Intuition

As days passed, Flint spent the daylight hours in the athenaeum. Elijah was there occasionally, looking for resources on the winter jade vine. None of the information he’d uncovered spoke about places to find the plant. They simply stated that the vine grew on the peaks of mountains and flourished during the last weeks of winter.

The nights were spent searching for the pull of his pup in his chest. Like always, it was strong at times and unmistakable. At other times, it would vanish completely. This was frustrating to him. Flint felt for his mate constantly in his mind, trying to gauge her and sense her emotions.

Something was wrong. Not with Eve. She had been calmer recently and her resolve in getting back to the pack was steadfast. Flint couldn’t place the feeling or give it a name. There was something taking hold within her. It began slowly, like quiet white noise. Now, it was like a kind of static that felt interwoven with Flint’s sense of her.

It was unnerving to him, though he couldn’t explain why. This feeling wasn’t pleasant or painful to Eve. It didn’t make her uncomfortable any longer. Something about it just gnawed at Flint. It made him nervous and it made his wolf antsy. The feeling was with his mate every night and many times during the day. This night was no different.

The large, white wolf had been following the pull in his chest. The sensation had long since faded but he couldn’t force himself to return home. There was always a chance, when the moon was out, that his pup would try to reach him. Flint believed with every fiber of his being that it was his duty to follow the illusive pulling in his chest. He owed it to both Eve and their unborn child.

He laid at the base of a tall tree. Flint tiredly waited for another tug on his heart. He was fighting sleep. Still, eventually darkness overtook his vision. Exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fell into a deep, reluctant sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flint dreamed of a memory. It seemed that he was reliving it. It was a few weeks before the latest Call and he was sitting in the grass. The Alpha relaxed back onto his elbows, enjoying the sight before him. Eve had her laid on his lap with a book in her hand. She was studying Lunar Gifts, as she did often.

She was wearing Flint’s old, burgundy sweatshirt. It was comically large on her but when she was lying on her back, the bump growing in her stomach could be seen. Eve had been self conscious about her body lately. Flint knew that, so he remained silent as he gazed at her.

“I can feel that.” She stated in a playful tone.

The heated trail of his eyes was obvious to her.

“I know.” Flint smirked and combed through her silky hair with his fingers.

Eve shifted to look up at him. The glowing, cyan blue of her eyes called to him. As always. He bent down and placed a kiss on her lips, feeling her smile against him before he pulled away.

“You’re being extra quiet today.” She mentioned, still holding a tender smile.

“I’m admiring you.” Flint replied calmly.

“More like admiring your handiwork.” Eve giggled lightly.

He placed his palm on her stomach. The pleasant, alluring electricity Eve provoked in him was followed by a small jolt of power. It was as if the child had somehow sensed him.

“My ‘handiwork’ can’t feel my admiring or hear my voice yet. You however...” His gaze slid over her chest to the mark he’d placed on her shoulder.

Flint wanted to kiss this small piece of smooth skin. He wanted to drag his teeth across it and feel his mate shiver. She traced her fingers over his forearm as he held her stomach, sending warmth with their every movement.

“I read something that said babies can hear lots of stuff in the womb. I bet pups hear even better.” Eve mused as her gaze trailed across his jaw.

“Do you talk to it?” Flint probed curiously.

“Him, Flint. Not it. We knew from the power alone that the pup was definitely a boy, and that was before Elkin confirmed it.” She nudged him.

“Okay. Do you talk to him?” He smirked at her.

“Yeah. Sometimes.” Eve shrugged.

“What do you say?” Flint asked.

“I tell him what I’m doing. What you’re doing. How loved he is, even though he’s already a troublemaker.” She smiled peacefully. “Want to try?”

“Okay.” He nodded hesitantly.

The Alpha moved to the side and bet down, toward Eve’s stomach. She simply watched him, her eyes were shining with gentle admiration.

“This is your father.” He stated awkwardly.

Eve giggled and he furrowed his eyebrows at her. She gestured for him to continue.

“Can you hear me, pup?” Flint whispered.

He waited in vain for something, anything to happen. After a few moments, he nodded with an amused grin.

“I don’t much like taking orders either. That’s why I’m Alpha, so I can give them.” He lowered is voice again. “You’ll be Alpha too, one day. Then you can ignore your mom and me all you want.”

“Hey!” Eve lightly swatted at his elbow.

A moment later, another pulse of power ran up Flint’s arm. He met Eve’s astonished gaze with a broad, content smile.

“He heard me.” Flint breathed.

The sound of the nature around him seemed to fade. Even Eve’s response was silent. Her lips were moving, but she had stopped making any noise. A sound in the distance was soon growing louder and louder. Somehow, it now seemed to be the only thing Flint could hear.

It sounded like the beating of an anxious drum. It was a hollow and small noise. Yet the rhythm was strong and steady. It felt like the closer and louder the sound became, the more it filled him. Flint glanced down to see that Eve was no longer laying in his lap. She was gone, as if she’d never been there at all.

The Alpha stood immediately and began scanning his surroundings with his eyes. His gaze stopped abruptly on a familiar silhouette. Eve. She was standing at the edge of the tree line with her back to him. Flint jogged toward her but she shifted, running away.

This left him with nothing to do but chase her. The sound was penetrating his every thought. It’s beat weighed him down while simultaneously urging him forward. His paws tore into the earth, propelling him faster. Flint struggled to catch up to her. He followed her scent and appearance of her tail. It felt like the race would never end.

Much to his relief, the small black wolf stopped running. Eve never turned to face him, she simply stared ahead of her. Flint stepped up beside her but he couldn’t catch his breath. His legs were aching like he were still running and his heart was thundering in his chest.

Eve nodded to the view in front of her. She had come to a stop in front of a rocky cliff. The thumping sound he’d been surrounded by, was louder than ever. Below the cliff, in the distance, there was a small community. Several businesses and a few residences on the few, curvy streets. Tucked away in the forest.

Behind it there was a clearing in the woods. Flint could see the tops of several campers and the green roof a cabin. Smoke was coming from the chimney. Someone was clearly home. The sight of the small building made his chest ache. Flint looked beside him where Eve had been standing but she was gone.

Fear. Anger. Anxiety. Confusion. He was overwhelmed. The hollow drum noise that was overwhelming his senses seemed to be coming from the cabin. His throat grew tight. The feeling that he couldn’t breath again took over him. His legs began shaking and quaking beneath him. His heartbeat was painfully fast.

Flint lifted his chin and howled. His legs collapsed from beneath him. In that second, the world around him changed. The grass was wet as his body met the hard ground. The thumping sound that was haunting him ceased immediately. The sky became suddenly bright with the mourning sun. He shook his head and again took in his surroundings.

He was beside the cliff where the dream of Eve had led him. The cabin, the small town, the smoke coming from the chimney... The pull in his chest was stronger than ever, as if it alone could carry him away. It all made suddenly made sense.

The sound was his pup’s heart. Beating, constant, and strong. The cabin producing the noise... Eve. He had found her.