Golden Wolf

The forest was silent. Not a creature stirred in the still morning air, the sunlight gleaming a pretty orange and flaming yellow. The sun rose above the treetops, creeping along like a sleepy spider climbing onto its web. Newly fallen snow glistened on charred branches and covered the blackened grass in a nearly impenetrable layering of fluffy white powder and beautiful silver ice.

Below the sparkling, admirable sunrise, a line of bedraggled and travel-worn animals trudged across the forest floor. Their company was made up entirely of wolves, almost fifteen of them, with sleek, shining coats and intelligent, neon eyes.

Their leader, a huge male wolf with fur as black as pitch, lifted his muzzle and scented the morning air. He snorted and lowered his nose to the ground again, angered that he couldn’t pick up the trail, after losing it in the snows the previous night.

Being the alpha, the large male was muscular and well groomed. His eyes glinted with intelligence and wisdom, and the hairs on his muzzle were graying with age. But despite the exhaustion haunting his limbs, and the heaviness of his cracked and tired paws, he inhaled the snow in another attempt to locate the pregnant doe the pack had been trailing for over three days.

Another alpha wolf, a pretty female, trotted up next to her mate and nosed his flank nervously. Her heart ached for the older male, but she could not distract him from his task at hand; Finding food for their remaining pack members. The female laid back her ears as the male shoved her away, and loped back to the rest of the pack, who were waiting underneath a particularly burnt tree.

“I’m hungry,” one adolescent male complained, licking a paw and swiping it over his ears to clean them. “When are we actually going to hunt?” He shook his thick fur coat, a magnificent red color, with a black tipped tail and black paws.

Beside the whining teen, a young female lounged on her side, breathing hard, puffs of white being blown up off the ground with each breath. The she-wolf snapped half-heartedly at her friend, but just waved her tail in agreement. She was half-starved, and not faring as well as Flame; her ribs jutted out an inch from her body, and her usually brilliant white fur was lying limp and unkempt.

An older wolf, a senior female, padded over and seated herself across from Flame. She licked her chest nervously, but growled, “You should respect King’s decision. If he chooses to continue to follow this doe, so be it. At the end of the race, at least you will have food in your stomach.” The elder allowed herself a moment to rest, stretching out on the bitterly cold snow and yawning.

Flame snorted and turned his muzzle toward the older she-wolf, his gaze resting briefly on her graying muzzle and tired eyes. “Alia, you know better than to act all superior,” he snarled, curling his upper lip in disgust. “You’re not the beta; I am.”

“And I may be regretting the day I made you beta,” came a voice from behind Flame, who whirled and stared guiltily into the old and haggard alpha male’s face. The alpha towered over the lowly beta, the shortest in the pack, but the quickest with his tongue.

King straightened painfully and faced his whole pack with a sad expression. “I’m afraid I have lost the scent,” he announced the circle of wolves staring expectantly at him. “Now, I know that my nose isn’t as good as it used to be, but I know for a fact that we will not catch up to this doe, after the head start she got last night in the storm.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “I have considered a solution to our predicament, and I believe many of you will like it . . . I have decided that perhaps I should resign from the position of alpha, and me and Silva will head off and live our remaining days knowing that I have chosen a good successor.”

 

 

Flame and Crystal, the white she-wolf, exchanged glances. Alia raised her muzzle off the ground in surprise, and her younger friend, Laika, perked up her ears and blinked in understanding. Around the circle, the wolves began to stir. Although some, mostly the females, would miss the old alpha, the males were far more concerned with who would be chosen to take over King’s leadership.

King drew a long breath, and looked to his mate for a moment before growling, “Flame, the beta, is not to be alpha male-”

Flame barked in sudden anger and leapt to his paws, but the ring of wolves immediately snarled at him as one, so his hindquarters automatically sought the ground again, where he sat, fuming. His dark golden eyes gleamed in the sunlight.

King glared at the beta and continued, “Flame will not be the alpha male, but instead, I know who will. . . Cross will be the alpha.” He stopped speaking as the pack began to murmur amongst themselves, their lips lifting in silent snarls and their tails lifting in warning to one another as they searched out the named party.

Then, silently, a tall, lean male wolf emerged from the circle. It seemed as though his paws placed themselves, as he glided slowly across the snow. His muzzle was long, streaked through with black, and his coat was a beautiful russet gold. His thick, soft tail was very red, and his paws were patched with white fur.

Silva nodded approvingly, and locked eyes with Alia, who dipped her muzzle in respect and licked her shoulder self-consciously. The alpha female stepped up and nuzzled Cross’ neck, meeting his steady gaze with her pale, pale blue eyes.

King turned toward the majority of the females with a smile hovering just beyond his expression. “And the alpha female will be . . . Nova.” He scanned the pack, looking for her familiar face, when suddenly her voice rang out across the clearing.

“You have got to be joking!” Nova stepped out of the group, amber eyes smoldering, and stormed up to King. “I am not having puppies with that . . . peppy, ugly, annoying mouse turd!” She glared right into the alpha’s eyes, daring him to force her.

King opened his mouth to respond that, Yes, she would have to have puppies with that annoying mouse turd, but before he could speak, Cross cut in. His voice was smooth, like honey, but he was fuming with anger.

“Peppy? I assure you, I am not peppy,” he snarled, hackles rising. “Ugly . . . I used to think so, but Crystal says I’m not, so there you go on that fact. And, pardon my bluntness, but . . . annoying mouse turd?! Really?” He snapped at the she-wolf angrily, and his claws dug inches into the snow, connecting with the frozen soil underneath.

Nova hissed in contempt and padded sideways away from the young male. Her sleek, black-tipped red fur rose in anger that easily matched her rival’s. “I will not have puppies with you, and that’s final.” She growled at him in warning and raised her tail.

King glanced at Silva, who shrugged. “Let them sort it out,” Silva murmured, nuzzling King’s side and nipping his ears. “We’ve babysat them enough; they need to learn about the real world, and we’re obviously not the right teachers.”

The alphas nodded as one and turned, padding away into the trees unnoticed. Their tails intertwined together, and their paws sounded on the snow like feathers falling from a shedding baby bird.

 

　

Quivering with barely contained laughter, Crystal strode over to Nova and gently grasped her friend’s scruff, leading her away from the enraged new alpha. “Relax, girl,” she soothed, brushing Nova’s fur flat over her spine.

Cross snarled again and turned away, eyes shooting daggers into the earth as he walked over to a nearby tree and paused. He glanced down at his claws, then reared up on his hind legs and raked them through the bark, scoring long scratch marks in the wood.

Behind Cross, another male wolf came padding up. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he faced the new alpha male. “Congratulations,” Talon remarked, dipping his head. “Honestly, I thought the old man would pick Flame, just to save himself some trouble.”

Cross turned to face Talon, his eyes resting on the older male’s well-kept, mousey brown fur and enthusiastic smile. “Thanks, I guess,” Cross replied, his breathing slowing to normal again. “I really thought King would pick you, or Thorn, at least.”

Talon’s eyes darkened at the mention of his twin brother, distinguishable only by a sliver of green in his right eye. “Yes, well, out of the two of us, I’d be the obvious choice. You know, you’re gonna need some help running the pack, right?”

Cross mulled over the question, read the veiled threat easily, and replied, “Yeah, I guess. I’m not very good at leading, only fighting.” He lay some exaggeration on the last word, ensuring that Talon knew what he meant. Then, he shouldered past the older male wolf and addressed the pack.

“Now, obviously, I’m the new alpha male,” he said loudly, blinking hard as Alia lifted her muzzle and smiled at him. “I’m hoping that you will grow to respect me as you respected my uncle, King. He was a brilliant leader, and I want to become as well liked as him.”

Talon growled under his breath and turned away, padding over to a pretty she-wolf lying down underneath a burnt tree. Her eyes were fixed intently on Cross.

“He’s really something, isn’t he?” Coral asked, glancing up at her brother with a half smile on her muzzle. Her navy blue eyes followed Talon as he circled her in agitation and seated himself beside her. His dark brown fur contrasted comically against her cream-colored coat.

“I don’t really think he’s all that awesome,” Talon snarled, hunching his shoulders against the cold and licking his chest fur to make it lie flat.

Coral smiled and nuzzled her brother’s cheek. “I’m sure you two will become as close as close as twins,” she remarked, and nipped his ear playfully.

Talon turned and stared deep into his sister’s eyes. “Or maybe,” he murmured, “Cross will see that he’s completely incompetent and needs my help.”

Coral shrugged and lay back down, growling, “Fine. Ignore me.” She swiped her tongue across her muzzle and added, “It’s too bad Nova didn’t want Cross. Their pups would’ve been the pride of the pack . . .”

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

 

Chapter One

 

 

“Are you sure about this?” Cloud asked, shivering in her thin winter jacket. “That pipe looks kinda . . . I don’t know, dangerous.” She shoved her hands as deep into her pockets as they would go and clenched her fingers into fists.

Sky shrugged and took a step out onto the rusted metal sewage pipe, his feet sliding along on the slippery surface like he was walking on ice. His arms were stretched out straight from his sides, helping him balance over the frozen lake. Below the pipe, three other teenagers stood staring up at him.

“I’m positive that everything will be fine,” Sky said, wobbling a little and holding his breath. His white hair, so long that it fell down past his ears, floated around his face in the chilly December wind. Piercing blue eyes, as pale as newly cut ice, stared defiantly out at the world.

Cloud shuddered as her brother slipped, almost losing his balance, and righted himself again. “You’re crazy!” she hollered, her thick white hair billowing around her like a real cloud. “You’ll get yourself killed!”

Beneath her brother, the rusty pipe creaked indignantly, as if to protest that Sky would be fine. Then, one of the other teenagers spoke.

“You know, maybe she has a point,” yelled Star, a silver haired boy with a dappling of gray freckles across his nose. His sister, Luna, hooked her baby blue hood up over her gleaming ash-grey hair and nodded, her cerulean eyes wide.

Sky laughed and took another step, drawing closer to the gap that separated the pipe and the opposite bank. It was a leap of possibly five feet, six max. He wobbled, then shouted, “Relax, guys. I’ve got this. I’m just gonna cross the gap-”

Cloud’s head snapped toward the portion of ice in-between her brother and the shore, then she said, “You’re crazy, just plain crazy. I’m going home.” But she made no move to leave. Her mind was focused on watching Sky wiggle along the pipe.

Star and Luna exchanged glances, then Star yipped, “You know, maybe you should come down, bro. You could fall and break the ice. What would your mama say then?”

Luna giggled and play-punched her brother in the shoulder. “That’s mean,” she teased him, wagging her finger as a warning; it was common knowledge that the she-wolf who had birthed Sky and Cloud had tried to withhold her pups from the T.P., the Transformation Police. She had been killed for it.

Sky scowled and took another step, but this time he nearly fell off the side of the pipe; a spot of the metal had frozen, and the ice was slick and slippery. Sky’s eyes gleamed as he righted himself, and stepped up to the edge of the gap. He glanced back at his sister, then asked, “Are you gonna watch me do this?”

Cloud grimaced. “Um, only if you want me to,” she replied grouchily, crossing her arms. The wind whipped her hair around her face, giving her the appearance of an angry naiad.

The twins, Star and Luna, gazed up fearfully as Sky readied himself for the leap. He hesitated for a second, then launched himself off the pipe and across the gap. He would’ve made it, but he hadn’t seen the patch of ice coating the bank where he had wanted to land. Something in his leg snapped as he hit the ground, and he cried out in pain, falling back onto a thin layer of ice that covered a shallower section of the lake. He shattered the ice and tripped into the freezing water, instantly soaking his thick woolen clothes and turning his once pink lips to blue.

 

 

Cloud shrieked and raced down to the edge of the lake, then tottered out onto the ice, but not going any closer, for cracks were spreading in the frost. Her heart beat faster and faster, and she searched for a way to get to her brother, but there was none.

Meanwhile, Star had jumped to the line of trees cupping that end of the water and was hastily looking for any vines he could use to pull Sky across the lake. But, as he glanced back at the situation out on the ice, he realized that he wouldn’t have a way to get the vine to his friend. So, he solemnly walked back to his sister, tapped her shoulder, and whispered his predicament into her ear.

But they’d all overlooked the fifth party, who wasn’t just standing there with his hands in his pockets. Tornado shed his outer coat, snowpants, gloves, and hat, then stood there, not shivering yet, in an undershirt and jeans.

Cloud glanced back at the group, and she saw Tornado. Her eyes widened, and she said slowly, “It’s not going to work, Torn. You can’t possibly slip across the ice, not even as a-”

There was a flash of black clouds that cloaked the lake in shadows, then in the place of the black-haired boy was a magnificent, broad-shouldered, golden-eyed wolf. Tornado shook his thick midnight colored fur coat and cocked his head at the frowning girl as if to say, You wanna try and stop me?

Star shook his head and hugged his sister. “Swiftfoot, dude, even you can’t get across the . . . ice.” He stopped speaking as the lean alpha edged his way out onto the ice toward the injured boy, ignoring the spreading cracks.

Across the lake, Sky groaned and dragged himself out of the freezing water. He attempted to stand, but he yelped in pain and tripped, landing on his butt on the frozen bank. He dug his left heel into the ice to stop from sliding in again. He tried again to stand, even to limp along, but it was obvious to the other teenagers that his leg was broken to the knee, and he needed help, fast.

Cloud bit her lip so hard that it bled, and her blood had gone from pumping so quickly her head hurt to practically frozen in fear. She was fully aware that her brother could die from the chill, and his leg didn’t make things any better.

The other two glanced at their friend, then Luna strode over and put her delicate arm around Cloud. The two girls exchanged a hug, then Star broke in.

“Look!” he shouted, pointing out at the black wolf. “Swiftfoot’s nearly there! Maybe he can get there!” Then, disaster struck; Tornado inched out a little bit farther, not seeing the large crack in the ice before him, then the lake disappeared under his paws and he vanished into the fast-moving water, bashing his head on the edge of the ice before becoming invisible altogether, leaving a streak of blood on the frosty surface.

Luna lunged forward, but Star caught her and hauled her back. “Oh, no, you don’t,” he hissed, and added, “You’re the fastest runner here, besides Tornado. Get help. Obtener assistente, Luna. Vaminos, amigo. May your paws move you rapido, mio similar.“

Luna’s eyes grew vacant and she replied, already transforming, “Bendicir me, hermano.”

Star nodded and growled, “God’s speed, mio cachorro.“

Luna looked at Cloud, her silver fur already rippling over her spine, and howled, then turned and vanished amongst the trees.

Cloud stared after her friend, then faced the lake again with a fearful expression; if both of the boys out in the water died, then there would no longer be the five of them. Besides, one of the boys was her brother, and the other . . . well, there was him.

Suddenly, a black shape exploded from the water downriver, by the waterfall that cascaded down over the earth at the bottom of the cliff.

 

Tornado hauled himself up onto a rock in the middle of the water and his body slumped against the cold surface as he panted. The wound on his head hurt badly, and he was losing blood fast. He growled and considered transforming back into a human, but then knew better; if he did, he thought, he would undoubtedly freeze out here.

Back on shore, Cloud peeled off her fur coat and snowpants, then edged down next to the ice. But Star grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from going out to her friend.

“You could fall in also,” he said sensibly, shaking his head. “No matter how light you are, that ice is death at this time of the winter. It’s getting thinner, and patches are already gone.” Star looked down at Cloud’s arms, where goose bumps were raising on her skin. “And you’re the most likely to freeze of all of us,” he added.

The girl glared at him, but she bent and scooped up her coat, putting it back on as a resistance against the cold. Then, Cloud heard something in the trees behind her.

“Where are they?” came a voice, and the two friends turned to see a huge, dark-furred male wolf racing as fast as lightning out of the forest, a tall woman running beside him, and Luna following them both, panting hard.

Star immediately pointed out at Sky, who was lying limp on the opposite shore, and Tornado, who was barely moving. The only indicator the black wolf was alive was the feeble wagging of his tail. “There and there,” Star said quickly, glancing back at the woman.

The male wolf growled and launched himself down the bank, alongside the ice, which was almost completely broken up, and howled across the water. From downstream, on the other side of the lake, came an answering howl.

Tornado lifted his head and scented the air, then whimpered in relief as a party of seven teens on horses came galloping down the path to the water, four wolves racing at their heels. All were dressed in black and their horses decked in white. The wolves were lean and delicately built.

The male wolf let out a series of yips and barks, which were copied from another wolf, then the people on the horses jumped down and began tying together long strips of thick rope. When they’d made a suitable length of rope, they gave one end to a slim female wolf, who took it in her mouth and edged out onto the ice.

As Cloud and Star looked on, the she-wolf crept out all the way to the gap in the ice, and barked to Tornado. The black wolf didn’t reply, and his tail lay still. The female looked worried, and she yelped a sharp note to him, and finally, Tornado lifted his muzzle weakly and howled back. The she-wolf threw the end of the rope out into the water next to Tornado, who gazed at it sadly.

In what seemed like hours, Tornado finally took the end of the rope in his mouth, then jumped into the water, and the people on the bank pulled the rope tight and began hauling in the black wolf.

Cloud bit her lip, glancing between Tornado and Sky, who seemed to not be breathing. Then, unable to stand it anymore, she jumped out onto the remaining ice, coat and all, and transformed, throwing herself into the freezing water.

Once she was in the water, Cloud began to paddle hard for the opposite shore, her heart pounding. Star yelled in surprise from behind her, but she ignored him and surged out into the middle of the large stream. She heard a loud bark of fear, and then a splash, and a broad muzzle broke the water beside her. Shivering, but content to make sure his friend made it across, Star growled in reassurance and struck out at the water powerfully.

The woman stared after the swimming wolves proudly, for it had been she who’d taught them how to swim so well, but her heart skipped a beat as the she-wolf’s head disappeared under the water.

Cloud couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, and her paws felt as heavy as concrete blocks. She paddled hard, but the things holding her leg would not let her go. She tried to bite it, but water flooded her mouth and made her mind fuzzy. In a last ditch effort, she launched herself at the surface, and she exploded into the air in a splash of droplets.

“Are you okay?” Star barked, panting, for he had circled above the place where Cloud had disappeared, treading water. His heartbeat was steadily slowing.

Cloud nodded her silky white muzzle and tried to take a breath, but pain flared up in her lungs and she coughed, briefly going underwater. “Something grabbed me and pulled me under,” she growled, snorting.

Star’s brow furrowed in concern, and he nuzzled her shoulder, disturbing the water that was slowly freezing around them. “Come on, we need to get out of here somehow.”

Cloud’s head shot up and she glanced around quickly, seeing that ice had expanded while they had stopped, and the edges were sharp and cruel. “We don’t have a way out,” she murmured, her heart skipping a beat.

All of a sudden, Star plunged underwater, bubbles bursting on the surface as he disappeared into the depths. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, his muzzle broke the surface, and he emerged, coughing out water.

“Something just grabbed me,” he yelped, paddling in a circle somewhat dazedly. Then, Cloud saw the blood spreading in the water around them.

“You’re hurt,” she exclaimed, bumping him with her muzzle and pawing at the water. “What happened down there?”

Star’s eyes were bare of emotion, and he swam confusedly toward her. “What do you mean, bleeding?” he asked. “I’m fine.”

Cloud nipped his shoulder, and Star jumped, his muzzle submerging for a moment. “Whoa, what happened?” he said, stopping and treading water.

The two wolves then noticed the fin circling them in the water. It was slick and scaly, but spines stuck out of its tips at irregular angles. Then, a fish-like head broke the surface, and Cloud howled in fear at the sight; it had a wolf’s head, with eyes that were so sad and afraid that it looked somewhat . . . dead.

Star slashed out at the beast, and it disappeared beneath the surface. “What the heck was that?!” he barked, paddling in place.

“I don’t know, but we need to get out of the water,” Cloud growled, and struck out for the ice at the other end of the lake. Behind her, Star began to swim, then he yelped in pain and faltered, new blood seeping from his chest.

“That thing bit me,” Star snarled, more from fear than from pain. “It looked like a wolf too; why is it hurting me?” His eyes were filled with fear.

When they reached the other side, both wolves were so exhausted that they could barely paddle. Their tails trailed in the water, no longer helping them to steer. The wolf-fish had not bothered them the whole rest of the way, and the water was clearer here, so they would be able to see it if it came near them.

Cloud gripped the ice in her teeth, but it tore into her gums, and she let go quietly, without complaint. Star attempted to launch himself out of the water and onto the ice, but it sliced his stomach when he came down, and he slipped into the freezing water again.

 

　

　

“We c-c-c-can’t get-t o-o-out,” Cloud hissed, her teeth chattering. “I k-k-knew that this was a s-s-s-stupid idea.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she flailed against the water, the cold was so unbearable.

Star growled, “We can’t g-g-give u-u-up, Cloud. We’re n-n-n-not q-q-quitters, r-r-right?” His paws felt like lumps of rock, and he rested his head on a flat area of the ice.

Both wolves allowed themselves to drift away from the edge a little, their limbs protesting any movement. The thick fur that was plastered to their bodies was frozen and weighed them down even more.

Then, just as Cloud was about to take a breath and sink under the water, a huge black shape launched itself into the lake, making a large splash, and showering the two smaller wolves with shimmering drops.

Star’s eyes widened at the sight of Tornado, who swam over to Cloud and bit her shoulder, hard. She howled in pain and lashed out at him, pursuing him through the water. Star instantly saw the plan and nipped his friend’s ear.

Cloud, overwhelmed, threw herself at Tornado, who swam to the edge of the ice and smiled broadly at her. She followed him, still mad, when she saw the people coming out onto the thicker ice, carrying a floating platform.

The leader of the humans, a small blond-haired teenager with piercing blue eyes, ordered the people to drop the platform into the water, connected to the horses with a thick rope. Then, he gestured to the wolves, then the platform.

Tornado barked at Star and hauled himself onto the platform, and the humans pulled him up out of the water. He crawled off and leaped over to the edge, yelping the whole way.

Star swam slowly over to the platform, which had been lowered again. But once he got there, he found that he was too weak to clamber aboard. His frozen, cracked paws stung in the crisp air and he couldn’t use his back legs.

Tornado, seeing his friend’s plight, jumped back into the water and shoved Star from behind up onto the platform, then barked at the humans. They hauled up the bedraggled wolf and wrapped him in blankets, encouraging him to transform back into a human.

Then, once Star was safely human and growing warmer, they lowered the platform once more. This time, Tornado crawled on, and they pulled him up. He crouched beside the frothing water, yipping encouragement to Cloud. His paws already stung; he couldn’t see how those two had stayed in the water so long without drowning.

Cloud swam slowly over to the platform, and wiggled her head, chest, and front legs onto it. All of a sudden, as she was inching onto the platform, something sharp embedded itself in her back legs, and yanked her backwards off the lifesaving device into the water. She fought for a moment, gulping as much air as possible, before being tugged underneath the surface.

Tornado howled in surprise and turned to Star, whose head had shot up. “The wolf-fish!” Star yelled, trying to get up and transform, but the drugs being put into his body kept him from moving. He settled for informing Tornado, “If she stays under there, it’ll kill her.” He glanced down at his own chest and leg wounds.

Tornado turned back to the water and hesitated, just for a moment, then leaped into the freezing current, submerging immediately.

There was dead silence for at least thirty seconds, then Cloud’s head broke the surface, bloodied and cut up. Just behind her was Tornado, clenching the mauled body of the wolf-fish. It looked just as gruesome out of the water.

 

Nobody spoke as Tornado helped Cloud up onto the platform, then he himself climbed on, along with his catch. It was still quiet as the medic who had arrived to treat both Sky and Star bustled over and busied herself with Cloud. And it was completely silent as Tornado transformed back into a human and began messing with the wolf-fish.

Then, “What the heck is that thing?!”

Tornado raised his eyes to the sky and turned to face a thin, delicately built girl with bleach-blond hair and eyes as pale as the ice. “That, my friend, is a . . . wolf-fish,” Tornado said matter-of-factly, not looking at the girl, but instead gazing past her at his injured friends.

“A wolf-fish? One heck of an ugly beast,” the girl yipped in a shrill voice, making Tornado wince. “You know, it looked a whole lot cooler in the water.”

Tornado felt within him the wolf’s hackles rising. “Looked a lot cooler? Look at what it did to Cloud and Star!” He gestured to his friends angrily.

The girl glanced at the wolf-teens, then back at Tornado. “Well, they were the idiots for jumping in the water in the first place.”

Tornado howled and launched himself at the girl, knocking her backwards, and they tussled together on the frozen ground, until someone kicked them multiple times, breaking them up. The girl, Mala, had a black eye, and Tornado had blood gushing from his ear, which was torn in half.

“Stop rolling around like a fool, Swiftfoot, and get yourself to the Caves; we have a lot to discuss about your future.” A tall, muscular man of about thirty-eight with a military buzz cut and a camouflage green shirt on glared down at the ashamed and confused boy.

“My future?” Tornado asked, raising an eyebrow.

The man nodded and extended a hand to the teen. “Yes. After the things you did today, I’m considering making you an Alpha.”

Tornado grinned and took the hand.