Page 37 of Mating Season
Aspen’s wolf didn’t heed his warning and continued trotting forward.
The dominant within him was shaken by the challenge and he scuffled in front of her, issuing a warning growl she wouldn’t be able to ignore.
I didn’t know a wolf could roll her eyes.
Is she mocking me?He cocked his head to the side, intrigued when she wouldn’t submit to his power.
Aspen’s wolf looked over her shoulder, motioning with her gaze as if telling him to catch up.
I also didn’t know a wolf could be a brat.
But this female continued to surprise me.
Let me talk to her,I urged him, knowing we didn’t have time to play around.
If you think she’ll listen,he grumbled but didn’t hesitate to give me our skin.
“Come here, beautiful.” I squatted at her eye level and made myself as relaxed as possible. She gave me an exasperated huff, watching for a moment before swishing her tail high in the air and prancing over on light paws.
I ran my fingers through her soft fur. “You’re the prettiest wolf I’ve ever seen.” That earned me a lick and nuzzle which I enjoyed despite my wolf scowling. “Can you do me a favor and stay here for me?”
She jerked her snout out of my hands, giving a warning growl.
“I know,” I cooed. “But I need someone to watch John and the women until I get back.”
My sister and the massive wolf beside her huffed their annoyance. Humor danced in Aspen’s honey eyes. She yipped her approval, sitting her back end on the dirt as her fluffy tail swept the ground.
“Thank you.” I kissed the top of her head and walked a few feet away before giving myself back to the beast. His massive paws hit the ground running and Beau stayed close to our side as we headed down to where the chaos waited.
*
I’d led mating season once a year for the past six years, and even when I was going through my first season of breeding age at eighteen and entering my own rut, I’d never tasted this much aggression and fear in the air. My wolf bared his teeth as we came into the clearing of woods that edged up to a sandy beach.
The earth was trodden and muddled with too many scents–both male and female–to make this a safe area for the two nests sitting on either side of the pond. If Chad had any sense, he’d have dragged this gathering to more neutral ground away from his cousins’ nests. But I hadn’t come to this show expecting much from him in the brains department.
The smell of cumin and pepper teased my wolf’s nostrils as we grew closer. Dozens of open cans of chili laid on the ground all bearing the same logo of what I assumed must’ve been a sponsor to theshow. Production placement at its finest, littering the earth by our feet.
In the woods surrounding the beach, clusters of shifters gathered in little groups. A fight broke out between two males as we passed. One of the Alphas hit the dirt by my paws, scurrying backwards when he saw who it was.
“Apologies, Ranger.”
My wolf growled as he glanced over to the Alpha who tossed the other Alpha on the ground. He held his hands up, showing he was calm. A naked female sprinted from behind him clutching the shirt of the standing Alpha while wearing the scent markings of the one crawling to his feet. Her desire lingered like a trail behind her, making both Alphas scramble after.
Moaning came from behind the log laying on the sandy shore. My wolf continued past, ignoring the female lost to the male’s head between her thighs. The shadows of the woods obscured more couples, but that wasn’t what made my wolf’s fur bristle.
We continued toward the pyre of burning wood stacked garishly high near the inlet where the sand softened and backed to one of the Tulia female’s nests. Chad sat on a throne made of logs surrounded by his little friend group. I counted extra heads in the dark hovering close by which would’ve been his and Brett’s security detail. They hadn’t moved since I set paw on the beach so I assumed they knew I was coming or they had orders not to attack on camera.
Drones flew overhead and I wondered if this would be the opportunity Ivan was hoping for. I didn’t want to have another conversation with the heir to the Tulia fortune, but I didn’t think I had a choice with the way things looked down here. If I was a betting wolf, I’d say he was bribing the other shifters on the beach to stay close to him. When the rut broke in full, he’d have prime location to lead the males assuming he could stay in control of his own urges.
I didn’t have much faith in that.
On the far side of the beach away from the fire was another cluster of gathered shifters. These ones weren’t here to play. Hungry bellies rumbled from both the males and females.
It seemed there was a dividing line drawn literally in the sand.
That pissed me off.
“Run to the woods on the backside and feed whoever hasn’t eaten yet,”I told Beau.