AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You will be,” he grits out, his own wolf flashing in his eyes even as he shakes from the force of fighting against my control. He will always be a beta and nothing more.
I kick him, and he flies through the air, hitting a tree. Before he can recover, I slam my foot into his back, putting all my strength into it as I pin him there. When I remove it, he flips to his knees and glares at me.
Leaning down, I grip his chin as he snarls, holding him immobile despite the fact he is three times my size. “Don’t forget your place ever again. You are not an alpha, and you are not my mate. You are just another wolf, one I can easily beat.” Throwing his chin away, I watch in satisfaction as he ducks his head. “This is your last warning. I will not tolerate your disrespect again. I am your beta. Remember that.”
With that last warning, I walk away, showing him my back in the ultimate gesture of disrespect.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The rest of my day is spent tracking deep into our land. I push it and run as far as the other traps were placed. The trails there are old, and any other traps were destroyed by the pack during their search for me.
I head back and inform the others of what I have found before collapsing into my cabin for some much-needed rest. My body is still healing and regenerating. After a nap, I shed my clothes once more and slide into the lake before my cabin, submerging myself as the sun heats it.
My eyes close as I sink to the bottom, and I let nature show me the way as it has so often before.
I reflect and heal.
I have hidden my talents for so long, very few know of my abilities. Jang calls me moon blessed. We do not know why my powers came or how, but the day after I woke in Jang’s house after the death of my family, I felt my head burn, and when I came to, I could heal. It took a long time to train myself in how to control it.
It’s not that I don’t trust the pack. It’s that it’s another thing that makes me an outsider. The moon blessed me, even as thisworld took from me. I’m not sure how I feel about that because the exchange for these gifts was my family’s lives.
One day, others will know. It is part of me, a part I should not be ashamed of, but for now, I hide it, even as I feel the markings light up across my forehead as the water surrounds me.
I am tied to our land, and I am part of it. I am inconsequential, and I am everything.
I am a wolf born of nature. I am the magic here.
My eyes snap open, shining brightly within the darkness, a warning to those who would stand against me and try to take this land from us—land gifted by the world itself. Hunters are evil beings, and I will remove them from this world before they scorch it with death and blood, but a whisper in the water stills my heart.
Death is coming, prepare.
Standing at Jang’s side with the other betas, I look out at the gathered pack. We don’t gather like this very often, and it’s clear they are worried about what that means. Many whispers meet my ears, so it’s hard to tell who is saying what. They are spread amongst the grass behind the pack house, the mountains behind them as a backdrop. Some are sitting with their families or on a mate’s lap, while others sit on blankets or chairs.
All five hundred members gathered from far and wide.
My hands press to the base of my spine as I stand tall under their watchful gazes, not showing an inch of weakness since they will all be looking for it. I need to get used to this, but every time I stand here, I find it daunting. I don’t know how Jang does it.
He steps forward, and everyone instantly becomes quiet, bending their heads in a sign of respect.
“As many have heard, Quinn, our beta, was captured recently by hunters.” At his declaration, the noise starts again. “Enough!” he roars, and the silence is deafening. “Quinn was captured while saving a trapped member of our pack, and she took her place to spy on the hunters for us.”
Nice, but not true. I don’t correct him, however.
“She has come back with vital information. The hunters are drawing closer. They are searching for us, and when they find us, they plan to kill us. I won’t lie to you on that. I am your alpha, so it is my job to lead us and keep you all safe, but I will never hide the truth from you.” Their fear pumps into the air. “We will not be cowed or chased off our own land. We have faced hunters before, and we will again. We won’t be an easy target, and for this exact reason, we have come up with some temporary measures. Quinn will now explain.” He looks at me, and my eyes widen slightly as he nods.
He’s letting me address the pack. He’s showing them that he trusts me to lead. He’s giving me a chance to be an alpha.
I will not fail him.
I step forward. “Thank you, Alpha. It’s true, I was captured, but don’t be afraid. The hunters are just humans, nothing more. If we stand together, we won’t fail, but to keep us safe, we must do all we can. All those who work in the closest city or town will pull back.” I hold up my hand to stop the frustrated protests. “Just for now, until the threat is gone. Those who live elsewhere will move back onto pack land where we can protect you. We are doubling patrols and pulling back on our lines. We will ride this out together.”
“For how long?” someone yells. “We cannot stop our lives forever.”
“I hear you,” I reply, “but I have faced these hunters, and they will stop at nothing to get to us. They are not above using bait or hurting those they can get to. This is the way we’ll keep you safe.I cannot give an estimate on when life will resume, but now, as your betas and alpha, we are doing everything in our power to stop this threat. We need your cooperation for this. Alpha Jang has never led us wrong.” I meet every eye I can. “He has led us through worse, and he will once more. As someone who lost their family to hunters”—I feel the crowd’s shock and sadness because although everyone knows, I have never brought it up publicly—“I cannot stress this enough. This threat is real, and I won’t let one more wolf lose their lives to the human scourge. Trust us, and as one, we’ll stand together like always.”
“As one,” someone calls, and it’s taken up by the pack until it’s bayed at the moon hanging above us.
I step back, but Jang takes my hand and pulls me forward until I stand at his side, and he looks down at me with a smile. “You were born to lead, Quinny,” he tells me, pride shining in his eyes. “Let them see that. Remind them of who you are.” Squeezing my hand, he looks out over the pack. “My child, our hope for a better future.” His eyes land back on me. “The next alpha.”
