Deep Wolves (11 page)

I forgot about everything that we were discussing in the motel room. Even Shiva’s attitude didn’t bother me. At this point, I was just happy to be able to relax with Vaughn right next to me. I leaned in close to him and rested my head upon his shoulder as Irvine built the small fire for me. He then took a seat across from us and finally we had a moment to rest.

It was peaceful out here. The rhythm of the flames dancing in front of me made it easier for me to relax despite the circumstances. The sounds of the wilderness were harmless compared to everything we’d been through. My lungs filled with the fresh open air. Finally, I could enjoy the serenity of the night.

Vaughn fell asleep as soon as he hit the ground. I laid down next to him, resting my head upon his chest. Irvine leaned against a tree stump and rested with his head down. Even though I was completely exhausted, I couldn’t fall asleep. I was restless. I didn’t know why. I would close my eyes but it wasn’t enough for me to drift away like I usually did.

Frustrated, I sat up and leaned against the log next to me. I sighed as I listened to the sounds of the men sleeping next to me. I continued to be hypnotized by the flames, trying to somehow tire myself out so that I could get the rest that I needed. But none of it worked.

I slowly stood up and began to pace back and forth. I looked around the camp and everybody was laying around. I envied the peace and sleep they were enjoying at this moment.

Come on, Ariel. Just go to sleep. You have a long day tomorrow.

But I wasn’t sleepy. I decided that it would be best to waste whatever energy I had left by walking around.

“Having trouble sleeping?”

I turned around to see where the voice had come from. The old wolf I had spoken to earlier was there.

“Oh,” I sighed when I saw him. “Hey, Yung.”

“You look surprised.”

“Surprised?”

“Were you expecting someone else?”

“I… I thought you were someone else, yeah. I thought you were…
her
, here to bite my head off.”

“I’m sure she’s occupied at the moment,” he chuckled. “You should be sleeping now.”

“I could say the same for you.”

“I’m an old man, Ariel. I don’t need as much sleep as I used to. Come here. Sit with me. Let an old man bore you to sleep with his stories.”

He smiled politely at me. I looked at Vaughn and Irvine who were now resting peacefully around the fire. Yung and I seemed to be only ones in the camp awake at this point. I figured since I was up that I would take him up on his offer.

I sat down on the grass underneath me and Yung took the spot next to me. Despite his old age, he still seemed fit and strong. He might not have been the strongest in his clan but he was more capable than any man of a similar age. Through his calm demeanor, I could see that there was a wolf within him still burning.

“Feel free to fall asleep at your leisure,” he smiled at me. “You won’t hurt my feelings. I’m well aware that an old wolf like myself droning on and on can wear on you.”

“It’s okay,” I muttered. “Do most of the other clan members usually listen to your stories?”

“No,” he laughed. “Everybody here has heard everything I had to say.”

“So, that’s why you wanted to talk to me? Someone new to talk to.”

“Indeed. Thank you for indulging me.”

“I… I don’t mind. I’d actually like to know more…”

“More?”

The only wolf I ever managed to speak to like this was Vaughn. But he and I never talked about his past. All we talked about was the future and how we were going to be together. I held back my own curiosity because I knew that Vaughn was trying to look beyond who he was, even though I loved that part of him.

“You were right,” I said. “Shiva has her eyes on him. And she hates me.”

“I’m sorry, Ariel. Shiva can be a bit unsavory at times.”

“Are all queens like that? Are they all that protective of their mates?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Shiva is a different breed. She’s strong-willed and hard-headed. Cyrus chose her and her ego has been inflated ever since. You can imagine what it’s like when an Alpha chooses you to mate with.”

“I… I suppose.”

“But you have nothing to worry from her.”

“How do you know?”

“She only hates you because she wishes to take another lover. She’s jealous of you because of your relationship with the one called Shadow. She is not a human like you. You are not the same species anymore. You might as well be from another world. And for someone so different to attract one of her kind, it upsets her.”

“And what about you? Does it upset you?”

Yung shook his head and smiled at me.

“Shiva is a different breed,” he said. “This new generation of wolves… They are more territorial. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that the Nakas are doing this.”

“What?”

“I can feel it, Ariel. The peace between humans and wolves is coming to an end.”

“What? What do you mean? What do you feel?”

“I can sense it. A dark wind is blowing. All this time, wolves have managed to live their lives without human interference. But a wolf’s instincts… They’re beginning to take control. The size of a clan like the Nakas is unheard of. There are too many of them. They have to expand.”

“Is that why they’re doing this? Because they’re trying to push the humans out? How can you be so sure?”

“You ask many questions, young woman,” he smiled at me. “These are merely the rantings and ravings of an old wolf who has seen a lot in his time. I’m merely stating what I sense now.”

I knew that there were clans all over the world. The size of the Nakas was staggering. I knew that they were all over the city. Some of them attacked us. But the way Yung spoke made it seem like there was something even more sinister behind all of this. I didn’t want to think that there was more at stake beyond this city.

“I apologize,” Yung said to me.

“Apologize? For what?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve upset you. I can see it on your face.”

“No, it’s not that. I—”

“You will be fine, Ariel.
He
will protect you.”

“Who?”

“Shadow. Just as I haven’t seen behavior like that of the Nakas or someone act so unruly like Shiva, I have never seen a wolf like Shadow.”

I looked over at Vaughn across the clearing. He was laying on his back and sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling in a slow and steady rhythm.

“He is unique,” Yung said. “He has fallen for a human and hasn’t converted her. That alone is curious. But just as I sense a dark wind blowing, I sense a strength deep inside of him.”

“A strength?” I turned back to Yung. “What kind of strength?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “It is merely something that emanates from him that other wolves do not possess. I can almost see his aura around him.”

“I… I’m lucky,” I sighed. “I never planned on falling for someone like him. But despite everything, I’m glad that I did. I can’t imagine myself with anyone else.”

“You’re too modest, Ariel.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You are lucky but so is he. Fate is always intervening, even when nobody realizes it. We will succeed, Ariel. The Nakas will be stopped. But you must remember to trust him.”

“I… I do.”

Yung smiled at me and I couldn’t help but respond the same way. He had given me so much to think about but at the same time, managed to reassure me. It felt like my relationship with Vaughn had been on a roller coaster ever since we’d gotten to New York. To hear someone else tell me that I could trust Vaughn was the best news I’ve heard in a long time.

I was still restless, so Yung entertained me with old stories of days past. He told me what it was like when he was the Alpha of the Doras. He talked about the scars on his body, the other wolves he killed and the other wolves he mated with. He told everything with vivid detail and I could see it in my mind’s eye. It was like listening to an old grandfather talk about what life was like back in his day. It was nice to hear the story of a wolf straight from his mouth.

I didn’t know how long I listened to Yung but I finally started to grow tired. He eventually fell victim to his own fatigue and rested peacefully on the grass. I made my way back to the small fire that was burning. Irvine slept with his hand on his crossbow. Vaughn laid there lost in peaceful slumber. I took the place next to him and rested my head on the part of his body that hadn’t been wounded. I closed my eyes and did my best to drift off to sleep.

Chapter 12

I tried to fall asleep but couldn’t. Closing my eyes did nothing to relieve any of the stress I was feeling. I opened my eyes and sat up. The rest of the clan was peacefully sleeping. I envied them. I didn’t know why I was so restless but I assumed it was because of the situation we now found ourselves in. I did my best to try and get myself to relax.

Calm down, Ariel. Just close your eyes and go to sleep. Stop thinking about it…

It was no use. I wasn’t sleepy. For some reason, I still had energy. The sounds of the wilderness were nonexistent. Every now and then something would flutter between the trees but the forest in the night was mostly silent. Out here, I was the only creature that was stirring.

I stood up and looked around the camp to see if there was something I could do. I was desperate for something to occupy myself with. That’s when I heard a sound coming from the forest. I couldn’t quite make it out exactly. It sounded like two people having a conversation.

Who is that?

I slowly moved in the direction the noise was coming from. As I got closer, the voices grew even louder. I couldn’t tell what the tone of the voices was but I could hear two distinct people. Against my better judgment, I walked into the forest to see exactly where the voices were coming from. The voices grew louder.

Those voices… They sound familiar…

I could barely see the light coming from the fire as I walked farther between the trees. But it didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for. I hid behind a tree trunk and watched as Cyrus and Shiva were alone with one another in a small clearing.

“These people,” Shiva muttered to him. “I don’t like them.”

“It is unlikely that the threat of the Nakas is real but there is a possibility.”

“Listen to yourself, Cyrus. You sound like the old man. Talking about myths and legends and superstitions. There is no reason for the Nakas to suddenly take up arms.”

“I have taken that into consideration, my queen. I’m merely giving them a chance to state their case.”

“There is no case, my love. Do not let them ruin the peace we have here.”

It was clear that I was listening to a conversation I wasn’t meant to hear. Cyrus’s loyalty was in doubt. I couldn’t blame him. We didn’t have all of the evidence to prove that the Nakas wanted anybody else besides us dead. Shiva’s influence wasn’t helping the manner. I wondered whether or not to jump in the conversation but I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be here.

Damn it, Ariel. Why didn’t you just go to sleep?

“What would you have me do, my queen?”

“Send them away. It is an insult to have them in our presence. The hunter smells of death. And the female…”

“And what of the lone wolf? He bested me.”

“Yes, he is interesting…”

I listened closer as she started to speak about Vaughn. What Yung told me about her wasn’t a secret. She wasn’t doing anything to hide her interest in him. But I wanted to know why she was so drawn to him. I had a feeling. It wasn’t just because she found him attractive. It was something else.

Shiva turned her back to Cyrus, her face looking in my direction. She had a devious look in her eyes. The smile on her face was ever so slight.

“He can be very useful,” Shiva said to him. “I would like to keep him here.”

“You desire him!” Cyrus growled at her.

He grabbed her by her arms and forcefully turned her around.

“I am your Alpha!” he shouted.

“You
are
my Alpha,” she replied. “But I feel sorry for him.”

“Why?”

“A beast that strong. So powerful. And yet he lays with that human. I wish to provide for him. I want to give him what he will never have with her.”

“The concerns of another clan are not yours, my queen. And they never will be!”

Cyrus shook her within his hands. Despite Shiva’s cold and powerful demeanor, Cyrus was stronger. She was still nothing more than a petite blonde woman and Cyrus was her suddenly invigorated Alpha.

“What will—”

“Silence! We will talk no more about the visitors. What’s done is done?”

“As you wish, my love.”

Cyrus released her from his grip. The blonde couple stared at one another. Shiva was no longer in his grasp but Cyrus continued to hold her in her place with the way he looked at her.

“My love, what would you—”

“All of this talk of pleasing another Alpha,” he interrupted her. “You have forced the fire in me to burn. Now you must put it out.”

“As you wish…”

The two suddenly embraced in a deep kiss. The sound of their passion grew quickly and was loud enough to echo all the way back to camp. I looked around to see if I was indeed still alone. I hid behind the tree in front of me, my head peeking from around it. The two of them fell deeper into their own passion. I wasn’t supposed to be here. But my own selfish desire got the best of me. Watching them kiss and embrace one another twisted my insides.

Cyrus grabbed her forcefully once again and forced her to her knees. Shiva fell naked before him. His length fully extended. She took it into her hand and began to pleasure him, the sinister look in her eyes replaced by one of passion. Cyrus looked down at his queen and instructed her to continue with his stare. Shiva took him into her mouth. Her mouth hung open as she lavished his cock with her tongue. Her saliva dripped from him, her long tongue wrapping around his shaft. She then sealed her lips and began to suck on him, moving her head back and forth. Cyrus grunted and howled unlike any ordinary man would in a similar situation.

I watched as he slowly started to shift. His short blond hair extended on his head. The rest of his body started to grow a thin coat of shining brown fur. Even his cock seemed like it was growing, Shiva being forced to take longer strokes as she took him into her mouth.