Page 71 of Defiance
More wolves joined them as they entered the trees, sniffing and yipping, excitement contagious. An unfamiliar feeling crept up Cole’s spine, instinct whispering that this waspack.
Family.
As much as Cole baulked at the idea when he was in human form, as a wolf he found it way easier to accept.
He’d been bitten by the alpha.
That made him pack.
Cole had no idea how far the grounds around the McKillan Estate extended, but he couldn’t see the fence Smith had promised or sense it. Just trees and grass, and if he listened hard enough... was that a stream?
The deeper they got into the trees, the wolves around them spread out, racing in and out. Yips and playful-sounding growls punctured the night, and Cole’s ears pricked with every sound.
So engrossed with what the surrounding wolves were doing, Cole was wholly unprepared when Smith spun round and loped past him, nipping Cole’s flank as he went. Startled, it took him a second to realise what was happening, but then the penny dropped and Cole growled, his body vibrating with excitement.
Challenge accepted.
Smith raced off through the trees, darting in and out but never slowing. Cole chased after him, wind whistling past his ears and paws drumming over the ground, kicking up dirt behind him.
Without fully realising before, Cole now knew this was what he’d been missing.Craving. Letting his wolf run free, uninhibited.
He wasn’t just human anymore, and being deniedthishad affected him more thanhe’d thought.
Was that intentional?
It had to be.
Paul and whoever else decided his fate had been shifters for years, they had to know how it would make him feel. He wanted to dissect it further but the chase called to him, banishing everything else from his mind as he focused on catching Smith.
They raced through the trees and out over grassy areas for what seemed like hours, Smith always keeping out of his reach. Sometimes Fletcher joined in, sometimes other wolves that Cole didn’t recognise, but instinct told him he knew them.
The one person he didn’t see was Logan.
He caught his scent now and again, Aaron’s too, but every time he hesitated, Smith was there, urging him on again.
When Smith skidded on a fallen branch, Cole finally had him. Yipping with delight, he launched himself through the air, landing on Smith and tackling him to the ground.
Smith growled, nipping Cole’s flank in retaliation. It didn’t hurt especially, and Cole didn’t feel threatened by it, but a small yelp escaped him, more out of surprise than anything.
A streak of silver shot past him, barrelling into Smith with such force they both skidded across the ground.
Logan.
Even if Cole hadn’t recognised the silver wolf, he’d know him by scent alone. Another wolf appeared in his periphery, pacing and agitated, watching the two wolves fight.
Aaron.
Growls filled the air around them, loud in the night, and Cole knew it wouldn’t be long before others joined them. Even in wolf form, he knew this was bad.
Smith snarled, teeth bared, warning Logan to back off, but Logan stalked towards him, lips curled back showing his teeth. Cole howled and raced forward, trying to get between them, but Logan dodged him, coming at Smith again.
They rolled in the dirt, biting at each other until suddenly the air around Smith seemed to shimmer, and the next minute Logan was sprawled over a very human Smith.
“What the fuck, Logan?” Smith hissed, voice barely above a whisper as he pushed Logan off him. “Half my fucking team will be on their way. Shift back.”
In seconds, Logan was his human self again, panting heavily and wide-eyed.
Panicked.
