Tatum

We barely reached the final ledge before shifting and landing to the forest floor, my paws grinding in the dirt as if they hadn't touched it for a month yet it had only been an hour before.

Dustin shot off into the trees with no warning but the message was clear enough 'Hurry your ass up'.

I stumbled for my first few steps before I took off to a dead sprint meeting him for his pace, dodging trees and logs as well as I could.

''You're blind aren't you?'' Dustin's big furry head turned to mine for a second before turning forward again, the link we were sharing cut short when I bumped into a tree on my left.

I shook my head and kept running, a huff of frustration coming from the wolf behind me, opting to piss me off by running up my left side and ramming me to the floor.

''Don't be an idiot oh great and powerful alpha to be. You're fucking blind and if you don't admit it I'm going to keep doing this until you accept that fact and stop playing indifferent. You're scaring your mate!''

''I've accepted it.'' I got to my feet and continued walking on, leaving Dustin to catch up to me.

Earlier

''You're blind aren't you?'' My father stood only a few steps in front of me as he stared at my face switching his gaze between my right and left eye, his brows creasing whenever his eyes fell upon my damaged one.

I could only nod my head as my jumbled vision between colour and a dark grey almost black fought for dominance. My whole left side of vision had become this monotone world or darkness. My sense of surroundings was almost zero and my senses were on alert at my new weak spot.

''You'll still challenge me.'' His eyes narrowed as he squared his shoulders.

''A blind wolf as Alpha, sir?'' I watched him closely as he moved to my blind spot which now was my whole left side.

''Yes.'' I heard as his foot lifted off of the ground a second before my left knee dropped to the floor, a heavy pain behind my knee from where it had been knocked.

''Accept it or you'll have no use for a mate that came from Alpha lines.'' He left without another word; my eyes growing wide at the thought of my mate begin mated off to someone else if I was to lose my rank.

Now

''If you've accepted it. Get used to it. Race me.'' He didn't wait for my answer as he shot off yet again into the dense forestry.

It reminded me of when we were kids and his stubborn attitude was 'play with me or I'll make your life a living hell of bitching and whining'.

My wolf growled at the challenge and chased after the childish fool. We hadn't done this since we were close; childhood wasn't the end of our games. Dustin insisted on being childish for...well he still was.

''You're getting slow oh powerful one.''

''Not as slow as you.'' I increased my speed, narrowing my eyes to differentiate between grey and colour, shadows and tones.

We ran for several minutes before a strange scent caught my nose. My pace slowed to a walk as did Dustin's when his wolf caught my side.

''This is where it happened.'' His chest rose and fell with breaths as he scanned the upturned leaves. ''I found a couple of rogues here fighting another wolf, looked a lot like our mystery wolf but his smell, it was weird.''

''Blood?'' I trotted over to a patch of leaves clumped by blood.

''It's fresh and doesn't smell putrid like a rogue's would, but it doesn't smell quite wolf. What is it?''

''I don't know.'' My head swiveled around the area.

We followed the trail of blood, our senses working hard to differentiate the stench of rogue from the mysterious wolf. There was plenty of blood in the area from the tussle between them, a body showing up every few meters before the rogue blood thinned to none and we came across a blood-soaked tree stump.

''It must have been seriously wounded. It stopped here for a rest after the fight I'm guessing.'' Our heads turned to the detached rogue head on a meter away from the stump, its body lying by a tree not far from the last body we had come across.

''Anyone would be wounded after taking on so many rogues alone.'' My eyes scanned the area before my hearing picked up a crunch and a shuffle of leaves behind some dense shrubs.

Both mine and Dustin's bodies dropped to a crouch, our senses training in on the noise. From the smell, we could tell it was most likely our mystery wolf but the area was so covered in rogue stench that it could go either way. We still hadn't worked out if the wolf was friend or foe either. They could have easily just been in the wrong place at the right time to help us.

As we got closer and closer, our paws barely making a sound on the autumn floor I shifted back into a human, Dustin's eyes almost popping out of his head looking between the foliage and me.

''We won't hurt you.'' I tried to keep my voice calm and low but a startled jerk of leaves still came from in front of us.

''I'll kill you.'' A growl of a voice choked out between pain-filled breaths.

''The rogues are gone. I just want to talk to you.''

''And I just want to kill you! Fuck off!'' The voice sounded young but like he was in no mood to play around and he'd definitely bite after he finished barking.

My wolf ticked with impatience but I had to take it slow. I couldn't trust in my eye so soon to successfully take on a wolf capable of killing five or so rogues on their own. I had Dustin but I'd never live it down if he had to help me for anything.

''I want to know why you protected my mate. He's a white wolf, his name is-''

''Jaidan.'' The shuffling stopped; my guess was he was dragging himself away.

''How do you know his name?''

''I know everything about him.''

I stepped through the sharp branches and razor leaves to come eye to eye with a small pale body covered in blood and mud, a gaping wound on his right Achilles tendon. His eyes were pitch black and his hair was almost undistinguishable between the dirt, mud and blood, but it looked almost like a silver-grey colour.

''Who are you?''

''None of your business.'' He bit out, cringing when he tried to lift himself up, his ankle pulsing out a fresh puddle of blood.

He couldn't be any older than eighteen, his baby face betraying him but his air about him swirling with maturity.

''Let us fix that.'' Dustin's human form stepped out from behind me as he went to reach for the boy's leg but was met with a scratch to the arm by some serious looking claws growing form the boy's fingers, his mouth opening with canines protruding ready to bite as a hiss had his face scrunching up and surrounding birds screeching out of tress.

''So, that's why you don't smell like a wolf. You don't smell like a cat either though.''

''I thought you were a wolf, not a cat.'' Dustin growled as he cupped his forearm to stop the bleeding.

''Get him away from me before I rip his stomach open and bathe in his innards.'' His chest was rising with anger and pain but he hid it almost perfectly.

''You can go fu-''

''Dustin, back off.'' Dustin almost interrupted but not before I sent him a warning glare, his eyes narrowing down at his bleeding arm. ''I'll keep him away from you if you come with us. We have to get you patched up and answering some questions.''

''Answer mine first.'' Nodding my head for him to continue, he did so. ''Where's Jaidan? I can smell him on you.''

''He's at the den.'' My wolf almost growled with displeasure at this unknown person being so friendly and concerned with our mate.

''I'll come with you then.'' He stood -with trouble- with his right leg hovering off of the ground, brows creasing in pain before he quickly hid it to glare at Dustin.

''I fucking hate cats.'' He growled out, quickly transforming into his wolf and racing off back towards the den.

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