"ALRIGHT, is this 'cause I scolded ya' earlier?" Big Al sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Absolutely not," I was sitting in a creaky old chair across from him at his large desk, "my mama wants me to come home, I was never meant to be here more than a month anyway," I shrugged, giving a false explanation.

Big Al was counting under his breath, obviously trying to stay calm. His hand that was not pinching the bride of his nose was tapping the desk furiously. It was quiet apart from his counting and tapping: myself shifting uncomfortably.

I knew he was mostly upset because I had barely worked here a month and was already quitting.
There was only about fifteen minutes left of my shift and I was just now telling Big Al that I would not be returning tomorrow.

Or ever, for that matter.

In my defense, it was not like I knew that I was going to be quitting this soon.

But I have to leave, once I got back to the motel I would be packing up, checking out, and heading to the train station. There was a train heading to Anchorage leaving at nine, I would be in Anchorage by morning.

The only issue I had is the fact that Bering would no doubt have wolves watching me. I am only hoping that because their main base was so far away from Fairbanks, around four hours to be exact, that there would not be as many wolves stalking me.

It was why I had to move quickly, staying any longer than tonight would be a huge risk as it would only allow for more time for wolves to come.

Thankfully, Alaska was big, the biggest state in the United States, so I was confident that it would take them a while to get here.

"Okay, fine, fine," he breathed, holding his hands up while shaking his head in disbelief, "I just wish you would have told me when I hired ya' a few weeks ago..." he grumbled the last part.

I bit my lip, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm sorry like I said my mom just called, I need to be out of town by tonight..."

"Whatever, kid," Big Al reached into a drawer of his desk, fishing around for a second before pulling a crisp envelope out and handing it over to me.

I smiled, happily taking the paycheck. Opening the check, my spirits were lifted at the amount presented. This is the moment that working overtime for so many nights pays off.

$1,112

Folding the check, I tossed the envelope while tucking the check inside my bra. Big Al sat with his arms crossed, an unimpressed look on his face.

"Make sure you leave the uniform," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Of course," I tipped my head, standing up and heading for the break room where I would change into normal clothes and leave the uniform.

"And kid," I paused, grasping the doorknob and turning to look at Big Al, "you're a bright young woman — good luck, you'll be going places..."

I smiled, the man not knowing just how much luck I would need.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it," with that, I left his office for the last time.

I was quick to change out of the uniform, leaving the blue and yellow tracksuit in a neat pile on one of the benches with the hat on top and the black rubber boots sitting next to it. I was left in a plain shirt, random pants, and some sneakers.

Clutching my red backpack, I marched through the store.

"Stay out of trouble, Angie," I told her, the girl only huffing in reply from where she was restocking the fizzy drinks.

She had no clue that this would be our last time speaking, or more so my last time talking to her.

I didn't bother to tell her either.

Instead, I continued on, breathing in the fresh Alaskan air when I stepped outside. The sun was beginning to set and with it came a cool night temperature, a temperature I was always willing to avoid. Alaska may have been pretty, but it was hella cold and I hated the cold.

The carwash was not in the middle of Fairbanks, but rather on the outskirts. Therefore, surrounding Big Al's was not so many buildings but rather miles upon miles of woodland wilderness.

The road was a meager two-lane road which seemed to always be almost empty.

I could not help but compare Fairbanks to Miami, the big ass city that never slept. The complete opposite to where I currently was.

Seeing as I had not been back to Miami since me and Bexley left over four years ago: I should really be comparing Alaska to Asia as that was the last continent that I was on before coming to Fairbanks.

However, something inside me continues to think of Miami.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked on the side of the road, a few cars passing by me. The more the sun went down the colder it got.

As much as I disliked wolf-shifters, there was also something about them that I respected. And this was more than my current jealousy of how warm they always were.

No, wolf-shifters were truly beautiful and powerful creatures. Alike to their wolf-ancestors, there was something spiritual and almost mystical about them.

Yes, I may dislike wolf-shifters for the most part, but I do respect them.

The forest ground crunched as I walked, my sights set on the motel which was now in sight. Not too much further, perhaps another five minutes until I was unlocking the door to my room.

I was on the first floor of the two-story motel, room number eight. Like most motor lodges, this one kept to the status quo of having all of the room doors accessible only outside.

Tugging on the large rubber band holding my dreadlocks in a more than thick ponytail, the band snapped releasing many colorful waves of dreadlocks.

I shook out the damp roughly-textured hair, feeling it fall just above my butt.

Thoughts of potentially taking out the dreadlocks once again invaded my mind. However, I shook it off quickly, my gut clenching painfully at the thought of parting with my beloved dreads. Not to mention, if I could not brush them out then I would be forced to shave my head.

Some people could pull off having a shaved head, Bexley being one of them; however, I could not.

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of something moving in the forest. I made it a point to look as though I had not heard it, continuing as though everything was fine.

Realistically, I was now sniffing for scents.

Seriously, I am so grateful my sense of smell was not affected.

It did not come as a surprise when I smelled three different wolves hiding in the woodland, not too far away from me. I could feel them staring at me, stalking me.

Bering Moon wolves, wolves who did not have particularly powerful scents about them. I guessed they were warriors who spent most of their time guarding the outskirts of the territory.

There were only three of them, all of them no doubt on orders from the Alpha to keep an eye on me until more backup from the main base could arrive. I was not sure whether the Alpha himself would show his face or not, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he may just.

Alphas were not above guarding the pack, as far as I was concerned, when it involved unwelcomed visitors, the Alpha helped in the capture mission.

Nevertheless, I still had time, but that time was quickly running out.

I whistled carelessly, understanding that these wolves would not make a move without the presence of backup. It was not because they were scared or believed that I could not be taken down, it was more of not wanting to risk it.

I know the game they are playing. If they strike now without the Alpha and other warriors — they are going off of a theory that I am not stronger than all of them combined (and in this state, I am not). It is still a theory though — if they strike and attempt to capture me but I manage to evade them and get away, it is going to be those three who face the wrath of their Alpha.

They do not want to risk that happening, so they are playing it safe.

As casual as I looked on the outside, I was on high-alert internally. I made sure to keep both my sense of smell and hearing up, listening for any more wolf arrivals. There were none, thankfully, it was still just the three.

As long as those three believe that I do not know of their presence, they will not strike.

I had to be sneaky.

I reached the motel in minutes, quickly walking into my room before shutting the door. It took me less than twenty minutes before everything was haphazardly tossed together in my red backpack and duffel bag.

The check-out call had already been made to the front desk and I changed my clothing. I was wearing dark pants and boots along with a hoodie. Resting over my dreads was a hat that was tilted so it covered my face and the hood was pulled over the hat.

My dreadlocks were contained inside the hoodie, giving nothing away. Large amounts of perfume were also sprayed on me to help conceal my scent from the wolves. They most likely picked it up while they were following me.

Giving one last glance around the bland motel room, I made sure I left nothing behind. When I was sure that I was in the clear, I turned toward the window, opening it as silently as possible.

Immediately, the scents of the wolves came from around the front. They were still watching the motel, but from the front — I would be exiting from the back.

As quiet as a feline (which I technically am) I hopped out the window, closing it gently behind me. Wasting no time, I jogged from the back and to the side of the road where I proceeded on the route to the train station.

The wolves had not caught on, so far I was in the clear.

Every step I took was silent but quick, alike to a true jungle cat. A true predator. A true black panther.

It was now completely dark out, the cold hair hitting me square in the face. The hood provided warmth, yet I still found myself cold and struggling to keep my teeth from chattering. The woods looked daunting in the darkness, but I could not help but find a sort of solace within it.

A buzzing emitting from my pocket caught my attention and in an instant, I was on the phone with Bexley and Tiberius. It may have not been the smartest as I was not completely out of the hearing range of the wolves, but there was not a chance I would decline my crew members' call.

This was our first time being separated since we became family, it was harder than I let on. Not to mention my continued worry for their well-being: there was a reason I was the brains of the operation, after all.

Bexley had her reckless and quick-paced tendencies, Tiberius had his brute strength but he could be extremely timid at times. I was the one who overlooked us, made sure we all stayed safe and that our plans were flawless.

"Hello?" I answered the call, Bexley's voice immediately flowing through.

"Hey, we finally got to the hotel, long story short — we kept taking the wrong buses..." Bexley babbled, "and did you know Mexico has the oldest city in North America? Ha, who would have thought?"

"You didn't know that before?" I questioned, raising a brow but also making sure to keep a keen sense for any stalkers.

"What the—who knows that off the top of their head? Oh, never mind, I forgot who I was talking to," she scoffed, "nerd..." she added playfully.

I shrugged even if she could not see me, no point in denying the truth.

"Bad news," I did not bother to beat around the bush, "I ran into the Alpha of Bering Pack today..."

"—Shit," Bexley cut me off with a curse, "I fucking told Tiberius that Fairbanks was a suck-ass choice, did you hear that Tiberius," Bexley was yelling.

There was a pause before I heard the tiger man's voice.

"What?"

"Dude, put on some pants! I don't want to see yo junk flapping everywhere!" Bexley screamed while I could hear Tiberius snickering in the background.

"Hey! I did not wear clothes for over seven years while I was in the circus!"

"You were also a tiger the whole time, there is a difference!"

I rolled my eyes. When Bexley and I met Tiberius, he was a circus-tiger who rarely shifted out of his tiger form. Tiberius was not always Tiberius though. His true legal name is actually Aeneas Decker.

When he was ten, his father sold him as well as his brother on the black market as a "rare species". A circus — the Impossibly Extravagant Circus — that traveled all throughout Great Britain had bought them both.

Aeneas Decker was abused and forced to remain in his tiger form, barely ever allowed to shift. This was how Tiberius the Terrific Tiger was born from Aeneas Decker.

Tiberius was trapped in the circus for over seven years, before Bexley and I stumbled upon him. It was by complete chance, her and I were new to Europe, we followed our noses — followed a scent similar to our own.

It was where we found Tiberius. He was incredibly timid when we first met him, but we coaxed him out of his shell and eventually busted him out of the circus. His brother, unfortunately, refused to leave — he enjoyed putting on a show for the people, even at the sacrifice of his own freedom.

Tiberius spent so long without clothes that he now had a strong hate for them.

"Besides the point, are you okay? What did the Alpha say?" Bexley breathed.

"It was actually weird, he started calling me his mate and I think he might have been hitting on me?" I scratched the back of my head, making sure to keep my steps silent and voice quiet.

"Eww, that's both weird and gross, was he hot at least?" Bexley questioned.

"I mean, he is an Alpha so obviously," I rolled my eyes, "but then he was all like, 'I'll see you later', so now I'm leaving their territory and going to Anchorage..."

"Dang..." I paused, not listening to Bexley as the sound of howling engulfed my sense of hearing.

It started with one before many more joined in, quite a few more, in fact. Way more than three. There had to be at least a dozen howls. I did not need to have a sensitive sense of hearing to pick up on this noise, it was so loud that it was nearly deafening.

I froze in shock, the sound of paws thudding on the ground ringing in my ears as well. The forest that was on either side of the road was swimming with the scent of wolves, so strong that it was making it difficult to discern where the actual wolves themselves were.

More howling filled the air, the singing of the wolves plaguing my mind.

They knew I had left, they picked up on my trick. Crap.

"I need to go," I breathed quietly, my voice frantic.

"Wait, what's going on, Celéstia—" I hung up on Bexley, placing my phone back in my pocket before taking off down the road.

The last thing I need was the wolves hearing me talk on the phone, not to mention I had to focus on running. The train station was not too far from here, I could make it.

While my running was quick, it was not as quick as it used to be — something which was very frustrating. Despite this, I pushed forward, keeping my steps as quiet as a feline should be.

Their howling echoed throughout the trees, and despite my quickness, they were far faster. Especially in their shifted form. I heard an unmistakable howl bleed through the silence, the howling of an Alpha.

It boomed, sounding as though it was coming from all directions. I could not help but stop, becoming confused with the loud noise.

Normally I was far more collected and intelligent than this, but something about this Alpha was throwing me off.

I practically had eyes in the back of my head, I knew the second one of the gigantic wolves pounced at me from behind.

I ducked, covering my head as the huge brown wolf jumped over me. It was a warrior, one who I did not stay to greet as I was forced to veer left — away from the road and into the woodland.

Running through the dark lush forest, I was welcomed by enormous mossy trees with trunks bigger than any I had ever seen. I had seen my fair share of forests and jungles and I much preferred jungles.

As a panther, jumping was easy, and climbing through the jungle trees was second-nature. Not to mention the tangled-brush of a jungle always provided extra cover. The forest was dense with many trees, but there was not tangled brush to keep me covered — nothing I could use to confuse the wolves chasing me.

I honestly did not understand why this Alpha was so adamant about catching me, I was leaving!

The cold was harsh against my face, whipping across it in an unfriendly manner. At the sound of two pairs of paws coming behind me, I ran even faster — pushing my weaker body to its brink. For the first time in... well ever, I was becoming tired.

Normally, I could sprint for miles on end without breaking a sweat — not anymore though. I was spent — feeble.

I puffed, refusing to slow, zigzagging through trees in an attempt to slow them. They were feet away from me now, and I quickly turned to the right at the sight of another two wolves coming from my left and front.

The backpack and duffelbag were only weighing me down, but I did not dare let them go. At this rate, the chance of me escaping was highly unlikely, there was no reason for me to lose my things while I was at it.

Then again, I doubt they would let me keep my things while I was rotting in the cellars.

That thought sent me hurdling faster, ignoring the burning of my lungs. My breath came in wheezes.

Leaves crunched under my feet loudly as there was no reason for me to keep my steps quiet when the wolves could clearly see me. The hoodie fell back, but the baseball cap stayed firmly in place, my dreads still tucked away under the hoodie.

It was odd, I realized that the five wolves who were chasing me all could have easily pounced and caught me. However, they did not, they remained feet away, chasing me... corraling me.

My eyes widened at the realization, they were leading me to something. How could I not recognize that this entire time they were chasing me further away from the train station?

I growled, but turning now would be suicide. They surrounded me from all directions except one, so I was forced to continue on the path they were corraling me in.

I had one last trick up my sleeve, though — a trick I could only pray would work. There was also the issue of being weakened, but I believe I could still pull it off. Looking at the trees, I mentally estimated the distance between all of them.

The trees were my friend, a panther could climb but a wolf could not.

Just as I prepared to launch myself in the air and bounce through the trees, I was faced with the most magnificent smell. Cinnamon and firewood.

Standing less than twenty feet away, surrounded by seven wolves was the biggest of them all. A towering wolf made with a thick coat of oddly-colored fur. Golden brown, the tips looked almost blonde.

The Alpha.

Shifters were naturally bigger than the original animal of our origin. I, myself, was a rather large black panther, not all that much smaller than this Alpha here. Interestingly enough, Tiberius was around my size, which was odd as tigers were generally larger than jaguars.

I just happened to be bigger than most jaguar-shifters apparently.

Splotchy mismatched eyes met my own, the wolf's lips curling up in a way that was not necessarily unfriendly but at the same time not exactly welcoming. I was getting closer by the second, but I was too close that if I leaped into a tree it would propel me closer to him.

Therefore, the Alpha may have not been able to climb, but I was close enough that he could jump and intercept me. It would not be a pretty collision with how big he is.

In a desperate attempt to not be caught, I decided to perform an extremely risky move. Throwing myself to the side, I virtually flew over two of the wolves corralling me.

I literally spun through the air and right over the predators.

Like a true cat, I landed on my feet and took off running.

There was a thundering growl before I was being chased in a much more aggressive manner than before. The Alpha was closing the distance between us and fast. In an attempt to slip-away, I aimed to jump for the trees only to have him pounce me and pummel me to the ground.

I shrieked, knowing that in this state I would be knocked out. Normally, shifters would be able to take this kind of a hit — I used to be able to take this kind of a hit in my sleep, but not right now.

My ears were ringing, my head was pounding. I heard a pained howl, felt a licking at my face, but I only fell into forced darkness.