understanding,â he growled silkily. âTonight youâll be on watch from dusk till sunup; I donât care how tired you are. You will protect this Pack throughout the no-sun hours. Perhaps that will teach you Pack discipline.â
Sweet watched the half wolf as he stalked away toward his den. A sense of injustice roiled in her belly, but there was something else, too.
She knew Alpha expected her to be grateful for his mercy, but she wasnât. All she felt was resentment, and a deep, gnawing suspicion.
The half wolf was up to something; she knew it.
In the darkness of the wild wood, later that night, Sweet lay with her head on her paws and gazed up at the Moon-Dog. Her hugeeye was full and bright in the sky again, reminding Sweet that sheâd been with this Pack now for a full Moon-Dog journey.
And now, for the first Great Howl since sheâd joined them, she was exiled to the campâs edges, her punishment for letting those coyotes sneak in. Through the trees she could hear the first voices rise, then others as they joined in harmony. The Howl swelled and rose, making the night air quiver, and raising Sweetâs fur at the roots.
It felt strange. Despite her isolation out here, she didnât feel lonely, as she had when as an outsider sheâd first heard their distant howling. Even though she wasnât with them right now, she felt the connection in her bones and her blood: a living, thrilling link to her Pack, and this forest, and the wounded earth they walked on.
The wounded earth that never howled, that clenched its fangs against the pain it must feel at being torn apart . . .
Sitting up, Sweet tilted her head back. Unable to repress it, she let the howl grow in her belly and her throat, swelling until the cry of emotion escaped her. Even if she wasnât among them, she could howl with her Pack, she could join her voice and her whole being to theirs.
The sensation of belonging filled Sweet as if it was a secondstream of blood in her veins. With that knowledge came a deep feeling of peace. Beta couldnât touch that, not deep down; and even Alpha couldnât affect it with his tricks and manipulations. Her connection was with the Pack and its spirit, and only she could break it.
And Iâd never want to . After all the times sheâd run awayâfrom the Trap House, from Lucky, from her first swift-dog Packâshe found suddenly that the urge to run was gone.
This was where she belongedâthis land, this forest, this Pack.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The high of the Great Howl couldnât last forever, and Sweet was exhausted and aching from her long watch by the time the sky began to pale where the Sun-Dog would rise. Her leg muscles ached from the fast sprint to find Fiery, and her mind felt stunned by the Howl itself, but its message had lodged firmly inside her heart and guts. She wouldnât let her Pack down now. Sheâd defend their home against anything.
If she truly had abandoned her post, she mused, sheâd have earned this punishment, and worse. She still wondered if perhaps Alpha knew more about that than he was letting on. Did he in fact know why no dog was there to stop the coyotes? Did he know what had really happened? And if so, why had he gone through with this?
She didnât trust the half wolf, Sweet admitted inwardly. But Iâm not at all sure why. . . .
A branch cracked behind her, and she leaped to her feet, hackles high; but instantly she recognized the two dogs. Fiery was unmistakable, with his square head and his massive body, and Moonâs white-and-black coat gleamed in the early dawn. The new mother dog leaned weakly against her mateâs flank, but as they drew closer to Sweet she left Fieryâs side to lick Sweetâs ear and nuzzle her neck.
âThank you for what you did, Sweet,â murmured Moon. âIâm so sorry it got you into trouble. But Fiery came to me in time to see the last of his
Sweet watched the half wolf as he stalked away toward his den. A sense of injustice roiled in her belly, but there was something else, too.
She knew Alpha expected her to be grateful for his mercy, but she wasnât. All she felt was resentment, and a deep, gnawing suspicion.
The half wolf was up to something; she knew it.
In the darkness of the wild wood, later that night, Sweet lay with her head on her paws and gazed up at the Moon-Dog. Her hugeeye was full and bright in the sky again, reminding Sweet that sheâd been with this Pack now for a full Moon-Dog journey.
And now, for the first Great Howl since sheâd joined them, she was exiled to the campâs edges, her punishment for letting those coyotes sneak in. Through the trees she could hear the first voices rise, then others as they joined in harmony. The Howl swelled and rose, making the night air quiver, and raising Sweetâs fur at the roots.
It felt strange. Despite her isolation out here, she didnât feel lonely, as she had when as an outsider sheâd first heard their distant howling. Even though she wasnât with them right now, she felt the connection in her bones and her blood: a living, thrilling link to her Pack, and this forest, and the wounded earth they walked on.
The wounded earth that never howled, that clenched its fangs against the pain it must feel at being torn apart . . .
Sitting up, Sweet tilted her head back. Unable to repress it, she let the howl grow in her belly and her throat, swelling until the cry of emotion escaped her. Even if she wasnât among them, she could howl with her Pack, she could join her voice and her whole being to theirs.
The sensation of belonging filled Sweet as if it was a secondstream of blood in her veins. With that knowledge came a deep feeling of peace. Beta couldnât touch that, not deep down; and even Alpha couldnât affect it with his tricks and manipulations. Her connection was with the Pack and its spirit, and only she could break it.
And Iâd never want to . After all the times sheâd run awayâfrom the Trap House, from Lucky, from her first swift-dog Packâshe found suddenly that the urge to run was gone.
This was where she belongedâthis land, this forest, this Pack.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The high of the Great Howl couldnât last forever, and Sweet was exhausted and aching from her long watch by the time the sky began to pale where the Sun-Dog would rise. Her leg muscles ached from the fast sprint to find Fiery, and her mind felt stunned by the Howl itself, but its message had lodged firmly inside her heart and guts. She wouldnât let her Pack down now. Sheâd defend their home against anything.
If she truly had abandoned her post, she mused, sheâd have earned this punishment, and worse. She still wondered if perhaps Alpha knew more about that than he was letting on. Did he in fact know why no dog was there to stop the coyotes? Did he know what had really happened? And if so, why had he gone through with this?
She didnât trust the half wolf, Sweet admitted inwardly. But Iâm not at all sure why. . . .
A branch cracked behind her, and she leaped to her feet, hackles high; but instantly she recognized the two dogs. Fiery was unmistakable, with his square head and his massive body, and Moonâs white-and-black coat gleamed in the early dawn. The new mother dog leaned weakly against her mateâs flank, but as they drew closer to Sweet she left Fieryâs side to lick Sweetâs ear and nuzzle her neck.
âThank you for what you did, Sweet,â murmured Moon. âIâm so sorry it got you into trouble. But Fiery came to me in time to see the last of his
Similar Books
