I think you're getting slower.

Of course I'm getting slower, that was our eighth circuit.

Blake Hunter leaned back against one of the large wooden posts on the edge of the training grounds. His eyes closed; he tilted his head upwards to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

I could still go faster, his wolf, Rothan, continued to tease from inside his head.

Then next time you can run the course, I could do with a rest.

His muscles burned in that pleasant way they do after exercise. As he relaxed, the fresh air slowly cleared the mustiness of a morning spent inside dealing with the ever growing pile of files, letters and reports that kept the pack functioning on a daily basis.

Somehow, he reflected ruefully, amongst his years of training, no one had thought to mention that the job of Alpha primarily consisted of digging his way through vast mountains of unending paperwork.

In fact, if he took the time to work it out, some days the Alpha's role seemed to be at least seventy percent paperwork.

Rothan, let out a bark of laughter. Don't be so dramatic, you love every second of it.

It's true. I do, he agreed. I just wish we could have a little more excitement every now and again.

What? The rogues aren't enough for you?

The tranquillity of the surrounding forest lulled Blake into a gentle doze, and he felt the tension drain from his body. It wasn't to last.

His moment of quiet serenity was interrupted by his Gamma, Alex, calling out to him over the pack link.

"Alpha? You have a visitor."

Blake refused to open his eyes, a small frown the only indication he'd heard. "Hold them at the border," he instructed Alex lazily. "I'll be there shortly."

"That's... not going to be possible," Alex returned, the tension in his voice palpable. "He crossed over about two minutes ago."

"What?" Blake sat up, his eyes narrowing. "Alex... why haven't you stopped him?"

"I'd rather not," Alex replied vaguely. "I quite enjoy breathing."

Blake took a deep breath, swallowing the urge let his wolf take control, and asked through gritted teeth: "Who is it?"

An image flashed across Blake's vision - a figure marching away from the Gamma and into the dense canopy of trees, the grey in his hair like hardened steel, his eyes a piercing blue.

Even through the link Blake could feel him radiating power and authority; marching through the Blackridge pack as though none had a right to challenge him, almost daring Blake's warriors to try and interfere.

Blake sighed, an immediate knot of tension re-appearing between his shoulder blades. So much for a peaceful afternoon. The visitor striding through his home carried with him many names and titles, gathered over years conquest and domination. Blake however, had the dubious privilege of calling him...

Father. What does he want?

Nothing good, Rothan, observed from the back of his mind.

Blake sighed, threw a sweatshirt over his head, and reluctantly made his way to greet him.

Despite Blake being in full control of Blackridge for last eight years, the mere memory of Avery's rule carried with it a powerful urge to grovel and obey. So, it came as no surprise that the village was largely deserted. Word spread fast inside the pack, and no one wanted to risk being given an order they'd feel compelled to obey.

Blake waited by the awning of his pack-house, unwilling to expend any surplus energy seeking out his father, he knew the aging alpha would find him soon enough.

What does it take to become so powerful that you can expect the subjugation of everyone around you? There was a hint of longing behind Rothan's speculation. To demand a thing, and know that no-one around you would dare deny it?

Not for the first time Blake offered the same answer. I doubt we ever want to know.

His father advanced up the steps of the pack house to stand in front of his eldest son, every movement projecting absolute confidence that he would be listened to and obeyed.

He glared at Blake with the critical eye of a teacher sizing up an unruly pupil. It was a look Blake knew all too well. He was about to receive a lecture.

"It's time you chose a mate," Avery ordered without preamble, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Not this again. Blake smothered a sigh. "Good morning father," he responded, ignoring the demand. "How long has it been? Six months? Seven?"

"You have delayed long enough." Avery barked, not to be distracted. "Pick a suitable Luna and get it over with. Do your duty to your pack and your family... both are long overdue."

Blake swallowed a flare of anger. He lectures me about duty? Me? Sheer willpower held back Rothan's snarl of agreement. However, knowing it was pointless to argue with a man who was never wrong, Blake bit back any retort. Instead, he affected an air of disinterest he knew would drive his father wild.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you father but, as you well know, my true mate and I have yet to find each other."

Avery cast his son a condescending look. "Some might argue that eight years is plenty of time to indulge in the romantic ideals of true mates. They're entirely overrated. Let's face it, if you were going to find yours, she'd have turned up by now. It's high time you do your duty and take a chosen mate."

"Like you did?" Blake countered, knowing full well his father had waited many years before meeting Blake's mother.

"You're twenty six," his father snapped back, ignoring his blatant hypocrisy. "Not some child that needs pandering to. A pack is not complete without a Luna. Blackridge will never reach their full strength without a mate at your side, and I have indulged you long enough."

Blake's fists closed involuntarily at his sides as the former Alpha continued to outline his plans for his wayward son's future mating.

Every wolf had a true soulmate out there somewhere. Someone to complete them, and bring strength to both their wolves and their pack. But their numbers had been so overwhelmingly depleted during the Shadow Wars - where pack fought against pack and the supernatural world tore itself apart fighting for dominance - that it had long been traditional to look beyond the bond for a mate, lest they never find one at all.

In an effort to keep the species alive, the Moon Goddess had begun accepting bonds forged by chosen mating ceremonies, occasionally, pairing wolves with humans as well. The latter proved a good match as once the ceremony was complete, the human would turn at the next full moon, further increasing their numbers.

But most Alphas still preferred to wait for their true mate, and Blake had always been one of them.

However, Avery Hunter wasn't a man interested in arguing. Especially with his own sons -- all four of which, he was fond of pointing out, needed a good shove in the right direction from time to time. Avery had decided his son needed a mate, and a mate he would have... one way or another. "Three months ought to give you more than enough time."

"You've got to be kidding! I can't just -"

Avery's warning growl shook the trees around them.

Fortunately, commom sense prevailed and Blake managed to rein Rothan in before he could respond. He sighed. Experience told him he would never win this argument. "Six," he countered.

"Three months."

"Six." And his eyes flickered dangerously.

Avery narrowed his own and pursed his lips, thinking it through. "Five," he countered finally. "You can announce your choice at the Winter Solstice."

Knowing how futile it was to fight him openly any further, Blake nodded stiffly, and resigned himself to the circus he knew would follow.

Goddess help us, Rothan muttered.

Sure enough, just two days later, his aunt and sister descended on him, rapidly followed by a long line of potential future Lunas all vying for his attention.

Aunt Sarah settled in quickly; reorganising his house, schedule and routine to her liking until he barely recognised the place. Then took great pains to make it clear that she would be staying put and enjoying his pack's hospitality until she had him safely settled. The final straw had been the morning Blake ventured downstairs only to find a young woman already seated at his breakfast table, eager to win him over.

So, desperate to escape the constant meddling, he began his daily patrols earlier and earlier, avoiding his house as much as possible. The plan was working well... until his sister caught on.

Two weeks later, three bleary-eyed wolves found themselves traversing Blake's usual patrol route before even the birds had begun their morning chorus... well, two and a half, anyway.

"You're being unnecessarily stubborn, you know." The small grey wolf danced around Blake's legs, nipping him playfully on the ankle as she passed.

Blake growled at her, and she ran off into the tree line, laughing.

"It would be so much easier if you'd just cooperate," Sky sang over the pack-link. "Give in gracefully and all that."

He sighed as he padded along behind her, his dark fur blending in well as he carefully navigated the damp, uneven ground. Blake had always considered himself to be a patient man. Goddess knows, he needed an extraordinary amount of patience to manage so many wolves spread out over such a large territory.

His sister however, was capable of testing the very limits of his seemingly unbreakable patience at the best of times... and five o' clock in the morning was definitely not the best of times.

Why did we get up this early again?

The unrepentant fur ball flashed across his field of vision again and up the slope into the thick foliage on the other side.

Because it's peaceful, his wolf reminded him.

Right. Peaceful.

"She's an ideal candidate you know," The wolf stuck her head out of the bushes from a few yards down the trail and grinned at him. "High ranking in her own pack. Used to ordering people about, knows everything..." She trotted back onto the narrow trail and stopped beside him. "Sound familiar?"

He snapped half-heartedly at her rump, and she flew off again, laughing merrily. Her energy was infectious and he sped up, loping through the fallen leaves in an effort to catch her - a futile endeavour as she refused to stay out of the bushes for more than a few seconds at a time. Far smaller than her counterparts, Sky could squeeze through gaps Blake would struggle to fit his head through.

All along the well-trodden trail, the pine trees around them stretched up towards the sky and swayed in the morning breeze, a dance of joyous celebration after the overnight rains.

The large, shaggy grey wolf traversing the trail behind them watched their antics and tried unsuccessfully to smother a chuckle.

"Feel free to chip in at anytime," Blake mind-linked Marcus, slowing his gait as he waited for his Beta to catch up.

"Leave me out of this," his second-in-command snorted in return, shooting him a half-sympathetic, half-amused look as he passed. Under the clusters of ancient pines, the ground had staved off much of the autumn rains, and the needles crunched under the Beta's giant paws as he wandered off the trail, avoiding the soggy piles of fallen leaves.

"Marcus knows which side his bread is buttered on," His sister's voice floated back to him from amidst the trees. "Father made it very clear you need to choose your mate before the winter solstice, and like it or not, you're running out of time."

Blake sighed again, and followed her further up the winding trail.

"You can't wait for love to find you," she admonished with all the naivety of youth. "You have to seek it out, make the effort, put yourself out there."

"I tried that," he reminded her, a chill creeping into his voice. "Remember?"

A brief moment of young and idealism when he had allowed himself to follow his wolf, letting his heart rule his head. It had come at great personal cost, not just to his family, but to his pack as well. He didn't have the strength to go through all that again.

We could just keep running? his wolf suggested hopefully.

They'd find us, he replied.

Not if we run fast enough.

Blake was startled back to the present when his sister sat down so abruptly on the trail in front of him that he almost tripped over her.

She ignored his irritated look and started inspecting her tail. "You've just got to get it over with - like ripping off a band aid! You need a Luna and she's... suitable."

He lowered himself gingerly onto the path beside her, trying to ignore the wet leaves and pine needles that plastered themselves to his fur. "Who are you trying to convince here? Me or yourself?" he protested mildly. "Sky, admit it. She's the most obnoxious woman I've ever laid eyes on. Ever. She laughs like a dying hyena --"

Marcus snorted again in the background, then quickly busied himself sniffing out a rabbit in the bushes when Blake cast an irritated look in his direction.

"She has an overly inflated opinion of her own beauty and how far it will get her -- "

He paused again as the startled rabbit shot out of the bushes and across the path in front of them and watched Marcus take a half-hearted snap in its direction before letting it go, too lazy to chase after a meal they didn't need.

Blake turned back to his sister. "And a complete lack of anything resembling common sense!" he continued. "It's all very well saying 'she's suitable'... but you're not the one that's going to have to live with her."

Sky rolled her eyes.

Insolent pup, his wolf muttered.

"I'm just saying --" she began to gnaw at a tangle in her tail "-- that you've chased away --" her teeth tugged at the knotted fur "-- every other potential mate within a --" she began grinding her teeth together "-- Hundred mile radius." She sighed and spat the fur out. "You're too picky."

"Didn't our mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" he asked her sourly. "I want a mate, not a 'candidate' as you so delicately put it."

My mate, his wolf whispered inside his head.

He shook his head firmly, droplets of morning dew scattering in a shower of rainbows from his fur. "I won't set aside a true-mate bond for someone I can barely tolerate, never mind learn to love. Besides, I'm not the only one who needs to be satisfied with the arrangement."

In the three weeks since his father's visit, Rothan had so far successfully scared away any female who came even close to sparking Blake's interest, and several that he actually had desired, at least physically.

In fact, Blake was forced to concede that Rothan's reluctant cooperation was only possible at all because he recognised the vast responsibility they faced as Alpha. But any future mate was going to have to measure up to both their expectations if this was going to work, and he was beginning to doubt that was possible.

His sister stood up, shook off the damp leaves that had gathered on the rear of her coat, and eyed him critically. "Mother taught me that father isn't used to hearing the word no. Even less so now that she's not around to manipulate him, so -- " she sniffed the air a moment as a new scent trickled out of the undergrowth, then shrugged, dismissing it as a curiosity for later " --You'd better suck it up, tell that wolf of yours to behave and pick someone already --"

Rothan snarled, the sound rippling across Blake's chest from deep within.

"-- because, if you don't have a suitable Luna ready to present to him at the solstice, you'd better believe that he'll have one ready and waiting for you." She ceased her lecture to glare at him in exasperation. "Blake, are you listening to me?"

Blake was not. He'd stiffened, his whole body on full alert as he stared intently into the rain soaked forest ahead. He had caught the new scent a fraction of a second before his sister and it was out-of-place in his territory.

Marcus let out a low growl of warning and moved up beside his Alpha, unconsciously placing himself in front of the smaller female wolf, his ears pricked forward, listening for the tell-tale sound of movement. "Alpha?"

"I smell it."

Marcus sniffed the air again and glanced at Blake. "Is that... human?" he asked, confusion in his voice.

"I'm not sure."

It smelt vaguely human, a scent fainter than that of a wolf and masked by the many, many artificial smells they covered their bodies with. But, at the same time, it wasn't entirely human. There was an absence of scents that should have been there, mixed into the cloying human aroma like something important was missing.

He thought he caught the faint smell of apples but it faded as soon as it arrived and settled into a murky soup of something unrecognisable. It smelt wrong.

Whatever it was it was putting him on edge and his wolf growled in response. I don't like it.

You're not alone, Blake agreed.

"Could it be a hunter masking his scent?" Marcus suggested.

"Maybe." His ears flicked forward, homing in on the sound of movement.

If it was a hunter, it was a remarkably unskilled one. He could hear them now, crashing through the undergrowth, snapping twigs, and crunching leaves underfoot in their wake. Given the amount of noise they were making and the strength of the scent that carried clearly through the trees, he was surprised that the southern patrols hadn't picked up on their presence earlier and intercepted already.

Rothan growled an agreement. The intruder must have passed straight across the southern border to get this deep into the territory. Rothan's low rumble carried with it the suggested that they remember to have very firm words with their warriors later.

The sounds grew steadily more pronounced as whatever it was meandered towards them.

Sky hunched down, her wolf letting out a whine of nervousness, all the carefree gaiety of a few seconds ago gone as she picked up on her brother's tense demeanour.

Even as he concentrated on the potential threat before them, Blake felt her wolf reach out to his for reassurance. Rothan's response was gentle, but firm. While danger threatened his pack, he was an Alpha, not just her big brother, and Sky needed to be ready to obey his command to run.