Intuition

Eve dreamed she was running through the woods beside the training grounds in Acres. She had been given an assignment but the more she tried to recall what it was, the more lost she felt. The sun was warming her dark fur when she heard the snapping of a twig nearby.

GraySky pack was known for their advanced training routines. Eve, being the Alpha's niece, had always been expected to succeed. Every pack member was trained in different areas from the time they began primary school. There is a joke on the mountain that even the cashier at the market was a warrior in disguise.

It wouldn't be at all unusual for someone to be sneaking up on her. She turned toward the sound. Her every sense was on alert. A howl came through the air. It was deep and hollow. The sound was somehow familiar to her though Eve couldn't place it.

Something told her not to move or hide. She was in no danger. She waited for several minutes but there were no more sound. Not even the crinkling of dead leaves. Eve turned to continue running but she froze in place. There was a wolf in front of her, one she had never seen before.

Who are you?! The she-wolf reached out with her mind.

The large grey wolf stared at her, simply tilting his head in response. His irises were so dark that they looked nearly black. He was twice her size and clearly capable of damage. Still, his eyes looked more curious than vicious.

Eve! Flint's beast called to her from a distance as his howl shook the air.

The strange wolf perked up excitedly at the sound, turning an amused expression toward the Luna. There was something hidden in the depths of his eyes that made her stomach feel tight. Eve began running, leaving him behind her.

Eve! Stop! Flint's wolf again entered her mind, closer this time.

She headed into the wind, trying to follow his voice. Yet his next howl sounded further away.

Eve! No! Stop right now! Flint's wolf seemed to be growling the words.

Eve tried to stop her feet from moving and she stumbled, bouncing off the ground. Her leg was twisted and it was that pain that jerked her awake. Much to her surprise, she wasn't laying in her bed like she remembered.

Instead, she was tumbling down hill in the forest beside the Dolan manor. She was heading toward the overlook to the river. She scrambled to dig her paws into the ground but she couldn't get any traction.

Just as the ground vanished from below her, a pair of strong jaws grabbed the scruff of her neck and jerked her upwards. Eve whimpered in confusion as she landed hard on the ground. Before she even had time to take a breath, a familiar white wolf appeared in front of her.

His emerald eyes were seeping with worry, fear, and frustration. Flint stood over her and examined her closely. She was uninjured, but she had nearly fallen to her death. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears as her panic flowed through him.

Little thing... His voice crossed her thoughts.

What is happening? She replied meekly.

You turned in your sleep and ran. The Alpha laid beside her and snuggled close to surround her.

I just ran? She probed sadly.

You were fast. Very fast. We couldn't catch you. Flint answered.

We're scared. Her statement was spoken in a small voice but it echoed painfully in her mate's mind.

He began shifting into his human form without even exhaling his breath. In an instant; he was holding Eve's shivering, furry form in his arms. The evening sun had lost it's warmth and the sky had begun dimming.

"Eve, baby..." He breathed. "We need to go home."

We can't control it. Not at all... The she-wolf felt overwhelmed.

"I know." Flint lifted her, cradling her against his chest as he rose to his feet.

He walked back to the manor with a mind full of worry. He had never seen anything like that before. A wolf shifting forms while asleep and not even waking. Weirder still, she had out run him. No one had ever been faster than him in his entire life. No one but Eve in her frantic, sleeping state.

Eve took her time calming herself. The mysterious Alpha power her growing child was producing had taken control of her. Not only did she not know how to handle the waves of uncontrollable strength, she also knew absolutely nothing about the power itself. As Flint stepped onto the side yard, Eve looked at the house with surprise.

The upstairs bedroom window was broken and the gutter had been bent away from the house. It looked like she had somehow summersaulted to the ground. Flint placed her on the porch and lifted her face to meet her eyes.

"You're okay, Eve. I promise." He was sincerely trying to calm her but she could feel the uncertainty under his words.

She put all her effort into shifting back into her human form. It took longer than she though it would to begin. But once it started, it seemed to instantly end. She flopped onto the porch and clutched her bare stomach with her hands.

"I'm sorry." She whispered quietly.

"No." Flint hugged her tightly. "You didn't do anything."

Eve felt like a puddle of emotion and the power inside her had yet to stop swelling. Her mate carried her into the house and up to their bedroom. There would be much to discuss, but not now. At this moment, all he wanted was to sooth her.

Flint pushed the bathroom door open and stepped into the shower. Eve soon found herself standing under the hot water streams as her mate caressed her back. The steam filling the room smelled like Flint. It reminded her of fresh morning dew and the crisp dead leaves of the forest.

She sighed a few breaths and absorbed the comfortable scent and the soothing electricity of her mate. Her muscles relaxed and she leaned her head back to rest on his chest. Flint ran his fingers through her honey blonde hair before kissing her on the cheek. He held her against him protectively.

"I'll send Ashely to the summit." He stated.

"You can't do that. She's never involved herself with the other Alphas." Eve spun to face him.

"She's still the Beta of this pack. I'm not leaving you right now." Flint replied seriously.

Eve's upcoming meeting with Selena flashed through her mind. Not only would Flint ditching the Alpha summit make StarLight, and it's leader, look unreliable; his being present would make Eve going to see his fugitive mother impossible.

"You're the one who's prepared for this whole thing. It won't go our way if you don't take care of this. I'll hold it together." She tried to sound confident.

"This isn't up for discussion." He wiped the water out of is eyes.

"The pack needs you to go. We all do. You can't stay..." She caressed his chest, ignoring the guilt in her stomach.

"Eve, I can't leave you here." Flint sighed.

"I'll be okay. You go take care of the pack and I'll take care of the pup." Eve hugged him.

"If I agree to this, and that is a big if, you ca not stay here alone. I'll have to assign someone to stay with you." Flint stated reluctantly.

"I don't think-"

"I'm not asking, Eve. If you want me to attend the summit meeting, you're not going without security while I'm gone." He interrupted her with a stern tone.

"Okay." Eve was scrambling for an answer to her dilemma.

"What's wrong?" Flint brushed the hair off her forehead.

"I don't like the thought of just anyone following me around." She hesitantly met his eyes. "Can I pick the warrior?"

"Sure, baby." He nodded.

Eve was trying to think of who she could involve in her scheme. She knew that there were few people she could trust with her whereabouts and even fewer who wouldn't feel compelled to tell their Alpha everything.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Flint probed.