I didn't know who had more questions after yesterday, me, Mason, or Sam. I kept telling myself it was just a bad dream, but then the alpha or beta came and asked a question that brought me back to reality. Mason wondered why I stiffened. I was one of his best fighters, although I was more interested in the strategy of the fight than the fight itself. Either way, freezing was not something that had ever happened to me before.

Sam didn't understand why I stopped them. As he said before, we missed a perfect opportunity. Hunters threatened us constantly, though not as much as the wolves who lived in the cities among the people. They always kept an eye on them, waiting for them to do anything that would reveal them to the world. On the other hand, we lived more or less cut off from the surrounding world. Hunters usually showed up at the borders of our territory, waiting for wolves that wandered too far. They didn't play fair, and neither should we. At least that's what Sam claimed.

I had my own idea of ​​what was not fair.

Those brown eyes the colour of burnt hickory were haunting me every time I closed my eyes. So sincere, so full of emotions. The ones that were supposed to be linked to mine for the rest of my life.

I always imagined what it would be like to meet my soulmate. Before I was 18, I was always watching the wolves in our pack wondering which of them could be my other half. After my birthday, I realized that they are not in our territory. My first thought was a disappointment. I loved my pack, and I couldn't imagine not being a part of it. On the other hand, I knew that not only my mate awaited me but also an adventure. Although, my idea of ​​adventure was to see other packs, and learn about other cultures and not put our entire community in danger.

Hunters and supernatural beings were destined to be unable to live in harmony, constantly watching over the smooth running of the world and keeping this world's greatest secret under wraps.

Both, us and them, were dangerous. Wolves and vampires to humans and hunters to us. Today, however, I knew that the word dangerous had also another meaning. Those brown eyes were dangerous to me. They confused me, lured me, and drove my wolf to madness. I knew he felt it too, but how much, I couldn't say.

“Are you free right now?” Sam contacted me via mind link. I had nothing to do, but I didn't know if I wanted another wave of questions. On the other hand, Sam was my best friend, so he was the only one who could make me think about something else right now.

“Where are we going?” I asked him, not really caring about the answer. Today was one of the days when I practically had free time. I had the morning watch, but two hours ago I was replaced by Ethan, another member of our pack, and there were still a few hours left until the evening.

“I was thinking pond.” The pond was actually a lake in a more remote part of our territory where the newly shifted wolves were taught to walk on all fours. It was a place that was special to wolves since childhood, and thus we enjoyed visiting it even now.

“Meet me at my house,” I told him since my house was a lot closer than his. He immediately agreed, and I moved in front of the entrance so I could shift. Opening doors with claws was no fun.

…

Our paws drumming against the hard ground, the wind ruffling our fur, the sounds of nature in our ears, being a wolf could be defined in so many ways. But what characterized us the most was our cohesion. Being part of a pack meant being part of a family. The wolf was never alone, either physically or in mind. So it was not surprising that we met dozens of wolves at our favourite place. Most of them were wolf cubs learning to walk. They were accompanied by their parents or other family members, and if you looked closely, warriors were hiding in the nooks and crannies of the trees, watching over their safety.

The atmosphere here was more than friendly. If you felt bad, this was the place that showed you that you are not alone in the world and that there is always someone who will support you. It may sound too idealistic, but the wolf world, at least the one we lived in, had many advantages over human cities. We weren't interested in designer clothes, we cared more about whether they would stay together after we shifted. We spent more time outside than in front of the computer or television, although some used technology for work, for example, me. However, we still managed to spend a lot of time in our wolf bodies. And lastly, we had deeper relationships with each other that offered us connections that humans couldn't even imagine. Our minds were connected, families started with soulmate unions – the purest love, and if a pack member died, everyone felt it. It was amazing and challenging at the same time, depending on the situation.

“We should do this more often,” Sam told me, poking my shoulder playfully with his muzzle. We were just lying in the sun, enjoying its last rays before it got dark. When we were younger, I often teased him that he was more cat than a wolf with how much he loved the sun. He always resented me for it, but otherwise, nothing changed. He still loved the sun, as evidenced by his tanned skin in human form.

“Agree.” After Sam was officially named future beta, and I decided to leave for college, we didn't have much of a chance to hang out. Now that I was back and we often patrolled together, we spent more time together. I won't lie, I missed spending time with him. That was one of the reasons I decided to complete my senior year online. Although it was not always easy, in the end, I could boast of a diploma and a title.

"Will you tell me what happened there?" I knew he wasn't going to let it go, but I hoped I could avoid an answer since I had none myself. At least not completely.

“What do you mean?” I decided to pretend I didn't know what he was talking about. It was the safest option, I just had to hope he would cooperate.

Of course, Sam couldn't give me the benefit of the doubt. I had no idea what to say to him as his wolfish gaze bore into mine, waiting for any hesitation on my part. I had no doubt that he had his own answer in mind that made sense to him, I just had no idea if he wanted me to confirm or deny it.

“You stopped me,” he spoke after receiving silence from me instead of an answer. If I could sigh, I would.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, "it just felt right at the time."

“Saving the lives of hunters?” he asked in disbelief. I knew how it sounded. One might think from our conversation that Sam was cruel, but I saw him as devoted. He was concerned about the safety of our pack, and I did something irrational, something that could potentially endanger it.

"I don't know," I repeated, “I guess I spent too much time among humans.” Although it wasn't entirely true, there was something about it. After those few years among humans, I very quickly began to see them as equals. Not that I felt superior before, but I didn't see us on the same level. They had only one soul, while two lived in me.

“Humans are not the same as hunters. Humans will be scared and will want to either admire you or experiment on you, hunters on the other hand, they’ll want to kill you,” Sam instructed me as if I didn't know the difference myself. Very few humans knew our secret. They were mostly the ones who ended up being wolf mates or their families since it was difficult to keep such a big secret from them. There were currently 14 humans living in our pack, 8 of them being wolf mates.

"I know, Sam," I assured him, "I don't know what happened to me. They attacked first, but I guess I just felt sorry for them. Besides, now at least all the hunters will know that ghosts haunt our territory." I let out a sound that was the equivalent of a human laugh.

“That was pretty sweet.” Sam also sounded amused. “I'm just afraid they'll come again; this time prepared.”

I was afraid too, but for a different reason.