Pawn Among Wolves Ch. 12

She felt his realisation in her mind, the mental change in gear, then her mate began somewhat casually loping after her, also in four-legged form. Be more careful, Gemma, he admonished. We can't sprint in the city, it draws too much attention.

She lifted her tail high, then swept it in a circle back at him, the wolf version of sticking a tongue out or pulling faces. Xavi twitched in surprise at the gesture as she ran past him too. Don't worry, ickle mate, you're not going to catch me in the city.

Mac speeded up. You don't seriously think you can outrun me, do you picchu? he added. If you need a break, I'll take you up to Bracken Lake tomorrow, we can get the bikes out. But it's too far for you to run out there and chase when you get there.

Hah.

Tom Seaclaw was a wolf

Who couldn't catch his mate,

So she ate a four-score rabbits

Her speed to thus abate.

Gemma recited the whole verse impudently, settling into a rhythm as she increased her speed gleefully with each bound. She'd been practicing a lot recently, galloping around their small house while he was out rescuing Grey wolves.

Elated, she sensed her mate speeding up to tear along after her, shaking off his other thoughts, and sinking into enjoying the chase; he had been way too tense recently.

So it would be good for him to run a long, long way.

Oop! There was the bus! Gemma tore across the main road on the opposite side of the park, swerving around a stupid car, and bounded full out into the back alley where Hakan was standing with her backpack. She only had a minute to dress!

If you run out into a road like that again Gemma, I'm going to order you back to the house and spank you until you're blue, however furious it makes you. Her mate was livid.

Gemma felt her insides melting, and hardening simultaneously at his anger as she hauled on the loose clothes, immune to being naked in front of her pack. It happened so damn often. Besides, she knew she could trust Hakan. She felt a tingle of almost fear. God, Mac was angry. He didn't know how much practice she'd been putting in at moving on four limbs recently. She yanked on the jacket, pushing her feet into the loose plimsolls.

Sorry, but I'm fine, she replied slightly absently, her mind on her plan. And added, with a slight edge of apology: I'm sure a proper Alpha wouldn't cheat on the chase and start giving out orders just coz his quarry's an obedient werewolf.

The bus hissed to a stop, and she dove back out of the alleyway, pulling the prepaid ticket from her jacket pocket and stamping it in the machine at the entrance as she stepped onto the open platform at the back, breathing hard.

Part A according to plan. More or less.

Hakan stepped up beside her at the last second, shivering lightly, his nose wrinkling, and murmured, "The trackers still didn't find any new trails. So the A is free for the time being."

Gemma smiled and glanced back down the road toward her mate while the vehicle rumbled back into movement.

Her heart jumped. Mac was only five meters away, not looking as though he was running fast, when the bus pulled back out into the faster-moving traffic, accelerating away and coughing diesel fumes into his astonished face.

Watch it! He thundered, speeding up, fear of her losing her grip on her wolf under the sickness of the motion surging through his mind.

Oh, sorry love, replied Gemma contritely, I forgot to tell you about this wolf travel sickness drug Valerie and I have invented. I'll be fine.

She grinned back at him as he stopped, staring.

Just way, way ahead of you, she added.

He was still just standing, dumbfounded. Maybe he needed some more encouragement. Gemma playfully recited for him the second verse of the to her mind somewhat overly-informative cub's rhyme:

Alas for poor Tom Seaclaw!

He couldn't catch her yet,

And her lively, swift-toed litter

Were of Alan Whitefoot's get.

Mac straightened, his eyes blazing with a hot, dangerous look of amusement, and he growled, Not a chance. Then he added a soft, Well done, picchu, touched that she had gone to this much effort to give him a worthy chase, excitement beginning to tingle through him. The white wolf glanced up at the number of the bus, and turned to saunter casually back to the bus stop and look at the route map. You might get a whole half hour head start from Coughton, if that's where you get off, he concluded. Use it well.

Gemma grinned at Hakan, who smiled back, slightly woebegone under the motion of the bus. The rest of the not otherwise occupied Whites had been out in the hills all day, thoroughly surveying the largest human-free area they could find, and setting up a watch-ring around the perimeter.

Just beyond Coughton. She could run there without an escort.

And be careful. The second conveyance was to both her and her bodyguard while Mac turned away.

No sprinting in the City, Gemma virtuously reminded her Alpha in return.

A sarcastic look followed the bus. But she could feel the eagerness revving up in him, happiness as he abruptly pushed aside all other considerations to focus on hunting down his teasing mate. Mac set off loping down a side-street toward the river, and their bond narrowed to a faint thread in her mind; she couldn't hear him, and could barely sense him. Whoops! He was trying to work out what her plan might be. While not giving away any hint as to his thoughts.

Whoopee!

Valerie had warned her that this would happen when her wolf went into hunt-focus.

Gemma could feel her blood and breathing speeding up in response, her skin awakening with a heady feeling of excited anticipation, stomach beginning to tighten.

She had never felt less like disintegrating into rage.

*

I'm really happy that most of you seemed to like the last chapter so much! Thanks! And some of the comments from the last few chapters got me thinking, which has woven a few more threads in, makes it more enjoyable for me.

These last three (four now) chapters are difficult, as there's so many threads to blend together, hopefully without losing the sense of fun, and I'm now unable to push sections into later chapters that I don't think quite fit yet -- I have to re-write a lot more! Please bear with me. Thanks for all the votes and comments!

Wolf Glossary:

Alfamme female Alpha

Argen silver alloy which debilitates wolves

Asage mother wolf with young cubs

Chituk territory challenge

Circle change pack

Convey send information mind-to-mind, either by words or images/ feelings

Crash try to break an Alpha's battle meld

Defasio personal, formal challenge

Doft mating scent

Fria formal welcome, denoting peace

Gensis pack sense, awareness and connectivity

Koiru wolf warrior

Loup what a human calls a wolf (canis lupus);

name used for four-legged form by a wolf

Manu a human

Meld mental battle formation of wolves, held together by an Alpha

Mordeur the wolf who a werewolf answers to, the one who bit and turned him

Mortefio death challenge

Natál litter-brother

Natalí litter-sister

Naulu mark of protection

Phys physician, wolf doctor

Piquant battle headache

Picchu little jug of sweetness (personal nickname)

Ruggare young male wolf or wolves

Ruhkreis circle of peace for mates during the rut

Shiatz healing coma

Shiele essence, personal strength

Sjeste young female wolf or wolves

Sjestval female's right to leave a rutmate

Wereem female werewolf

Werewolf human who has been bitten and turned, not born a shapeshifter

Wolf natural born shapeshifter with three forms: human, lycan or wolf;

name used for lycan form by a wolf