The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

-Vera-

As I’m walking back to the pack house, I stop at the edge of the forest on instinct. It’s always difficult for me to leave this place. I turn around to face the trees, which almost seem to be reaching out to me. As strange as it might sound, this is the one place where I’ve never felt alone. Even as a child, I thought about running away to the forest countless times. If not for Sofia and her family, I probably would have.

I climb up the stairs that lead to Sofia’s office. This is where she spends most of her time. I knock, and it’s Alex who lets me in. As expected, the soon to be mom is very unceremoniously spread out on the couch, taking her post breakfast nap, belly up.

Alex beckons me to sit on one of the chairs facing the chimney, for which I’m grateful, I still feel cold from my vision. He sits in the chair next to mine.

“She’s getting closer to her due date.” He muses while looking at the vivid flame. I just turn to him, expecting him to continue. “I don’t know how we’re going to do this, Vera. After her father passed away, she gracefully took on the role of interim Alpha, I agreed because I expected it to be just that, an interim position, and look at us now.” He turns to look at me with sad eyes. “She barely sleeps as it is, she’s always exhausted, and with two kids?”

I understand his worry. Being a pack’s Alpha isn’t only about bossing people around and making executive decisions.

Alpha is part of the first line of defense. If there is an attack intended to weaken a pack, the Alpha is the first target. Alex is a strong wolf, but there is only so much he could do to defend her if

breaks another piece of wood as I speak. “Ever since yesterday, I’ve been feeling uneasy, you guys know that. But today…” Alex doesn’t fully know the extent of my abilities, only that my instincts are never wrong. “Something is coming Alex. Something we are

I can tell all of this is weighing heavily on him. Sofia goes to sit at her desk. I join her, sitting across from her. Her desk is large and bulky, fully made

our entire pack. What she

as bad as you look, I’m already concerned.” She has on that neutral expression I recognize to mean business.

there is a long silence as Sofia stares at the fire to her left. The floor to ceiling window behind her shows that it is once

land. She continues, “it’s after the lycans, Vera. Eric told me once they started running deeper into

I speak before she can even continue, but I can’t help myself, I know

send your mate to his death?” I am taken aback by the reminder of the