Page 2 of Escaping Wildfire
I startled awake, drenched in sweat. For a moment, I was that little girl again, staring at Alpha Marek as he killed my brother, but then my mate, Tomás, brought me back to reality.
“Another nightmare?”
“Yes, I hadn’t had one in so long that I thought they were over.” Elena shook her head in disbelief.
Tomás brushed his hair back and blew out a deep breath. “I know Luna Christina told you the news that the Wildfire Pack is nearing Cobalt Falls. You’re worried.” Tomás grabbed my hand, as I tried to calm my breathing.
He was right, but I was always worried. The Blue Oak Pack had gone on to attack several more packs after they destroyed my home. As Tia Lorena said, they tore through everything like a wildfire, so they were eventually nicknamed the Wildfire Pack. Alpha Marek found the nickname so amusing that he formally changed the pack’s name to Wildfire.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you and the kids.” I sobbed quietly. “What if we left before they came? You, me, the kids, Tía Lorena…what if we went somewhere safe? I just…I can’t lose anyone else to them.”
“Elena.” Tomás softly sighed and hugged me tightly. “I know you’re terrified, but we have sworn our lives to this pack as it’s Betas. You are the bravest and strongest woman I know, and I promise you, I will not let any harm come to you or our children. I will do anything I have to do to protect you.”
1 Cobalt Falls
GEMA
I set my blanket down on the soft grass and lay down. I loved coming to the falls after dark. The crashing sounds of the waterfall always brought me peace, and I needed just a moment of quiet today. Our pack, Cobalt Falls, was named after the waterfall on our territory. It was my favorite place in the world. All my best memories were made here.
My brother, Cristian, and his two best friends are leaving for training in the morning. He’ll soon take over the Beta position from our father, and Noah and Jordan will be our next Gamma and Alpha. I’m close to all three of them as we all grew up together, so I’m not quite sure how to feel about them leaving.
I’m sad and happy and excited and nervous all at once. It’s only for six weeks, but it feels like they’ll be gone forever. If I’m honest with myself, I’m mostly scared that Noah will find his mate. I’ve loved him since I can remember, and I’ve prayed just as long for us to be mates. I turn 18, the week the guys return, and I’ll finally be able to find out if Noah and I are fated mates.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
I quickly sat up, startled by the voice. “Noah, you scared the crap out of me! How did you get here without making any noise?”
He smiled and sat down next to me, putting his arms over his knees. “I’ve been honing my tracker skills, glad to see I’m getting better.” He laughs.
I playfully shoved him. “Are you all packed and ready for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, all packed…not sure if I’m quite ready though.” He shrugged.
“Really? I think you’ll do great. Are you nervous?”
He sighed loudly and stayed quiet for a while before saying anything. “Not about the training…more about taking over…Dad’s already starting to talk about retiring and passing on the torch…it just feels like a lot.” He ran his hand through his brown hair. “What if I’m not ready?”
I leaned on his arm and looked up at him, “Noah, you could never not be ready. You’ve been training for this your whole life. You’re already one of our top warriors, and I’ve watched you lead training with the younger pups, you’re so good with them. You’ll only get better from here.”
He gave me a soft smile, and the moonlight reflected off his green eyes. I’ve always loved his eyes, so it was hard not to stare.
“You really think so?”
“Of course, you know I’d be the first to call you out if you weren’t ready.”
He chuckled, “Yeah, you’ve always had a knack for calling me out when needed.”
Before I could say anything else, Noah suddenly stood up and pulled his shirt off. My eyes widened as I tried not to stare, “What are you doing?”
“Come on a run with me.” He held out his hand for me to take. “Cosmo’s feeling antsy, and he wants one last run with you before we leave.”
I took his hand and stood before turning around to let him finish getting undressed. I suddenly felt Cosmo’s soft black fur next to me.
“Hi, Cosmo.” His green eyes glowed brightly as I ran my hand along his head. Cosmo nodded for me to hop on his back, and I quickly obliged.
Cosmo took off almost immediately. It felt amazing to have the wind on my face and move so speedily through the trees. My night vision wasn’t very strong as I didn’t have my wolf yet, but it was thrilling to move through the darkness so quickly without really knowing what was around me. I felt free….and with Cosmo with me, I also felt safe.
I was so ready to meet my wolf, to run with her and feel the wind flying through my fur. I hoped she liked Cosmo just as much as I liked him.