In the Shadow of the Wolf

by In The Shadow of the Wolf (lit)

  Chapter Four

  Ulrich and Torolf stopped working out as soon as Sayuri was out of sight.

  "We need to talk to you Faolan," Ulrich said, working hard to keep the emotions that were running rampant through him at bay.

  Torolf nodded his agreement, crossing his arms in front of him, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

  Ulrich and Torolf wanted to confront Faolan about what they already knew had happened the night before with the woman from the gym.

  Faolan growled low in his throat, brushing past them to the back door of the gym, stepping out into the snow without looking back to see if his pack mates followed.

  They left the lodge together, Faolan taking the lead. Their long legs and fast pace quickly ate up the distance to their quiet meeting place, located far away from all the tourists and the lodge.

  By the time they stopped, Ulrich couldn't hear anything aside from the thrum of his rapid heartbeat pulsing in his ears. The sound had been getting louder and faster with each step he had taken until it almost deafened him. He wanted to shift. He wanted to challenge Faolan to a fight. He wanted to tear into his flesh, to draw blood. He hadn't been this angry in years. And he knew exactly why he was so angry.

  He knew that he was letting his long term frustration with the lack of willingness from the females of their kind to mate with them combine with his irritation at Faolan for breaking the rules and endangering any slim chances they might have had this mating season to acquire a mate. He knew that since it was so close to their time of mating and because of the fact that they had never been mated that their tempers would be on the rise, that their hormones would be hard to keep in check. The part of him that was a man knew that he should be using logic and reason to deal with their situation, but he couldn't. He wasn't thinking logically, and he had a feeling it had everything to do with the woman. There was something inexplicable about her. She had thrown all of them into utter chaos since her arrival the day before. And she had absolutely no idea that she was doing it. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.

  But he didn't want to care about anything anymore. He didn't want to think logically anymore. He had grown weary of trying to maintain logic and reason. He wanted to let his beast take the reins, let it take control. He wanted to fight, especially since Faolan had been the one drilling him and Torolf for so many years on the rules of mating and how their kind could never mate with a human. The fact that Faolan had gone and marked the woman was unbelievable, completely unforgivable. He hadn't breathed a word of his intentions because if he had, he would have talked him out of it. What the hell had he been thinking? Right now he really didn't give a fuck what he'd been thinking. He'd put their chances of getting a mate at risk, and he'd done it without talking to him or Torolf first. He'd been entirely selfish. He'd been thinking only of his own needs and desires. Something he himself had longed to do many times, but he had shown self restraint. He had followed the order given by his pack alpha. But no more, following orders was a thing of the past, at least where mating was concerned. If Faolan was going to mark the woman, he could damn well have a piece of her, too. They were pack mates, they shared everything. He didn't give a damn what Faolan said to the contrary, if he was going to mark the woman, he could too.

  Faolan was pissed off. He honestly couldn't remember marking Sayuri. He'd been so incensed by her. He'd been out of his mind to have her. He really couldn't explain that either, although he knew that Ulrich and Torolf were going to want to hear something, some kind of explanation for what he'd done, something to reason why he'd gone and done the unthinkable. The fact of the matter was, though, he didn't have any real answers for them. He could sit and speculate all day as to why he'd gone and done the worst thing imaginable, gone and marked a human woman, but it was all pointless. And, besides, it was a moot point now. He felt sure that the fact that they had already missed two mating cycles hadn't helped his inner beast maintain any semblance of control. It also hadn't helped that it didn't look likely that his pack would get the chance of a mate this time around either. They had done what they were supposed to do. They had shown the utmost loyalty to their kind, even though they had been shunned by all of them since birth. They had gone by all of the rules their kind had thrown at them with regards to their mating practices. They had fought and won battles, battles to which the winning pack was favored by a woman. But the women had done nothing but slight them despite all of their continued efforts, even though they could plainly see that his pack had been victorious, even though it was obvious that, despite all the odds that had been stacked against them because of their size at birth, his pack was strong, capable, and good for breeding.

  Their numerous victories over the other packs hadn't changed a damn thing, hadn't changed any perceptions. The women of his kind had been prejudiced against all of them, had stereotyped them since birth as unworthy, especially since Ulrich and Torolf had been the runts of their litters and he'd been born an unfavorable color. It wasn't how they were born that mattered, it was what they had become, how they had triumphed over adversity to become strong. All of it combined was enough to make him in favor of ignoring the pack rules and taking the woman. He'd been strong for his pack mates since he'd taken them in as pups, and when they'd grown into men, he'd stood before the leader of his kind, presented his case time after time, lead his pack into battle after battle, and for what? Their kind hadn't played by the rules, and if playing by the rules had gotten them no where, then what in the hell was the point of trying anymore?

  As they all stepped into a small clearing in the forest, Torolf turned to Faolan first.

  "Let's not beat around the bush. It's blatantly apparent what happened last night. Your scent was all over the woman," Torolf snarled.

  "How could you do this Faolan? After everything we've been through?" Ulrich demanded, circling Faolan. "You drag us around on a leash before the rest of our kind. We dance to whatever tune that they like, while they laugh at us, because you keep telling us it's in our best interest. Because you tell us it's what we have to do if we are going to have a woman of our own to mate with. And yet you've gone and . . . ."

  Before Ulrich could finish his tirade, Faolan interrupted him, his voice low and ominous. "If you're looking for an apology, you can forget about it. I'm not sorry for what I did. I will admit, though, that I didn't set out to mark Sayuri."

  "Whether you had every intention of it or not, you did it just the same," Torolf said menacingly, his dark brow furrowed in irritation.

  They were all at each other's throats. Their tempers were rising. They couldn't hold back their aggression any longer. Almost instantaneously, all of them shifted to their wolf form. Torolf and Ulrich began to circle Faolan, growling threateningly, baring their teeth, looking for the opportunity to strike.

  Faolan dashed and bit first Ulrich and then Torolf. Ulrich leapt onto Faolan's back, sinking his teeth into the flesh of his neck.

  * * * *

  Sayuri was enjoying her ride in the horse drawn sled. She sighed with a little bit of sadness as she recollected the couples that had been lined up around her waiting for the ride. A lot of them had been snuggled up together, their gloved hands entwined, looking at each other as if there were no other people in the world. She wished suddenly that she had someone that cared about her like that. The only two people who had ever cared that much had been gone so long she had a hard time remembering what it was like to feel loved. She tried to console herself with the fact that if she was successful in her endeavors she would have a child, someone who would love her unconditionally, someone she could love unconditionally in return, and she wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

  She looked around again at all the couples waiting in line. She had been the only person that was taking a ride in the sleigh by themselves. It wasn't hard to see why. The ride had a definite romantic element to it. It was a great opportunity to get that someone special all alone, get them snuggled up next to you while you sat back and admired th
e beautiful scenery. It made the lack of a relationship in her life even more of a gaping hole in her heart than it had been before. She had never really done a lot of activities that had featured mostly couples before. It appeared that couples were about all she saw now that she was out looking for someone, or perhaps it was because she was just more conscientious of being alone now that she was on the prowl for a man.

  The sled driver pulled up and held the sled door open while a couple exited and then stepped over to the ticket dispenser. Taking out a ticket, he then called out her number.

  "Here," she called, waving her ticket stub. She shook off the melancholy nature of her thoughts and headed over to the man who was smiling at her amiably.

  His expression then turned to one of confusion as he looked at her and saw that no one else was following close behind. "Just you?" the driver asked, a little unsure.

  Sayuri pursed her lips. As if she really needed this. She had just been stressing about that fact herself, but she tried not to take it out on the man. It wasn't his fault. "Yes, it'll just be me. I'm sure the horses will appreciate it, less work and all."

  "Let me help you then," he said and offered her his hand, helping her step into the sled.

  She hadn't put on her snow suit today, since she wasn't skiing. She had chosen instead a thick faux fur coat. It felt great against her face, and it warded off the cold extremely well. She felt so warm and cozy as she settled back against the plush cushions of the sled, except for her face, of course. But she didn't mind the cold nipping at her skin. It felt good, refreshing, it kept her feeling awake and aware of her surroundings, and she didn't want to miss a thing.

  As the driver snapped the reins and set his team of horses in motion, a light snow began to fall. As the snow drifted down she couldn't help but feel that it was magical, purely breathtaking. She was so glad that she had decided to visit the skiing resort. She'd known she would love the snow. It was so beautiful, so pure, so thick and wonderful. She wanted to get down and play in it, flop on her back and make snow angels. But she didn't give in to the childish impulse. She leaned her head back and let the drifting snow fall onto her face. The lodge was such a wonderful place. It was a shame she had waited so long to do this. But now was not the time to be feeling regret. She should enjoy herself, cherish the time that she had here.

  She'd known when she came that she wouldn't be doing any more vacationing for a long time. She tried to focus on the lush scenery, the hills of snow, the snow-capped trees, the fresh scent of the trees that made up the woods and the leather harnesses of the horses. She focused on the soft jingling bells that were attached to the horses, listened to their breathing, their soft whinnies every now and then, to the sound of the metal of the sled as the horses forced it over the freshly fallen snow. It was so picturesque and serene here on the edge of the wilderness, so far away from the city. How could anyone want to leave? Why didn't more people vacation at this wonderful place? Sure, there were lots of tourists running about, but she had taken in the immensity of the lodge. She was sure in it's hayday that it had been host to as much as five times as many people as were visiting it now. But perhaps she'd come at an off time of year for the lodge.

  She was so relaxed by the tranquility of the snow and her surroundings, by the gentle sway of the ride, that when she first heard a strange sound it didn't really register. The sound came again, only this time much louder, closer. Her heart picked up its pace. She wasn't sure why. She shouldn't feel alarmed. It wasn't as if she was alone or on foot. But what was that noise? It was strange, yet somehow familiar. It almost sounded like a pack of dogs, as if there were dogs fighting in the woods. That couldn't be, surely people didn't bring their dogs with them on vacation to a ski resort. She sat up, straining to hear it again, to determine what it was that she had heard. The sound came again, much louder than before. By this time, the horses had picked up the scent of the animals making the noise, and they were beginning to give the driver trouble, stomping their feet and shaking their heads. The driver began to talk to them in a soothing reassuring voice, words that didn't register with her. She couldn't think, all she could do was center in on the menacing sound that became clearer and clearer as the sleigh continued on its path through the woods, the sound of animals snarling. It almost sounded as if they were in the heat of battle.

  When the sled rounded the next bend in the trail, she saw them. She gasped, covering her mouth in shock. Through a flurry of fur, she made out the animals. It wasn't dogs that had been making all of that noise. It was wolves, and there were three of them.

  Her breath suddenly caught in her throat as she realized the sled was headed directly toward them. They were fighting each other, viciously snapping at one another, biting, clawing, snarling menacingly. She wanted to scream in fear. She'd never seen a wolf or any other kind of dangerous wild animal. But she didn't get the chance to do so much as whimper.

  The horses, although they were wearing blinders and hadn't actually seen anything, had sensed that danger was close by, that the driver hadn't detected because of his struggle with them, and reared up in fear. The driver, who had been valiantly trying to control his team, hadn't anticipated the violent reaction of the horses and was thrown from his seat at the front of the sled when they reared up.

  The horses heard the loud thud directly beside them as the man hit the ground. Gripped with a new fear, they tore into the woods, completely out of control now, foaming at the mouth.

  Sayuri did scream now. She screamed and held onto the sides of the sled for dear life, bracing herself as much as she could.

  "Help! Help me please! Somebody help me!" she screamed.

  She screamed until her throat was sore and then stopped. Why was she screaming? There wasn't anybody out here that could help her. She was in the middle of the woods. She tried to calm herself. It was difficult, but she knew that continuing to scream wasn't going to help, it might even possibly be scaring the horses more than they already were.

  Her mind raced as she maintained her death grip on the sides of the sled. She had absolutely no experience with horses. She had no idea what she could possibly do to calm them. She thought about the reins the man had been holding, but they were no where in sight. They must have fallen to the ground when he'd been thrown off. She tried not to cry in fear, that wouldn't help anything. But she couldn't help the overwhelming fear that consumed her, fear of dying. And she thought about the baby she had wanted so desperately, a baby she might never get the chance to have now. She wanted to live. She wanted to fight for her survival, but what could she do?

  Faolan, Ulrich, and Torolf all stopped when they heard the woman scream. They turned almost in sync towards the sound. They had been so caught up in their fight that they hadn't heard the horses and sled approach. They realized in an instant that their scent and fighting had spooked the horses.

  With a sinking feeling of dread gripping him, Faolan realized he knew who was in the sled. He had caught her scent. It was Sayuri.

  Sayuri is in that sled, Faolan spoke through his mind to Ulrich and Torolf.

  What do you want to do? Ulrich asked. We spooked the horses and they bolted into the woods.

  We have to save her, quick, follow me," Faolan said, leading the way.

  As all of them raced after the horses, still in wolf form, Faolan realized that it could look suspicious if he rescued Sayuri two days in a row.

  When Ulrich caught up to him, he spoke to him as they continued to chase after the sleigh. Ulrich, when we get the horses stopped, I need you to break away and return in human form to rescue her.

  I don't understand. Why?

  Because I saved her yesterday on the slopes! We don't need her questioning why it is that I was able to be there for her twice, especially since we're so far from the lodge and the rest of the tourists. She might grow suspicious. Just do it dammit!

  All three of them finally caught up with the out of control horses and sled. They managed to get past the team of horses, Faol
an and Ulrich on one side of the horses and Torolf on the other, and herded them into a group of trees from which they couldn't escape.

  The horses halted abruptly when they saw the trees blocked their escape. They began to kick and struggle against their restraints when they realized that the wolves had them cornered.

  While Faolan and Torolf kept them at bay, Ulrich dashed off into the forest to shift out of site.

  Now in human form, Ulrich emerged from the woods. He bent down and grabbed a stick and ran up to the wolves snarling at the horses and shooed them off. "Get out of here," he yelled, waving the stick, fighting back a smile.

  After Faolan and Torolf left without much fuss, he reached down to grab the reins of the horses, which were hanging on the ground. Holding the reins tight in his hands, he caught the horses' attention. "Sh. Shh now. There there. Everything's going to be alright," he cooed, rubbing them on the head. After a few minutes, having subdued the horses, he then knew he needed to check on the woman.

  Sayuri couldn't believe her eyes. One of the men she had seen in the gym earlier that morning had come to her rescue. It was the blond one with the smile in his eyes. Now that he was near, she had the chance to get a better look at him. He had a very square jaw, a regal aquiline nose, and, if she didn't know any better, a dimple in his cheek. As he drew closer to her, she saw that his eyes were an icy shade of blue. They were magnificent, breathtaking. She'd never seen eyes that shade of blue before.

  "Are you alright miss?" Ulrich asked, smiling at her dazed expression as he took a seat next to her in the sled, the reins confidently in hand.

  It took her a minute to register that he'd spoken to her. The experience had really addled her wits. And his close proximity certainly wasn't helping matters. She smiled back at him half-heartedly. "I am now, thanks to you. My god," she breathed, the full brevity of the situation just now hitting her, "Why, I could've been killed. I'm so lucky that you were way out here."