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Chapter Text

Sasha looked over at the female wolf lying in front of her, who collapsed on the outskirts of the pack’s territory. The wolf’s skin wasn’t warm to the touch, so Sasha assumed she collapsed from exhaustion, not an illness.

“How long has she been here?” She asked her pack-mates behind her who led her here.

“We aren’t sure, but the twins found her by the spring this morning when they were gathering water,” Aura said behind her.

“Spice told us that she seemed to walk slow but ran off when she noticed her and Sugar.” Jax chimed in.

Sasha nodded, kneeling over the wolf to get a closer look. Her reddish-brown fur seemed dusty, and she had a scar through her left eye. Her breathing seemed ragged and shallow, and Sasha could feel the outline of her rib cage under the fur.

She stood up, turning to Aura and Jax, “I think she’s been in her wolf form for a while now, so I’m guessing she’s been traveling. She’s probably exhausted, and I don’t think she’s had a good chance to hunt in some time either.”

“Where do you want us to drop her off at?” Aura asked since Sasha was strict about lone wolves roaming around their territory. It's been years since the Alpha allowed in a new pack member.

“No need, bring her to the main cabin. I’ll have Loosey look closer at her just in case.” Something about this wolf made Sasha want to keep her close to the pack. Who knew what this wolf could have been through?

Aura and Jax lifted the wolf carefully and started carrying her back to the main cabin. As they walked by, Sasha could tell this wolf was an Omega.

Her distinct scent made Sasha know immediately that she just got out of her last heat.

Anetra hadn’t been indoors in nearly three months, so waking up in an unfamiliar room under artificial lighting was not something she had expected. All she remembered before waking up was finding a spring in the forest she had been traveling through and then running as fast as possible once she saw others nearby. Her heat from the day before took most of the energy she had left, so running didn’t take her far before exhaustion caught up with her.

Once her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she looked at her surroundings. Anetra felt so weak she could hardly lift her head from where she curled up in her wolf form. Whoever brought her here settled her in a large dog bed on the hardwood floor, covered in old blankets. She felt warmth for the first time in days since struggling to hunt had taken a toll on her body. At first, she thought a human assumed she was a stray dog and brought her inside until she looked at the rest of the room.

On one of the walls, an installed door flap large enough for a wolf to get through. She looked at the other side of the room and saw a blonde woman in a kitchenette, looking through some cabinets. The woman must have noticed that Anetra had woken up since she turned around holding two bowls “Oh good, I’m glad you’re awake. Our Alpha was just asking how you were.” she warmly smiled as she approached Anetra with the two bowls.

Alpha? Shit, she was taken in by a pack. She was shunned from the pack she was born into and now avoids being on any pack’s territory since she started traveling. She needed to escape this pack’s house as soon as her strength allowed her to.

The woman sat cross-legged in front of her bed, setting down the bowls in front of Anetra. Anetra slowly sat up, hoping to gather the strength soon to dart through the door. She sensed that the woman was a Beta and listened to her speak. “I brought you some fresh water, and here’s some rabbit so you can eat something. I think it’s been a while since you had a good hunt.”

Anetra sniffed the cut-up pieces of rabbit, but as delicious as it looked, her instincts refused her to eat any of it. She was starving, as the last thing she hunted was a single chipmunk before she went into heat. Disappointed in her inability to eat, she took a few sips of water and laid back down, head resting on her paws.

The woman frowned in disappointment, “I’ll leave you be so you can rest for the night, and hopefully, you’ll be able to eat later.” She stood back up and looked down at Anetra, “I know you can’t talk right now, but when you can, you can call me Loosey.” Her eyes felt warm and inviting, but Anetra continued to feel nervous about being on a pack’s territory. She walked to the door to the rest of the house and turned around “I’ll tell the Alpha how you’re doing. I’m sure that she will want to check on you herself soon.” she said before leaving the room and shutting the door quietly behind her.

A female alpha wasn’t very common where Anetra was from, never met one personally before. Her exhaustion slowly caught up to her again, sleeping for the rest of the evening and wondering what a female Alpha was like.

In the morning, Loosey came into the room and prepared two bowls, one with fresh water and the other with different food. Throughout the morning, Loosey tried to feed her every type of meat the pack seemed to have, and Anetra’s instincts still wouldn’t let her eat any of it.

In the later morning, Loosey tried to get another Omega to offer food to Anetra, hoping that her instincts allowed her to take food from an equal to her. The other Omega, a blonde with kind eyes named Marcia, held out a piece of deer meat to Anetra as an offering.

Anetra never felt more frustrated with her instincts when she unintentionally let out a growl at the poor girl.

“I’m sorry, I did what you wanted me to.” Marcia’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“It’s okay, at least you tried.” Loosey put a comforting hand on their shoulder as the two stood together. Anetra moved around to curl up, facing the other wall as she listened to them walk out of the room. “Let’s give her some space, I’ll talk to Sasha and see what we can think of.”

After napping off her frustrations from that morning, Anetra decided that she could at least try to get on her feet again. Fighting off her weakness, she slowly stood up and stepped off the dog bed that she’s been sleeping on for the past day. She walked to the door flap on the outside wall and stepped down two brick steps onto a clearing in the forest. The outside wasn’t fenced in, but Anetra barely had the energy to attempt to escape.

She found a nearby tree to relieve herself and slowly sat on the soft grass. Feeling the blades of grass under her paws made her feel the most comfortable since staying in the pack’s cabin. She surprisingly liked having Loosey’s company, the Beta often talked at Anetra as she prepared her bowls and washed out the old ones from the night before. Loosey talked about her mate, Spice, and how Spice and her sister were taken into the pack when they were orphaned pups by the Alpha.

Anetra was still curious about this female Alpha, she wondered if she would be like the Alpha in her old pack. Most Alphas she’s known before were strong males that ruled their packs with strict rules and harsh consequences. That was one thing she didn’t miss about being part of a pack once she started traveling.

After hearing some far-off voices coming closer around the corner of the cabin, Anetra stood off the grass and slowly crept back into the room. She started to feel tired after using her only reserved energy to go outside and back. She curled back into the plush bed and used her teeth to cover her body with the blankets. She hoped her instincts would let her eat soon as she didn’t know how long she could survive on just water and sleep.

Close to the later afternoon, she heard two voices from the other side of the door. She listened as she was coming out of half-sleep.

“She hasn’t been eating anything?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

“No, I have tried everything we have in the cabin. Marcia even tried to offer her some food, and that didn’t work out.” She recognized the other voice as Loosey. She felt relieved that Loosey didn’t mention the growling incident from earlier.

“I’ll go with you to check on her, I want to see her myself.”

The door opened, entering Loosey, and a woman a few years older than herself followed behind, with long dark hair and warm green eyes. Anetra insistently sensed that this woman was the pack Alpha and knew she had to show her respect.

In her old pack, Omegas were always expected to stand when the Alpha crossed their paths until the Alpha gave them orders to heel. Some Omegas were forced to stand for several hours if they disobeyed.

Anetra did not have the energy to stand for long, but she did not want to disrespect an Alpha that allowed her into her pack’s home. She stood up and slowly stepped off the bed, even though her strength wasn’t replenished just yet. Her legs shook under her, but she ignored it as she avoided eye contact, another sign of respect in wolf packs.

As Anetra waited for the Alpha’s orders, she was caught off-guard by the Alpha’s surprised tone.

“Oh sweetheart, you don’t have to do that for me!” Her concerned tone was genuine as she and Loosey walked closer and caught her body as it collapsed out of the form.

The Alpha moved to sit on the floor with Anetra as she tried to catch her breath and gently moved Anetra’s head to rest on her lap. She ran her hand through Anetra’s fur as she spoke to Loosey. “Do you think we have some lamb in the kitchen? I think it’ll be easy on her stomach if she can eat it.”

“I think so, I’ll go see if Salina knows where it is,” Loosey answered as she swiftly left the room.

The Alpha continued to talk to her as they waited together “Hey, pretty girl. I’m glad you’re looking a little better than when we found you yesterday.” Anetra felt comforted by this Alpha and wagged her tail in response.

“I hope you can eat soon, I think you’ve been traveling in your wolf form for a long time. I looked in my research books on other pack regions, and you look just like the packs from the desert.”

Anetra looked up and wagged her tail faster to let the Alpha know that she was exactly right, she did come from a large pack from the desert. Anetra never realized that her tawny-colored fur made her stand out once she traveled outside of the desert.

This Alpha wasn’t anything like the one from her old pack. She was kind and nurturing and seemed genuinely interested in Anetra as another wolf. Anetra would be carrying some disappointment when she’s strong enough to continue her traveling again and leave this pack’s territory, which has shown her nothing but kindness.
Loosey returned to the room with another bowl, half filled with cut pieces of lamb meat. “We didn’t have much left, Sasha.” She said as she passed the bowl to the Alpha. Anetra remembered Loosey and Marcia mentioned someone named Sasha that morning but didn’t realize that the Alpha sitting with her would be the same person.
“I want to try to feed her this time,” Sasha told Loosey as she held the bowl. Loosey simply nodded and sat a few feet away, watching quietly.

“Let’s give this another try, okay pretty girl?” Sasha picked out a small piece of meat with her fingers and gently held it a few inches away from Anetra’s snout. After Anetra was sure her instincts weren’t testing her, she leaned forward and gently took the meat from Sasha’s hand.

Piece by piece, Sasha hand-fed the lamb from the bowl, giving her soft praises in-between bites. Anetra felt this lamb was one of the best things she had ever tasted.

Once about three-quarters of the lamb was gone, Anetra began to feel full and put a paw on Sasha’s knee, signaling to her that she’s had enough food. Sasha understood the gesture and passed the bowl back to Loosey.

The blonde stood up with the bowl and looked back at Sasha “Are you coming back with me?” she asked.

Sasha shook her head and returned to gently petting Anetra’s fur. “No, I’ll stay with her for a little bit longer. I’m sure Spice would love to spend the rest of the night with you since you’ve been busy all day.” Loosey smiled and wished the two good night as she left the room.

“Why don’t you get some sleep for the night, pretty girl?” Sasha offered as Anetra stood back up and settled into her bed, feeling much better than she had in weeks. Maybe soon she can get enough strength to get out of her wolf form. She hasn’t been on two legs since being chased off her old pack’s territory.

As she curled into the bed again and Sasha covered her in the blankets, she listened to the Alpha as she spoke. “Maybe if you’re feeling well enough tomorrow, I’ll take you around to the other cabins. I’m sure the rest of the pack would love to see that our guest is doing well.”

As Anetra relaxed into sleep again, she pushed the thought that this pack would one day let her join in as a pack member. Getting accepted into a new pack was rare for traveling wolves, especially ones with a reputation like herself.

Chapter Text

Within the few days of being hand-fed by Sasha, Anetra was feeling much stronger day by day. Sasha visited her twice daily as she came in with fresh food and water in the mornings and ended the day the same way with Anetra. Anetra adored getting to know such a kind Alpha, feeling slightly jealous of the rest of her pack.

Anetra woke up after a few days of staying in the main cabin, feeling much colder than when she fell asleep the night before. She hadn’t felt this chilly in days since she regained her lost weight from starvation. The blankets over her helped keep her warm, but they felt smaller this morning.

She stretched before opening her eyes, her limbs spilling over the bed. Anetra slowly peeled herself off the bed, moving to sit in the dog bed, trying to mentally wake up, as Sasha would usually come in around this time. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with the palms of her hands before considering going outside through the door flap.

Wait a minute.

Hands?

She had hands again and the rest of her human body. After months of being in her wolf form, she was finally strong enough to become human.

Of course, she was stark naked, but she was human again. This moment is the happiest she’s felt since before she had to leave her past pack.

Anetra stood up, slowly trying to regain her balance by standing on two legs again. She had to find a mirror to ensure that she wasn’t dreaming.

Anetra pulled out one of the blankets and wrapped it around her chest, the rest falling past her knees. She walked over to the door and allowed her muscle memory to kick in to grip the doorknob and turn it open.

She stepped out into an empty hallway, trying to remember where to find the nearest bathroom when Sasha gave her a small tour of the cabin about two days before. She turned left and retraced her steps, finding a bathroom halfway down the hall.

Slipping into the small bathroom, her hands felt along the wall for the light switch. She shut the door behind her and stood before the vanity sink. Glancing up at the mirror, she looked at her human reflection for the first time in three months.

She still had long dark hair, dark brown eyes, and an athletic build. The only change was her hair and skin felt like they had caked on dirt from staying outdoors. The pack she was staying with didn’t want to try to get her hosed down like an actual dog.

Oh, the scar over her left eye was still prominent in her human form. A physical reminder from her previous pack when her old Alpha ordered the strongest Betas to kill her before running far enough to safety. She knew she had some scar over her eye in her wolf form, seeing rippled reflections in bodies of water. She could see it now as a human.

But then she remembered that she had to tell Sasha the news, and she assumed that Sasha was in the kitchen, preparing her food for the morning. Part of her hoped that Sasha would allow her to stay a couple more days before leaving the pack’s territory to continue her travels.

Opening the bathroom door, she came face to face with a young Beta with light brown hair and a confused look in her eyes. Besides Sasha and Loosey, the only other pack member Anetra had met was Marcia on her first full day at the cabin.

The two awkwardly stared at each other before Antera decided to break the ice.

“Um, hi. I was just-” Anetra’s voice was slightly rough from lack of use, but she was interrupted by the woman in front of her.

“Intruder! How did you get in here?” She took a step back, looking Anetra up and down.

“Oh, I’m not. I’ve been here for a few days in the other room.” Anetra tried to explain, but the woman didn’t look convinced.

The two heard a voice coming down the hall, the same inflection as the woman in front of Anetra. “Sugar, who are you talking to?” The woman, apparently named Sugar, relaxed slightly and walked closer to the other woman in the hall, who looked almost exactly like Sugar.

“Spice! We need to get the Alpha. This intruder is claiming that she’s been staying here for days.” Sugar said in a pointed tone.

Spice? Anetra remembered hearing Loosey mention that name before. Maybe she knows that Anetra is a guest, not an intruder. “Wait, you’re Loosey’s mate, aren’t you?” She asked, pointing to Spice.

Spice narrowed her eyes, “How do you know who my mate is?”

Sugar stood slightly in front of her twin and turned her head to speak to Spice.“We need someone to watch her so she doesn’t run off.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I just need to talk to Sasha, that’s all.” Anetra said, trying not to create new issues in the pack that’s taking care of her.

Sugar looked back to Anetra, and carefully asked, “Okay, we can go get her. What’s your name, since she knows that you’re here?”

“My name is…” her voice trailed off, realizing that Sasha didn’t know her name or what she looked like as a human. This situation became much harder to explain. Luckily, a new voice joined the hallway.

“What’s going on here?” A voice came from behind her, and Anetra turned around to see Sasha carrying two familiar bowls, and Loosey close behind.

“Yeah, and why are you two talking to a naked woman?” Loosey asked, pointing out the obvious.

“This naked woman is an intruder, and we were just about to go get help.” Sugar explained, looking past Anetra to speak to her pack mates.

“I’m not an intruder, I’ve been-” Anetra tried to speak up, but was interrupted.

“She knew that we’re mates, I have no idea how she knows that.” Spice walked quickly over to Loosey, who she joined hands with.

Loosey and Sasha shared a look as they listened to the twins talk. One look at Anetra’s scar, and they knew exactly who it was.

“I'm the one that told her we’re mates, silly.” Loosey gently laughed as Sasha walked closer to Anetra.

“I’m guessing you don’t want raw elk meat for breakfast now that you’re human.” Sasha gestured to the bowls she was holding. Anetra shook her head as Sasha continued, “We’ll get you some clothes and a shower, and then we can sit and talk, okay?”

“I would like that, Alpha,” Anetra said politely, unsure if calling Sasha by her name would be disrespectful for an outsider to the pack.

“Please, it’s Sasha. But your name is?” the older woman asked with kind eyes.

“Anetra,” she answered.

After a hot shower and a change of clothes, Anetra sat in the lower part of the cabin, as Sasha passed her a bowl of hot cooked oats with fresh berries. She felt thankful to eat something that wasn’t raw meat for the first time in months.

“I’m glad to see that you’re strong enough to change back into your human form. We were really worried when we first found you.” Sasha explained as she sat in an armchair in the living area of the main cabin. “How long have you been traveling? The desert is hundreds of miles from here.”

“It’s been a few months since I started traveling,” Anetra answered, carefully taking a bite of the hot oatmeal. She wanted to keep her answers short and simple, not wanting to reveal too much about her old life.

“Do you want to see the rest of our territory? I can show you around, I’m sure you feel like you have been cooped up here for long enough.” Sasha offered.

Anetra nodded, after swallowing the spoonful of oatmeal, the blueberries bursting in her mouth. She was never given this good of food in her old pack, Omegas usually got whatever scraps the Alpha and Beta’s left after they rationed the food. “I would like that, thank you.”

“I'll go see if Salina needs any help cleaning the kitchen, while you eat. I’ll come back and walk you around to the rest of the pack in a little bit, okay?” Sasha stood up and started to leave the room, “If you want any more, the pot is on the stove and the berries are in the fridge.” she explained before she left.

Anetra was going to miss staying with this pack. This was the pack of her dreams, but she had to continue traveling soon, and she planned to leave that night.

“And this is our garden, it’s been doing so well this year.” Anetra followed Sasha throughout the territory, showing her all the different cabins and introducing her to the rest of the pack. The other wolves she had met didn’t live in constant fear and obedience like her old pack. They seemed friendly and respected by their Alpha.

Anetra saw Marcia and another young Beta with long dark hair walk up to the fenced part of the garden, and Marcia spoke to Sasha. “Luxx and I are going to the city to sell the extra crops at the farmer’s market. We’ll be back by sundown, is that okay, Sasha?” they asked permission.

Sasha agreed, and Anetra spoke up as the two moved wooden crates filled with lettuce heads and tomatoes out of the garden area.

“You let your pack into the city? Alone, with humans?” Anetra asked in slight shock. Her old pack kept themselves isolated from humans, and she was taught that humans were the enemy of wolves. The only time wolves had to communicate with humans was to use them against rival packs.

“Of course, they can go into the city. Why wouldn’t I allow them? Humans aren’t dangerous at all.” Sasha explained with a small laugh.

“Oh, I didn’t know that. My old pack didn’t let us go near humans, so I’m not used to them.” Anetra explained before realizing that she just revealed that she used to be part of a pack.

Luckily, Sasha didn’t seem phased by her response “Not in this pack, humans aren’t anything to be afraid of.” she said as she led Anetra down the path to the nearby cabins.

Anetra nodded, although she could beg to differ. She has seen firsthand how humans can be destructive and ruthless toward wolves.

She hoped that Sasha was right about the humans in this area, though.

Anetra spent the rest of the day alongside Sasha, meeting the rest of the pack and seeing the rest of the territory. She enjoyed spending the day with the Alpha, as they talked while walking along the gravel paths of the territory. They continued their conversation as they returned to the lower den in the main cabin.

“I’m originally from one of the packs from the islands.” Sasha was telling her, as Anetra listened with intent. “I left as soon as I could afford a way to get out of there.”

“What made you want to leave?” Anetra asked from her seat across the room, leaning forward as she listened.

“As soon as my pack figured out I was an Alpha, I started to learn under the pack’s Alpha as his protegé.” Sasha explained, “We got really close, with him being my mentor. Then I came out as trans, and he said that a woman couldn’t lead as the Alpha.”

“So you just left, just like that?”

Sasha nodded “I did, I didn’t want to be part of a pack that wasn’t going to give me a chance to be Alpha just because I wanted to transition. So it was an easy decision.” She shrugged “And then after I found this forest, I found a small group of wolves with no Alpha, and that’s how we became a pack.” she smiled softly at the thought of her pack’s beginnings.

“I never met a female Alpha before you, I thought they were rare,” Anetra responded.

“There’s very few of us, but I think there’s more out there than we know of,” Sasha said optimistically as her attention drew to the room’s doorway.

“Dinner’s read\
y, I’m going to call for the rest of the pack.” Salina, the woman Anetra met earlier in the kitchen, announced to the two. Sasha thanked her as she left again.

Sasha stood up from her seat and walked closer to the doorway, “Come join us, you can sit next to me.” she offered.

“Are you sure? What about your mate?” Anetra asked as she stood up. Why wouldn’t Sasha have a mate? She was stunning, and she has been nothing but kind and nurturing to Anetra since she arrived.

“Oh, I don’t have a mate. Alpha’s duties keep me busy enough.” She simply said with a small laugh.

Hours after dinner with the pack was over, and Anetra was sure everyone had gone to bed for the night, she stepped outside alone. The faster she could leave, the less painful it would be to leave this pack and Sasha.

She crept to a dark area away from the main cabin, away from the sight of the other cabins. Anetra found a bush to duck behind to start taking off the borrowed clothes so she could shift into her wolf form. It felt great to be human again, but she had to continue traveling.

Just as Anetra started lifting the hem of her shirt over her chest, a nearby voice and a ray of light made her jump.

“Why are you out here this late? And please don’t lie to me.” She squinted in the light and saw Sasha’s silhouette walk closer to her. Her voice sounded slightly hurt.

Anetra dropped her shirt hem back down and stood from her place behind the bushes. She swallowed nervously before thinking of an answer “I’m strong enough to keep traveling now, I was planning on leaving after everyone went to bed.” She avoided eye contact as she explained.

“Nonsense, you can still stay with us. The pack never sees guests, and they like having you around.”

“Really? I’ve only known most of them for a day.” Anetra said as she shifted on her feet from where she stood.

“The full moon is in a couple of nights, and I want you to join us,” Sasha said, stepping closer to the opposite side of the bush. “I don’t think any wolf should be alone during a full moon.”

She knew Sasha was right, as Anetra felt even more isolated and alone during the last full moons since she had been traveling.

Anetra reluctantly agreed. “Okay, I’ll stay for a few more nights.”

Sasha smiled as she led Anetra by a gentle hand back to the main cabin. “Good, because I didn’t get Aura to move Robin’s old bed halfway across the territory just for it to sit empty in the guest room.” She gave Anetra a wink and a smile. “I bet you didn’t even notice it, huh?”

An actual human-sized bed? Anetra was going to have the best sleep she would have in months.

Chapter Text

Anetra found herself in an unfamiliar clearing in the woods. She looked above the trees, and the full moon shone through the clouds. She had to find the pack before they left on their run. 

She heard voices down the walking trail she was aimlessly wandering. She followed the voices, hoping to get to the pack in time. 

Anetra reached another clearing filled with all the pack members, still fully clothed. Thankfully, she made it to them in time.

She stepped on a twig, and the noise of it breaking caused everyone to look in her direction. They all fell into a stiff silence and stared at Anetra as she walked closer. Some gave her looks of anger, as others looked at her with disappointment. 

She found Sasha facing the other direction at the other side of the clearing, and Anetra felt everyone’s eyes on her.

“I’m here,” Anetra said, announcing her presence to Sasha. Sasha didn’t make a move to turn to look at her but stood with her arms crossed. 

“You aren’t coming with us,” Sasha said in an ice-cold voice.

“What? Why not?”

“We don’t take traitors like you in this pack.”

Anetra felt her blood run cold as another figure appeared from behind one of the trees. The moonlight revealed it to be her old pack’s Alpha.

Before Anetra could say anything, Sasha turned around and had a fiery look in her eyes. Both alphas looked to the side, and two large Betas in their wolf forms crept closer to Anetra. She was trapped, with nowhere to run. She heard the command from both the alphas. 

“ Kill her .”

Anetra forced herself awake once she realized that it wasn’t real. She adjusted to sit in the bed and felt the cold sweat that clung all over her body.

It was her first nightmare since staying with the pack. She hadn’t had one in a couple of weeks, but they usually got worse around the time of a full moon.

Anetra swung her legs over the side of the bed, feeling wide awake as she caught her breath. She did not want to go back to sleep right now. Maybe a glass of water from the kitchen could help her calm down.

Walking into the hallway, Anetra saw a light coming from the end of the hall. Forgetting about the trip to the kitchen, she followed down to the illuminated room.

Peeking inside, she saw a study filled with books and other research materials. A desk sat in the middle of the room, and a loveseat was against the window. 

“What are you doing awake?” She heard Sasha’s voice from inside, and Anetra took it as an invitation to go inside.

She found the alpha sitting by the lamp, holding an open book. She had a hot mug of spearmint tea on the table next to her. 

“I was about to get something to drink.” Anetra shyly said. 

“Did you have a bad dream?” Sasha asked in a warm tone as Anetra nodded. If this was anyone else she wouldn’t have admitted to having a nightmare. But she knew that she could trust Sasha. 

Sasha motioned for Anetra to join her in sitting on the loveseat. “How did you know?” Anetra asked as she settled in by Sasha’s side and mindlessly stared at the book in Sasha’s hands.

“You seem a little shaken up,” Sasha answered. “It’s not my first time hearing about a nightmare in this pack.” 

Anetra felt herself grow closer to Sasha for the past few days that she had stayed with the pack. They sat side by side during meals, and every evening after dinner, Anetra joined Sasha in the den as they talked. She enjoyed the routine that she had with the alpha, and she felt more comfortable with the idea of joining the pack during the full moon.

Anetra and Sasha found themselves in a comfortable silence. Sasha flipped through the book’s glossy pages, making small notes in the margins. After a while, Anetra felt herself start to doze off again, struggling to stay awake. 

“Why don’t you get some more sleep?” Sasha asked her. 

Anetra nodded and sat up to sleepily walk back to the guest room. She felt a tugging on her hand.

“You can stay here with me. I don’t mind.” Sasha said, moving her arm up, inviting Anetra to stay and rest on the loveseat.

“Okay.” Anetra, too tired to argue, rested her head on Sasha’s shoulder and drifted off to sleep again.

As she fell into a dreamless sleep, Anetra wondered about her and Sasha’s relationship.  They have grown close together very fast. Were they headed into a courtship? Anetra would ask Sasha later, as she would need to get through this full moon first.

After the protein-filled pack dinner and helping clean up (although Sasha told her numerous times she didn’t have to help with chores.) Anetra waited well before sundown for the rest of the pack. She was extremely nervous to be with a pack again for the full moon.

 She had spent months alone in the wilderness, and the full moon made Anetra feel more isolated from other wolves. 

As the sky filled with a stunning array of pinks and purples from the sun sets, more of the pack joined to where Anetra waited outside. Some were still fully clothed like herself, and others were wearing just bathrobes.

Once Sasha joined where the pack gathered with Loosey and the twins in tow, the entire pack was together and ready. The sun was officially past the horizon, and the pack members started to undress and fold their clothes into neat piles on the large patio.

Anetra was a little slower in undressing herself than the others. Of course, she was used to being nude around other people since she grew up with this same ritual every month for her entire life. But she’d only been around this group for a week, so she wasn’t as ready to strip down so fast. 

As she placed her pile of clothes on the patio, Sasha walked up to her as a few wolves started to shift. She recognized some of them in their wolf forms. Marcia was a blonde wolf with a long body and matching long legs. Luxx next to her was almost completely black with tips of brown on their tail and paws. 

The others shifted around her, and Sasha put a reassuring hand on her shoulder “I’m so glad you’re joining us tonight. It’s going to be a great full moon.” She smiled and found a space to start shifting. 

Anetra made the mistake of looking at Sasha’s nude body for too long. Now she had to shift before Sasha noticed the blush growing on her cheeks.

After shifting into her wolf, she looked at Sasha again as she gathered everyone in their wolf forms. Sasha’s wolf form was just as stunning as her human form. She stood taller than most of the other pack, her fur was thick and dark, with patches of brown around her eyes and ears and a few more along her body. 

The pack was led further into the forest by Aura and Jax in their dark gray wolf forms. The majority of the pack is scattered throughout the middle. Anetra followed towards the back of the group and looked through the other wolves in front of her. 

Anetra realized how Sasha could easily tell she was a desert breed of wolf. She looked distinct from the rest of the pack, her fur had the most red in it and her stature was slightly smaller than the rest. Desert wolves needed to blend in with their surroundings more often than other wolf types, as humans were more likely to be in their area than in a forest. 

Anetra wondered why Sasha hung around the back of the pack alongside her as they walked. Was Sasha worried that Anetra would attempt to escape? The other Alphas she has known have always led the pack from the front, not the back. She tried to remember to ask about it later to someone else if this was a normal thing or not.  

The group ended up making it to a clearing in the forest. The clearing was in a slight valley, and the wolves started to fill in the clearing under the moonlight. Sasha joined them in the middle and let out a robust howl, and the other wolves howled along with their alpha. 

Anetra watched from where she sat by a tree on the outskirts of the clearing. Some wolves were chasing each other around the trees, and others were play-wrestling with each other. She felt content with seeing the others as their wolves but felt apprehensive about joining the playing. 

Anetra was invited to be with the pack, but she wasn’t a part of the pack. So she quietly watched the others as she sat just outside the small valley, unsure where her actual place was.

Feeling a larger body suddenly slam into her side and knock her off her feet, Anetra looked up to where she got pinned down to see Sasha on top of her. Sasha had a bemused look in her eyes and quickly got off her and bowed her body as her tail wagged in the air. 

Sasha wanted to play with her. This fearless and strong Alpha wanted to play with Anetra. 

Sasha quickly turned and started darting around the trees, and Anetra gave in and chased her. They weaved through the other wolves until Anetra caught up to her and tackled her down. The two took turns as each tried to pin the other down to prevent escaping. Anetra found a  quick exit and tried to run off, but Sasha gave a sharp bark to the pack. 

Anetra was pinned to the ground by the rest of the pack, all piling on top of her one by one. Sasha eased in as Anetra struggled to move, taking a seat in front of her muzzle, soaking in the victory.

 If Anetra was in her human form, she would have been tearing up by now. She felt like she was part of a pack again. 

At least for tonight, she was.

As the sun rose over the forest in the morning, the pack woke up in their human forms. They were all scattered around the clearing, wherever they had fallen asleep after their full moon run wore them out of their energy. 

The morning sun’s rays hit Anetra’s eyes, forcing her awake. She forgot that she fell asleep facing the east in the large clearing but was used to the desert where she had no trees to shield the sun. As she started to feel the rest of her limbs wake up, she felt another pair of arms and legs entangled with her own. 

Anetra still had yet to pry her eyes open but felt the warmth from the other body facing her. She felt soft skin and hands from the person, and Anetra felt like whoever she was sleeping next to from that night was her home. She hadn’t had a home in months, and this feeling was both terrifying and comforting all at the same time. 

Slowly opening her eyes and adjusting to the bright sun, Anetra looked at the person she slept soundly alongside after the full moon run. 

Sasha was still sleeping in front of her, with the sun illuminating from behind her. The sun highlighted the red tints in Sasha’s hair, creating a warm glow around the alpha. Anetra took a few minutes to watch the alpha as the rest of the pack continued to sleep in the shade of the trees. 

Anetra felt deeply for the Alpha the more time she spent with Sasha. She’d only felt this way for one other wolf in her life, and that ended in devastation and isolation for herself. 

 She couldn’t risk doing it again to Sasha and this pack that took her in, they didn’t deserve it. 

Anetra had to get out as soon as she could, she couldn’t hurt anyone else. She had to keep traveling, no matter if it tried to kill her again. 

She got pulled from her thoughts as Sasha stirred awake and gracefully opened her green eyes to look directly at Anetra. Her soft hands continued to hold Anetra’s as the rest of her limbs stretched and straightened out. She inched her head closer to Anetra’s and pressed their foreheads together lightly.

“I’m so glad you joined us last night. I haven’t played like a pup like that in ages.” Sasha said with a grogginess in her voice but still tried to stay quiet. 

Anetra sat up, untangling herself from Sasha, but didn’t want to let go of her hands “It was fun, I liked it too.” she said, slightly nervous. She looked around as Sasha sat up with her, seeing the other pack members start to wake up too. 

She needed to tell Sasha that she was going back to her travels, she at least owed her that. 

“Can we talk later? I need to tell you something.” Anetra said, avoiding eye contact with the Alpha.

Sasha smiled, “Of course, I wanted to talk to you about something too. Can you meet with me in my study after breakfast?” She asked Anetra, eyes looking earnest.

Anetra nodded and swallowed her nerves before answering, “Yeah, I’ll meet you there.”

During breakfast, Anetra pushed down her nerves and ate with the pack, keeping to herself. She felt too anxious to eat anything but had to eat something before she left. Starvation was what brought her into this pack, she had to be careful with her food rationing from now on. 

After helping clean the table and kitchen, Anetra knew what she had to do next. She took deep breaths as she found Sasha in her study, standing in the middle of the room and waiting for Anetra.

Sasha smiled brightly at her and led her to sit on the loveseat together as she quietly shut the door. “Do you mind if I go first? I’ve just been excited to ask you this.” 

Anetra felt her heart beat faster, as this was not how she expected this conversation to go. “Ask me what?” she almost choked out. 

“I’ve been thinking about you and this pack for the past few days, and this pack has been feeling more together since you’ve been staying with us. That’s why I wanted you to join us during the full moon, and I’m really glad you were there with us. We haven’t felt that close as a pack in a while.” Sasha explained. “The point is, I wanted to ask you something important.” 

Anetra felt her nerves rising in her throat but tried to keep her voice even “What is it?”

“If you would join this pack permanently,” Sasha asked, patiently waiting for Anetra’s answer. 

The nerves and memories came flooding back to Anetra as she remained silent. The pain she had caused before, Sasha didn’t deserve that. Nobody did. This choice would be hard for her, but Sasha needed to hear an answer.

If she said no, Sasha might never forgive her for leaving.

If she said yes, she would eventually have to tell Sasha what happened in her old pack. But if she did that, Sasha probably wouldn’t want her near the territory.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Sasha reached over and wiped a stray tear that Anetra didn’t even realize she was crying. 

Taking a shaky breath, Anetra looked at Sasha, hands wringing each other out of nerves “I-I don’t think you want me in this pack, Sasha. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt.”

Sasha tilted her head, looking more concerned, “What do you mean?”

“I’m the reason my old pack’s home got destroyed by humans.” 

Chapter Text

Six Months Ago

Anetra was wandering around the outskirts of her pack’s territory, looking for a plentiful berry bush to collect from. She liked it when the Alpha gave her chores that didn’t require anyone else’s help. Most of the time, she was with overbearing Betas who’d get onto her if she didn’t do something ‘the right way.’ 

Settling for a plum tree with plenty of ripe fruit, she started picking one by one to fill her woven basket, lost in her thoughts. Finding one that’s the perfect color and size but a little out of her reach.

Anetra stood on her tip-toes and stretched enough to grasp the plum. But she felt another warm hand on the plum and realized she wasn’t alone.  She let the other person take it off the stem since they seemed to grab it more easily. 

“Are you sure you don’t need it? Your basket is looking a little empty.” said a female voice, and Anetra looked to see a taller woman who held the plum in her hand and a smirk on her face. 

“I just started not too long ago. I’ve got plenty of other places to look.” Anetra lied. She’s been looking for a couple of hours but has not had much luck this late in the season. She knew she needed to return with a full basket, or Alpha would punish her for not providing enough for the pack.

“Have you checked the pomegranate trees on the  eastern side?” The woman asked, and Anetra shook her head since that was too close to another pack’s territory. Anetra realized this woman was another wolf, a strong Beta that was probably from the other pack. 

“Are you from the pack on the east side of the oasis?” she asked. 

The woman nodded and continued picking from the higher branches.“My sister and I traveled here two years ago after our parents passed away. The Alpha took us both into his pack.” 

Anetra looked at her basket and saw how empty it looked. “I need to get going, but it was nice talking to you.” She looked at the woman again and saw her blue eyes shine in the desert sun before heading to where the prickly pears grew. 

“Wait, I never got your name!” the woman called to her as Anetra walked away. 

Anetra spun around, “It’s Anetra.” she called back as she continued gathering the fruits for her pack. 

When Anetra was walking the trail back to her pack’s territory, she found a note with her name and a slight covering under the plum tree from that morning. She moved the cover on the ground to reveal a small pile of six pomegranates, which would fill the rest of her basket. 

Turning over the note, Anetra smiled as she read what the woman from earlier wrote. 

Good thing it’s still pomegranate season.
Maybe I’ll see you around again.
-Daya.

Daya was correct, she and Anetra did see each other several times around the area where the plum trees grew. Anetra kept returning to the same spot where she met Daya, but eventually, the plum trees stopped producing for the season. The pomegranate trees were too far into the other pack’s territory, but Anetra and Daya started meeting by the area of prickly pear cacti. 

“So you’re the oldest out of your siblings?” Daya asked her when they were picking prickly pears together one day. 

Anetra nodded, “I am, I have two sisters and one brother.” Anetra was always the shy and quiet wolf in her pack, but something inviting about Daya felt easy to open up to. “Is your sister younger or older?” she asked.

“She’s about two years older than me. But most people don’t believe it since I’m taller than Crystal.” Daya let out a small laugh. 

The two always had a small talk as they gathered the fruits in their separate baskets. Sometimes Daya would sneak her fruits into Anetra’s basket when she thought the other girl wasn’t looking. 

The sun was getting closer to setting, and both had to return to their respective territories earlier than usual due to the full moon that night. 

“I hope you have a good full moon run tonight. I’ll see you later.” Anetra smiled and started to turn around but felt Daya’s hand on her elbow. 

“Wait, I want to see you tonight. I want to see you in your wolf form.” Daya said, looking serious.

“You do?” Anetra asked, feeling a mix of flattered and surprised.

Daya nodded “Can you meet me by the plum trees again? It’s secluded enough that others won’t see us together.” 

So she agreed to Daya’s request. After all of her packmates were shifted and made it to their normal area in the territory during the full moon, Anetra snuck away and made it to the plum trees. 

She felt the cooled sand in her paw pads as she sat and waited for Daya. The desert got a chill during nighttime about this time of year, and her fur wasn’t made for it most of the time. 

Anetra saw another wolf coming in from the east and realized this wolf was Daya. Daya was a tall and muscular dark gray wolf with amber eyes. Her eyes looked mesmerizing to Anetra, and she wanted to look at them all night. 

Anetra spent the rest of the full moon with Daya. They played and chased each other around the trees. They hunted together, and Daya caught a rabbit for the two to share. 

By the end of the night, the two were lying next to each other, looking at the shining stars and bright moon above them. Daya’s warmth next to her lulled her to sleep, and Anetra never felt more at home being away from her pack. 

Daya was still asleep when Anetra woke up, with her head on the other woman’s chest. Eventually, Daya woke up too, and they both returned in time to their packs. 

As she watched Daya walk away further into the east side of the desert, Anetra had one thought that kept recurring in her mind as she made it back to her pack.

She could see Daya as her future mate and hoped Daya felt the same way. 

Weeks continued to fly by, and Anetra and Daya kept the same routine as usual. They gathered from bushes and trees, chatted about themselves, and left at sundown. 

The new part of their routine included sneaking kisses and holding hands during breaks when they sat under the shady trees. 

“Where were you yesterday? I missed seeing you.” Daya said as she saw Anetra appear from her walk over the hill and closer to the berry bushes where Daya was already filling her basket.

“My heat came in yesterday, I couldn’t come by.” Anetra sheepishly said. 

She knew that her heat would come up in conversation with Daya eventually, but it was still a topic she was apprehensive about talking about just yet. 

“Why didn’t you tell me your heat was coming up?” Daya asked, looking over to her as Anetra kept her eyes downcast at the picked-over bush. “I could have helped you out during it.”
Anetra felt her cheeks heat up and moved to another bush, “But we’re not mates.” she pointed out. 

“But aren’t we in a courtship?” Daya countered. Even though their relationship just stayed a secret between the two, this was technically a courtship, as Anetra figured. 

Anetra shrugged and gave a small nod, “I guess we are, What does that have to do with it?”

Daya stepped closer to her and gently held her hand that was searching for berries. Anetra looked up into Daya’s stormy blue eyes, waiting for her to speak. 

“The step after courtship is mates. We can be mates one day, then we wouldn’t have to keep sneaking around like this.”

Anetra’s heart sped up once she heard the word mates. It was inconvenient at best to go all the way to the berry patches to spend time with Daya. But if they were mates, they wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“But what about our packs? What will they do when we tell them we plan to be mates?” Anetra asked. 

Daya thought for a moment. “We won’t tell them until afterward. If you tell your pack now, they will never let you out of their sight. They don’t want you to be courting someone from the rival pack.” she pointed out. 

Anetra nodded, agreeing. “So when will we mate, then?” 

“I think we’ll be ready by your next heat. I’m ready to make you mine, officially.” 

They had a few months to work out everything, but Anetra was beaming with excitement when she left the berry patch late that afternoon. She and Daya will be mates soon, and she couldn’t wait.

  
The next few months dragged on, but the evening before Anetra’s next heat was finally upon them. Daya found an abandoned underground dwelling on the outskirts of Daya’s pack territory that they would spend the night in and then all day until Anetra’s heat was over. 

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be on your territory?” Anetra asked as Daya led her by the hand through the small doorway. The house was small but had all of the essentials. There was a bed, a kitchenette, and a restroom. The lights flickered on but stayed a dim yellow shade.

“You’ll be a part of my pack soon anyways, so might as well start now.” Daya shrugged. 

The two decided that since Daya was a higher ranking in her pack, they would live on her pack’s territory. Anetra felt a twinge of sadness when she thought about leaving her family and her pack soon, but she felt excited about having a mate and starting a new life. 

They soon settled into the house, placed some food in the kitchenette, and found some blankets to put on the bed.  They lay facing each other, fingers gently laced together and their limbs entangled. 

Anetra felt Daya press their lips together and press their foreheads gently, eyelashes nearly touching. “Goodnight, I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she said. 

She felt her eyelids grow heavy and muttered, “Me too, goodnight.” as she drifted off to sleep in her future mate's arms. 

Except when Anetra woke up the following day, Daya wasn’t there. 

The taller woman wasn’t in the bed next to her, not in the bathroom or kitchenette. Daya wasn’t there, but Anetra’s heat came in on time. 

Anetra peeled herself out of the bed, ignoring anything her body tried to tell her. She went to the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Then she remembered that it was able to lock from the outside.  

She was alone and stuck in here. But Daya probably left for a moment but will be coming back soon, right?

After hours of waiting and ignoring her heat worsening, Anetra realized that Daya wasn’t coming back. 

Giving into her body’s desires, she quickly threw off her clothes and slid a hand in between her legs. 

She wasn’t getting a mate today. She was left alone in unfamiliar territory, in an old house with faulty lighting. Part of her wished that she never met Daya in the first place.

Eventually, her heat subsided after an afternoon of constantly touching herself until she was too exhausted to continue. Luckily Daya left the food, which helped Anetra regain her strength as she put fresh clothes on.

The door being forced open made Anetra jump and saw a silhouette of a large male Alpha barging into the small dwelling.

 But what surprised her was Daya was next to him. Daya’s eyes usually held kindness, but now they looked icy and cold.

“That’s her. That’s the omega that’s been following me nonstop for months!” Daya pointed to Anetra, her voice brimming with anger. “She must have found a way to hide in here.”

Anetra knew immediately that this wasn’t the Daya she knew. But she was in the presence of a strong Beta and an Apha, she had no voice in this situation. 

The Alpha silently walked up to Anetra sitting on the bed, and grabbed her harshly by the upper arm. She winced as his rough voice almost deafened her “I recommend you go back to your kind before they don’t want you anymore.” and threw her towards the door. 

Slowly getting up, she quietly crept outside and stood at the side of the dwelling. She had to get an explanation from Daya. She at least owed her that. 

She watched as the Alpha and Daya left the dwelling, and she grabbed Daya’s arm to get her attention. Luckily it worked, and she stared at Anetra with her arms crossed. 

“What the hell was that? You lied to me.” Anetra spat out, anger overtaking her. 

“You fell right into my trap. It’s simple, My pack needed more land, so we found an omega that wasn’t mated, and then the rest was easy.” Daya tilted her head mockingly “Did you really think I would be your mate?

“What do you mean?” 

“I lured you over to my territory, and Alpha had a reason to get the humans involved. So he told them about a group of squatters on the west side, and they went over with bulldozers and cranes this morning when I locked you inside.”

Anetra felt the blood drain from her face, as the realization that she needed to see this for herself.

 “I need to go,” she said, before finding a place to take her clothes off quickly and shift. She ran across the hot sand and rocks as fast as she could, carrying her clothes in her mouth.

She made it back to her home, she wished she never returned. 

Everything was ruined. Her family’s home, the schoolhouse, the main cabin, and everything was in shambles on the ground. She knew that it was all her fault.

She shifted back and put her clothes safely under a rock. Finding some members of the pack, they all stared at her in disgust and disappointment. 

The pack Alpha emerged from the crowd, “This is your fault. Our home is destroyed, and it’s from your doing, getting involved in another pack.” he snarled at her. 

Anetra felt like she was two inches tall. “I’m ready to be punished, Alpha,” she asked, bowing her head. 

“Death.” he simply said, as two of the lead Betas of the pack shifted, and started growling at her.

Anetra looked up, “What?” she questioned, and one of the wolves reached out and clawed at her face, slashing through her left eye. 

Her only option to survive was to run. She ran as fast as she could as she shifted mid-run. Being a smaller wolf was her benefit right now. She ignored the pain in her eye as she ran in a zigzag until she found a small cave hidden in the sand to hide out. 

The Beta eventually gave up for the time being and left. She was relieved to be alive but needed to create a plan.

Her only plan was to be a solo wolf for the rest of her life, no pack would ever accept her again.

“The offer still stands,” Sasha said after Anetra finished her story. The Alpha held Anetra’s hand in her left hand and the tissue box she picked up a few minutes ago in her right. 

Anetra looked up from wiping her teary eyes “Are you sure? I hurt my entire pack from a stupid mistake I made. I understand if you change your mind.”

Sasha nodded. “I’m more than sure. She took advantage of you, and you didn’t deserve that. None of that was your fault.”  

Anetra took a deep breath, “Is it okay if I think about it for a couple of days? I’m not sure if I’m ready yet.” 

“Take all the time you need, I’ll be here once you’re ready to tell me.”

Chapter Text

Anetra spent the next several days avoiding Sasha like the plague. She didn’t have an answer to Sasha’s offer yet, but seeing Sasha made her want to stay forever. 

But avoiding Sasha made Anetra miss spending time with the Alpha even more. 

The only thing Anetra could do to keep her mind off Sasha’s offer was to keep herself busy. So she worked all over the territory with the other pack members. 

She tried hunting, but she could only manage to kill the small prey instead of the bigger bucks like the pack needed. 

Then she tried working in the garden but quickly realized that she didn’t have as much of a green thumb as the others,

She then tried to work every odd job on the territory. Collecting water from the spring, checking the chicken coop for eggs, foraging for mushrooms and berries, but none of the jobs outside the main cabin could keep her mind distracted enough.

As a quick last resort, Anetra started helping Salina with cooking in the kitchen. It wasn’t her first choice since she would be in the main cabin and likely run into Sasha much more often than she would like. 

But after helping cook dinner for the pack, Anetra realized her love for cooking. She grew up watching her parents cook and share meals with her old pack. She and her siblings helped roll lumpia for big gatherings, and she learned different skills in the kitchen.

She loved cooking for a pack again. Salina even let her lead in making one of the pack dinners and cooked a large pan of chicken yakisoba. Turns out that a big batch of fried noodles was a good crowd-pleaser for her first time cooking for the pack. 

“Do you think these tomatoes are still good?” Salina asked her one day, going through the storage bin of their produce. A woven basket filled with harvested foods from the garden sat on the counter, ready to be put in the pantry.

Anetra looked over to the slightly darkened tomato that Salina held up for her to examine. “It looks fine to cook, but I wouldn’t serve it raw,” she said as she worked on preparing the vegetables for dinner that evening. 

Anetra liked working alongside Salina. She listened to Salina talk while they cooked or cleaned the kitchen, and Salina would often ask her small things about herself. Nothing too invasive, just enough to make conversation, which Anetra appreciated. 

She found only one downside to working in the kitchen so far. Whenever Sasha walked through, Anetra found herself hiding in the pantry until the other woman left the kitchen.  
“Do you know how much rice we have left? I wanted to make some chicken adobo for tomorrow-” Anetra’s question was interrupted, hearing footsteps turning the corner nearby. 

She looked up and put down the knife on the cutting board. “I’ll just go check on it myself.” she quickly said, turning towards the pantry door. 

“You don’t have to hide, I’m not Sasha.” Loosey’s voice entered the room as the blonde stopped at the counter in front of Anetra. 

Anetra released the breath she didn’t know she was holding as Salina stood up from her spot on the floor.

“Sasha went with Robin and Amethyst into the city this morning, so she’s gone for the day,” Loosey said, looking through the basket. 

Anetra sighed, “I was hoping it wasn’t that obvious.” she said as she put the chopped carrots into a bowl. 

“Girl, it’s been so obvious to all of us. Since the full moon the other night, you’ve been avoiding Sasha all over!” Salina walked to stand next to Loosey, leaning on the counter. 

“Has she said anything about it?” Anetra asked the blonde. 

Loosey shook her head, “No, but she’s been staying in her study most of the time. I’m glad she went to the city, I think she needed to get out of the territory for a break.” 

Anetra realized that probably was why avoiding Sasha was easier than she expected. But it didn’t make her feel relieved. 

“Did something happen after the full moon?” Salina asked. 

Anetra took a deep breath before speaking again “She invited me to stay with the pack. Like, to stay here permanently.”

Loosey and Salina looked at each other with matching excitement and looked back at Anetra. “So you’re part of the pack now? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Loosey asked, leaning forward in her excitement. 

Anetra felt her chest tighten slightly at the women’s reactions to her possibly staying permanently. She wanted to lie and say yes, but she had to tell them the truth.

She slowly shook her head “I haven’t given her an answer yet.” she watched the faces before her fall in disappointment. 

“You haven’t?” Loosey asked. “That explains why you’re both avoiding each other. I don’t think she wants to pressure you,” she said empathetically. 

Salina nodded her head in agreement “Sasha normally never lets in guests. I’ve been here since the beginning of the pack and it’s a strict rule that she’s always followed.”

“How did everyone find this pack, then?” Anetra asked. 

“Some of us traveled here, and others found out through word of mouth,” Loosey explained. “But we all came here for a better life, in one way or another.” she dug through the basket and pulled out a few bunches of herbs and aloe vera leaves at the bottom. “I need to restock the medicines in the infirmary, but I’ll see you two later.”

Anetra stayed quiet as Salina started emptying the rest of the basket as Loosey turned the corner and watched back upstairs. 

“She’s right. I can’t tell you which decision to make, but this pack is the best thing to happen to a lot of us here.” Salina said as she left Anetra to stay with her thoughts for the rest of the afternoon. 

Later that evening, Anetra watched the pack fill into the dining room as they all took their seats at the long table. She caught Sasha walking in and finding her seat at the head of the table. Anetra’s old seat to her right sat empty, as it did all week. 

She had to stop avoiding the Alpha at some point, so she might as well start now. 

After helping finish putting the food on the table for everyone to share, Anetra looked at the empty seat and took a deep breath before walking toward the head of the table. 

Sasha looked at her in slight surprise as Anetra took her seat but gave her a polite nod as a greeting. The two found themselves in an awkward silence as the rest of the room was filled with seemingly mindless chatter. 

“How was the city today?” Anetra asked before putting a forkful of food into her mouth. 

“It wasn’t too busy, I think it’s because we have a few more weeks until the summer starts,” Sasha responded.  Small talk was a good first step for them to talk again, especially since they both seemed to be avoiding each other. 

“Does the city get busy in the summer?” Anetra knew this area was a bit more populated by humans than the desert, but the territory was several miles away from the city.

“It’s big with the tourists, so we don’t go as often during that time,” Sasha explained. “There’s still some quiet spots we like to go to.” 

As excruciating as this small talk was, Anetra was glad to be able to talk to Sasha again. But they were luckily able to catch up with each other as they spoke through the dinner while avoiding the obvious. 

Anetra wasn’t sure if she was ready to give Sasha an answer just yet during dinner, but she knew what the answer she wanted to give.

She just wasn’t sure if it was the right answer for herself. 

For the first time since staying in the main cabin, Anetra couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position to drift off to sleep. 

Her mind felt even more restless than her body. Her thoughts were racing as she tried to take her mind to a more peaceful place but with no such luck.

Anetra gave up on trying to sleep after a couple of hours of trying to chase any bit of rest. Sighing, she got out of bed and walked to turn on the light. She didn’t spend much leisure time in this room, so exploring wasn’t something she had the chance to do. 

The Omega looked around the room and found a small bookcase that she always passed by, but never took the time to look at the books. Sitting cross-legged in front of the shelves, Anetra examined the titles on the spines of the books. 

She picked a random book off the shelf and sat in the small armchair nearby. Upon opening the book, she realized the collection must have been originally from Sasha’s study. The margins were filled with Sasha’s delicate handwriting. Some blurbs were small notes and others were lengthy thoughts. 

 After flipping through a few books, Anetra settled on a book about different dynamics in a wolfpack. The first few chapters covered the roles of a Beta, and why they were an important element to Alphas and Omegas. 

Flipping to the section about Alphas, Anetra’s curiosity grew. She had heard about a variety of Alphas how they led a pack, and how they treated the rest of the pack. She found a chapter about an Alpha’s leadership, and started reading through a paragraph, but then noticed a simple annotation that Sasha wrote out. 

No wolf is worth leaving behind.

Reading through the paragraph, the author wrote about Alpha’s during a full moon. Traditionally, an Alpha will lead the pack from the front, with everyone else trailing behind. Packs with elderly or weaker wolves often get lost during a run at this time. But some Alphas are choosing to lead their pack from the back, with their strongest Betas leading the way. 

Anetra realized her questioning of why Sasha walked alongside her during the full moon. Sasha didn’t want her to be left behind. Sasha’s already been treating her as part of the pack since she arrived. 

Closing the book and leaving it on the bed, Anetra knew what she had to do.

Anetra wasn’t surprised to see the light still on in Sasha's study. She found the Alpha reading a book by the lampshade like she did several nights before. 

“Are you busy?” She asked quietly, slowly pushing the door inwards. 

“For you, I’m never too busy.” Sasha smiled and set the book next to her Camille tea. 

“It’s about your offer, I’m ready to talk about it.” Anetra sat in the space on the loveseat as Sasha nodded at her to continue. 

“I’m going to stay here, I want to stay with the pack.”

Sasha’s sleep-deprived eyes brightened “You’re staying permanently?” 

Anetra nodded, “This is the pack I’m meant to be with.” she smiled sincerely. 

Sasha grinned and held both of Anetra’s hands in her own. Her gentle but firm hold on her hands felt like she (and the pack) was her home now. 

“I can’t wait to tell the rest of our pack.”

Chapter Text

“I think Irene wants some of her clothes back.” 

Anetra looked up from the book she was reading to see Sasha looking through the drawers in her bedroom. Sasha let her borrow some of the books from her collection to do some reading in her free time. 

“Is that why she kept staring at me during dinner?” Anetra asked, sliding a bookmark into the book before closing it. 

“Probably, and the shirt you wore today is from her sister,” Sasha said as she sat on the edge of the still-made bed. “I know her size is the closest to yours, but we need to get you your own wardrobe.”

Anetra nodded in agreement. She’s been officially part of the pack for a few weeks, so it’s about time she replenishes her clothes again.

“I believe Luxx and Marcia are going into the city tomorrow. Maybe you can join them and go do some clothes shopping?” Sasha offered. 

Anetra pursed her lips in thought for a moment. She did feel comfortable with the rest of the pack now, but she felt uneasy about going into the city. She hadn’t been near humans in several months, so she wasn’t sure how it would make her feel. 

“Maybe I can go with them tomorrow. Does it get busy in the city? Like, a lot of the humans in one place type of busy?” she rambled out. 

The Alpha gave her an empathetic look, “If it’s too much, I can go with you tomorrow if that would help.” 

“Really? You would do that?” Anetra asked, perking up from her seat. 

“Yes, it’s no problem. Maybe I can take you to all the clothing stores while Luxx and Marcia go to sell at the Farmer’s Market.” Sasha thought out loud. 

Anetra visibly relaxed and smiled, “I can’t wait to spend the day with you, then.” 

A few days later, Anetra watched through the window of the pack’s vehicle as the scenery changed from the dense forest to the bustling city. She’d only been in a car a handful of times since her original pack lived so close to the nearest city anyway. 

She watched the other cars pass by or the pedestrians walking along the sidewalk once they were in the city. At one point, she saw a restaurant playing live music, and she excitedly looked at Sasha next to her. 

“Can we go there later?” Anetra pointed to the open door of the establishment, amplified guitar playing into the street. Not that she was interested in staying there all day, but it was just a new experience for her. 

“If you don’t think it’ll be too busy.” Sasha pointed out in a caring tone. “There are some nice quiet spots that I think you would like.”

After they helped unload the truck bed and set up the vegetable stand, Sasha led Anetra to the nearby downtown area. The younger woman looked up at the tall buildings as they walked down the street. 

“Here’s a good place to start,” Sasha told her as they walked through the automatic sliding glass doors. The store was crisp and clean, with organized clothes on racks and tables. 

They searched the store for anything in the correct size and spent most of the time in the fitting rooms. After checking out many basics, Anetra still didn’t feel like any pieces they bought were hers. 

After a couple more stores, both women held a bag in each hand. “I feel like that was a pretty successful trip, don’t you think?” Sasha asked her. 

Anetra nodded, “Yeah, I’m glad I have my own clothes again,” she said with a small smile. 

“Well, I have one more store I want to show you,” Sasha said as she led Anetra to an older storefront that most pedestrians walked past. Walking inside, Anetra felt more at home at this small thrift store than at the department stores that she visited earlier. 

“Why are we here?” She asked as Sasha started looking at the first circular rack. 

“Because we need to find something that’s yours, and not a bunch of tee shirts and leggings,” Sasha said, looking at a brightly colored sweater. “What’s a better option than something that someone else loved before?” 

It was like Sasha knew exactly what was missing from the beginning. Anetra gave her one last glance before looking at the next rack.
 

“I think this is my new favorite thing I’ve ever owned,” Anetra said as she showed off her newly worn leather jacket as she and Sasha stood outside the thrift store. Anetra found it hung in the men's section between going to the fitting room. Once her eyes laid on it, she instantly knew that it was meant to be hers. 

Sasha smiled with her as she watched Anetra gleefully look at herself in the store window’s reflection.  “I love it. I think it suits you.”

Anetra turned back to her, “What’s next?” She was starting to feel more comfortable in the city as long as she was with Sasha.

“We need to get some more feed for the chickens, and then the Farmer’s Market should be closing soon,” Sasha explained as she led Anetra down the street to the nearby farm supply store. 

As they turned the corner to get to the street they were looking for, Anetra felt a larger body bump into her side. She turned to apologize to the man who passed her for not paying attention but instead got a sinking feeling in her stomach. 

The only thing her instincts were telling about this man was that he was also a wolf. He stared back at her, slightly tilting his head. She felt like time was standing still as she tried to figure out why her instincts made her panicked and uneasy. 

“Netra?” she turned to catch up to Sasha when she heard her name as the man disappeared into the crowded street.  

Following Sasha to the other end of the downtown area, both entered the local farm supply store. As they walked towards the back of the store, Anetra noticed a peeping noise.

“What’s that noise?” she asked out loud as Sasha was scanning over the shelf for the right product. 

“They probably have the chicks out for the spring,” Sasha answered as she pulled the bag of feed off the shelf and balanced it on her hip as she carried it. “We can go take a look at them if you want.” 

“Can we?” Anetra asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement. She liked watching smaller animals in the wild while she was traveling, but most hid away once they noticed a wolf was nearby. 

Anetra stood close to the fenced-off set of different brooders. She read the labeled breeds of chicks on the signs as Sasha spoke to an employee. Guinea fowls, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, she skipped to the end of the brooders to see what other chicks they had. 

She didn’t have to read the sign to see what she was looking at. Peeking into the metal brooder, there was a small flock of brown-speckled ducklings. Some were splashing in the shallow bowl of water, while others were sitting close to the heat lamp. 

Watching the ducklings reminded her of the ducks that would flock to the oasis in the desert while she was still with her old pack. They would live in the area for a few winter months before migrating back to the north. Anetra always looked forward to the upcoming winter season every year while living in the desert.

As much as Anetra loved and appreciated being a part of her new pack, watching the ducks in the oasis was the only part of her old life that she missed. 

“Are you ready for us to go?” Sasha’s voice pulled her attention away from the ducklings. She held a small folded box with several small holes. Anetra didn’t even notice that the Alpha picked out some chicks to buy. 

Anetra nodded as she stepped away from the barrier, “Which ones did you get?” She secretly hoped that Sasha picked out some ducklings that Anetra didn’t notice were there. 

“I got some Guinea chicks. Last summer, our territory had a terrible tick problem, so I’m hoping these guys help take care of it.” Sasha said as they walked to the cash register.

“Oh.” was all Anetra said, slightly disappointed that she was leaving the ducklings at the store. But she was also glad they would return home soon, where she felt the same sense of comfort as her past days at the oasis in the winter.

 After dinner that evening, Anetra was found in Sasha’s study before the Alpha entered the room. She looked carefully through all the books on the shelves and read through all the titles on the spines. 

“What are you looking for?” Sasha asked her as she gathered her latest research project from the desk.

Anetra turned around and sat in the loveseat as she watched Sasha tidy up around her study. “Do you know if any wolves live in the cities?” she blurted out, waiting for Sasha’s answer.

Sasha thought for a moment “Sometimes they can have small packs in the city, and they can go outside the city for full moons.” she explained as she picked a book off the shelf.

“Do you ever notice other wolves when you go into the city?” Anetra asked as Sasha opened the book and found her last set of notes in the margins.  

“Sometimes, but it’s something that I don’t notice very much anymore.” She shrugged and looked up from her book. “Did you notice anything from today?” she asked, sitting in her spot next to Anetra.

She nodded, “There was a man on the street that I bumped into, and my instincts just gave me this bad feeling when I realized that he was a wolf.” 

The Alpha gave her an empathetic smile, “You’re most likely still a bit more sensitive to outside wolves right now than the rest of us,” she explained. 

“You think so? But my instincts gave me this panicked feeling when I saw him.” Anetra responded.

Anetra felt a warm hand over her own and looked in earnest green eyes, instantly feeling calmer at Sasha’s touch. 

“Instincts can be a bit misleading sometimes. But I won’t let anything hurt you or this pack, okay?” Sasha reassured her, gently squeezing her hand. 

Anetra nodded and leaned closer to Sasha’s side. “I know, it’s just a bit scary sometimes. But I trust you.” 

Their hands stayed together for the rest of the evening as they enjoyed the rest of the quiet night together.

Chapter Text

As the weather grew warmer, Anetra spent more time harvesting in the vast garden. She usually was out picking the herbs early in the morning, before anyone else had the idea to get out of bed. 

While she pruned the cilantro’s flowers, she heard someone walking towards her. Picking off the rest of the white flowers, she looked to see which of her packmates was out at this early hour. 

“Are you busy this morning? I wanted to show you something.” Sasha said as she rested her hands on the white picket fence of the garden. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? I’ve barely seen you during the day lately.” Anetra pointed out with a playful smile. 

Over the last few weeks, Sasha said she was working on something on the territory or going into the city. She still went to dinner and spent the evenings with Anetra, but she was nowhere to be seen in the daytime. 

“I know, and I’m sorry.” Sasha empathetically said, sounding sincere. “But I was preparing a surprise for you, and it needed to take some time.”

“A surprise?” she asked, her attention away from the garden now. “What is it?” 

Sasha opened the gate door, holding it open, “Come with me, and I’ll show you.” 

Following Sasha down a small footpath, Anetra saw the morning light reflecting on one of the small ponds of the territory. The pond was near the clearing of the woods where the pack spent full moon nights. 

“You’re surprising me with a pond that’s always been here?” Anetra asked as Sasha led her to sit on the overturned log. 

“Wait right here, and you’ll see what it is,” Sasha answered as she sat by her and opened her crossbody bag to dig inside. She pulled out a small tied bag and placed it in between them, opening it to reveal dried oats. 

“Put some in the water.” Sasha directed her as she sprinkled a small handful over the water, letting them float on the surface. Anetra did the same as she waited and watched.

After waiting a few moments, she saw small ripples forming in the water. Seeing something around the tree from the blocked part of the pond, Anetra felt astonished at what she saw swimming towards them. 

“How…how did you know?” she asked in shock. 

“I saw how you were looking at the ducklings when we were shopping, and they seemed special to you,” Sasha said with the most sincere smile. She sprinkled more oats in the water as the ducks hurriedly dove to eat. 

The flock were all swimming in the water, some walking up to the dry land. They were all brown and speckled, a different breed than what she had seen in the desert. Some were walking in a line towards her and Sasha, and she sprinkled some oats on the ground for them. 

“I used to watch them when I lived in the desert, but these seem more friendly.” she pointed out.

“I got them from another pack that lives on the other side of the city. They had too many on their territory, so I traded them some of our chickens.” Sasha explained as she offered a handful of oats to a duck, which happily ate from her hand. 

“I want to try that.” Anetra excitedly said, put a small amount in her palm, and offered it to a nearby duck. She felt the duck nibble against her palm as it ate the oats. She felt herself unable to stop smiling for the rest of the morning.

“You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you,” Anetra said as they ran out of oats and stood up. 

She wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline from her excitement or what, but something compelled her to show Sasha her appreciation. 

She suddenly wrapped her arms around the shorter woman’s shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug. Anetra felt Sasha stiffen for a second before melting into the embrace. She wasn’t much of a touching type, but something about Sasha felt different. 

“You are so welcome. Now let’s get ourselves some breakfast.” Sasha said as they broke from the embrace, and Anetra felt a small emptiness after the hug ended. 

A few days later, Anetra found a woven basket on the kitchen counter. The basket had a folded blanket on top, with some food containers peeking out. She felt confused since she expected to prepare dinner for the full moon, not go on a picnic.

Salina came in from the open pantry, carrying an armful of carrots with the tops still on. “Oh good, you’re back from taking out the scraps.”

 “Where did this come from? I thought we had to prep for tonight.”  Anetra asked her, pointing to the basket.

Salina gave her a knowing smile, “I can’t tell you, you’ll have to wait for Sasha for that.” she said as she got a knife and cutting board from a drawer. “Can you wash these for me?” 

“Um, sure,” Anetra responded, unsure why the Alpha had anything to do with the picnic basket.

After about a half hour of working in the kitchen, the two were interrupted by Sasha popping her head in through the doorway, “Is it ready yet?” She asked. 

“Almost,” Salina called from the other side of the counter, digging around for a metal bowl. Making her way to the fridge, she opened the door and pulled out a small bouquet in a mason jar vase. 

Anetra narrowed her eyes in confusion, “Is that why that was in there?” she asked as Salina put the vase in a secure corner of the basket.

“I thought it would be a nice touch for our picnic,” Sasha answered as she carefully took the full basket from the counter. 

“That picnic basket has enough food for everyone?” the Omega asked, looking confused.

Sasha laughed lightly, “No silly, it’s just for you and me.” She waved over Anetra to follow her, “Now come on, I’m getting hungry.”

Anetra turned to Salina, “Are you sure? We have a lot of work to do.”

“I’ve been doing this alone for years, I’ll be fine for a couple of hours,” Salina responded. “Now go and eat what I made for you two.”

“So why is it just us two here?” Anetra asked as she and Sasha set the picnic blanket on the grass. They settled near the duck pond since Anetra liked to sit and watch the ducks now that they had settled in their new home. 

Sasha shrugged, “I just thought it would be nice to have some time with you.” she smiled as she started setting out the food from the basket. As she emptied the basket, she moved it away to the side of the blanket. 

They chatted as they ate the food from the picnic. Salina outdid herself with the arrangement of food; there were different cut-up sandwiches and sliced fruit and crackers. 

“How did she know this is my favorite?” Anetra found a small bag of spicy chips set out. It could only be found in the cities, as it was one of the only human-made foods she liked.

“I might have pulled some strings and got some for this picnic,” Sasha said before biting into an apple slice.

“You’ve been planning this for a while, then.” Anetra guessed as Sasha nodded, tossing broken crackers to the ducks watching them. 

As they finished the picnic and handed the extra fruit to the ducks, they started cleaning up after themselves.

 Before putting the trash back in the basket, Anetra caught a glimpse of a folded piece of paper at the bottom of the basket. 

“What’s that?” she asked as Sasha noticed and quickly pulled the paper out, without unfolding it. 

“Oh, it’s for, um-” Sasha said nervously, fidgeting with the paper. Anetra’s seen a lot of different emotions in Sasha, but she had yet to see her nervous. 

Anetra patiently waited for an explanation, thinking that if Sasha seemed this nervous, it must have been something important. 

Sasha took a deep breath, “I have it so that I can ask you-” As she held out the paper, one of the ducks snuck up behind her and snatched it from her hand. 

Both looked at each other in shock before Sasha jumped to her feet, “Hey, give that back!”  She closely followed the duck, and Anetra carefully trailed behind. 

The duck got to the pond’s edge with the paper dangling from its beak. The paper hung barely an inch over the water’s surface. 

“Oh, don’t you even dare,” Sasha said as a warning, as the duck looked back at her before blissfully walking in the water. The water hit the corner of the paper and slowly soaked it completely as the duck floated away. 

“Shit,” Sasha said in defeat, slumping her shoulders. 

Anetra waited a moment before approaching her. “What were you going to ask me?” 

Sasha tried to smile at her, but her eyes looked sad. “Don’t worry about it, we should get going.”

For the rest of the evening, Anetra wanted to know what Sasha was going to ask her during the picnic. But it was something that she couldn’t just ask about, so they both kept to themselves until after dinner. 

They acknowledged each other during the full moon run but didn’t spend much time together as they did during the previous full moon. They glanced at each other every once in a while, but Anetra wasn’t sure if she should approach Sasha or not. 

Luckily Anetra was kept busy with the twins wanting her to join in a game of chase. The twins were closer to her size, so it was easier to keep up with them. She chased Sugar around the trees until she could catch up and play wrestle as Spice happily watched with Marcia and Luxx. 

 As much fun she was having as she played with the other pack members, it felt different from when she played with Sasha. Although she liked spending time with the rest of the pack, part of her missed being with Sasha instead. 

Anetra lay awake between Spice and Marcia as she listened to the rest of the pack sleeping. They all grew tired about an hour before and found places in the clearing to sleep. 

Giving up on sleeping, Anetra sat with her paws stretched in front of her. She listened to the nocturnal creatures scutter in the trees as they looked for food. 

A large dark wolf on the outskirts of the clearing caught her attention. She recognized the wolf as Sasha as the Alpha readjusted herself to a more comfortable position. Sasha seemed like she wasn’t able to sleep either.

Anetra carefully got up and watched her steps around the other sleeping wolves. Sasha was facing away from her, but Anetra could tell she was still awake. Gently nosing Sasha’s back, the other wolf turned her head to look at her. 

She put a paw on the ground next to Sasha, hoping she would understand that she wanted to sleep beside her. Sasha slowly wagged her tail in agreement and moved for Anetra to lie next to her. 

With Sasha curled up around her, they fell fast asleep as the full moon shone above them. 

Anetra woke up alone in the cold, dewy grass. She saw the sun peeking over the horizon as she turned around and saw that Sasha was long gone. The rest of the pack was still sleeping as she quietly tip-toed to the spare robes and put one on.

In the quiet forest, she heard two voices just outside the clearing. This piqued her curiosity and the sound of the voices led her to the duck pond. 

“Are you worried that she’s going to say no?” She saw Loosey leaning against a tree as she spoke to Sasha, sitting on the log. Anetra peeked behind a tree as she watched the two, even though this may seem like a more private conversation. 

Sasha shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe a little. What if she’s not ready for a relationship again?” 

Anetra looked back at the rest of the pack, confused about who they were talking about. She felt sadness wash over her when she thought of Sasha interested in someone who wasn’t her. She knew this was a selfish thought, but she enjoyed the time she got to spend with the Alpha. 

“The last thing I want to do is hurt her.” Sasha continued, “And I don’t want to ruin what Anetra and I have.”

Anetra felt her breath hitch when she heard her name but continued to listen. Unfortunately, her cover was blown when Loosey saw her from the corner of her eye and gave her a quick look.  The blonde said something to Sasha that she couldn’t make out before she stepped away from the tree. 

“I’m going to see if Spice is awake yet, I’ll see you later,” Loosey said as she walked back to the clearing, making a waving gesture to Anetra as she walked by. 

Anetra took that as a signal to talk to Sasha and took a deep breath to get rid of her new fond nerves. 

“Was that about what you were going to ask me yesterday?” Anetra asked as she sat next to Sasha, looking at the reflection of the water. 

Sasha sighed as she looked at Anetra, “Yes, I had it written on that paper, but the duck took it, and then I got so nervous when I couldn’t think of another plan.” she explained with a sheepish smile. 

“Then what is it that you wanted to ask me?” Anetra asked, hoping the question was what she thought it would be. 

“If you wanted to be in a courtship with me.” Sasha blurted out before her eyes went wide with the realization of what she said.

 “Sorry, I wanted that to sound a little nicer than just saying it like that. I never asked that before, but if you need some time to think about it, I’m okay with waiting.” she rambled out. 

“I don’t need time to think about it,” Anetra said, joy and relief filling her chest as the nervousness disappeared. 

“So that means?” Sasha asked, unsure of Anetra’s answer. 

My answer is yes.” 

Chapter Text

Anetra woke up at the edge of a small bed. The bed felt familiar with the wooden frame and the warm body lying next to her. She knew where she was before she even opened her eyes. 

“How’d you sneak in here again?” a groggy voice playfully asked her. As Anetra felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, she slowly opened her eyes to see Sasha sleepily gazing at her. 

“Good morning to you, too,” she teased in a response. She scooted closer to Sasha, realizing how cold the room felt. 

Sasha’s face turned concerned, “Was it another nightmare again?” she asked. 

Anetra sighed, not ready for what brought her into the safety of Sasha’s room. “How did you know?” 

“Because you only sneak into my bed when you have a nightmare or you’re in heat,” she pointed out. 

Anetra felt her face flush a bright red, “Shut up, that was only one time!” she expressed as she hid her face in Sasha’s shoulder. Her arms wrapped around her mate’s torso as she tried to ward off the embarrassment. 

Sasha playfully laughed as she stroked Anetra’s hair. Soon they slowly peeled themselves away from the warm bed as they got ready for the day. Anetra spent as much time as she could in Sasha’s room until she had to get ready herself in her bedroom.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Sasha asked like it was more of an invitation than a demand. Anetra felt grateful that Sasha would let her choose if she wanted to talk about her nightmares or not. If Anetra refused to talk about it, Sasha left it at that. 

This time, Anetra wanted to talk about her nightmare from the previous night. She knew talking about it with Sasha would ease her lingering fears.

“Do you remember the first time we went to the city and I sensed that guy we walked by was a wolf?” Anetra explained, and Sasha nodded. “He was here. Everyone was gone, and it was just him in the main cabin. I tried to find you and the rest of the pack, but I couldn’t find anyone. I tried to get in the main cabin, but he locked all the doors,”

Sasha sat next to her on the bed, putting a protective hand over Anetra’s in her lap. She didn’t realize she started shaking slightly at the memory of the nightmare. 

“You don’t have to worry about him or anyone else coming here. I’m here to protect you and the rest of our pack, and I’m not letting anyone have the chance to hurt you,” Sasha said as she squeezed Anetra’s hand in reassurance.
“You’re right, I was worrying over nothing. I wanted to make sure you're still here when I got scared.” Anetra explained as she relaxed under Sasha’s touch. 

“I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you,” Sasha pulled her closer and they sat and watched the sunrise together. The blankets were pooled on their laps as they cuddled together for some extra time alone. 

After a few minutes, both of their stomachs grumbled awake, showing their hunger. Both giggled as they pulled themselves away from each other in favor of breakfast. “Looks like I need to go now if you want to join me in making breakfast,” Anetra said. 

“You promised yesterday that you’d make blueberry muffins if the twins picked the berries. I’m holding you to that.” Sasha responded as she led them both out of the bedroom.

“We tell you this every night, you don’t have to help clean after dinner!” Robin exclaimed in a gentle tone as she took a stack of dishes from Anetra’s hands. 

“But I don’t mind helping with the cleaning, honestly.” Anetra defended herself as she tried to find a cloth to wipe off the long table. Before she was about to reach and grab one in the cabinet, another arm snatched it instead. 

“You’ve done enough, go sit with the others,” Amethyst said with a hand on her hip. 

Anetra could hear the rest of the pack chatting in the living room, but she still tried to stay and help. Sasha tried multiple times to drag her away from the kitchen after dinner, before all together giving up. 

“Just let me do something to help, anything,” Anetra said as she tried to find something that needed to be cleaned. “How about the trash?” she said, pointing to the overflowing trash can. 

Amethyst and Robin shared an exhausted look before Robin sighed, “Fine, you can take out the trash. But then you’re banned from the kitchen for the rest of the night,” She said as she pointed the whisk she was scrubbing at Anetra. 

“Deal,” Anetra said as she took the full bag out of the garbage can and tied it shut. She watched Amethyst out of the corner of her eye take out another liner to replace it. “I’ll be back soon,” She said as she walked outside. 

Anetra carefully found the path leading up to the burn barrels in the dark and placed the bag inside. A sudden noise caught her attention as she tried to focus her sight on the path back to the cabin. 

It sounded like a tree branch snap. Subtle if it was daytime, but Anetra’s instincts alerted her of potential danger. 

She tried to ignore it, remembering Sasha’s words to her that morning. She promised her safety and protection, the territory would give her just that. 

Anetra started walking on the path again, but another noise made her stop. This time, she heard heavy breathing and footsteps. 

This had to be a coyote or a family of foxes. Just some pests that needed to be run off the property. As a wolf, it was easy for her to scare off most other animals. 

Just a quick shift, chase whatever was away, and then go back inside. It would be that easy. 

Anetra found a nearby row of bushes to duck behind and change out of her clothes. Leaving her clothes in a neatly folded pile on the grass. As she focused on her shift, she couldn’t hear the voices that came closer to her. 

Now in her wolf form, her vision was sharper in the darkness, and she gave out a low growl to give whatever creature was coming closer. 

She crept to the tree line where the noise was coming from. Anetra was just about to find what animal was on the property when she was nearly blinded by a sudden bright light shining right in her eyes. 

Anetra felt disoriented as she tried to blink, shocked at the sudden light. She heard a masculine voice behind the light, “That’s the one, grab her,”

Her instincts told her to run back to the cabin, and bark and howl until help came. She wanted to do anything for help, but two strong pairs of human arms prevented her from moving.

She was pushed to the ground, with a strong body above her. She tried to kick and claw her way out, but the man wouldn’t budge. His torso was lying over her, his hands wrapped around both her front and back legs.

Anetra tried to move out of his grip every way she could find, but the man refused to budge. 

She wanted to bark endlessly, but calloused hands wrapped around her muzzle. The only thing she could do was growl, which didn’t ward off the men in the slightest. The man moved his hands, but Anetra couldn’t open her mouth. She tried to open her mouth to bite, but there was pressure on her face that hurt the more she tried. 

A cold metal brushed her nose, her eyes crossed to see a cage around her face. The men put a metal dog muzzle on her, preventing her from making any noise. She was nearing panicking now, she had no way of alerting the pack. 

Then the man wrapped something around Anetra’s neck. There was a buckle noise at the back of her head. She felt two thick prongs that stuck into her neck and a small black remote in the other man’s hand.

It was a damn shock collar. 

Anetra didn’t know what these men planned on doing with her, but she had no plans to find out alongside them.

She kept her body limp and tried to even her breathing. If she pretended to be compliant, they might put their guard down. 

Her eyes followed the man who was standing, her instincts alerted her that both men were also wolves. At first, she thought they were Betas from her old pack who were sent to track her for punishment. But after focusing on her instincts, they weren’t the same breed of desert wolf as herself. 

Anetra wondered why these strangers were targeting her, but that terrified her even more. 

She watched the man who was standing fumble with the small remote, likely controlled the shock collar. The other man seemed impatient as he stared at the rope tied into a lead in the other man’s hand. 

“What’s the hold-up?” he asked, sitting up slightly. His pressure of lying over Anetra let up slightly, but it was too soon to make a run for it. 

“The remote isn’t working,” the other man said, pressing all sorts of buttons. Anetra felt a small vibration on her neck but made no move to show that the remote worked. 

“We’ll deal with it later, hand me the harness.” The first man said impatiently, He held out a hand, letting go of Anetra’s front paws. She was closer to making a run for it but waited for the perfect chance.

Anetra heard the harness in the man’s hands as he tried to hold it to put it on her easily. It was a leather harness, well made and hard to break out of.

All four legs were free, but the man still sat over her. She didn’t growl or move, trying to keep calm. She was terrified and needed Sasha, but she couldn’t let the men know that. 

“Can you hold this part?” The man asked the other, and Anetra felt his body heat leave her side. He looked in the other direction for a quick moment, trusting Anetra to stay put. 

This was her only shot. 

She stood on all four paws as soon as possible and started running to the cabin. Faster than when she ran from her old pack, the feeling of running for her life was still just as present.

The men were catching up to her, one of them barely able to touch her tail. She started to run in a zig-zag pattern to get them to slow down. She was smaller in her wolf form, and easier to escape from others.

She needed to get away from these men at all costs. 

The men were still chasing her, but they weren’t as close as before. Anetra made it to the porch and the side door that led into the kitchen. She jumped onto stand on her back paws, scratching desperately at the door. 

She didn’t care if she left marks on the wood and scratched the paint off. She needed to get inside. A small jolt on her neck made her stop for a second, as she forgot about the shock collar on her. 

She heard the men behind her get closer. She figured that they were just reaching the steps to the porch. She whined as loud as she could and her scratching went faster and faster. 

Someone inside had to have heard her at some point, she needed the safety of her pack more than anything.

Mid-jump to regain her balance, the door was pulled open. Robin’s concerned face looked back at her, but Anetra ignored her by running inside. 

Her instincts were leading her to who she needed the most to keep her safe.

Running through the kitchen and living room, she swiftly avoided anyone who was standing in her way. If anyone was talking, she ignored them. She ignored everything around her until she reached who her instincts knew she needed for protection. 

“Who the hell did this to you?” Sasha said as Anetra finally reached her. Anetra continued to whine as Sasha looked her over, seeing the shock collar nestled in her fur. 

The collar gave her another jolt, this time more intense. Anetra figured Sasha felt it as well, as she let out a small “Ow,” when her fingers ran underneath the prongs. 

Anetra kept her head down as Sasha spoke to the rest of the pack in the room, her hands never leaving Anetra’s body. “Aura, Jax. Go check the perimeter. When you find who did this, keep them in the spare cabin until I get there,” she directed. 

Sasha changed her Alpha voice back to soft and comforting. “I’m going to take this off of you now,” Her soft hands undid the strapped buckle on the muzzle, with it soon coming loose off her muzzle. 

Sasha’s eyes changed to sympathy when she looked closer at Anetra’s muzzle, “I hope these don’t hurt you too badly.” she said softly as her thumb ran over a small scratch on her left side. 

“Can you two bring her some spare clothes?” she asked the twins nearby as her hands moved to the collar. She took her evening shawl from her shoulders and wrapped it around Anetra. 

Sasha moved to sit with her on the floor, putting Anetra in between her legs. The collar and muzzle were tossed aside as she stroked Anetra’s fur and rubbed behind her ears. She knew just where Anetra liked to be stroked in her wolf form. 

The comfort brought her into calmness again. She breathed deep along with Sasha, her head lying on her chest. She listened to the air going in and out of Sasha’s lungs. 

Soon, she felt cold again as the air conditioning hit her human-form skin. She kept her eyes closed long after her shift, wanting to keep Sasha close. 

To Anetra’s dismay, Sasha moved slightly to sit up, “I need to go take care of whoever tried to hurt you, okay?” She passed Anetra the pile of fresh clothes. The twins picked something comfortable, a worn T-shirt and sweatpants.

“But I don’t want you to go yet,” Anetra quietly protested. She wasn’t ready for Sasha to leave her yet. Anetra sat up and glanced at the others in the room, acknowledging she wouldn’t be alone. 

But she still wanted Sasha to stay with her. 

“I have to go so I can protect you and the pack. I’m the Alpha, It’s what I’m sworn to do.” Sasha explained. She noticed Anetra still frowning, and added, “I’ll make sure you never have to worry about them coming after you again.” she said as she tucked a piece of Anetra’s hair behind her ear. 

Anetra drew out a long breath, “Okay.” she simply said. Sasha kissed her on top of the head before telling Loosey to make sure the cuts on Anetra’s face wouldn’t get infected. Anetra stared at the door that Sasha walked out of for several moments, with the scent of Sasha’s wrap surrounding her. 

“You guys don’t have to stay up and wait with me all night,” 

“Don’t be silly, we want to stay with you until Sasha gets back.”

“Are you sure? It’s late and I think Loosey is out for the night,” 

Anetra pointed to Loosey, who was sitting on the floor, her head slumped onto Spice’s lap. Spice was stroking her mate’s blonde hair as she drifted off to sleep. Anetra sat in between her and Marcia on the couch, as they were the only ones left staying awake in the main cabin.  

“Yeah, us Omegas have to stick together,” Marcia said as she hooked an arm with Anetra. 

They had been waiting over two hours since Sasha left with the others. Anetra felt like she would be more of an anxious mess if she was waiting alone, so part of her was glad that Marcia and Spice waited with her.

After a few more minutes of quiet conversation, the sound of the side door opening caused a shift in their attention. Sasha walked in alone, her eyes showing how tired she was. She found her way to the nearby armchair and sighed as she dropped herself into it. 

Before anyone could ask what happened and who the men were, Sasha started explaining. “Those assholes are gone, I made sure they are never welcome here again.”

“Why were they here?” Anetra asked. The question of why they were specifically targeting her was left unsaid. 

Sasha’s eyes turned slightly sad and angry, “Your old pack put a bounty on you. They’re offering a good amount for anyone who can return you, in whatever condition, as long as you’re alive.” 

Anetra swallowed her nerves, feeling Spice tighten her grip on her hand. She was terrified to have to go back to the desert and deal with whatever her old Alpha had in store for her. 

Sasha sat up, trying to appear more like the strong Alpha she had to be, “I don’t want you going outside alone, especially at night. I can’t risk anything happening to you,” she said meeting Anetra’s eyes. 

“What about the territory?” Marcia asked.

“I’ll have some of us on a lookout, maybe get some cameras,” Sasha explained. “I don’t think those men will even try to come back, but word will spread and Anetra’s old pack will know she’s here. I can’t take any risks.” 

Soon, everyone wanted to call it a night after all the unpredicatable events from before. Marcia left for the cabin she shared with Luxx, and Spice guided a sleepy Loosey to their bedroom. 

Anetra was about to open the door to her bedroom, before feeling a pair of arms wrap around her middle. She felt Sasha’s head rest on her shoulder, “How about you move into my room?” she gently offered.

“Okay,” Anetra accepted as Sasha took her by the hand and guided her down the hall. They’d figure out how to fit Anetra’s things in Sasha’s study and bedroom in the morning, they both just wanted the day to be over. 

She needed to put all her trust into her partner and her Alpha, Sasha would be the one that would be keeping her safe. 

Chapter Text

Anetra never knew how much she hated being stuck inside. She missed the garden, the duck pond, and most of all, her walks with Sasha. 

She even missed going into the city, which was the most dangerous place for her to be now. 

“What would you like us to get from the garden?” a chipper voice pulled Anetra from her thoughts. She’s been chopping the same potato for almost five minutes, she realized.

She looked up from the cutting board to see the twins looking innocently back at her. All the pack seemed to be more gentle with her than usual. Nobody talked about her nearly getting taken away weeks before, like there was somehow an unspoken rule against it.

Anetra wasn’t sure she was even ready to talk to Sasha about it yet.

“Just some herbs are good,” Anetra told them. The twins nodded without further question, taking the small woven basket out the door with them. 

Anetra continued to chop potatoes mindlessly until she was close to running out. As she grabbed the last potato, a new voice interrupted her thoughts again. 

“What’s the potatoes for? I thought we were making pasta,” Salina said as she brought in tomatoes from the garden. 

“Oh,” Anetra said as she vaguely remembered that conversation earlier in the week. There is something about Marcia or Spice needing more carbs before their heat starts. 

 “I just kind of started and…” her voice trailed off, both staring at the massive bowl of cut potatoes.

Salina’s eyes turned sympathetic, “I’ll take care of dinner, why don’t you go with Sasha in the den?” she suggested. 

Anetra shrugged, “She’s probably busy right now,” she said as she took the tomatoes to the cutting board. 

After a few beats of silence, Anetra felt a gentle touch on her elbow. The hand slowly reached around and guided her to set the knife down. 

“I’m right here, sweetheart,” Sasha said as she guided Anetra to step back from the counter. Anetra followed her lead, “I’m never too busy for you, either,” she said gently. 

Anetra looked back at the cutting board, “But I have work to do,” she said quietly as an excuse. 

Sasha shook her head, “You need a break. You’ve been throwing yourself into working in the kitchen since…” she trailed off, unsure how to bring up the event from weeks before. “I’m worried about you, darling,” she said instead.

Anetra looked down at her empty hands, wringing them as now she had nothing to hold. “I-I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry,” she said as she squeezed her fingers. 

As she continued to look at her hands, Sasha slipped her hand in between to get Anetra’s attention. “Come with me,” she spoke in a kind yet stern tone.

Sasha led them both to their shared bedroom. Due to the bigger space, they used Anetra’s first room to sleep in a bigger bed. Sasha’s old bedroom was converted into a full study, with all her research books and a small reading corner. 

Anetra watched Sasha go into the closet, take out a large duffel bag, and toss it on the bed.  She dug around the closet for a few more minutes before popping her head back out.

“I’m going to see if anyone has an extra bag or something they can spare, I’ll be back soon,” Sasha said before quickly leaving the room. 

Anetra slowly took the bag from the bed, looking back and forth between the closet and the bag. Sasha didn’t have to tell her what to do, she knew what the bag was for. 

She couldn’t blame Sasha for kicking her out. She was the reason for the territory to be dangerous, the rest of the pack shouldn’t live in fear. 

Anetra tried to keep the thought of her living out on her own again as she stuffed the bag with clothes. She didn’t even bother folding, her frustration and anxiety rising inside her chest.

She stuffed the bag until the zipper wouldn’t budge, and she barely made a dent in her wardrobe.  

“I found one that's big enough for-” Sasha stopped in her tracks at the sight of Anetra’s lip quivering, “Oh sweetheart, come here,” she dropped the bag and opened her arms for her mate to fall into. 

“I don’t want to leave,” Anetra said in a sob, She felt tears fall onto Sasha’s shoulder as Sasha cooed sweet nothings to calm her. 

“We won’t be gone for long, and I’ll keep you safe, okay?” Sasha reassured her. “But if you'd rather stay here, we can do that too,”

Anetra sniffled, “But the pack isn’t safe if I’m-” She lifted her head off Sasha’s shoulder to look at her. “We?” she asked. 

Sasha tilted her head slightly, “I’m taking you to the lake for a couple of days, remember?” 

Anetra vaguely remembered this conversation. But then again, it was hard for her to remember much these past few days. 

“Oh, right,” she quietly said as she wiped the stray tears from her eyes. “I thought you were planning on kicking me off the territory,”

“What? I would never even think of doing that,” Sasha answered to reassure her. “You will always have a place here, I never want to see you alone again,”

They both stayed in a comfortable silence, moving to sit on the bed. Sasha gently brought their foreheads together, calmly brushing her fingers through Anetra’s hair. “Are you feeling better?” Sasha asked her. 

Anetra nodded, “I am, I don’t know why I got so upset,” she mumbled as she placed her head on Sasha’s shoulder, curling into her touch.

Sasha was silent for a long pause, and Anetra wasn’t sure if she’d respond or not. Finally, she spoke in a soft voice “You’ll be okay, I’ll make sure of it,

“When can we go swimming? The lake looks amazing from here.” Anetra said as she looked out the living room window in the small cabin. 

“Let’s unpack a bit first, okay?” Sasha said as she struggled to lift the suitcase onto the bed. Somehow the strength she had in her wolf form wasn’t something she shared in her human form. 

The lakeside cabin was courtesy of a pack from the other side of the city. At first, Anetra was concerned about crossing another pack’s territory, but Sasha assured her the opposing pack was no threat. 

“They’re one of our only allies for years. There’s an understanding between us and that pack, we provide if necessary, and we protect when necessary,” Sasha explained to her on the car ride down. 

The two spent some time in comfortable silence as they unpacked the suitcase and made the cabin their home for the next few days. They packed the fridge with the extra food they brought, especially snacks for late-night reading and studying.

“Ready for swimming?” Sasha asked her at the front door, only wearing one of the bath towels from the cabin.

Anetra looked up from her pile of books. “I can’t find our swimsuits. I could have sworn I packed them…” she scratched her head in thought, looking at the closed dresser.

“Baby, I don’t think we’re going to need them,” Sasha said with a sly wink, waving Anetra over to join her outside. 

Anetra grabbed the closest towel and followed Sasha down the pebbled path. The gravel stuck to her bare feet as the path slowly turned downwards, and the gravel met damp sand. 

“So are we just going to skinny dip?” She asked as she saw Sasha place her towel on a nearby dry log, revealing nothing underneath.

Sasha shrugged as she rolled her shoulders back, “Close, but more like a doggy paddle,” she grinned before slowly forming herself on four legs, the sound of her bones cracking and reforming into a familiar form. Black fur grew in fast layers, covering her entirely. 

Anetra heard barking and splashing as she rushed to strip her clothes off and shift into her wolf form. She wasn’t moving fast enough when she felt a large, wet furry body jump against her back.

“I’m moving, I’m moving!” she laughed as Sasha circled her until she started to shift into her wolf form. 

Swimming felt freeing as a wolf, although the only way they could move was the doggy paddle (pun unintended). Her paws grazed over the growing plants in the water, feeling the slippery algae over the rocks. 

The two wolves swam and played in the water until the sun inched closer to the horizon. The water slowly got to a cooler temperature, and both were too tired to swim any longer.

They rested on the porch as they let the afternoon sun dry off their fur. Before Anetra could think about washing herself clean, Sasha’s tongue was already over her head, stroking down to the top of her shoulder blades. They nearly fell asleep together, until they both shifted back into their human forms.

“Let’s get inside before the mosquitoes start biting us,” Sasha said a notch above a whisper, her arm still over the other’s middle. 

Anetra rolled over in response, facing Sasha as her hair laid out in messy strands on the wooden porch. She was pretty sure a splinter was close to digging into her hip, but nothing wanted her to move away. 

The next few days were similar, either they’d swim, or sit by the water as they quietly talked. Sasha seemed compelled to work on her research, not wanting to get behind on her efforts. 
Luckily the cabin was stocked with DVD’s and she couldn’t resist a night cuddling on the couch with her mate. 

By the last day, Anetra woke up to soft murmurs coming from the living room. The other side of the bed was cold and empty, and she was met with an unmade comforter.

She slowly moved her top half to the other side of the bed, seeing the door to the living room was open. Her curiosity quickly convinced her to eavesdrop on the conversation by leaning closer to hear.

“What did you tell them?” Sasha asked the person at the door. 

“We said we aren’t familiar with the name, they didn’t push any further,” the other person answered. The voice was feminine, but that was the only description Anetra could hear.

“But they know that I’ve been here?” Sasha asked with crossed arms. 

“Yes, they said they spotted another Alpha on this territory, we told them you’re here visiting me,”  The other woman answered.

Sasha paused, but her body language indicated a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Kerri. We’ll be going soon. I’m hoping they are heading in a different direction.”

“Are you sure it’s someone coming for your mate?” The woman, Kerri asked. 

Sasha looked towards the bedroom, and Anetra closed her eyes and pretended to still be asleep.

“This is something I must take seriously, especially for her.” 

Chapter Text

Weeks passed, and then the passing time turned to several months. The tension and stress among the pack slowly fell until those feelings disappeared seamlessly. Sasha eventually lifted the restrictions and rules once the fear of danger was gone. 

But even if fear is no longer present, it does not stop the danger that continues to loom nearby. 

“How’s the compost looking? The garden has been looking a little sad lately.” 

“We’re a few weeks until winter, I think the garden has had it for the year. The first frost will happen any day now.”

Anetra listened as she organized the jars in the pantry and counted what needed to be made for the upcoming winter.

“Do you guys never plant anything for the winter?” Anetra asked as she moved the jars of tomato sauce to a different shelf. “It’d be a shame to see all that space go to waste.”

Robin looked towards the light as she thought, “Not really, but we have a bunch of extra seeds in the shed.”

“The shed, where is that?” Anetra asked. 

Amethyst nearly snorted in laughter that she attempted to hold, before trying to give a serious answer, “You’ve lived here for almost a year and you haven’t noticed where to keep all the spare shit? Where do you think Sasha keeps the duck food?”

Robin gave the other woman a pointed look before giving her attention back to Anetra, “It’s on the south side; be careful of the vines with thorns. It’s a good reason nobody goes there very much, since it’s a far walk and the vines are everywhere,” Robin explained. 

By the time Anetra reached the shed, there were no thorns. The grass surrounding her looked pale and dry like the sun hadn't reached the greenery in months. She didn’t think much of it since winter was just a few short weeks away.

The dead grass crunched underneath her feet as she found the lock on the shed door. There was no mat or flower pot that the key could be hidden in. She looked above and below for any hint of where the key may be if it was nearby. 

She slowly stalked around to the backside of the shed, curious if there was something behind the building that hid the key. She found a small patch of grass before the tree line led to the thick woods. 

Anetra looked around for a moment and almost turned to leave. But her eye caught a strange patch of color within the space of trees. 

It was a small patch of navy blue peeking through the green and browns of the woods. A few yards away, she spotted another. It wasn’t long until she found multiple and realized they were tents. 

Tents were on the territory, far from where the pack usually stayed. She felt terrified. Who did the tents belong to, and how long had they been there?

Her heart was beating a mile a minute before her legs started running towards the main cabin. She had to tell the pack and warn them of what she had found. Sasha, she desperately needed Sasha.

The big cabin was slowly coming into view as she ran; she was closer to safety. But the earth crashed underneath her suddenly, and all the sounds she ignored were close. 

Two wolves growled next to her, one was watching her closely, the other near her feet. The adrenaline she had before was running out, and she felt intense pain in her left ankle. 

Before Anetra could open her mouth to scream, a pair of sharp jaws were around her neck. She could still breathe, but she couldn’t get any sound out. 

More wolves surrounded her, preventing her from moving. At a closer look, they were slim and red like her. Their scent confirmed it, they were from her old pack. 

Anetra was terrified. She fought for her life and nearly starved to death. She found a pack that loves and appreciates her and a mate who she can’t imagine a life without. Now, it was going to be all ripped away from her. 

Hot breath reached her nose, coming from a vicious and loud growl. She knew it was her old Alpha before even looking at him. His eyes scrunched in anger, baring his teeth at her. 

Soon enough, her fear turned to pain. Sharp and intense pain grew from the edge of the skin to her bones. Her vision from the corner of her eyes saw many blotches of red liquid, but she wasn’t surprised. Her pain was so terrible, so fast; she wanted it to be over already. 

Anetra stared up to the sky, strength leaving her so she couldn’t even consider running or fighting back. A cloud slowly drifted over the sun, and a few leaves from the elm tree nearby flowed with the wind. It was a peaceful sight, the only positive she could focus on.

The sight went darker, and she saw another figure of a wolf jumping over her. But this wolf had a long stretch of brown over her underbelly, and Anetra heard more barking and howling before the other wolves started scattering.

“Put pressure on the wound, got it?” 

“She’s already lost so much blood, Loosey.” 

“Just focus on getting her stable enough now; we’ll bring her inside when we can.”

Human figures surrounded her now. A blonde woman with bouncy curls gave orders while a few others took different positions around her. She tried to look to where Sasha went, but her energy was depleting fast. 

“Just keep still, okay? We’re here to take care of you,” a soft voice said above her head. With all the chaos going on around her, the voice made her want to stay grounded. At the center of her blurred vision, her eyes tried to focus. 

Anetra tried to argue and stay awake, but all her energy was gone. She needed to know what was going to happen. 

Did the pack fight off the enemy wolves? 

Is Sasha okay?

Was she going to die here?

All these thoughts circled through her mind as the world seemingly moved further away. There was a soft hand that ran through her hair, speaking to her with kind words. She wished she knew what her packmate was saying to her, it was a nice distraction from worrying about the rest of the pack and her injuries. 

But the world had disappeared into a deep and dark abyss. 

While in recovery, Anetra only viewed the world in short bursts. She remembered being rushed to the infirmary room, different pack members coming in and out of the room to monitor her. 

There was a long pause in between her memories. She remembered Sasha sitting next to her, talking to her, and holding her hand. Loosey was in her memories too, but Sasha was always at the forefront. 

Whatever room she was in, the light seemed brighter than usual. There was an unfamiliar figure at her side, and Anetra wanted to shiver under their touch. 

This person didn’t seem dangerous, per se, just very unfamiliar. Her instincts knew immediately this not someone from her pack. 

She felt exhausted and sore all over, but her instincts screamed at her to get away as soon as possible. Outsiders were camped outside their territory for who knows how long. Anetra couldn’t trust anyone who wasn’t part of her pack. 

Anetra writhed in the uncomfortable bed, definitely wasn’t the bed at home she shared with Sasha. Where was her mate? Why was she with unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar place? 

“Looks like she’s panicking,” A voice sounded from the other side of the room. She knew that voice; just unsure whose voice it was. 

In her still blurry vision, she saw the figure before her being told to move as someone else would take over. She felt a pressure around her arm and a cold metal circle in the pit of her elbow. Blood pressure; they were only checking her vital signs. 

“Hey,” another voice pulled her attention to the other direction. “It’s just me and Loosey here. I’m sorry we had to leave, but I’m back now, okay?” 

She didn’t have to look to see who it was. But she fought her exhaustion to stay awake, she needed to for her mate. 

Sasha somehow knew what Anetra needed. She moved to sit on the bed with her, providing support for Anetra to sit up.

After a few moments of struggle, Anetra was able to carefully sit up with some help from Sasha and stay awake longer than a minute. 

“Hey, sweetheart.” Sasha gently smiled at her. Loosey finished the vital signs and took a seat on the other side of the bed, moving the chair closer. 

“This isn’t home,” Anteta pointed out as she leaned closer towards Sasha, who put a comforting arm around her waist. 

“It’s not, no. This is a specialized medical facility for wolves a few miles away from the city.” Sasha told her. 

“You were recovering at our infirmary, but you caught an infection and had a super high fever,” Loosey explained. “We don’t have the resources for what you need, so I made some calls and got you a bed here.” 

Anetra nodded as she took in the new information. She was glad they had taken out the unnecessary details for the moment. If she needed to know, she would ask. 

“What about you and the rest of the pack? Is everyone else okay?” Anetra asked. The fight with her former pack sounded brutal if the injuries she sustained gave any indication. 

Sasha nodded. “Just some scratches and bruises, nothing too bad. We took care of them so we can keep you and the territory safe.”

“What about him ? Was all of that Anetra could force herself to ask. All three knew she meant her old alpha and where he is now.

Sasha and Loosey shared a look, and Sasha took a stiffening deep breath. “He isn’t around to hurt you anymore” was all she said. 

Anetra didn’t need any further explanation of what her mate meant. They all knew he was gone for good, and how it happened will not be spoken about. 

At least until Sasha was ready to talk about it again. 

“You missed a full moon too, so your instincts are probably a little haywire right now,” Loosey added, trying to change the subject. 

“Makes sense why I freaked out on that nurse,” Anetra said as she rested her head on Sasha’s shoulder. “How much longer until I can leave?” she asked. 

The two others looked at the foot of the bed, where Anetra’s ankle was carefully wrapped in a cast, with her toes peeking out. She was still tremendously tired, but Anetra was pretty sure that was the only cast on her body. 

“Depends on how well you can walk on that, but hopefully we can get you home tomorrow,” Loosey explained. 

Sasha sat up a bit. “But I’ll stay the night here with you, okay?” she gently asked. “My instincts refuse to let you out of my sight. I pretty much had to get Loosey to force me to go home for the last full moon.”

“She’s right, and it was a fight. ” Loosey piped up, and the three laughed together. For the first time since the attack, Anetra felt herself relax.

Hours later, and the sun disappearing from the sky, Loosey called it a night to go home. The two left found a movie channel on the small television mounted on the wall. 

“Baby, I think you need some sleep,” Sasha told her as Anetra was sinking further into the pillows. She was fighting to stay awake, walking up and down the hall depleted what energy she had. 

 “Mhmm, I know.” Anetra said as Sasha put the extra pillow and blankets on the recliner, trying to make it a bit more comfortable. 

She watched Sasha get ready for bed, walking around the room wearing a simple tank top and old shorts. She was sure Loosey grabbed clothes from their dresser whenever she needed a change, but Anetra thought her mate looked radiant in anything. 

“Can I ask you a favor?” Anetra asked when Sasha finished brushing her teeth. 

“What is it?” Sasha asked, giving her full attention. Anetra almost felt silly for wanting to ask. 

“Could you shift for me tonight?”

Sasha’s response was a gentle smile, and backing back into the bathroom for a few minutes. After the sound of rustling clothes and claws against the linoleum tiles, Sasha returned as a great, black wolf. 

They molded themselves on the bed, Anetra laying all to the right side as Sasha took over the other half, her head over her mate’s stomach. 

They fell asleep with Anetra’s hand stroking Sasha’s fur, both feeling truly peaceful for the first time in many months. 

Once they were home again, they would start a new chapter. No more running away from the past, but welcoming their future with open arms.