noun ~ the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

CHARLIE

Gaia's appearance was going to plague my mind for the next few days.

It was odd she came to tell me something I already knew, but it was nice to hear about back home. I couldn't believe that there were already so many babies. I just wished I could go back, just to see them, but I couldn't leave Calida.

Not when she was going to get herself into trouble.

Again.

Why was she toying with pack borders? She was insane. She may as well roll over and for a fight.

The sudden zesty intrusion of home trifled through the undergrowth. I lowered my snout, taking large lungfuls of the scent I have been tracking for so long. It bubbled in my gut, filled my lungs with air for the first time in a long time.

The closer I got, the more I felt like I could breathe again. Her scent invaded my senses, filled me with sentimentality. I followed it, held onto that scent and that feeling until I could no longer hold anymore. And then, as I broke through the last row of trees, I saw her.

She was prowling the pack border, her snout to the ground. I let out a friendly bark to catch her attention. The last thing I wanted to do was make her think I was sneak-attacking her.

Her ears twitched at the sound, an immediate growl bubbling in her chest. Swirling round, she scanned the area until she found me. Then she let rip an almighty growl that made my wolf cry in sorrow. Her claws dug into the dirt, the hackles on her neck rising as she bared her teeth and widened her stance.

She was warning us away.

She didn't want us still.

All of these weeks of following her, I should've let reality settle in.

She ran from us for a reason. Her wolf had no connection to me, to my wolf, whatsoever.

I whined, lowering myself to the ground. She watched me move, her dark eyes locked onto my face. I really didn't want to roll over in submission. That was just weak of me, especially so close to the pack border. I was beta blood, after all.

But now, so was Calida.

And I realised I wasn't just against a feral, wild wolf, but one that has the power of a beta. And suddenly, that made everything very real.

As suspected, she charged for me.

I rolled out of the way as she came barrelling past, a harsh whine escaping me. Her claws dug up the earth, her teeth snapping with warning. She came for me again, and we tousled. I pushed her away with all my might, not wanting to hurt her. She scampered on her feet, catching her footing before she collided with a tree.

She spun around slower this time, and I made a great show of keeping myself low to the floor.

It didn't work, and within seconds, her wolf was pinning me to the ground with her paws and snarling in my face. On a chance of reflex, I shifted to my skin.

Her snarls quietened as she watched the transformation happen, and when I lay naked and vulnerable beneath her, she stopped. She licked her snout, huffing with frustration. A low grumble bubbled in her chest, one of agitation rather than feral anger, and I remained still beneath her.

Still had my face and throat intact. I call that a win.

Her paws flexed, claws digging into my skin. I barely flinched as it cut the skin, sinking into the muscle below. Instead, her dark eyes darted down, and her nostrils flared, and then ever so slowly, she removed them. And then her whole paw, and before I knew it, she was not longer looming over me.

She stood at my feet; her head lowered as she glowered at me. I swallowed, sitting up to glance at the fresh wounds. They were already healing, and I left the blood to drip before it clotted.

The wolf growled low, pawing the dirt with impatience. I hesitated, wondering what she was suggesting. She didn't kill me; didn't kill my human skin. That just proved one thing to me; there was a consciousness. Whether it was pure wild wolf or a confused, angry werewolf, there was something in there other than instinct.

Humans are weak and easy to kill.

Her wolf had every chance to.

I tested the bond on a pure chance. It rippled, attempting to join us, but with one sharp snap of her teeth, it collapsed.

I dropped my head with a sigh, pushing that ache deep down within my soul. My wolf whined, crying for her, but it fell on deaf ears.

Calida's wolf watched us curiously, but it didn't last long before something echoed through the trees. She growled, staring into the woodland. When her paws curled into the dirt, I knew she was going to run.

And...

Yep. There she goes.

With a begrudging huff, I shifted back to my fur. I landed on all fours, shaking out my fur with a grumble before heading off after her.

At least this time, I'd be able to find her. She wouldn't get very far. I looked after myself the best I could the past few weeks, taking it steadier and eating better. I had energy, and my cardio has improved immensely since leaving Blood Moon.

Blood Moon.

It wasn't my place of birth, but with nothing left of my home pack, it was all I had. I had a brother in Phoenix, a sister in Nova. I had care, and kindness, and the ability to prove myself. Not once with Phoenix did he ever not believe me. He would joke that I was shit, but only to get me moving.

I owed everything to that grieving boy.

The first day in his pack had been... less than appealing. I just found out I have been rogue for years, and the realisation that I lost my teenage life and my family came crashing down on me.

Phoenix had given me a bed.

My first bed in a long time....

around ten years ago

The Blood Moon pack was large.

Bigger than my home.

My eyes were wide as the alpha led me toward the imposing building. The front door opened for him, and he didn't even glance at the man that aided him. I hesitated at the stairs, wondering what was happening. My wolf didn't like this place. He didn't like the power that came from the young alpha wolf.

"Alpha, the rogue." The guard stated.

Alpha Titan stopped in the doorway, his shoulders tense. "Are you coming?"

I glanced between them, highly aware of how naked, dirty and hairy I was. I could run. That was still an option. I wasn't sure how far I'd get, though. The guard was on alert and watched my every movement or expression.

Scratching the dirt on my arm, I followed the alpha inside. The guard grunted, shutting the door behind me.

Titan stopped again, glancing at me before staring at the guard. "I'd keep your opinions to yourself if you still want your head attached to your spine."

His tone was harsh enough that I flinched, and the guard dropped his head with immediate submission. Titan grumbled, urging me to follow him faster now. We climbed a few flights of stairs as he led me to a bedroom door. He didn't knock or hesitate as he entered, and I stopped on the fluffy cream carpet with confusion.

"You may stay here."

"I may?" I wondered, looking around.

There was a bathroom to my right, and a large king sized bed in front of me. A window showcased the dull winter sky but showcased the fantastic view of the woodland in Blood Moon.

"Yes." He grumbled.

"But... I'm a rogue."

He cocked his head, his expression blank.

"Shouldn't I be... You know?" I gestured wildly with my hands. "Locked up?"

"You don't look like a feral rogue to me." He shrugged. "You should clean up. I will have someone fetch you clothes and food."

And then he was brushing past me, his hand on the doorknob.

In a burst of energy, I shouted a sharp cry.

"Wait!" I gasped. "Alpha Titan... I... I don't understand."

His eyes were dark, and I wondered what colour they were through the melancholy grey haze. His hair was unruly, his eyes raw with lack of sleep. A scruffy beard covered his jaw, and I briefly wondered if this man, this boy, ever looked like a boy. His worries, his life, seemed to have aged him terribly on the outside.

Alpha Titan had an aura that screamed danger. A cloud of darkness coated his soul, seeped through the cracks in your defences and tore down those walls. His eyes were dark enough to haunt you in your sleep, and yet...

There was an understanding.

The darkness of his eyes hollowed and reflected my own.

He was hurting.

Something hurt him badly.

My posture softened, no longer on high alert as I realised it was not just a façade. His entire soul was reeking with pain.

"Thank you." I muttered.

His expression didn't quirk. He didn't smile, laugh, or comment about anything that happened. Instead, he blinked, nodded once, and continued to close the door.

"You can call me Phoenix, Charlie."

Then, the door closed softly, and the click echoed through the otherwise lonely room. I swallowed, staring at that closed door.

My mind couldn't comprehend what had happened, or what was going to happen. My wolf, exhausted, retreated to the safety of my mind. Our bond dulled, the angered wolf settled now the alpha had offered us food and clean living.

So instead of focusing on the past, I moved ahead.

A shower.

It has been so long since I had one of those.

present time

Understanding was just a simple emotion, a simple action. It was something you thought little about if you were that way inclined. Phoenix, although shut off and depressing back then, understands me as much as I understood him.

Without him, my wolf would've been feral. He was the only wolf worthy enough to settle my beast. The following year, living with him had been hard. Many times, we had fought and argued as he pushed me to my breaking point and back again.

Many times, we sat in silence after our fights, both of us covered in blood and bruises. With nothing but our harsh breaths and the fluttering of critters around us, our silence was comparable.

We understood each other.

That was enough.

That understanding grounded me. It pulled me back to earth. Phoenix became my best friend and made me one of the greatest beta wolves around. Renowned for his harsh techniques, I fell victim to them. None of it was easy and looking back, I had nothing but respect for the eighteen-year-old who took me under his... paw.

Understanding was everything.

And that's why I'm here, currently running like a feral beast through the woodland after a wolf who had no sanity or concept of reality. Because I understood, and I cared. Wolf, human, werewolf, I understood what it was like to lose that reality, and I'd followed Calida until she needed me, much like Phoenix did for me.

Too lost in thought, I hadn't realised how much I had pushed myself to be close to her. Before, I would hang back a lot more than this, but one stumble and she'd be crashing into me. But just as I went to drop back my pace, something came from the side of us.

The stench of other feral rogues seeped through the earth, and I growled a low warning. Calida slowed her pace, waiting them out. She too, had been focused on running, albeit from me, but it was unlike her wolf to not recognise we were being chased.

Distractions cost you.

That was something Phoenix taught me.

But he also taught me how to fight, and how to get out of those situations.

So, guess what?

Looks like another fight was brewing.