Chapter 2: The Hunt

Layla wasn't sure when her cloak found its way underneath her but she was grateful for the consideration. The moon had fallen behind a cloud as the sweet gentle breeze grew stronger, the damp grass tickled through her cloak to her bare skin.Her linen underdress was bunched under her chin. She shivered as she pulled it down to cover her exposed body. Solomon wrapped his arm around her and gently pulled her close to him. He kissed her shoulder. "I hate to say it, but it's getting late," she said. She rolled over and wiggled closer to him. "It's getting so cold."

"I could warm you up again," he sleepily flirted in her ear.

"You could. And I definitely would like that," she nuzzled into his neck. "But-"

"Shhhh, no buts." He slid his hand down the curve of her body and stopped on her butt. With a gentle yet firm squeeze, he said, "just this one."

"Very cute," she brushed his hand off her and stood up. "But it's getting late. We probably should get out of here." She grabbed her long wool tunic and threw it over her thin linen underdress. She sighed. She didn't want to leave but she was going to hunt before she stumbled upon her mate, Solomon. Her pack was waiting for her, hunting had not been good for a while and she was sick of seeing the children go without. If her father's men could not, she would.

"What's wrong, my love?" Solomon propped himself on one elbow.

"It's nothing. It's just this little thing I was supposed to do tonight. Not that I haven't enjoyed myself because I have."

Solomon smiled, "Me too. Very much so." He began to play with the grass next to Layla's cloak he was still lying on.

She returned the smile, "Good. That's good. This is a little embarrassing, I was about to hunt before, before you," she gestured awkwardly towards Solomon, "and it's getting very late. Or early, if the sun is about to rise."

"Okay," Solomon said casually as he sat up and crossed his legs in front of himself.

"Okay?" Layla was flustered by his cavalier attitude.

"It's a little odd you are hunting at night. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I just assumed that you could shift without the help of the Goddess." Solomon said with sincerity Layla mistook for condescension.

"You are correct in that assumption. I can shift at my pleasure. I just prefer to hunt at night." She could feel her inner wolf begin to awaken in anger. "Alone."

"Why be a lone wolf in a pack of friends?" Solomon asked with a crooked smile.

Layla's attitude immediately dropped and she began to laugh. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"I enjoy being ridiculous," he said as he stood up. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I also enjoy hunting with my friends."

"Oh? Are we friends now?" She said with a sly smile.

"Of course we are, we are mates." He wrapped his arms around her waist. She pushed him gently away from her to look him in the eye.

"Just because we are mates, and just because it feels like I've known you forever doesn't mean that we are friends. We don't actually know anything about each other."

Solomon sighed, "Of course, you're right. We don't know each other but we have the rest of our lives to learn." His dark brown eyes pierced through hers sending shivers down her spine. His gaze was intense and if she was going to be honest with herself, scared her in a way that thrilled her to her core.

"The rest of our lives?" Layla cleared her throat, "Uh, that's pretty heavy."

"Yeah, it is," Solomon agreed quietly. They both froze as the words hung heavy in the air encircling them. There was so much they both wanted to say to the other. So many questions, so many objections. The mate journey wasn't supposed to be complicated. It was supposed to be easy, spontaneous, and animalistic. It was supposed to elevate both their human and wolf forms. And while mating with the son of the Moonbane Alpha, the future Alpha, could be beneficial to her pack, Layla knew that her father was too proud to allow their mating. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Solomon's father would say.

After waiting what felt like an awkward eternity, Solomon broke the silence. "I would love to hunt with you but-"

"Oh no! I hunt alone," Layla cut him off.

"Yes, yes Lone Wolf, I know, " he teased. "I was going to say that there isn't anything to hunt here." Layla sighed in defeat. "You and I both know it. I didn't come upon anything in this woods till I saw you." Layla shook her head in agreement. "If you just need to let loose, I understand. I get the itch, too."

"It's not that," Layla hung her head in defeat. "I was just really hoping that maybe there's something. I can't go back empty handed." She broke from his embrace and collected her velvet cloak from the ground.

"Hey," Solomon called softly. He didn't really understand what was going on. He knew that no pack in Ashford Mountains would let a woman hunt, especially alone at night. His mother often told him stories of the women hunters back in River Reach but it was not something his father successfully brought over to this land. "I can help if you would like. We have more than enough food. It's not too far from here, especially if we run."

Layla was torn. Her father's wrath would be unending if he found out that she accepted aid from any Moonbane member let alone the would-be Alpha. She tried to assess the political ramifications, how would the other packs take it if they found out? Her father was already seen as a weak Alpha, his pack was dwindling. Would this be the tipping point for a territory grab?

But someone had to look out for the children. Someone had to sacrifice and swallow their pride. Too many young lives were at stake.

As if he could read her mind, Solomon said, "No one will know. You don't even need to tell me why you need it so badly. I swear on the Goddess." Solomon extended his right hand to her. Layla suppressed that gnawing feeling of guilt that was bubbling over her stomach as she placed her hand in his. "Good," he said as he dropped her hand. He backed away from her and began to limber.

In the blink of an eye, stood before her a large wolf with thick black fur and piercing brown eyes.

That gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach grew. She felt her pulse start to race and she instinctively began to slowly back away from Solomon till she hit her back against a tree. He was larger than an average wolf but for a shifter, he was small. He was also more muscular than the shifters in her father's pack. She could tell that this wolf was well fed and skilled in the ways of combat, a trait she did not pick up in his human form.

She slowly placed her hand over the scar on her face as she locked eyes with him. He dropped his gaze and lowered his head. She had only seen a wolf do so in defeat and was shocked to see him do so towards her as if he could sense her fear and was trying to earn her trust. She took a deep breath and lowered her hand from her scar. Her pulse began to slowly return to its normal speed. With the hand that was on her face, she extended it towards Solomon and rubbed the side of his head. He responded by licking her scar with a gentleness she never knew belonged to a wolf and for the first time in her life, she remembered that there is a man within the beast.

She nervously shook her head. She knew that it was too far for her human legs to take her, she had to shift into her wolf. But she had never done so in the presence of another person before. She was afraid but decided to push through. She removed her clothes so as to not ruin and rip them. She took a deep breath and at the exhale, she shifted. The transformation was as excruciating as it was quick. It always amazed her how high her pain tolerance was in this form as all her other senses heightened. Her human brain started to shut off as her wolf took over. Her one focus was on her mate and their mission.

Solomon circled around her as a signal to follow him but she knew these woods better than he did and she took off running ahead of him. As a wolf, she was smaller than Solomon. Their fur was similar in color with the exception of her scar, no fur grew there. It took no time for Solomon to catch up with her which only caused her to run harder and faster. It was almost as exhilarating as the lovemaking they enjoyed an hour prior.

It took little to no time to arrive at their destination, a large Moonbane fort on the outskirts of the woods. Layla stopped running at the tree line and shifted back to her human form. "Oh Goddess damn it!" She exclaimed when she realized that she was naked. She heard Soloman laughing behind her. For a second, she thought he had in his wolf form but knew that was absurd.She covered her chest with her arms and tried to duck behind a tree only causing Solomon to laugh harder. "Solomon!" she shrieked, "this is not funny!"

"I have to disagree," he laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I have no clothes," she said as she turned to face him. He, too, was naked. Layla's eyes darted all over his naked body. She didn't really pay attention to it before but now it was very difficult to ignore. His body was as muscular as he was in his wolf form. His shoulders were broad and tapered down to his waist. His legs were strong and thick. The only word that came to mind was beautiful. He was beautiful. "Please bring me clothes?"

"I think I prefer this," he joked. Layla rolled her eyes. "I'll be right back."

Layla shifted back into her wolf form and nestled under a tree. She was hit with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and could not keep her eyes open. She quickly drifted off to sleep as the sun began to rise over the peaks of the nearby mountains. Not long after, she snapped awake. She heard footsteps approaching and she sprung up. Her fur stood erect and she began to run in the opposite direction. A familiar scent of cardamom and leather hit her nose and she stopped. Solomon approached her cautiously with his hands stretched out holding a large canvas bag. In a blink of an eye, Layla shifted back to her human form.

"I'm sorry to wake you," Solomon said as he handed her the bag. "I tried to hurry."

"It's okay," she said as she quickly rummaged through the bag till she found a thick woolen tunic. She frantically threw it on, it was a couple sizes too big but she wasn't going to complain. "Do I look okay?"

"You look beautiful." He held Layla's hand in his once she approached him. He looked a little anxious and his pulse was beating rapidly, "so, I don't want to alarm you," Layla skeptically looked at him but waited for him to finish. "It's not a big thing, at all. But my parents are here." Layla dropped his hand. "It'll be great. They will love to meet you. They have wanted me to find a mate for a while now."

Layla stopped walking. Her mind was racing as quickly as her pulse was and that awful feeling in her stomach that she was trying to ignore all night exploded throughout her body.

She had heard the rumors. The Riverwalkers claimed to be descendants of the Moon Goddess and they protected that lineage at all costs. She was not a descendant of the Goddess, she was not a Riverwalker, she was not from River Reach. There was no way that the Balthazar Riverwalker wanted his son, his heir, to mate with a small time would-be Luna such as herself. If Ashford Mountains were the ocean, her father's pack and territory would be a drop of water- insignificant. There was no denying that she was Solomon's mate, the force of nature that bonded them together, but she was not worthy of it. She wondered if Solomon agreed with her but she couldn't tell. His face was warm towards her but she could still sense his nervousness.

"Solomon," she said with hesitation as she dropped her head towards the ground, "I don't think that this is a very good idea."

He walked back towards her and cradled her chin lovingly in his hands. "I know but I'm here. You can't go home without food. And eventually my parents will have to meet you. We can't spend the rest of our lives sneaking around and hiding out in these woods, Layla. I'm here with you." He kissed her forehead and extended his hand towards her.

Layla took a deep breath and shakily exhaled. She nodded her head and took his hand. She followed him towards the fort. The morning sun illuminated their way across the grassy meadow and with each step, Layla felt more and more cautious. They stopped and waited for the guards to open the gates. The Moonbane banner hung intimidatingly besides the entry. The gates slowly creaked open. She took a deep breath to steady herself. For the first time in her life, she was in enemy territory.