Marilu Mann - Changing Focus

His gentle shoulder bump made her feel calmer. He led the way toward the window and they leapt out to race toward the clearing. Gareth might only have one eye, but he could jump and leap over any obstacles that appeared in their path just as nimbly as she. They reached the edge of the clearing and Olivia felt overwhelmed by the variety of scents surrounding her.

Each wolf had their own unique scent. She picked Micah out of the crowd immediately, his cinnamon scent teasing her nose as Gareth’s earthier pine scent seemed to fade. Olivia realized a group of males had detached from the larger group in the center of the clearing and had headed toward them, heads down.

Gareth stopped, so she did the same. The leader of the four wolves halted in front of them, growling at Gareth and ignoring her. What do you think you’re doing here, Scar-face?

I’m here for the same reason you’re here, Luke. To welcome our Alpha home. Gareth’s voice sounded calm in her head. Olivia looked between the other wolves and Gareth, wondering why they were giving him a hard time.

No one wants you here, Scar-face. You offend the Alpha with your presence. Get lost. With that, three of the wolves attacked Gareth. Olivia yelped and ran toward Micah. She glanced back once to see Gareth holding his own against the three, but when the fourth wolf, the one he’d called Luke, joined in, Gareth went down. The snarling and growling had pulled some attention away from the center of the circle and Olivia saw Micah surrounded by female wolves.

She forgot all about Gareth in that moment. Those bitches were trying to get Micah’s attention and she wouldn’t have it! Olivia growled low in her throat, surprised at the sound she made, but meaning it nonetheless. She ran toward the closest female, snarling and nipping at her tail. The females scattered, yipping as they went while Micah waited calmly for her.

Olivia bumped his shoulder with her head and Micah rubbed his jaw along the top of her head. I’m glad you’re here, Liv. Meet the Pack. Everyone, this is Olivia Volksson Decatur. She is my guest and under my protection.

Just as he finished addressing the group, the four wolves who’d run Gareth off came rolling and tumbling into the main group of wolves. Micah turned his head toward them and Olivia followed his gaze to see a streak of white disappearing between the dark trees.

Micah, they attacked Gareth-they may have hurt him. Her shaking was echoed by the growl that rumbled through Micah as he left her side, stalking toward the four.

What did you do, Luke? The gamboling stopped as Micah approached the four smaller wolves. The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he felt another growl deep in his chest. Luke had been harassing Gareth for some time now. He and his friends were the main reason Gareth never felt comfortable joining the Gathering.

Micah knew the truth behind their posturing. As a wolf, Gareth was almost as big as he was, much bigger than these four now cowering before him. Luke raised his head momentarily then pushed at some snow with his nose as he whined.

I ran off the scarred one off, Micah. I thought, as your lieutenant, it was my place…

Micah rammed into Luke, upending him in the circle and holding him down with both paws across his chest and his mouth open around Luke’s neck. The gang of Betas backed down immediately going to their bellies, tails and heads dropping in submission and Luke, after a brief startled yelp, held perfectly still.

My lieutenant? Do you honestly think I would allow a bully like you to be anything in any Pack structure? Gareth is my friend, Luke. He is my second-in-command in the human world and Pete is the highest-ranking wolf when I’m not around. What gives you the right to make yourself my second here? If you or your friends attack Gareth in or out of the circle again, you will all answer to me. Are we clear?

He shook the other wolf once just to make his point. Micah knew he had the attention of every wolf at the Gathering so he took yet another opportunity to defend Gareth.

He knew the others, especially this group of youngsters, assumed that because Gareth only had one good eye that his stature in the Pack was lessened. Micah knew that because Gareth had grown up in a Pack and fought his way to become one of the Beta males in Curtis’ old Pack that he could hold his own, half blind or not, against any one of these new-to-a-Pack wolves.

Yes, Micah. I’m sorry. I won’t attack the scarred one again.

His name is Gareth. Use it. With that Micah released Luke who immediately flopped onto his belly and as soon as Micah turned his head away, jumped to his feet and ran, tail tucked between his back legs, back to his friends.

Micah turned back to the rest of the Pack only to see Olivia standing frozen in the middle of the group of unattached females. She shied away from contact with all of them. Her head went up when he caught her eye, then she turned and ran from him as well.

He focused on the female running away from him, from the Pack and caught her thoughts. Monsters, all monsters.

Growling out his frustration, Micah took off after her, throwing a thought at the Pack as he left the Gathering circle. Thank you all. Be free, my friends. Enjoy, I’ll be back.

Liv might be small and quicker on her feet, but Micah had desperation on his side. He had to convince Olivia to accept this world. It was just as much a part of him as the human world and it was for her as well. She needed to accept the animal behavior, the Pack structure if she was ever going to accept him. And he wouldn’t have anyone but her at his side.

Micah skidded to a halt at the side of the path. Olivia stood beside Gareth, her sides heaving, both from exertion and the anguish he could feel rolling off her. Gareth looked at him then turned his head slightly to the side.

Gareth, are you all right?

I’m fine, Micah. This is really nothing new. I’m just going to say goodnight now. Micah watched Gareth limp off. He took note of the fresh wounds on the other wolf and knew that none of them were life-threatening. Gareth would heal, physically, with his next change. The attack by the Betas was just another strike against Gareth ever feeling comfortable with this Pack. It was a problem he’d have to address in the very near future, but for now, Olivia was more important.

Olivia, why did you run?

I can’t deal with that, Micah. It’s just not right. I don’t know how to deal with it. All of my dreams, the running, the fighting. I even dreamed of chasing a rabbit. Oh God, Micah, the sound that rabbit made. I can’t do that, I can’t be that. I can’t be a wolf. I’m not good at it.

Moving slowly, Micah rubbed against Olivia’s side. Sweetheart, stop. Take a deep breath and think about this for just a minute. Before you knew what you were, your subconscious wolf mind took over, but here you are, in wolf form, having a conversation with me. If your human mind weren’t in control, do you honestly think we’d be talking right now?

He bumped her with his head, playfully butting into her. Olivia growled softly then sighed, shaking her head. She looked surprised when she continued to shake, all the way to her tail.

There is much joy in this form, Olivia. There are so many things we can do as wolves that we’d never do as human. If you chase a rabbit, even if you catch and kill it, it’s because the wolf in you has taken control for that brief moment in time. You can control the wolf. You can still be human in this form, but it’s easier sometimes to let the wolf out, to let it run free and not worry about your human form. We call it moonlust and it usually happens to young wolves. The more you shift, the more time you spend going from human to wolf and back again, the more control you’ll have over your animal self.