Chapter Text
Rhydian’s POV
listened to the night-time noises, hearing the heartbeats and breaths of the pack members around him. He wasn’t ready, but he had to leave tonight, if he didn’t it would be too late. He looked over to where his mother and younger brother were sleeping, they would miss him, but they would let him go, he didn’t belong here, he didn’t belong anywhere, and he never had….
Maddys POV
She was deep in the forest on the edge of her pack’s territory, the full moon was a week away and the energy running through her veins was like wildfire. Her head was pounding from the noise that her classmates were making, her hearing being super sensitive at this time of the lunar month. She trailed behind the group as they walked through the old mine site, them learning about the history of the area, her lost in lonely memories that she could not forget.
It had been 4 years since she had last seen him, walking away from her and into his new life. The pain she had felt from his abandonment had never faded; it had just become a part of her. A piece of her that was restless and anxious and …. missing something, like a constant stretch of her heart over the distance. She had yearned for him for that first year, thinking that he could feel the pain as well and that he would return to her, but as that year had pasted and he had stayed away, the yearning had turned to angry, at him for staying away, and at herself…for wanting him so much.
Rhydian’s POV
He had been travelling for days, not really paying attention to where he was going but letting his wolf lead him in a constant direction. He wasn’t even sure of where the pack was running, but due to the snowfall had assumed that it was north. He felt lighter than he had in years, the pull in his chest, was still there, but easing for the first time in his memory, and he did not regret leaving the pack.
He had come across the scent of a few Wolfbloods since leaving the packs territory but had stayed away, not trusting that the Alpha would let him without sending out a search. His wolf was not as social as most, having been alone for most of his life, but he still craved company for the full moon.
He promised his wolf that they would try and find a local pack soon, to introduce himself before then. As it was dangerous for a young male to run as a wolf on his own in unfamiliar territory, as this would likely be interpreted as a challenge to the local Alpha and would attract attention that he did not want.
He walked for another day and as night fell, he came across a scent and followed it towards what he hoped was their pack’s fold. He was on high alert, realising that he was trespassing, uninvited and unexpected and without support into an unknown pack’s territory. He considered his actions; he did not want a pack to join. There was still a pull to the south that he needed to answer before he could commit to a pack, yet the potential to have fellow Wolfblood’s to run with on the full moon pushed him on. He walked silently towards the light until he heard voices, he considered his options as he appeared to be undetected at this stage. He could listen to see what type of pack this was, and if they would let him continue on his journey after the full moon, or if they were a rouge pack who would try and make him stay to increase the size of their pack, the other risk was it would not endear him to the pack if he was caught eavesdropping on pack members, but what he was hearing was keeping him still and hidden from the two male Wolfblood’s guarding the fold.
‘So, when is the mate match for that tame happening?
He knew about Mate Matches’. They occurred when an unmated she-Wolfblood came into her first breeding season, usually around 18 years old. Mate matches were common in the wild, where the value of a male was in his strength and ability to protect the female and their cubs. There were preliminary fights between eligible males to decide the packs representative, before the official mate fight in front of the She-wolfs Pack. He had never heard of a mate match for a tame Wolfblood before. Normally their pairs were arranged between families to diversify their bloodlines, but to maintain their territories and assets.
‘…two days before the full moon’
He had lived with humans for most of his life and had met a tame pack before his mother had found him. Despite being raised by humans, he had not been accepted by the pack, as the genetic predisposition must be strong, as he was too wild by nature, yet his upbringing and understanding of the human world meant he was shunned by the wild packs as being too tame.
‘so why have Strike and the rest gone there now?’
‘They want to be back before the rest of her suitors arrive’
The mate matches were arranged for the protection of the female, as an unmated she-wolf was vulnerable to male Wolfblood’s seeking a mate. Wolfblood’s mate for life, the consummation of a Wolfblood pair joined their wolves and created an unbreakable bond. Due to this, the female had the right to eliminate contenders from the mate match if she felt that they were demonstrating undesirable characteristics. For these males to seek her out before the match and wish to return before the suitors arrived meant that they had no chance of being a contender.
‘oh, I thought it was strange that they would want to fight for a tame, Well… you can’t blame them for wanting a taste but not the whole meal, if you get my meaning’
At the double meaning of this comment his eyes yellowed. To bond two wolves without the she-wolf consent, was unforgivable. Once bonded she would have to follow her attackers as her wolf would only breed with the one. His chest flared with anger, at the dishonourable way to claim a mate, and without thinking he leapt from his place in the darkness, his fingers curled into claws towards the men.
The two men back up startled, as he growled towards them. It was just him against two, but he had the element of surprise and had grown fit and strong in his time in the wild.
‘where’ was all he demanded of them in a growl.
The location of a mate match was not a secret as they were open to all eligible male, and this is why he felt they gave this answer up so easily.
‘South-east, a two-day run’ said one, ‘called Stonebridge’ added the other. At this name, memories came flooding back so fast they hurt, he had lived in Stonebridge for two years, he had tried to join the tame pack, the unmated female…it must be her, he turned to the south-east and started running.