about following you.” He kept his hands in the air as he spoke. “I couldn’t let them do anything to you, it would hurt our alliance with your pack. And quite frankly I’ve heard the rumors of the red wolf saving her pack with nothing but a lunch tray and I didn’t want to be the one to tell my Alpha that his daughters were killed over their pride.” He gave me a small smile, but I still didn’t trust him. I didn’t trust anyone in the East Pack despite Nick’s desire for an alliance with them. “You know, this conversation would go a lot better if it wasn’t one-sided.” I growled in response and he backed up. “Alright, I get it. You’re not in the mood to talk.” That was apparent, but it didn’t stop him from plopping his naked ass in the grass across from me. I took a few steps back from him, but I kept my eyes on him at all times. I listened to our surroundings, making sure no one was going to attack from another angle while this wolf in front of me was used as a distraction. “You have beautiful land.” I rolled my eyes as he continued to have his one-sided conversation. “We have a good home as well, but not like this. Our home is more… open.” He turned and smiled at me, but I didn’t understand what he meant. He turned back to the woods and looked up at the sky, the moon was poking out slightly behind the leaves of the trees just enough to light his face up. “I admire you, Emma.” He kept his eyes on the moon as he spoke. “You’re beautiful, but you don’t use it to get your way like most women in my pack. You’ve created a name for yourself in a very short period of time of being Luna of the North Pack.” I narrowed my eyes at him, waiting for him to cut to the point of this little story he was telling. “We were all surprised to hear that Nick had finally chosen a Luna. You must know how much power that means for an Alpha.” He finally turned to me. “And he surely chose wisely.” I’ve had enough of his games. I pounced on my opponent and crushed his shoulders beneath my paws. I snapped my jaw in his face and he turned from me with his eyes sealed shut. His breathing was labored like he was frightened for his life. Pathetic. I backed off him and gave him another growl. He scrambled to his feet and took off running in the same direction as the twins. I needed to get home to my mate.

Nick wasn’t home by the time I got there, so I took the free time to jump in the shower. I could smell Chase’s scent on me and I knew it would only raise questions from Nick. I didn’t want to hide the interaction from him, but I knew bringing it up would cause more problems than it was worth. Chase was right about one thing: nothing could jeopardize this alliance. If Nick knew Reginald’s twins followed me out to the woods to teach me a lesson, he would call off the alliance and send the East pack back to their territory without a second thought. As much as I didn’t trust them, I had to trust Nick that this was the right decision. If the South Pack attacked us with the West Pack in their alliance, we wouldn’t have a chance. At least with the West Pack in our corner it would make Stefan think twice about going to war. At least, I hoped it would.

My ear perked up at the sound of the front door opening and closing. I stepped out from beneath the flow of the water to get a better scent on who entered the house. I relaxed the second the smell of an oaky forest hit my nose. My mate was home. I stepped back under the water of the shower and closed my eyes as the suds from my shampoo ran down my face. A burst of air hit my naked body simultaneously as my mate’s smell hit my face. I opened my eyes to see Nick’s naked form in front of me. He stepped into the shower and closed the glass door behind him. His hands instantly went to my hips as he pulled me close to him. He trailed his finger up my side and over my breast. He lingered at my nipple for a few seconds before he moved on to my neck and stopped at my chin. He applied just enough pressure for me to look up at him. He lowered his head to my and our lips connected in a passionate kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held our kiss while his huge arms entangled my body. He lifted me effortlessly and rested my back against the cool tiles of the shower wall. His kisses migrated to my jawline and down to my neck. I didn’t try to conceal the moans of pleasure that escaped my lips. I gripped Nick’s shoulders and dug my nails into his skin as his erection entered my body. He buried his face in my shoulder and bite down on my collarbone gently. I moaned again and again and again. When we were finished, Nick set me down with such ease, but kept a hand around the small of my back to keep me steady. He used his other hand to turn the water of the shower off and I tilted my head at him.

“How do you know I was finished with that?” I asked. He turned to me and wrapped his other hand around my waist.

“I don’t want you to wash my scent off of you.” His voice was low and seductive. “I want everyone to know that you are mine, little wolf.”