Thank you so much for the favs, follows, and reviews! I never expected this story to be so well-received and you all proved me so wrong I want to strangle someone out of happiness.
Well, now that I got that off my mind, quick little shout-out to reviewers the-clumsy-one, Ikityan, nanashitomboy, Mystic Story Wolf, and two anonymous guests! Thank you!
Business: all done. Enjoy chapter 2 of Loner Alpha!
~BrennaCoris~
The rising moon shrouded the barren landscape in a flawless curtain of silver, darkening shadows and sharpening outlines. Noises of the day had faded away and left behind a waiting silence Lucy relished in. She ran through the ruins of the human buildings, the moon's pale glow partially masking her pale yellow pelt and allowing her to blend in with the night. The hunt had been long but successful. She was satisfied with her meal, her stomach comfortably full, and rather exhausted. Maybe taking on an elk on her own hadn't been the smartest idea, but it resulted in her having food for at least three days. She knew she wouldn't have a problem finding the stashed elk again and her scent was dominant enough to keep the pack wolves away.
She took a flying leap across a shallow gully, landing softly on the dusty ground and resuming her loping gait. Her den was close and the thought of sleep was very enticing in her tired state. The pile of boulders came into view and she slowed, her body stiffening as she detected a foreign scent. She drew closer to her makeshift home and ran through the information the scent was giving her. A strong male, unmated, and most likely a pack wolf who was high up the dominance chain. Not quite an alpha, yet someone with power and skill. She wasn't sure if she could win against him, even if she wasn't falling asleep on her paws, but quietly surrendering her territory was the same as rolling over onto her back for him. She had held out on her own for a long time and she treasured her independence. No male could simply stroll in and take it away from her.
She lifted her chin, displaying her dominance as an alpha would, and let a low growl roll from her throat. She prowled in a wide arc around the boulder pile, sizing up the intruder as he came into view. Her mind promptly short-circuited the moment he straightened out, a massive russet wolf with unusual flecks of salmon pink running through his thick fur. He moved forward with a quiet rumble of his own, his movements soundless and firm. A shudder ran down her spine and she kept moving to try and mask it. He reminded her of a tense spring. It was easy to imagine power coiling within him, ready to lash out on his command. She growled again and he paused, acknowledging her claim for dominance but not accepting it. She knew she would have to fight and win if she wanted him gone; however, she was having trouble focusing her thoughts. Her body was demanding that she get as close to him as possible, that she let him claim her, while her mind reminded her of her independence. This was a battle uphill and it would be over before it started if she couldn't regain control of her instincts. No doubt it would be easier for him. He would be fighting to dominate her, which most likely matched his goal.
"Who are you?" she snarled, trying her best to sound as unwelcoming as possible. Her words had the opposite effect from that which she desired. A violent shudder that he failed to mask shook his powerful body and a low growl rolled across the tense silence between them. If he growled like that again, she was certain she'd melt into an overheated puddle.
The short moment he took to regain his composure only served to further prove his power and self-control. "Natsu Dragneel, first commander of Fairy Tail." His voice was low and slightly husky, sending more tremors running through her body. It took effort to remain in her place and not run over to him.
"Lucy Heartfilia, loner." she forced out through clenched teeth, trying to hide the effects his presence and voice had on her. She doubted her last name held weight within the packs like it did in the human world, so she didn't bother concealing it. "Leave. Now."
He took another step forward, his voice becoming more husky as drew closer. "You know I can't do that."
She forced a snarl and darted forward, swiping his forelegs out from under him. He reacted fast enough to avoid slamming his nose into the ground and tried to snag her scruff with his teeth. She recoiled from his snapping jaws and raked her claws along his side. He didn't even wince. His hind leg lashed out as she passed him, slamming into her hip and throwing her off-balance. The few seconds her exhausted body struggled to regain stability was more than enough time for him to push her over onto her side and move so that he was standing directly over her, one paw planted firmly on her shoulder. She pulled her hind legs in to rake at his exposed stomach and he lowered his jaws to her throat, opening his mouth just enough for her to catch a glimpse of his teeth. He bit softly at the loose skin of her scruff, a warning for her to stop.
She weighed her options. She could attack him with her hind legs and prolong the battle, but her position, pinned by his paw and his teeth at her neck, made her vulnerable. It was a losing battle. She could simply give in to her base desire and submit to him, but that would tear through her pride as a dominant she-wolf. Her last option was using her human form to make him loosen his hold. After all, shifting changed their bone structure and rendered them vulnerable for the quick moment it took. Unless he was an idiot, he would lighten the pressure to avoid damaging her shoulder as she shifted. However, a partial shift could render her too tired to take advantage of the moment she would gain. If she managed to rise again, it would be a statement about her power, which might work in her favor.
She pulled her wolf in with a practiced slowness, going just far enough for him to realize what she was supposedly doing. Right on cue, his onyx eyes widened and the pressure on her shoulder lifted. She cut the shift short and returned to a full wolf form, pushing off his hind legs to slide out from under him. The partial shift bit out a chunk of her already low energy. She blinked rapidly, trying to focus her swimming vision. He growled in frustration and she attacked again, aiming for his neck. He shrugged off her first attempt, landing a solid cuff to her ribs that forced the breath out of her, but the second lunge brought her teeth in contact with his skin. She pulled him slightly off-center before releasing his scruff and slamming her shoulder into his side, shoving him away from her. Not anticipating the sudden change of direction, he was forced to follow through on the roll, coming to a neat stop in a tense crouch, and she used his low position to slam one paw onto the back of his neck and the other on his spine. He struggled with her solid pin for a long moment before tucking all four limbs under himself and pushing off the ground, taking advantage of her tired state. She danced back to avoid his bared teeth as he spun around, snapping at the empty space she had occupied moments before.
She stumbled. It was blatantly obvious how she nearly collapsed. The male noticed and his eyes narrowed in what she could read as worry. Another low growl left his throat as he rushed forward, easily barreling her over. If anything, she suspected he had tried to be gentle in overpowering her. He used just enough pressure to keep her flat on her side and she knew that if she wasn't exhausted, escaping his light pin would be as easy as taking a step.
"I win." he growled softly, leaning down to brush his nose against her ear. She breathed in his scent, a warm combination of something uniquely him and the faint traces of his pack, and tried to stifle the content sigh that escaped her. He leaned in again and she forced a half-hearted snarl to try and keep him away. Any wolf would consider her beat, but she refused to readily submit.
"I'll rip your throat out." she hissed. He chuckled.
"If you weren't falling asleep on your feet, then maybe. Your partial shift is impressive." His voice dropped again to the husky tones that ate away at her last defenses, and the possessive growl that left him as he felt the shudders run the length of her spine was all her desire needed to overpower her logic. She knew that if she let him claim her, she would have to join his pack. She knew her father would most likely find her is she remained in the same place for too long. She knew that if the pack chose to fight for her, wolves would be injured or killed and it would all be on her shoulders. But her newly discovered need to be with the male smothered all rational thoughts and replaced them with a repetitive chant that demanded she submit.
The male stayed a silent shadow above her, the moon turning his russet fur a shade of pinkish silver. He didn't try to force her submission or to claim her against her will. He was waiting for her to resign to the desire that he knew was flooding her body and slowly seeping into her mind. She had never heard of males being so patient with loner females they wanted to claim.
She relaxed with a content sign, letting her head drop to the floor, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her whine in defeat. He seemed to understand. The pressure on her shoulder lifted slowly as he tested the extent of her submission. She curled into a more comfortable position and closed her eyes, more than content with letting sleep take over. Her submission gave his claim a thin foundation, and he would undoubtedly demand that she mate with him to secure that foundation, but she would fight him every step of the way. Starting from the moment she woke up: no male was worth sacrificing a good night's rest.
He circled around her twice, checking for injuries. His quiet snarls told her he had noticed the gash on her ribs that the elk had given her, as well as the few scars she had gotten from past mistakes and stupidity. She gave a gentle, drowsy growl to make him shut up and he settled against her back, placing his head on her shoulders. He was warmer than she remembered other wolves to be. She let herself drift off, trying to recall his name.