Claimed by Miya Kressin

Author:Miya Kressin [Kressin, Miya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-07T07:00:00+00:00

Tremain finishes his lesson to the young about our pack lore, and Nara sits with them, assisting as they teach those who can’t shift about tracking and other survival skills. It’s hard for both of them, Nara for having been a wolf her entire life and Tremain for remembering what it was like as a human before he was given the gift in his teens. They’re both highly spiritual, the de facto clergy of our pack, and I’ve often found them pouring over the journals of wolves long returned to the earth in hopes of finding a way to reawaken the magic.

“And now, as Selene graces us with Her beautiful face, it is time for good little pups to go to their beds. Morgan and Lily are staying here at the central fire if you need anyone while your parents stretch their paws.” Tremain doesn’t need to tell them that of course the mothers of the newborns will be in their own homes; they would never leave their infants behind. Not with hunters threatening our borders.

The pack young pout and drag their feet as they give Nara hugs before leaving the ring of logs surrounding the twenty-foot-wide pit we use for nightly fires. The first time a teenager is left to be a night guardian is a rite of passage among our pack. Lily has done it a few times now, and she’ll be teaching Morgan how to keep night vision despite having a huge fire in front of them. It’s all these little things that ensure pack safety. Lily can shift during the full moon, the only reason I trust her with the young kept here right now. We need that strength with the warriors away.

I watch the future of my pack file out of the fire ring one by one, ruffling the hair of the younger ones and accepting the shy smiles and nods of respect from the older. It’s sad going from favorite uncle to Alpha in their eyes as they age, but I know that it is a necessary change. Being their Alpha is a privilege, one I strive to never take for granted.

With the moon high above us, I let Her magic sweep through me and summon the original wolven form still hiding within my DNA. This change is painful; it’s not the faerie wolf-shifter form I slide into with ease. This is my Alpha heritage as a direct descendent of the first Moonblossom wolf. Cracking, my bones change shape and strengthen, pulling their power from moonlight and earth. A fearsome—and probably gruesome—sight, only a few of our young stop to watch, and they do so with pride in their eyes. No whimper escapes my throat as my skull condenses, cracking and reforming until I’m larger than the direwolves of legend.

Howling to the sky, I summon my pack. They know my call and its meaning: we run!

◆◆◆

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.