Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(43)

“I’d like that." Maybe if I spent more time interacting with the rest of the pack, Kaden would see I meant them no harm. I might even get him to trust me more.

Kaden nodded curtly and stood. “Be ready to leave at sunset. The deer are more active at night.”

He left the gym without another word, abruptly ending our training session the same way he always did. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a towel to wipe off the sweat, then headed outside, where Jack and Clayton were waiting for me. Of course.

"Good session?" Jack asked, as they fell into step on either side of me. He was pretty handsome, with blond hair and a charming smile. "Seems like you worked up a sweat. It looks good on you."

Oh, and he was a total flirt, I was starting to realize. Everything he said was harmless though, and I had to admit it was nice to be flirted with instead of belittled or bullied all the time. "Yeah, it was great. I actually got a blow in."

"On Kaden?" Clayton asked. He was big, built like a grizzly bear, and a lot quieter, but now he turned his warm brown eyes upon me with surprise.

"Well, it was more like a graze," I said with a shrug.

"That counts," Jack said. "Own it."

I grinned a little as we kept walking through the town. "He invited me to come on a hunt tonight too."

"He did?" Clayton stroked his beard. "Are you certain?"

My grin fell. "I think so. His words were pretty clear."

Clayton gave me a long look as if seeing me in a different light. "He's never invited an outsider on a hunt before. Not even ones who wanted to join our pack."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked, suddenly unsure of myself.

Jack shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."





Chapter Eighteen





That afternoon, Stella canceled our usual training exercises and told me to get some rest. She said I'd need it for tonight while tossing me a bag of chips. Resting was hard though because I was a jittery bundle of nerves, too anxious for sunset to arrive to relax. The Cancer pack had never let me join them for anything like this, and I wanted to do a good job, to prove myself to Kaden and the others.

When the time came, I dressed in sweats and a t-shirt—clothes I could shed easily for our shift—and then headed outside. Stella waited for me behind the house and looked almost as excited as I felt, and I grinned at her as I walked up.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked.

"They're with Kaden at the clearing. We'll join them in a minute." She gave me a warm smile. "I thought you might want to shift here instead."

A touch of heat hit my cheeks, but mostly I felt gratitude for her kindness. Even though I'd never said anything, Stella had recognized I was nervous about being naked around others. I quickly stripped down and let my wolf free, my white paws sinking into the grass and my tail whipping about. At last, my wolf seemed to say.

“This is going to be a relatively short hunt," Stella said. "Tonight Kaden and some of the others are teaching the teenagers what to do, and you’re going to observe. I’ll stick to your side in human form so I can explain how the pack hunting formations work, what they’re tracking, and how they communicate to bring down prey. It’s all about cooperation and communication, and it's important for you to see and smell the hunt with your wolf senses.”

It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t be joining the actual hunt, I was thrilled to even be included. Besides, I hadn’t really given much thought to what place would be the best to sink my teeth into on an animal to bring it down. Truthfully, I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

We headed into the forest to find the rest of the pack. I heard their movements up ahead, and my anticipation only grew. I was determined to prove myself to them, however, I could. Surely this hunt wouldn’t be much more difficult than learning to throw a punch or sniff out a correct object in the forest. If all these pups can do it, so can I, I thought. Of course, they'd had their wolves long before I did. I’d spent twenty-two years without my wolf, where they got theirs as toddlers. It would take time for me to start thinking like one.

As we approached the clearing, I peered through the branches, trying to catch a glimpse of the pack. I spotted about a dozen wolves, all in different shades of fur, and it wasn’t hard to pick Kaden out at the front. He was huge and solid black. I’d seen Dad's wolf form several times, and he had nothing on Kaden, who looked equal parts majestic and deadly, an alpha that deserved the respect he received.

When the group was getting ready to go, Kaden circled them, preparing them for what was to come. I remembered Stella saying they could communicate telepathically in wolf form, and wondered if Kaden’s wolf’s voice was as dominating as he was in human form.

“Okay, we’re off,” Stella said, as the wolves began to bound into the forest. “Let’s follow them. Stay back and don’t get in the way. Kaden is teaching them formations.”

I nodded as well as I could in wolf form and loped at a comfortable pace beside Stella. She was nimble and quick in her human form, but I could have easily outpaced her. I put my nose to the ground and tracked the group by scent, staying a short distance behind the other wolves so I didn't interfere with their hunt. Deer. I pointed my nose in the direction, and Stella smiled her approval.