Mated To An Enemy

[Almost Three Years Ago, Southern Territories, Winter]

Wyatt had followed the trail into the pass. There was a small, makeshift campsite, a circle of rocks for fire, some branches, and mulch for kindling.

It was clear that someone had taken shelter here for the night before being set upon in the morning.

While the snow had kept up through the night, the impressions left from the struggle were still visible.

It looked like at least three men had been involved, and from the paw prints, at least one of them had shifted.

When Caleb reached out to Wyatt with news that Cain was missing, he was shocked to hear that he had been spotted in Winter. Cain was never one to wander aimlessly or to let those he cared for worry.

It had been five days already when Caleb reached out to Wyatt.

Wyatt had come down to the southern territories. He and Beta Richard had agreed to search different areas of the border. They kept the search party small. Richard, his son Granger, and two of their top scouts would search deeper in the mountains and forests since they were more familiar with the area.

Wyatt and the two men he had brought with him from the north would search the actual borders, the pass, and the lower mountains.

There was no need to set off the alarms of the pack by telling them that an Alpha had gone missing within the territory.

This was also why Wyatt had refused to let Caleb come and join the search. Instead, he reminded him that his place was with Fiona and the wolves of Summer until his father could return to them.

Caleb had agreed without too much argument.

The boy was sensible. He would be a great leader one day. Wyatt took great pride in the little bit he had to do with helping Caleb become the man he was meant to be.

His thoughts turned to Ashleigh as he continued to follow the tracks.

She had decided to pursue a rank in the berserkers. Wyatt felt a mixture of pride and concern. Whatever she would do, she would do well. But he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she was meant for something more than what Winter could offer her.

He smiled to himself as he thought of them both.

‘Perhaps we should let them meet,’ he thought.

Cain had once asked how Wyatt would feel if it turned out their children were mates. He didn’t know how to answer. The idea of his daughter finding a mate was challenging to think about. Even now, she was barely fifteen years old.

They had laughed back then, made a joke of having them meet just to know. But Wyatt now considered that it wasn’t such a crazy thought after all.

“Alright, Cain, after I save your ass, let’s see if our fates are connected,” Wyatt laughed to himself as he continued through the pass.

Wyatt and his men had been searching for three days. Cain had been missing for eight.

Once they had cleared the pass, Wyatt and Richard divided the search area. Richard suggested bringing in more scouts, but Wyatt felt it was unnecessary.

The signs of struggle they had found showed minimal damage. It was likely that Cain had run into some rogue wolves that had entered the territory. However, Cain was a strong and resourceful wolf, and Wyatt was confident he could take care of himself.

Richard and his scouts went further north, while Wyatt and his men went south.

On the fourth day of searching, Wyatt was all alone. One of his men had been injured, and the other had taken him back to the nearest outpost.

They had found more signs of struggle, blood trails, and damage to the wildlife. Wyatt had sent his men back and stayed alone because these clues needed to be followed.

Wyatt followed the scent of the blood up and into the trees. In his wolf form, he could cover far more ground, and he ended up finding a body. It was a wolf.

He didn’t recognize them when he looked closer, but the dark markings looked familiar. He left a marker on the tree nearby to indicate where the body was and then continued his search. But within a few hours, the snow got heavier.

The blizzard came on him suddenly. He tried to find a way back down the mountainside, but it was too late. The snow and ice were coming down so hard he couldn’t even see the hand in front of his eyes.

He was caught on a root; he lost his footing and fell. He rolled down a steep incline, his shoulder burning from the multiple impacts. When his body finally stopped, Wyatt was sure that every part of him was bruised. He lifted his head and let out a small prayer to the Goddess as his eyes found a small cave in the mountainside.

Wyatt sat up, panting from the exertion on his body. His left arm hung limp at his side, having slipped out of the socket. He hugged himself tightly with one good arm and dragged his body off the ground and into the cave. He was lucky. It was uninhabited and deep enough to escape the snow.

In the very back of the cave, he found a small circle of stones, a firepit. He ran his fingers over the remains of starting rocks, sticks, and dried leaves. There wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

He righted himself and leaned heavily against the wall of the cave. Wyatt caught his breath and pressed the back of his shoulder blade firmly against the wall. He took a deep breath, and then, using his other hand, he gripped tightly to his upper arm and shoved it roughly back in place.

Wyatt let out a grunting roar as he fell to his knees. His vision blurred as the searing pain coursed through his body.

When the pain had passed, Wyatt struggled to make a fire, it took several tries, but he managed to get the spark. Once he had it going, he shifted. It was excruciating, but the healing always worked faster in wolf form.

For two days and nights, there had been white-out weather. Wyatt could barely step outside the cave, much less try to search for Cain.

It had been ten days since Cain had gone missing, five since Wyatt had begun his search. He had lost his walkie-talkie and all his other supplies when he fell down the cliffside.

He didn’t have a choice but to leave the cave searching for food.

The blizzard had finally eased up, the snow still fell in heavy sheets, but he could see the trees, which meant animals. He searched for something to eat, to drink.

The heavy snow made it difficult to catch the scent of anything, but something caught his attention. A familiar, metallic smell.

Blood in the air.

Wyatt was weak from hunger and thirst, but the smell of the blood filled him with energy, and he ran towards it.

As he got further into the trees, the smell changed. The blood smelled wrong.

Wyatt slowed down, looking carefully between the trees. He felt something, someone watching him. He took another step forward and turned just as something crashed against him.

He felt the sharp fangs bite down against his throat. He kicked and shoved. Then, turning his body, he managed to get away.

He could see the beast now. It was a wolf with dark markings and a feral look in his eyes. It snarled and growled at him. Saliva dripped from its bared teeth.

Wyatt repositioned himself, baring his own teeth. Then, he pushed out his presence, sending a crushing wave against the other wolf. The wolf seemed to react for a moment, but then it snarled and jumped at Wyatt.

The two wolves clashed, jaws snapping at each other, growls, and snarls. Wyatt slammed his body against the other wolf, sending it crashing against a tree. The wolf stood back up. His head wobbled, and blood dripped from its jaws. It limped towards Wyatt.

Wyatt could see that this wolf was barely holding on. But still, it dove at him once more. This time, Wyatt stood his ground. When the wolf was close enough, he made his move.

He brought down his powerful jaws on the neck of the other wolf, crushing the wolf's spine in one bite. The metallic taste of the blood filled his mouth.

Wyatt dropped the body of the wolf. He shifted back to his human form as his stomach warned him. He turned and threw up. His stomach was empty, but whatever had mixed with the wolf’s blood needed to be expelled from his system.

Once he was sure that he was done throwing up, Wyatt stood. He looked around and was shocked by what he saw.

There were four more bodies. Four more wolves with dark markings scattered in the area. He stumbled forward, feeling weak from hunger and now the exertion of the fight and sickness. Wyatt saw a dagger on the ground beside one of the wolves.

He picked it up, looking around again. Then, he suddenly realized where exactly he was.

Through the trees, he saw a small hill of rocks and snow. A perfect dome in the ground, ten feet high, large enough to hold a house inside.

A fae mound.

According to the history books, these appeared in places where large groups of fae died together. There were three of these that he knew of across Winter. This was the only one in the southern territories. This was the site of the last battle, where Alpha Geri tore Loki’s throat out.

Wyatt stumbled forward; his head was spinning. He felt his pulse racing. There was a sound behind him, a crunching in the snow. Someone was sneaking up on him.

He felt them hovering over him. He quickly turned, stabbing the dagger up into their body with all the force he could muster.

“Ugh..” a soft groan came from above him.

Wyatt raised his eyes. The man slumped forward, falling to his knees in the snow and slumping onto Wyatt’s shoulder.

He looked up at Wyatt, a panic in his eyes. He coughed, and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

“Cain…” Wyatt whispered.