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“Then you are at the mercy of the fire and all it wishes to give you.” He stepped into me, grabbing my chin and holding me tight. “You might remember. You might not. But either way, the flames have taken an interest in you, and eventually, they will have you...one way or another.”
Chapter Eight
. The Stranger .
MY FEET POUNDED THE GROUND as I raced beside Salak.
His paws thundered as his legs blurred with quickness. With a wolfen grin, he lowered his head in challenge. I recognised his dare, reading his silent language as his horns caught the sunshine, glowing with perfect ivory.
Baring my teeth, I balled my hands, preparing to take him on.
In the month I’d lived with Salak’s pack, my body had grown in strength and speed. The alpha—who I’d named Salak after his silver-etched fur—had fed me well.
I hunted with them. I shared their kills. I ate with my hands drenched in blood while their crimson-stained muzzles tore into gristle and hide.
I was one of them.
As surely as if I had fur, claws, and teeth. We were bonded by moonlight and swift-footed as the stars.
Salak growled beside me, bringing me back to our daylight race. We’d left the den at dawn, female, males, and pups all enjoying the sunshine. We’d headed to the river where the stream was deep enough to drink and paddle. The pups chased butterflies while Salak kept a careful eye on his pack. I’d lay in a patch of sunlight, drifting between awake and dreaming, desperate for another memory of the girl with moonbeam hair, only to be woken by my mark burning as if the very sun had speared my thigh.
The sensation had become frustratingly familiar.
Every night since I’d scented the fire on the horizon, my mark scratched at me with impatience. I’d stare at the smoke that always spiralled from the same spot—tainting the air with soot and char—and fought the compulsion to chase.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like the strangeness of it—that the smoke never grew or moved.
Salak growled beside me, sensing my mind had wandered again, even as I ran beside him with three other males, fanning out amongst the waist-high grass.
I grinned. “I’ll win this time.”
I never won.
The alpha was too big, too strong, too fast, but I liked trying. These runs had become a daily joy, speeding through the pack’s vast territory, waiting as Salak marked his borders, sending messages to trespassers that they would find a welcome of fangs and pain if they entered.
“You’ve fed me well,” I panted, keeping up the punishing pace. “I’m strong now. You’ll lose.”
The alpha snorted, his tongue lashing over bared teeth.
I laughed. “I’ll show you.”
He cocked his head as if to taunt me.
My heart thudded as I forced my legs to run faster. Bare feet flew over earth, immune to debris and leathery with wear. Reaching out, I stroked the alpha’s thick ruff before gathering the rest of my power.
“Let the best wolf win.” I shot forward.
Salak snapped at my hand as I trailed it over his muzzle. His eyes narrowed as I pulled ahead. The three younger males yipped and leapt into the race, all while Salak hung back, giving me a false taste of victory.
I used his mockery to my advantage and kept pushing, kept increasing my speed until I ran faster than I ever thought possible.
But then, with a short bark, Salak surged ahead, deliberately brushing his large bulk against my side to make me stumble. “Hey!”
He galloped ahead—four legs working effortlessly while I found my feet again.
With a growl of my own, I chased after him.
Grass blurred around me.
Air became thick as I sliced through it.
And the three other males fell back, unable to keep up.
I looked over my shoulder in surprise.
I’d never outrun a wolf. Never witnessed them fading into the distance.
My breath caught as I looked ahead, catching a glimpse of Salak’s tail whipping through the grass.
He wasn’t that far ahead.
I’d gained on him.
How?
For all my taunts that I’d win, I never believed I stood a chance.
As I ran in pace with the giant alpha, gaining paw print by paw print, awe filled me.
Salak was undefeated—utterly unmatched, yet...a small part of me began to believe I could match him. Not to take his pack but to prove to myself that the sickly, weak mortal who’d wanted to die a month ago was no longer.
I’m as strong as a wolf.
Lowering my chin, I added every last speed to my legs.
I closed my eyes and summoned strength from deep, deep within.
For the first time, I sank into who I was—a nameless man who had no family and no memories but somehow could keep pace with an alpha. Swift heat suddenly bolted down my thighs, scorching my toes.
A weightlessness descended around me.
The world fell away.
I was there but not there.
