The All-Pack host rocked back on his heels, and for a moment, I thought I'd gone too far. Would the stronger alpha set me down and remind me that I had nothing to bargain with? Or would he find my spunk amusing, the same way I'd been heartened by Wade's refusal to obey my brother's commands when the latter was tethered to a tree via three chains and a metal collar?
As I waited to see which way Chief Wilder's mood would tip, I found myself holding my breath, and I forced myself to breathe normally once again. No matter what the older alpha ended up deciding, I'd find a way to get my clan out of here safely. My pack mates and I could relocate across the country if necessary. We would make things work.
But perhaps we wouldn't need to go to all that trouble. "Deal," the older alpha said at last. Then, with a motion so swift I barely saw his hand move before I felt the pain, Chief Wilder ripped through the scab on my wrist and sucked down my blood before pinching his own skin with human teeth and offering his blood in exchange. "Now swear," he ground out.
I didn't hesitate. What was the point when I knew I couldn't go back on my word, oath or no oath? Crazy Wilder was simply too powerful to cross.
"I, Wolf Young, swear to obey you, Chief Wilder, once for a favor of your choosing," I said, feeling the words seep into my wolf nature and solidify there like coagulating blood. Then I stood with feet rooted to the earth and watched as the devil walked away, a smug smile spread across his lined face.
And even though I'd sworn an oath I knew I'd live to regret, the anguish eased from my heart little by little as the older shifter passed out of view. Someday, Chief Wilder and I would have to finish this dance we'd begun, but for now I had more important matters to attend to.
It was time to track down the rest of my clan and make sure Fen didn't have our newest pack mate in a head lock. It was time to build bonds with other tribes to ensure my found family would be safe within the territory we'd soon be returning to.
In short, it was high time to start acting like an alpha. And not as a figurehead this time around, but as a real, live leader who would put the needs of his pack first rather than taking crazy chances for the sake of his own ego.
I guess those dreams of shark-wrangling will have to wait, I thought as I headed back into the crowd. But I felt a smirk rising up onto my face despite this surrender of my youthful flights of fancy.
After all, what could be more difficult than carving out a territory for my little band of downtrodden shifters between the properties already claimed by other bloodthirsty werewolves? Good thing my wolf and I thrived on a challenge.
From the author
I hope you enjoyed In Deep Shift! If so, I'd be eternally grateful if you'd consider writing a review (even of just a sentence or two) on Amazon or Goodreads. Your kind words help strangers decide to take a chance on a new author, and they urge me to keep on writing.
While you're on Amazon, you might enjoy checking out the rest of the Bloodling Serial. You've probably already read the first episode (Bloodling Wolf), since this story won't make as much sense without it. However, if you missed that short story, you can download a free copy by joining my email list at http://forms.aweber.com/form/35/528967935.htm, where I inform you about new releases and periods when my books are free or on sale. Meanwhile, Wolfie's growth into the alpha he was meant to be continues in Two Scents' Worth, Feint of Heart, and Hair Apparent.
Next, Shiftless, Pack Princess, and Alpha Ascendant are novels told from the point of view of Wolfie's mate. The FREE anthology Beyond Secret Worlds contains a short story that begins Fen's further adventures. Then, in another shifter world, Jaguar at the Portal combines were-jaguars, romance, and Mexican mythology.
Thank you so much for reading and for spreading the word! You are why I write.
In Deep Shift: A Wolf Rampant spinoff serial (Bloodling Serial Book 2) Page 5