BLUE MOON.

chapter four.

70th day of sunshine.

morning.

FOX, Kenai Peninsula Pack

I had made a mistake. The same one Tristan had. Fuck.

Alyssa's shock only lasted for a split-second, enough to fool me into thinking I had a shot at besting her. Oh, I'd been wrong. Very, very wrong. You don't get to Beta by being a pansy. You got there because you kicked ass. And mine was about to get kicked. Shit!

She came up at my throat, slashing the side of my face in doing so, rising up to meet me while dodging my own teeth. I went for her ear, came short of it. She did a kind of death roll while midair, both of our bellies to each other, paws flailing for the briefest of moments. I grabbed ahold of her cheek, but she twisted and forced me down to the ground, slamming my back into the dirt. Oof! My surprise caused my grip to loosen, and she jerked out of my grip.

Then she got my throat.

And that was the end of that.

I found myself pinned to the ground, dazed and wondering how I'd gotten there.

Your Challenge has been lost. I am still Beta. You Challenged me for the sake of a banished member, which I will consider as treason. You chose an Exile over the Pack. Unacceptable, Fox. I am revoking your rank as Kappa. It was a kick in the gut, the weakening of my bond to the pack causing a physical response as I yelped in shock, my back arching as I tried to move to alleviate the sudden pain. Alyssa did not move for me, did not allow me to, instead keeping me pinned. For the time being, you are Exiled as well. We shall see what Nikolai has to say as for your final verdict. Leave.

I left.

Well, I was in the process of leaving, anyway.

She stepped over me, whirling around to face me, a snarl still etched into her face as I ducked my head and tucked my tail in shame. I lost. Damn it.

I took off running, tearing through the forest at incredible speed. I ignored the Devil's Club that scraped my legs, cursed, thorny plant that that was. My body could heal from the spines that poked into my skin, the discomfort lasted for a second, nothing more. Damon. Something was drawing me to him. Had been drawing me to him, but that force was strengthening now. I could almost see it, a few threads, shimmering in my mind's eye for a moment, but then they got stronger, thickening and multiplying.

Whatever force that was worked both ways. Damon, unable to stop thanks to Alyssa's Order, slowed down, waiting for me as best he could.

It wasn't an imprint. It couldn't be. Imprints worked the second you laid eyes on your soulmate, snapped into place immediately. They didn't happen gradually. They didn't happen to girls, either. Only the males imprinted. And when they did... Well... It was not like this. I tested my mind, found that I wasn't completely obsessing about the Gamma-turned-rogue at all... I just... I just wanted to be near him. Wanted to follow him. Wanted to go wherever he was going. I had little choice in the matter... this was a disturbing realization, but I couldn't get upset over it. I couldn't.

Alyssa scoffed and shifted forms, leaving the two of us alone as I raced to catch up.

Which didn't take all that long, for I was gifted with long legs and a light weight in wolf form, though I have those two things in human form as well.

Conceited, much?

Nosy, much?

Can't help it.

Neither can I. Irritated with the simple pleasure of humor, I'm still pissed at you for messing up my room. Even if it wasn't my room anymore. All I had in there were clothes, anyway.

I had a nice TV.

How nice for you.

Not anymore.

Oh, right. Every second we had to remind ourselves of reality, even though we kept trying to forget.

We ran side-by-side. Loners had no rank... but we weren't really loners yet, were we? Nikolai would have to... have to...

Kick us out. He was unafraid of thinking of such a possibility, while my mind stumbled over the notion. It's likely.

For what? You... you just... well... you cracked the code to keeping secrets, a wince from him, and me... well... I deserve a demotion, but banishment? Being exiled is so extreme.

We are extreme. It was true. We were hot-blooded beasts. Literally.

You're a full shifter, aren't you?

I have Moonchild blood somewhere. A great grandmother, I believe, was a werewolf.

Still. You're practically Pure. Pure meant your recent family was either shape-shifter (Original, or at least Full) or human. Most of us had gotten other blood, be it from half-vampires, Sirens, Werewolves (the real ones), Gifted humans, among others. Sometimes it was better to have extra blood, but shape-shifter blood was the most dominant. All it took was a little bit to have all of those traits... rarely was there enough room for bits of other species as well. We had a theory that that was why the males kept imprinting on these other species was in the attempt to get those parts more dominant. About the only one that had worked had been with the Werewolves, the Children of the Moon. We all had eyes that mirrored the moon's phases, but apart from that... we were shape-shifters.

Practically? I bumped my shoulder into his at this skeptical question, woofing as I did so and speeding up to invite him to a game of tag.

I'm a total mutt compared to you. He knew that, he knew most everything about me... I knew plenty about him. But it was fun, for both of us, I could tell, to just pretend we had to find things out just by talking... well... thinking.

Consisting of? He played along.

My mother is half-Siren.

No wonder you're so beautiful. I was a bit surprised by the compliment, though he was, too.

Why thank you, you charmer. You don't look so bad, yourself. Images of his scars unwillingly flickered in my mind, images of how they got there burned in his. I'm sorry. You've got nice eyes.

A nice eye? Only one of them is functional.

Your blind one is kinda pretty... All blue and... blue... and... uh... blurry. Smooth. Like clouds.

Like clouds? Really? How poetic.

I rather think it was.

Maybe being banished won't be so bad after all. Sudden Subject Changes, or SSC's as I liked to call them, were far from uncommon when your every little thought was broadcasted.

Oh?

You're not so bad.

Eh. Well. You'll get sick of me soon enough.

Oh? I mimicked him, falling back and nipping at his tail as he maintained a steady speed, unfazed by my playful antics. Now you're not being so fun.

See?

I'm not sick of you.

Yet.

It's like you want me to be sick of you.

He did a lupine version of a shrug, glancing over his shoulder back at me. Assuming a lesser rank?

Loners have no ranks. I said/thought automatically, speeding up to be equal in position to him. I was just being courteous.

Courteous.

Right.

We ran for a while longer, mostly just thinking of random, mindless things.

That's a pretty tree. I like the branches.

There's a bear a couple hundred yards away... probably didn't even see us, we were so fast!

I can smell rain some miles ahead.

Whoa! Did you see me dodge stepping in moose shit a second ago? That was bad ass!

Basically things like that. Deep, I know.

This is gonna be a beautiful partnership, I mind-spoke to him, howling a small howl, trying to coax him into singing with me.

Partnership?

Yeah! Why not, scar-er-buddy boy?

Buddy boy?

C'mon, it'll be great!

Partnership.

Yes.

I'm not so sure about thi–

IT'S SETTLED! AWOOOOO! I answered the fake mind-howl with a real one this time, throwing my head back as we ran, calling out to the sky.

Who I was calling to? I wasn't sure...

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