Chapter 58

Krey pulled his head back and looked at Pip's blue eyes, grey in the moonlight. He nodded his head, trying his hardest to ignore Mark who stood with Victoria. In his wolf form, Krey could bite down on Mark's leg or arm, or somewhere to cause immense pain.

Punching Mark in the chest was Krey being kind. If Victoria wasn't family, or someone Krey actually liked, Mark would be dead.

Krey concentrated on Pip's fingers running through his fur. he had waited for this moment for weeks. Is he really not scared? Krey was terrifying, and his transformation into his wolf wasn't for the faint hearted. Pip had now watched him shift both ways and didn't bolt into the darkness, screaming until his lungs hurt. He's being brave for me.

Krey softly licked Pip's cheek and his mate chuckled. Could they really connect the bond during one of the most chaotic nights Krey had lived through in months? Pip still shivered, and he was exhausted, but not afraid, and that's all that mattered.

Krey shuffled closer in the snow. Pip was so close, hugging for one minute wouldn't be a problem. Being deep in the woods gave him the impression that they had all the time in the world. Nothing moved around them. The woods felt like a different time, a better time, a calmer time.

Krey acted first and rested his chin on Pip's shoulder, willing for them to hug. Pip was slow to sink into him, but once his arms were around Krey's thick neck, Pip hugged him tightly and buried his face into Krey's fur.

Krey tried to count the seconds in his head. When he reached thirty seconds, his mind drifted to how content his wolf felt for the first time in a long time. Usually when Krey was in his wolf form, he was angry, or on a hunt, or packed with adrenaline and wanting to fight and run and feel the wind tearing through him.

Now, all Krey wanted was to flop into Pip's lap and feel his fingers running through the fur around his ears.

Krey closed his eyes, forgetting about Victoria and Mark, about the fight at Shadow Packhouse, and about how far they were from Crescent Packhouse. He forgot about the cold snow underneath him, and only dedicated his focus to his mate, Pippor Monty, the cute human with sparkling blue eyes, deep dimples, a freckly nose, and brown wavy hair that liked to stick up in the mornings.

Krey's mind plummeted to Crescent Library. He thought about that first glance, and how he approached Pip to help him put his book back on the shelf. Krey thought about that first suffocating hug outside Pip's aunt and uncle's house, and their first kiss on crescent hill, among the stars and the snow and the slit of the moon.

Krey thought about their first morning together and how small Pip looked curled up in the middle of his bed. He thought about the first time he woke up next to his mate, and how utterly at peace he was with Pippor Monty in his arms.

Krey lost himself in thought and felt as though he drifted with a warm breeze, up and up until he floated with the stars.

Suddenly, Krey felt whole, complete, fixed.

By the time is mind crashed to earth, he knew the bond had connected, and Pip successfully hugged him for longer than a minute. The first thing Krey felt was his mate's body against him, and his fingers gently caressing the fur on his back.

Pip had thought about Krey the same way, but from his perspective. The good times they shared together would only get better. The memories they shared would grow in quantity, and the love they had for each other would never perish, even if one of them died before the other.

Krey lifted his head from Pip's shoulder. Their eyes connected. Something twirled in Pip's gaze, something Krey hadn't yet seen. Love? Admiration? Krey felt different too. He felt stronger with Pip so close, like he could tackle the world as long as his mate was by his side.

"Was that the bond?" Pip whispered. "I feel- well, I don't feel sick anymore." Pip hadn't realised how sick he was before he hugged Krey's wolf. His head pounded for so long, he learnt to cancel out the pain. His throat was sore, his chest was tight, his muscles ached. Now Pip was a little less tired and had the strength to go on. Or maybe the strength was from the bond.

Krey nodded his head, staring at Pip's face with fascination. Some part of him wished they connected in the safety of his room, so they had the time to explore what changed. Right now, Krey was hyper-aware that they were still in the middle of the woods because they were escaping an attack from southern wolves.

Krey stood on all fours and quickly licked Pip's lips, who wasn't fond of the action and scrunched up his face. Krey might have smiled if he were in his human form.

Pip flushed pink when he noticed Mark and Victoria's wolf watching them. He stopped crouching in the snow and wrapped arms around himself.

"Are we riding the wolves then?" Mark asked, staring anxiously at Krey who stood next to Pip, fighting the urge to growl at him.

Pip looked down to Krey who nudged his leg with his nose. Now that the bond was connected, Pip's fear of Krey's wolf dispersed, understanding that Krey would never hurt him, or even think about hurting him. With Krey by his side, wolf or human, Pip was safe.

Victoria's wolf still made Pip anxious. He didn't know her like Krey, but Pip was known for trusting everyone around him a little too quickly. "I-I guess so," Pip said, wondering how he was supposed to ride on a wolf's back without falling off. He watched Mark who saddled Victoria's wolf like a horse. Instead of simply gripping her fur, he leaned down and wrapped arms around her neck and rested the side of his face against her black fur.

Krey nudged Pip again and stood still for Pip to do the same.

Pip was shorter than Mark and struggled to jump and get his leg over. Krey was bigger than Victoria which didn't help. Pip slipped in the snow and Krey had to crouch and skim his belly on the snow for him to finally have his legs on either side of his ribs. Krey rose slowly, but Pip being Pip, toppled from his back and fell in the snow once again.

Krey puffed out some air and lowered his back again. He made the mistake of looking at Mark, who was smirking at Pip's failed attempts.

Krey growled lowly and Pip froze, until he followed Krey's gaze to Mark. Pip's lips twitched with annoyance when he saw Mark's face. Pip tried again. This time, when Krey rose, Pip leaned over his back and linked fingers around his neck and pushed his heels into Krey's sides. Pip smiled proudly into Krey's fur when he managed to stay balanced.

Krey waited for Pip to position himself better before setting off. Pip was light on his back. Krey was convinced he had carried heavier backpacks.

At first, Krey padded lightly through the snow, not moving too fast. He wanted Pip to get used to the motion.

When he started sprinting, Pip gripped his neck tighter. Krey didn't mind and kept a steady pace until he thought Pip was ready for him to run.

Krey galloped, and Pip didn't fall. Krey soon felt excitement oozing from either him or his mate, or both. Krey, with his tongue in the wind, ploughed through the snow with Pip on his back. Trees whizzed them by as they covered a large distance in a small amount of time. Mile after mile, Krey didn't slow down. His heart set on Crescent Packhouse, where he could make orders for the rest of his pack to come home if the fighting was over.

Pip closed his eyes when the bitter wind made them sting. He had never felt so exhilarated. His heart thumped as fast as Krey ran. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Pip wanted to laugh until Krey jumped over a fallen trunk and Pip almost lost his balance. His heart was now in his throat, and Pip remembered the danger.

This is madness, he thought. I'm riding on a wolf through the woods. Pip buried his head further into Krey's neck and soon enough, he wanted to smile again. But he's my wolf.

The institute soon loomed in the distance. Krey ran harder, desperate to be back. He wished he never left. Victoria followed him down the hill towards the gate with Mark on her back. Krey wasn't happy that Mark was with them, but for Victoria's sake he might not chomp down on his legs just yet.

Before they could reach the gate, Krey skidded to a halt and sniffed the air. He could smell fear. Victoria could smell it too. The fear wasn't Pip's or Mark's, the scent was too strong to only be a few people.

Krey carefully approached the edge of the trees and peered down the beaten path.

The gate to the institute was open.

Unlike Shadow Packhouse, Krey's gate was solid and one you couldn't see through or climb over. Yet it sat open and unguarded, free for anyone to enter. Something's wrong.

Pip sat up and frowned. He didn't need to be told that danger lay ahead. The institute was usually heavily guarded, apart from the night he trespassed.

Instead of charging forwards and protecting what little pack remained inside, Krey backed away, returning to the trees. With Pip on his back, Krey would be a fool to risk Pip's life the way he had once so carelessly risked others.

An explanation for the attack at Shadow Packhouse formed in Krey's head. He had thought the attack was careless and pointless, and messy. Krey now realised where the southern Alpha had been.

Crescent Pack was left unprotected when most of his pack rushed to Krey's rescue. The attack at Shadow Packhouse had been a distraction for the bigger trophy.

Krey's institute was the bigger trophy, and now that his home was infested with southern wolves, they would smell Pip's belongings among his own. Krey knew that a simple land stealing wasn't enough. Southern wolves loved to fight. They loved chaos and misery and pain and blood.

If southern wolves had been reckless enough to come for Krey and his pack, they would not rest until they got Pippor.

Krey bolted back up the hill with Victoria on his heels. He felt sick to his stomach, knowing fine well that the fighting would only be over when either him, or the southern Alpha was dead.

As Krey ran back into the darkness of the woods, away from his home, a flame burnt dully in the back of his throat.

Mate massacres had begun.