Thank you to all the readers and reviewers, but especially to Fiera Hathaway who was the 300th reviewer. She got her sneakpeek of this chapter and I promised myself I wouldn't keep her waiting too long for answers :P So here you are!

Enjoy!

Chapter 14

I was well on my way to unconsciousness when I finally felt Dimitri's body relax beside mine. Apparently even he had limits and at some point or another, had to give in to his exhaustion. A particularly cold breeze swept through the forest and I found myself snuggling closer to him to keep warm. Dimitri sighed in his sleep and stirred gently, before placing his heavy head across my neck, succeeding in keeping me warm from all angles.

It was at this point that I must've drifted off into a comfortable sleep; aided by both my exhaustion from our intense run earlier and Dimitri's warm embrace. I awoke several hours later, just as dawn was breaking through the horizon and the birds were beginning their morning song. Dimitri was still asleep beside me, his face relaxed and untroubled. I took the time to watch him this way for a little while; it wouldn't be long until he was awake and in 'protective' mode once more. Seeing him to peaceful and undisturbed made me feel warm inside; the carefree Dimitri was the one I had known when we were both cubs. We had both since grown up, but I still loved to see the flickers of that side of him every once in a while.

The tranquil feeling I was experiencing was short-lived however, as reality set in. I hadn't noticed last night, but the trees above us were void of leaves and coverage from the sun, which now in the early morning, was beating down mercilessly upon us. The heat became too much for me and I listened to my surroundings more carefully; the sound of running water nearby had my mouth watering. Not wanting to disturb Dimitri, I extracted myself slowly and carefully from him before stretching out my stiff muscles.

I followed the sound of the water until I reached the source; there I found myself at the top of a beautiful waterfall. There was something so majestic and yet dangerous about the view; the water crashed down almost angrily to the very bottom of the steep cliff before calming and returning to a stream-like state that weaved its way through the forest. I backed away from the top of the cliff, choosing a spot less noisy and took my time quenching my thirst. I had fully planned on returning to Dimitri's side right away, but I was too tempted by the cool water. After taking a drink, I dipped my head into it, effectively waking myself up completely. I shook the excess water off and was just about to return to Dimitri when-

Snap.

The sound of a small twig breaking sent my senses into overdrive. I spun in the direction it had come from. The sound had been so small…and yet its significance was vast. On high alert, I strained to hear or even see what or who had made the noise. Silence.

Dimitri? I called tentatively. Is that you?

There was no answer. Knowing it wasn't him, I felt the adrenalin being released into my bloodstream as the realisation of danger occurred to me.

Who's there? I demanded, my voice firm. Show yourself!

To my surprise, they did. The sound of heavy paws thudded loudly from nearby and before I could really brace myself, a large, grey wolf emerged from the shrubbery.

My stomach dropped and I hoped desperately that we hadn't accidently stumbled into another wolf's territory; he was large; much larger than me and would probably be able to hurt me immensely if it came down to it. Still, I remained still and calm as we sized each other up; he didn't look defensive, but there was something about him that had my hairs on end…

With a surprisingly bold confidence, the wolf strode towards me, choosing to ignore my warning growl in the process.

I realised that he was probably just curious, and I stood still as he took in my scent. He came closer and I resisted the urge to snap at him as he overstepped his boundaries. Another growl escaped my lips as his nose touched my neck and gave me a nudge. Other than giving a couple of warning growls, I didn't react to his probing…that was until he moved his nose lower…

Hey! I yelped, spinning around to face him. A cocky grin spread across his face.

Hey, he replied casually. He strode forward once more and nudged his face into my neck once more.

Don't touch me, I growled, bearing my teeth at him before moving back in the direction where Dimitri was probably still sleeping. The wolf however, seemed to have other plans and intercepted me.

Leave me alone, I said aggressively, feeling my hackles begin to raise on their own accord. I couldn't help the way I was reacting to this new guy; something about him just had me on my defence.

You're not very polite, are you, gorgeous? A creepy smile appeared on his face, causing shivers to shoot down my spine…and definitely not the good kind.

What do you want? I demanded, glad to hear that there wasn't a trace of my fear in my voice.

I just wanted to say hi, he replied casually, but he stood a step closer. I moved back to put some distance between us, not buying his nonchalant reply.

I backed up more until I hit a tree. He continued to stalk towards me.

What do you really want? I asked him slowly.

A mate, he replied simply. It took a moment for his words to register with me. Once they did and my mind caught up, I scrambled to get away from him, now knowing where this was going.

However I hadn't moved ten steps when his body slammed into mine, knocking me to the ground.

Where do you think you're going? He whispered, pinning me down aggressively. The way he held me down was so different to the way Dimitri had when we were playing yesterday; Dimitri had made sure not to hurt me, even when play-fighting…

This wolf didn't care.

I struggled against his hold, even going as far as to snap my teeth at him. He wasn't fazed by it, but his polite demeanour had vanished. There was a hunger in his eyes now that had me truly terrified. I whimpered as his paw dug into my side, the weight causing my ribs to scream out in pain.

And then, the wolf was gone.

The weight disappeared from my body. I could no longer feel him. I could no longer even see him. I could however, hear him…and Dimitri.

I realised that Dimitri must have woken to find me gone, or even heard me whimpering and come to my rescue. He had knocked the wolf off of me and was now engaging in a fight with the stranger. I managed to pull myself to my feet, ignoring the pain in my side.

Dimitri was standing protectively a couple of feet in front of me, teeth bared and hackles raised. On the opposite side of the clearing, the other wolf had pulled himself to his feet once more and was mimicking a similar stance.

The testosterone levels were palpable as the two males squared each off. After a moment, a vicious growl ripped out of Dimitri's mouth, much to my surprise. Never in my life had I seen Dimitri this way; with me, Dimitri was also so calm, patient and kind…it almost shocked me to see that he even had an aggressive side.

Dimitri, the wolf suddenly sneered. Both males seemed to have forgotten I was even there; this stand-off was now a power struggle.

Jesse, Dimitri spat back, much to my surprise. So they knew each other…I tried to remember a time when Dimitri had even mentioned someone named Jesse, but came up blank.

Jesse made the smallest of movements sideways and I realised quickly that Dimitri had most definitely not forgotten I was there; as Jesse made the minor movement, Dimitri was quick to respond and repositioned himself between Jesse and I.

Dimitri let out another low, menacing growl and although it wasn't directed at me, I found myself taking a step back. Studying Dimitri from behind more closely, I noticed that his entire body was shaking in anger and adrenalin. It occurred to me that this encounter was about more than just Jesse overstepping his boundaries. Even without what had just happened, Dimitri clearly didn't like the guy.

I didn't blame him.

Nice bitch you got there, Jesse smirked, his eyes leaving Dimitri's for only a second to look me up and down…that was his first mistake. In the blink of an eye, Dimitri had lunged at him full force. I flinched seeing Dimitri's sharp teeth sinking into the flesh of Jesse's flank. The action took only seconds, and within another heartbeat, Dimitri had returned to stand in front of me.

Jesse howled out in pain and glanced down at the blood that had already begun to matt his fur. Any cockiness he had previously quickly dried up and red hot fury consumed him.

Do not talk about her like that, Dimitri growled out, his low voice sending a shudder through me. Jesse didn't wait to reply; he charged at Dimitri, overwhelmed by the animalistic urge to win this showdown. Reacting to this, Dimitri met him in the middle of the clearing, neither wolves slowing down as they neared one another. With an almighty crash, their bodies met and I found myself wincing once again and the sound of teeth and limbs colliding.

As a fight ensued I was so torn between wanting to join in and help Dimitri, or to just stay out of the way and let the males do what they did.

Even if I was to help out, I wasn't sure I could. I was much too distracted. As they fought, I found myself watching Dimitri in awe. He was bigger than Jesse, his muscles leaner and more obvious, which all worked to his advantage. He lashed out at Jesse viciously, clearly intending to hurt him…and yet his moves were controlled and graceful, his attacks faster and more efficient, successfully landing him more blows against his opponent.

Despite Dimitri's obvious badass abilities, I began to feel a little afraid for him. While he clearly had the upper hand, Jesse still managed to break through his defence every once in a while and had gotten a couple of bites in thus far. To anyone else, they probably wouldn't have noticed, but I could see the way in which Jesse's attacks were starting to affect him. There was one bite on his shoulder that looked particularly painful, the injury causing him to make a few more mistakes than normal.

I grew more panicked as Jesse began to break through Dimitri's defence more often. Dimitri's affected leg was shaking, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it gave way to the pain.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who had come to this conclusion. Jesse, seeing this, backed up slightly, an evil glint shining from his eyes. For a second, neither of them moved…and then, with one colossal leap forward, Jesse went for one final attack against Dimitri.

…except he never reached him.

The adrenalin had rushed through me so quickly that I hadn't even realised I was the one who had put myself between the two male wolves. It was too late by the time Jesse realised what was happening and his body hit mine, his teeth digging into my neck in the process. I couldn't help the howl of pain I released as we fell in a heap on the ground and pain exploded through my nerves. Jesse faltered, thrown off by my interference. His momentary surprise distracted him and gave Dimitri the opening he needed. With one last effort, Dimitri rammed his body into Jesse's causing him to stumble backwards.

One thing I hadn't actually noticed in the heat of the fight, was how close they had moved to the edge of the water. Jesse lost his footing right on the edge, but before any of us could react, he had fallen. I felt the air leave my lungs as I stared at the spot he had disappeared. The waterfall continued to crash down, and I wondered if it was even possible that someone could survive a fall like that. I walked over to the edge, trying to catch a glimpse of the grey wolf, but saw nothing. Both guilt and relief flowed through me; should I be happy that we had won, even if it had cost a life? And yet I knew without a doubt that Jesse would not have stopped until Dimitri was dead.

The thought made me shudder, and my fear was only amplified when I heard a heavy thud from behind me. I spun around to see Dimitri collapsed in a heap on the ground and for a second I was sure my heart actually stopped.