“That’s it,” he panted as his body stopped quaking and he dropped his head down. Leaning down I smiled. Pulling my hand back up, I let myself fall into the dirt exhausted. Tobias was right there next to me panting and heaving, trying to catch his breath.

  “You are amazing,” he said as he mustered what little strength he had left to kiss my shoulder.

  “I love you.” His words were muffled from the exertion, but I heard them nonetheless. Hope filled me as did admiration for all that he was.

  “I love you back,” I answered in the same tired tone and I watched the flames of the fire turn into nothing but glowing embers.

  There was no telling what time of day it was when my eyes finally opened again. The birds sang a sweet melody that brought me out of my stupor. Everything about last night lingered in my mind as I propped myself up on one arm and looked around our little camp site. Everything was absolutely perfect. I turned to glance over my shoulder only to find Tobias wasn’t by my side. My heart thumped in my ears and I sat up quickly, my eyes darting around the area.

  “Tobias?” I called out to him praying he was within earshot. The seconds ticked by and I wondered what had happened to my beloved. I rose swiftly to my feet and pulled my ragged dress back over my body. While I knew I wasn’t the queen of Sheba, I didn’t have anything else.

  “You’re awake.” The instant I heard his voice behind me I spun around and threw my arms around him.

  “You didn’t think I would leave you did you?” he asked as I tried to fight the tears that determined to overpower me.

  “No, I knew you wouldn’t. But, when I woke, and you were gone …” I didn’t want to think about the horrors that could have been. He was there, and that was all that mattered now.

  “I brought you some berries and I found a rabbit,” he paused. He stared at me with wide eyes stared filled with wonder. “You do eat rabbit don’t you?”

  Smiling I nodded and moved over to the small collection of food he had found. As I took my place next to him I realized for the first time that the wilderness wasn’t as scary as I had first envisioned. We could live here like this for the rest of our lives. We didn’t have to go back.

  “Before you get upset, I want you to know that Lola is here.”

  “What?” My eyes darted to the trees half expecting her to appear in her wolf form ready to pounce in a moment’s notice.

  “Why?” I asked scooting closer to him.

  “She has something to say to you and I wanted to warn you before you jumped to the wrong conclusion.” I watched Tobias give a nod before shifting his attention to something behind me. The warmth in my body faded away as soon as I turned around.

  There, coming out of the forest like a huntress was Lola in all her wonder. She was even more remarkable in the daylight and she stole my breath away.

  “I’m sorry for the part I played,” she said keeping her eyes locked on Tobias. “Tobias has made it very clear whom he wants, and I have come here to tell you that, although I don’t like it—”

  “Lola,” Tobias scolded, and I saw instantly Lola step back and clear her throat.

  “Just take care of him will you?” she said turning her gaze on me. There wasn’t any malice in her eyes, for the first time since I had met her. She was completely sincere and I could see that she was relinquishing her claim to Tobias, in order to make room for me.

  Although I didn’t understand wolf customs, I was certain I would learn quickly. I kept my gaze on her, studying her. I wondered if I looked like my mother when I did it. It would be very easy to hate Lola for planting the seeds of doubt in me. But, I didn’t want to be that kind of girl. Taking a deep breath I smiled.

  “Are you hungry? Tobias has found some food and you are more than welcome to join us.”

  The invitation startled her and shock flickered across her face. Her hard features softened and her eyes darted to Tobias.

  “I see why you like her Tobias. She is different.”

  “Come Lola, there is plenty here for everyone.”

  Lola sat by my side, as we ate in silence. Although she was a better match for Tobias, he was mine and I was his. No man or monster could ever stand in our way again.

  Preview: Seeking the Alpha

  Wolf Pack chronicles Series

  By:

  Amelia Wilson

  PROLOGUE

  You can never, truly, know when the worst day of your life is coming. It’s always waiting for the perfect moment to spring out, to become an unexpected bump in the tracks that derails your entire life. Of course, Mia couldn’t have known that she was living in the worst day of her life. She had pancakes for breakfast. A boy told a great joke in her science class. She even finished her homework early. How could she have ever have believed her worst day had finally arrived; looming over her like a dark shadow?

  According to Mia, the woods were the soundest place to be. They were a secret haven, nestled in between her backyard and the middle school she walked to each day. The towering trees burst from the ground, sheltering her with their colorful leaves. They were mighty towers that she pretended were part of her own fortress, a powerful force that sheltered her from the troubles of her everyday life. She could close her eyes, and breathe in the delicious concoction of crisp autumn air, and tangy pine and leaves, still wet from a recent downpour.

  Mia flourished here, and she walked home from the school one afternoon with an extra spring in her step, the keychains on her backpack jangling as she hopped carefully from stone to stone across the bubbling creek. She hummed to herself – a new song she’d learned in chorus class that day – relishing this tiny place of freedom. She passed a bulky tree, smiling up at its branches, blissfully unaware of the figure hiding behind it waiting to spring out at her.

  Mia tumbled to the ground with a hard thud, and her backpack slid up her back as her legs flew back over her head and she rolled over. Another body collided into her, arms clutching round her waist as it dragged her down into a swooping ditch in between the trees. Mia cried out, trying desperately to untangle her arms from the knot of limbs, but she couldn’t. The knot separated as they crashed into a pile of leaves. Mia felt the weight leave her and her eyes fluttered open, suddenly blinded by the blank slate of the grey sky above her. She could hear the leaves next to her shuffling wildly, and soon her attacker was standing right over her, his shadowy frame filling her vision.

  “Rowan!” Mia shouted as she sprang up from the ground, still covered in a layer of crumpled leaves. She punched the shaggy-haired boy in the shoulder.

  Rowan laughed, revealing the gap between his two front teeth. “You should’ve seen your face,” Rowan said, clutching his stomach in the hope of containing his laughter.

  “I already knew you were there,” Mia said defensively.

  "Yeah right," Rowan said, brushing his hair out of his face.

  His locks were dark-chestnut; often unkempt and just covered his deep-hazel eyes. Mia stared a little too long at him and was startled as his hand reached out to help brush the leaves from her clothes. She felt a tiny spark, almost like the minuscule zap one gets from a wool sweater, as Rowan picked a bright-orange leaf from her jacket sleeve. Mia often felt this way when Rowan was around. He was almost like lightning to her, though she couldn't quite sum up this feeling into perfect words.

  “Oh, I missed one,” Mia said, but Rowan beat her to the leaf still burrowed in her amber hair.

  “Your hair is soft,” Rowan said nonchalantly. Even with his indifferent tone, Mia still took it to heart, as a compliment. At fourteen she was not really starting to think about boys, but whenever she was with Rowan she felt different.

  "Race you to the rock!" She said, as she took off. She was already halfway to her favorite spot. Rowan groaned, shuffling awkwardly through the piles of leaves, kicking them up into the air.

  They sat on their rock, looking out at their neighborhood nestled safely below. Mia took out a thick marker, coloring a new drawing wherever she could find space.

  “You shouldn’t draw on it, Mia,” Rowan said. Mia shrugged.

  “It’s a little late for that,” she said, gesturing to the dozens of faded drawings she had already completed during their times at the rock. She expected Rowan to laugh, but as she looked up at him she was immediately concerned at his firm expression. He gazed sadly out into the neighborhood.

  "Mom's packed up the last few boxes already," Rowan said quietly.

  Mia capped her marker, her heart sinking a bit. "You're not going too far, right?" She asked.

  Rowan shrugged. "We'll be on the other side of town now," he said. "I don't think we'll be in the same high school next year." Mia looked down at her boots. Rowan had been her best friend since they were very small and they lived just a few steps down the road from each other. She liked how close he was to her all of the time, as if he could always be there for her whenever she needed him. However, looking at Rowan, now, she knew that she'd have to put her own feelings aside.

  She dug into her backpack, pulling out a small object wrapped in paper. "Here," she said. "I was going to wait, but I thought you'd want it now."

  Rowan opened the paper, his thumb running over an ornament made of clay, filled with dents from fingers trying to make it into a perfect shape. It was broken into two even pieces. His said, “Be, Bud.”

  “Oh, I have the other half,” Mia said, holding up her clay ornament. Together, they spelled ‘Best Buddies.’

  "It's great," Rowan said as he carefully put it in his pocket.

  "It's our promise," Mia said seriously. "Even though you're moving, we can still come here whenever you want. I'll even ride my bike to your new house on weekends."

  Rowan slipped off of the rock, heading for the path towards home. “That sounds dangerous,” he said.

  “Not if I wear a helmet,” Mia said with a smile as she followed after him.

  “That’s not what I meant, dummy,” Rowan said.

  “Excuse me?” Mia said. She was about to nudge him again, when Rowan froze in his tracks. Mia crashed into the puff of his jacket.

  “Don’t move,” Rowan whispered; his breath harsh and as cold as the air around them. Mia felt the warmth drain from her skin as she glanced over his shoulder.

  Just ahead, a dark cluster moved in front of them, barely making a sound. Mia hid behind Rowan without getting another look.

  “What is it?” She whispered, but Rowan shushed her. Then, she could hear them. A low collection of growls and heavy sniffs. In all their trips to the woods, it had never crossed Mia’s mind that there would be wolves lurking in the trees. There wasn’t supposed to be any evil here, not out in these beautiful woods, and she had taken this blissful ignorance for granted.

  The sound was getting closer now. Mia reached out for Rowan’s hand, terrified. It was warm and comforting, even in the moment that might be their last. Rowan held on to her fingers tightly as he tried to take another step towards the trail, back to the safety of the neighborhood. It wasn’t far, but the wolves became more uneasy with each step they took. Mia risked another peek, and could see them more clearly now. They were large. Their dark coats, of various browns and greys, were matted with dirt and – what looked like – blood. Their lips curled dangerously around their razor-like teeth in cruel sneers.

  “What do we do?” Mia said, hot tears now welling in her eyes. She looked at her hand in Rowan’s, startled to find that he was just as scared as she was. He was trembling as he dared another step. But the wolves wouldn’t let him this time. They inched closer, growling louder now in warning…or was it hunger?

  After what felt like hours, Rowan’s voice cracked as he told Mia,

  “You have to run.”

  "Me? Why just me?" Mia whispered in a panic. "We can both go."

  Rowan's shaggy hair shook back and forth. "We won't make it. Run and get my parents. Okay?"

  Mia shook her head, though Rowan couldn't see.

  Rowan clutched her fingers tighter. "Mia, I'm going to be okay, but you need to go," he said, eyeing their death about to circle them. "I'm going to count to three," Rowan said. "You run for the trail." Another snarl interrupted him. Mia jumped at the sound.

  "One…" Mia leaned her cheek against Rowan's back, feeling the roughness of his jacket on her skin. She could swear she could hear his heart pounding. It could have been her own.

  "Two…" Rowan said. He sounded as if he were going to cry.

  "Rowan…" Mia started.

  "Three-"

  The world became a blur as Rowan left her. Mia ran, almost floated, towards the trail. She couldn't even feel her feet pounding on the ground, just the cold air and the hammering of her heartbeat in her ears as she sprinted for her life, for Rowan's life. She only looked back once, and she wished that she hadn't. All she saw was a wild flurry of dark fur and a sliver of Rowan's blue jacket as he disappeared into the trees with the wolves. Panic swallowed Mia whole, propelling her forward as her feet somehow found the pavement…

  Hours went by as she sat in front of the door to her backyard. She watched the trees, waiting, trying not to cry. Finally, she pulled open the door and ran outside as a figure clumsily emerged from the trees. Rowan’s father slid down the hill from the forest and bounded towards the street.

  “I need to get to a hospital!” He cried out in terror. Others arrived, neighbors that had heard; Rowan’s mother too. Mia went as white as a sheet at the sight of the mangled figure passing by. Rowan was pale, a ghost of a boy, his head lolled back across his father’s arms. There was so much blood, seeping into his shredded clothes, and dripping onto the grass.

  “Rowan!” Mia called, but Rowan didn’t even stir. She chased after his father, seeing only the tuft of chestnut hair, now matted with blood.

  It happened so fast. Rowan was thrown into his family's car. Mia ran for the side door of the car, pulling at the handle.

  "I want to go with him!" She cried, but her own mother held her back. Mia choked on her tears as she watched the car pass under the streetlights that were just flickering on. It turned a corner and disappeared.

  Mia didn’t know that she would not see him again…not for another fifteen years.

  CHAPTER 1: RUNAWAY

  Mia tiptoed through a dingy apartment, frantically gathering up her clothes. Her things were buried under piles of beer cans, empty pill bottles, and unrecognizable trash. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and there was no better time than now to run.

  She scurried into the living room, her hands piled up with her belongings and she reached under the beat-up couch. Everything reeked of old cigarette smoke and the stale stench of weeks-old beer stained into the carpets. She didn't know what could be lurking under the couch, but her hands found the thick strap of her duffle bag. She pulled it out, dumping the contents of her arms into it. She sifted through the bundles of clothes, extra shoes and a tiny tube of toothpaste. She had forgotten the most important thing of all, though, and her stomach twisted at the thought.

  She inched toward her bedroom door. It had a habit of creaking, but she knew the man sleeping in her bed had drunk enough to sleep through the entire afternoon. It was still early morning, but Mia didn't want to take any chances. She crossed over to her side of the bed, gently sliding her hand under the mattress on the floor. She watched the sleeping man carefully. His name was Grey, and even when he slept he looked like a menace. He breathed heavily through his thick red beard, his eyes knitted into a deep dreamlike anger.

  If he woke up, Mia knew she'd end up dead. That's what he would tell her at least, especially if she ever tried to run away again. Mia was out of chances now, but she knew she'd finally get away this time. Her fingers brushed against a papery bundle. She pulled it out in one quick motion and grabbed her jacket from the floor as she headed out of the room. Something made her pause, though. She looked at Grey blissfully unaware of her plan. She almost wanted to laugh, but she felt too sick.

  Why don't you just kill him? She thought, although she knew that was impossible. She wouldn't fight violence with more violence, even though she had dreamed about it for a while. She studied Grey: his hulking muscles, hairy chest heaving in and out, and the overpowering tattoo that covered his arm. It was a ferocious wolf emerging from the mouth of a skull. It looked like it could swallow Mia up right there. She hated the sight of it. To her, it was a reminder of what she had lost so long ago…

  She sifted through the paper bundle. She only had a few hundred dollars at most. It was enough to get her where she wanted to go. After searching out countless mountain towns, she had decided Birchton was suitable. She kept telling herself that this was the only reason she had chosen it. It was far enough from Grey. She made sure she convinced herself there was nothing else special about Birchton.

  As she looked out of the rumbling taxi, she could see the mountains and forests again. She rolled down the window, smelling that sweet familiar odor of nature that used to be so healing for her. Being in the city had definitely taken a toll on her. Nothing grew there, only more and more buildings. Mia hid her money back in her bag. Her fingers brushed up against something smooth hidden under her t-shirts. She reached for it, turning the old ornament over in her hands.

  ‘st, dies’ – a strange message if you didn't have the other half. Mia smirked as she looked at it. Her fourteen-year-old self didn't think the message through very well. She placed her thumb in one of the uneven prints, thinking of all the other messages she wished she could have written instead. She had had fifteen years to think about it, but she refrained from letting her mind wander any further. She placed the ornament back into her bag, along with the memories of the boy to whom she had given the other half.

  No, she told herself, there’s nothing special about Birchton.