It wasn't long until we came across my first marking in a tree. I had made them so the N was in the direction that I came from. In this case, it was telling me to go right. At least in my weak state, I had used some of my brains.

That way. I nudged my head, stepping away from the tree.

Sean nodded and lead us in the direction I gestured. We soon came to another marking they showed we were to go north.

As the pack slowed Phoenix suddenly declared it safe for us to hunt so we stopped. I was too nervous to eat much but I knew I had to keep my energy.

We were all given orders to not stray too far and so with a flick of the tail, wolves began to go for a hunt. I decided to hang back and wait for the food to return. Phoenix gave me a lick on the snout before he ran off into the trees.

A small whine left my mouth as the area around us fell silent. I huffed and sat down, glancing around the small clearing we had gathered in for dinner.

The four men in my life had all gone on the hunt so I was left to my own devices. I laid down and lazily watched the wolves around me relax or shift back to stretch their human limbs.

One wolf glanced at me and hesitantly approached. I sniffed curiously when she stood in front of me, her head bowing in respect. She had deep brown eyes and a caramel-coloured coat. A new wolf I had not met before.

'Hey.' Her voice floated through the link when I allowed her through. 'I'm Imani, Doctor Farrah told me you'd probably forget to speak to me.'

I raised my head in realisation. Oh yeah. You're medically trained, right?

She nodded her head. 'I am, I volunteer at the hospital every weekend.'

I let out a breathy bark. Kate took some of my blood, and I was hoping that you would help me if I needed to use it.

She barked. 'Show me.'

She shifted back to her human form and I winced at the cracking and popping of her joints. She stood naked in front of me, her dark skin glistening with sweat.

I averted my gaze before glancing around the pack. There were only ten or so wolves, and nudity was common. I would be fine...

I inhaled before taking the courage of my wolf shifting back to myself. Imani grinned at me as I shakily began to take off my backpack and chose to kneel on the floor. She joined me, her hands rifling through the supplies I had.

"I can help." She bummed, holding up a needle. "I'll prepare these now, so it can be an easy transfer."

I nodded. "Thank you, Imani."

She smiled and I sat on my knees and watched her work. She made light work of it but I concentrated on what she was doing to distract my anxious paranoid thoughts. Soon being nude felt natural and I found myself forgetting I was showing skin and embracing the nature of being a shifter.

She lifted a vial to her face, pushing her long braids from her eyes "What's this for?"

I licked my lips and shrugged. "Kate said it may work orally, so wanted me to experiment."

She chuckled and placed the vials back in my pack in a plastic ziplock bag. "Sounds like Kate."

We laughed and I helped her to organise my bag and hers so the blood was on the top and surrounded by the warm packs so it didn't get too cold. However, with today's weather, it wouldn't be so difficult to maintain.

The cracking of sticks and running paws caught my attention and we both raised our heads to see the first of many wolves begin to enter the clearing. They yipped happily as they carried rabbits in their jaws, their teeth and nose stained with blood.

They began to feast, sharing their kills with other wolves. Imani chuckled and helped me to finish tidying up.

The hairs on my arms began to raise and I hesitantly turned my attention to see Phoenix stride through the trees. His dark eyes searched for me and widened slightly as he caught my gaze. I was too transfixed by him and his kill to think anything of my appearance, or lack of clothes.

He was dragging what looked like a goat, or possible sheep. It was large and round, its legs were broken and blood seeping through its dirty white hair. He had torn its neck out and chose to carry it by its hind leg.

His wolf approached me, chest puffed and head held high as he placed his kill at my feet. When he raised his head, he licked his jaws and let a low grumble leave his lips.

My eyes averted to the dead animal at my feet, noticing its size and how no one else got an animal of this proportion.

'Eat.'

It was a simple demand that had my stomach grumbling and Cel surfacing. I licked my lips, his large wolf watching me intently. I nodded and pulled my bag back onto my torso. With a deep breath, I called my wolf forwards and shifted to her skin.

She barked happily, and I let her delve into the meal our mate had brought us. She had done so much today, I could feel her hunger. Her teeth tore into its skin as she savoured the taste. Phoenix let out a grumble before joining me in indulging in his kill.

Once she was full and finished, she began to clean her nose and paws. When Ares finished she raised her head to lick at his snout. He allowed her to groom his snout, cleaning the remains of his meal. She was showing her appreciation, not that Phoenix minded the attention.

Once satisfied, she pulled back a little and allowed me to have some control. I sat on my haunches and glanced around to see most wolves had finished with their meal and were happily playing with each other.

Thank you. I mumbled.

His head nudged against me, pressing himself into my fur. He let out a low grumble as he ran his tongue along my neck and head, grooming me in return. I found myself mentally blushing at the intense warmth it was giving me. His wolf was caring for me and it made me feel content and secure for a moment.

We lay beside each other as the pack continued their break, long enough to settle the food in everyone's stomachs. When enough time had passed Phoenix rose to his feet and stretched. Other wolves got the hint and began to fall back into formation.

With a small sigh, I rose to my feet and stretched my back and legs. I wandered my way to my usual spot beside my brother and Phoenix came to join after. Pollux barked and nudged me when I came to stand beside him and Cel growled before shoving him with her paw. He stumbled but let out a wolf-like laugh and caught his footing.

And so we followed my markings, the trees growing sparse the further north towards the mountains we travelled. We passed by many clearings, scaring off the wildlife as we ran.

Hours flew by as we ran, our wolves becoming more focused as my markings and the trees grew more sparse. I could feel my nerves begin to grow on me again. The tension grew as we got further north, the usual grunts of communication falling quiet.

A sudden monument caught my gaze and I turned my attention to see a large wooden statue. It was a dark wood wolf, its nose pointing ahead of us, its front paw bent and tail straight behind it. It must've been the wolf that one of the girls had seen when she was taken.

My fur bristled, we were on the right track I was sure of it. So with determination, I kept my pace with the pack as we headed toward the last of our journey.

We're close.

Phoenix grumbled from beside me but took my words to heart and the formation grew closer.

Nearly there

•••

Hi! Early update for you all! I was eagerly waiting for tomorrow but I couldn't! I want you guys to get to the good stuff!!!

So enjoy!

What do we think is gonna happen????

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