-----------------------------

Levi

------------------------------------------------------

"David, you owe me fifty bucks," I called out between laughs as I watched the dumbass adolescent males squirm painfully in the sand. "Well, actually you owe Charlie so just give it to her."

My wolf was buzzing. We were proud of our pup, more than proud. That girl made two of our strongest young males look like mere puppies. She put the fear of God in their eyes, as she should. After they healed up, I would have my turn with them after we got back home. No one touches my pup without repercussions.

I stood up and turned towards the fire pit. Lander was trying to calm Liam down. His wolf was too close, too attached to Charlie. I took a sip of my beer then looked to Elliot who was watching him intently.

"Liam," I called out. His eyes snapped away from his father's to mine. He was mad. His wolf wanted a bite out of those male's asses, and I couldn't blame him, but Charlie was not his, and he was not her's. He had to be stronger than this bond for both their sakes. "Go run it off. Elliot and Remi, you two go with him. "

Remi stood up and started to walk over to Liam. He was just like his dad at that age; tall, lanky, but alert. His wolf was damn alert of everything around him. According to Lander that kid spent more time in the woods than he did at home, his wolf's heart practically beat to the song that forest sang to him.

I sat down next to Bowie who cracked open another beer and clinked my can with his. "Your boy's just like you Bowie."

Bowie chuckled and nodded. "He's a good boy, a little shy. He hasn't really come into himself, but he's a fighter. All the other boy's used to think he was weak because he was skinnier than them," Bowie said through laughs. He shook his head and looked at me mischievously. "You shouldn't judge one by their appearance. My boy apparently beat up one of those twins so bad that they couldn't walk for a week."

"He should start coming to train with Liam and Charlie."

Bowie's eyes widened with pride. He nodded to me and smiled into his can as he sipped his beer. "He would love that. Thank you."

"Blake, go peel those boys off the sand. In the morning take them back to the pack, I doubt they will be moving anywhere for a while."

Blake looked over at the boys still laying in the sand. They were trying to push themselves up, but failing miserably. He shook his head at the sight that was frankly embarrassing. "She fights like you, ya know?" he called out over his shoulder as he walked towards the mess my pup made. Although, I was damn proud of the mess.

Lander dug out another beer from our travel cooler and sat next to David. He looked over at the boys that Blake was now trying to scrape off the sand; blood still leaking everywhere along with chunks of flesh that Charlie's wolf ripped off. A faint smile was painted on his lips as he looked back at me. "She did good Levi. Blake's right, she fights much like you."

"She's a little more scrappy, though, and fast. Her wolf is smart, did you see that way she just taunted them? It still blows my mind that she turned not six months ago," Bowie added.

"You're telling me," I said into my can as I took another sip of beer.

David let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. "I am tempted to bring her round some of our warriors. I don't know if she would do as well as she did today, but she would throw them for a loop which would be good for both of them."

My wolf growled a bit, he wasn't a fan of Charlie venturing around males, especially unmated ones after today. Those boys were lucky that my beast didn't jump out of my skin and tear them apart.

"She's a good girl Levi," Bowie said quietly next to me. "My wolf can tell, she has a good heart as does her beast. She would make a good Luna."

"Agreed," David added.

I wasn't sure what to think of this. Lander and I had many discussions about what the hell Charlie was meant to do, or what she would do. Ultimately it is her choice, but still, fate has a funny way of steering us towards certain paths.

"I don't know," I said more to myself than the men around me.

A cry shot through the short silence. Blake was muttering curses to Taylor as he dragged his ass back to camp. The young wolf was whimpering and whining like a damn dying rabbit. Pathetic.

"Throw him and Ben in one of those tents," Lander called out.

"You don't think she will?" Bowie asked.

David cocked his head a bit. He knew me well. Lander and I had grown up with him and Bowie. He was solid, like a damn rock. He was a good master or arms, good at keeping our warriors in line and strong. But the man had a soft side, especially when it came to his daughter. "She could be the beta female or mate to a master of arms? She would make a good warrior Levi, for as little training as she has had, she fights well."

I gave him a long look then rolled my eyes. My beer was damn empty so I crumpled the can and tossed into our trash pile. Bowie reached in the cooler and popped open another one for me. The whole idea of what my pup's future would be made me want to bury myself in a case of beer.

"She's not meant to be a regular pack wolf, Levi, whether you want her to or not." Bowie gave me a knowing look then took a sip of his beer.

We let the sound of the fire crackling become the only sounds around us. It was a good night, but it smelt like rain. Thunder was starting to roll in, a summer storm.

Claire brought Charlie back all cleaned up. David took a liking to my pup and kept giving her a hard time after he begrudgingly handed her a wad of cash. They teased each other back and forth like a brother and sister while Blake tended to what was left of the boys that Charlie beat up.

Claire liked my pup and I was glad. She needed some good females in her life, especially ones she could learn from like Claire. The Beta female kept checking over Charlie for any scratches she missed and re-braided her hair. Claire was playful, much like Lander; even at this age, there was so much youth still in her.

Remi trotted back with Liam and Elliot in tow as the thunder crept up in clouds dancing with lightening. It would be quite a light show tonight. I finished my last beer than shifted back into my beast. It was going to get cold tonight with the storm and I would rather sleep in my fur.

My beast kept curling up and trying to rest, but we couldn't. The storm was beating our little tent hard and his was too worried about our pup to let sleep find him. I knew she was fine, Elliot had made sure she was snuggled up in her own tent, but still.

My wolf darted out in the rain, surveying the camp for danger, then made his way to her tent. He scratched at it relentlessly until it started to unzip from the inside.

Charlie looked at me with eyes that seemed half awake and rolled back in her sleeping bag while my beast walked in. She gave me a long look after she zipped the tent up then patted the spot next to her. "Come on ya big sap."

My wolf growled a little lowly at her. She may have found the only soft spot in our heart, but I was still her Alpha, her superior. She just rolled her eyes as my beast laid next to her, next to his pup.

He was a damned sap.

It got real cold that night and I was glad I shifted into my fur; not only too keep me warm but to provide Charlie girl with a little extra warmth. That and now she would be covered in my scent, which meant no damn male was going to go near my pup. Although, I doubt any of them would try now, especially after she put those boys in their place yesterday.

I shifted back and unzipped the tent before stepping out into the crisp morning air. Blake was on a cellphone, while Bowie was cooking some of the extra fish we caught for breakfast.

I pulled some sweatpants on as Blake ended his call. "Their father's are coming out together to help me get them back. I'll hold down camp here with them until they get here."

I nodded as Elliot walked out. He sniffed the air then looked over at Bowie. "Scent faded with the rain but I still smell them."

Bowie nodded. "It may be tougher today but with three of us it should be fine."

Charlie walked out of her tent and stretched her limbs before taking a plate of fish from Bowie. She scarfed it down then let Claire fix her braid while we tore down the camp we were taking with us.

Elliot, Bowie, and Remi had taken off already; scouting ahead for us. We would probably not shift back into our skin after today. It was too dangerous. It was easier to fight off a bear with teeth and claws.

It was easier to fight off most things with teeth and claws.

The females took off together towards the trail that our trackers had left. I watched them until they were a good ways away before looking over at Lander who had a faint smile on his face. "She's a strong one."

I nodded. She was. We shifted and chased after them with Liam next to us. I was proud of the boy, he was keeping up well with us. The wild air was doing his wolf good, he needed to get in touch with the true beast inside of him a little more.

I sat back a bit and let my wolf run, he needed to free his mind and run in the wilderness as he was meant to. He couldn't help but keep his eyes on his pup, on his pack. He was constantly surveying the area for danger as we trailed the females. The pull of an Alpha was getting stronger. I wouldn't be able to stay away from my pack much longer, my beast and I both knew that too well.

I couldn't help but think about my conversation last night, about Charlie. As we ran that day, weaving in and out of trees, it marinaded in my mind; it was sour then sweet then bitter then content.

The men were right and I would be lying if I denied it. My girl was strong. She wasn't going to be another pack wolf, and that's what worried me the most.

We followed the females until they slowed down a bit near a clearing. Claire looked over at Charlie, silently communicating to her before they started to quickly crawl around the ground floor.

Liam started to follow but Lander snapped at him. This was our female's hunt and we wouldn't interfere. It was a kill for them to do together, without male egos interfering.

Male egos.

I had enough of those for a damn lifetime.

We crept up slowly as the females disappeared into the brush. Lander started to crawl up a hill that overlooked a little marshy area where a moose was grazing on the plush grass. My wolf felt restless, moose were not timid creatures, in fact, they were incredibly aggressive.

My beast started to back away before Lander snapped at him. I wanted to snap back, he was not the alpha here, but my beast didn't want to scare the creature with our pup in mind. A mad moose was like an angry red head, wild and without relent.

My beast squeezed between Lander's and Liam's who watched the thick brush behind the moose. My beast could smell its blood from here, it's flesh. He licked his lips in anticipation, he hadn't had a good kill in too long.

We saw the brush move subtly. To anyone it would look like a rabbit or a small animal, but my beast knew better. He was growing anxious. He wanted to find our pup, but I pulled him in. Charlie needed this, she needed to do this with Claire.

I think I almost shit myself when I saw them. They moved like dancers together, in such sync that it looked like their wolves had been hunting together for years.

Claire lunged onto the moose's back first and sunk her teeth into its neck. It wasn't enough to kill it; while it did weaken the beast, it also pissed it off.

But Charlie wasn't about to let Claire get hurt. The female tore out from the brush and plowed herself right into the moose' side, staggering it before her wolf severed a thick tendon on its back leg, immobilizing it.

Claire jumped off as the angry male moose ducked his antlers and charged at her. She dodged out of the way as Charlie attacked him from the back and sunk her snout deep into its neck. You could hear the crunching from here.

The moose's neck bled like a river on the ground. Charlie jumped off of it then walked over to Claire. Claire led the hunt, even though my beast could feel that Charlie's wolf was almost stronger than her's, she still led the hunt; soon my pup would be able to easily best Claire.

Claire walked over to their kill and started chomping away at the tender meat on the moose's back while Charlie watched. Her wolf licked the blood covering her snout and hungrily eyed the kill.

Claire looked over to her and yipped, she had her first bites and was ready to share. Charlie walked over and dug into the moose legs and ate off the good fatty meat lining them.

Her wolf was greedy, hungry. Hungry for another kill.

She soon was digging into its chest and tore out its liver while Claire ate on its heart. She turned around and trotted up towards my beast with the bloody liver in her mouth and dropped it in front of us then sank down on her belly. She knew we were here watching the whole time.

My beast licked his lips then greedily tore at the liver. In two bites that damn thing was gone and he was hungry for more.

Claire yipped at us. Lander and Liam rushed down the hill and started to have their fill. My wolf stretched then rubbed his cheek against his pups', he was proud of her, I was proud of her.

She yipped playfully then ran back to her kill and started to dig in again. I have to admit, this was much better than the fish.

We had our fill and Claire licked some of the blood off Charlie's snout, like a mother, before they tore off again and got back on the trail. This time, we kept up with them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Liam, he was eyeing the female before him with a desire that was going to get his damn wolf in trouble. I felt bad for the kid, fighting a bond, even a small one, wasn't easy; but if he made a move for her neck, I would have his.

Liam would run next to Charlie for a bit and tease her. His wolf was still full of youth, although I doubt that would ever go away; Lander was like a huge man child half the time.

Charlie would snap back or push him into some bushes, but the male liked it. The female he wanted was paying him attention and inwardly my beast groaned. Stupid hormones of theirs.

She was beautiful as she ran. We made it to a clearing, running alongside a mountain, and for a second you would have thought it was two beta females or two lunas running together. She was starting to come into herself, the hunt was doing her wolf good. Maybe it was the wild air, maybe it was just being around a pack, maybe it was the taste of a kill in her mouth, but this hunt was going to change my Charlie girl, I knew that.

My beast and I didn't know what to think of it. Would she actually be a luna? A beta female? A warrior somewhere? The thought of her on the frontline of danger made my beast snarl inwardly. We didn't want anyone laying a hand on our pup.

But she was a fighter, we couldn't deny that. That girl has fought harder than so many people I knew, half the time it amazed me that she was still walking on two legs, let alone four.

The females slowed down as we approached a stream for us to take a small rest. Charlie let Claire drink first and kept watch over the area. I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, she probably didn't even realize what she was doing.

My beast walked up slowly and nudged his pup. He would look after her while she drank. She drank greedily. She looked a bit winded but still, her beast was full of energy.

I drank last while the others rested a bit. No one kept watch over me, not like I needed it. Anything in this forest would be stupid to attack an alpha wolf.

My wolf and I walked over to Charlie girl who was basking in the sun next to Liam. The dumb male could barely contain his purrs for her; inwardly I almost vomited.

Her fur was dark like her hair, almost black, but more like coffee. She had grown since she first shifted; muscles defining her sleek body. Bowie was right, she was starting to look like a luna or high-ranking female.

My wolf nudged our pup then licked her face, causing her wolf to groan and scrunch her face. He let out a wolf laugh of his own at the sight of his pup's embarrassment. We were going to have to do that more.

He nipped at Charlie again and stirred her up. His pup could rest when we found the next camp, we needed to keep going.

She walked up next to Claire who playfully bumped Charlie. The two behaved almost like sisters which I knew was going to get them both into trouble one of these days.

I barked out at the rest of the group, shaking them from their sun rayed-sleep. We had bears to kill.

As we chased the scent deeper into the forest it felt more wild, more alive. Mother Nature was the master here, not men. My beast loved it, it had been too long since he was able to roam in a place like this.

Charlie and Claire had slowed their pace down a little, letting us all have a chance to catch up to them. Those females were fast, damn fast. My beast jogged up next to Charlie and looked her over for any sign of damage we may have missed. She had a few scraps and cuts, but nothing that was too concerning. They would heal by nightfall.

My pup turned to me and snapped at us. This was not my place to run with her and she was not about to let my beast interfere with her 'girl time.' My beast groaned and slowed his pace, he was a damn softy when it came to our Charlie girl.

We caught up quick with Bowie, Remi, and Elliot; they were waiting for us on the side of a hill that was covered in thick bushes and trees. It would be a perfect place for us to sleep in our fur tonight, plenty of cover with the hill blocking the wind.

Charlie trotted up to Elliot who scratched her head, the vampire had grown attached to her much like Derek. She roamed over to Remi who was sniffing at the roots of a tree, watching them interact was damn interesting, to say the least. There was no bond there, but Charlie's wolf didn't mind Remi–he was no threat to her; yet the male wolf, taller than my pup, submitted to her like she was his damn luna. He sunk down on his belly until Charlie rubbed her cheek against his before they both trotted around the perimeter together, surveying the area for potential danger.

Claire came to stand next to me while the others started to make a makeshift den, I need to start one for Charlie girl and I soon. She watched Remi and Charlie playfully trot back towards our group, the male wolf respected my pup greatly, that was certain.

"Her wolf will outrank mine one of these days." Claire's voice slipped into my mind for only the two of us to hear.

I turned towards her as her hazel eyes proudly watched Charlie. "I don't know Claire, we don't know what the future holds."

"True," she agreed. "But look at her Levi. If she were a stranger to you and you saw her for the first time on this trip, would you not say the same as me?" I sighed and watched my pup as she trotted next to Liam who was laying next to Elliot. The male wolf nipped at her until she laid next to him. I groaned. Damn teenage lovefest hormones.

Claire's wolf let out what sounded like a breathy laugh before she began to walk over to her mate who was digging a burrow next to some bushes. She turned back to me with hazel eyes that looked like they could see the damn future. "You'd be lying to yourself to deny it, you know?"

I sighed and trotted over to a large set of bushes bundled next to an evergreen. I sat back and let my beast do what his instincts told him to do. He dug out a big ass hole then covered the bottom with leaves and soft long grass. He laid in it and tested out the feeling; it was big enough and to his liking so he rolled around a bit and covered it in his scent.

That night we all hunted together. Charlie and Claire led us to where some fat doe were grazing blissfully unaware of the danger lurking near. We were able to kill three and fill our bellies with the energy we would need to hunt our bears.

After we had our fill, we decided to go scout around. It was dusk and the bears would be out feeding in the creeks right about now, a perfect chance for Charlie to size up her prey.

Elliot and David went with Charlotte and I. We ran to a spot that Elliot had found earlier with Remi. It was a decent sized creek with a small waterfall, only a few feet, that poured steadily into its heavy waters. You could see the fish jumping from here which reminded me that we needed to catch some to bring back before this was over.

We let our wolves naturally do the work. We stayed behind the tree line and were careful not to leave our scent everywhere. We didn't want a bear getting spooked because it smelled like an army of wolves had been prowling around here.

Charlie's wolf looked excited. She was ready to sink her teeth into the flesh of the bear, and I was ready to see it. Her wolf was starting to become more wild, more in tune with nature as it was supposed to. She was maturing, growing, and learning to ways of our kind.

She spotted it before any of us did. Her wolf halted and sniffed the air before looking back at me with eyes as big as damn saucers. She lead us through the brush, stealthily walking like she was a damn ghost making only the sounds that would mimic a small breeze.

She dropped to her belly and crawled through some trees with low hanging branches. I followed her while the others watched our rear, the space was small anyways and we would all definitely not fit.

My pup was licking her lips at the sight. It was a large female standing in the middle of the creek catching fish her her large paws. She didn't smell like she had cubs in her, we were not going to take a pregnant one or one that was still nursing. We wouldn't ruin a family like that.

This one smelled like she had not been with cubs for a while. She was older, but not geriatric. She was seasoned female brown bear with fur like a Hershey's chocolate bar, and she would be one hell of a fight for my girl.

"What do you think girl?"

"My wolf wants her, it's everything I have right now to keep her from running out there now."

I chuckled inwardly and nudged her shoulder. "Today we watch and learn, tomorrow we hunt. Got it?"

She nodded without taking her eye off her prize as I snapped my attention to the bear. The female was catching salmon like she had been doing it a long time; which meant if she had survived this long out here, she would be one tough one to take down. You don't survive out here if you're weak, the wilderness in itself would eat you up.

We watched her catch a few fish and walk back to the banks to eat them. She was completely unaware of our presence. The breeze over the water and her hunger for fish were making her ignorant to that.

She munched on her catch with sharp ass teeth. I felt a little uneasy at the sight. Looking over at my pup, I wasn't too thrilled to think those teeth could take a bite out of her.

She ate and ate and ate greedily then laid in the sun and let it's warm rays coat her fur. She had some pretty large gashes on her belly, she had been in a fight or two before.

"She's a seasoned bear girl, she won't go down easily. You need to wear her out good, first."

The bear stood and started walking slowly back into the water, stiff. Charlie watched her for a bit with curious eyes as the bear took uneasy steps into the water.

"Yes but she's older. She's only going to be able to move so fast before her old bones will get the best of her." I smiled inwardly. My damn pup was learning fast.

We watched the female for a while more before we retreated back into the forest. Charlie was worried that we wouldn't find her again, but bears like most animals were habitual creatures. I was willing to bet that this was her normal fishing spot. We would come back in the morning the next day.

We made it back to our camp for the night. Liam apparently had found himself a good size male to take down. He would have to wait, though, Charlie did win the right to bag the first bear on this trip, and we would need everyone on backup since we were missing three wolves.

It didn't rain that night, but it was misty. It was like the sky was spitting on us. Damn annoying as hell.

My beast curled up in our burrow and yipped at his pup. She trotted over obediently and shook some of the dampness off her fur before crawling in as well. She laid her head down and we rested ours over her neck, my beast was overly cautious of making sure her neck stayed unmarked until she met her mate. Even then he still wasn't too keen on that asshole.

The sun broke through the trees and woke us up from our deep rest. We had the girls stay behind while we went out to hunt. I didn't want Charlie to waste any energy, she needed to be fresh today.

We brought them back a few rabbits which she gobbled quickly up. Her wolf was anxious, excited, ready for a kill. She needed to rein that beast in, she had to use her brain today. Taking down that bear was not going to be as easy as taking down those boys, not at all.

We made our way back to the creek that morning with the rest of the group in tow. Charlie and I went back to our spot under the trees while the rest of the group fanned out. They stayed far enough away to keep out of sight, but close enough in case their aid was needed.

We waited and waited and waited and waited, but that damn bear did not show up. Charlie let out a low whine as the morning started to turn into the afternoon. We may have to track that damn female down.

Bowie suggested we come back at dusk and if she wasn't there, then we would track her down. Reluctantly, my pup agreed. Her wolf was disappointed but it wasn't her fault, she would get her kill soon.

We spent the afternoon lounging around. Remi and Elliot scouted out a few more areas, apparently, Remi spotted a male black bear that his wolf was keen to take down. I laughed when he told me. His dad had killed a black bear on his first hunt when he was his age.

Charlie filled her belly with some more rabbit that her wolf was able to find. Poor guys. That female took them down brutally, pouring her frustration into the kill. I sighed, I almost felt bad for that damn bear.

Dusk approached and my pup was anxious to go. We set out again and I could only pray that the damn female was there. I didn't think the rabbit population around us could take it if Charlie didn't satisfy her bloodlust tonight.

Charlie and I crept up through the trees to our original spot when it hit her.

The scent.

She could smell that bear clear as day.

The female was catching fish in the creek, blissfully unaware of the predator that was about to challenge her. Charlie licked her lips as the female walked back onto the bank and began to eat away at the fish, but she was patient. Her beast knew to wait until the bear's tummy was full, causing her to be drowsy, before she attacked.

We watched the bear eat for what felt like hours before she laid down to sunbathe. I looked over at my pup who looked like pent up lightning. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried or a little nervous for her. Lander was at my tail, ready to hold me back if need be. It would be hard for me to stop my beast from wanting to aid his pup.

But this was her fight, not mine. It was her fight, and she was ready.

I looked over at my girl and nudged her. "She's your's girl, go get her."

She didn't need to be told twice. She lunged out of our spot towards her kill, towards her bear in the most natural way a wolf could.

It was just Charlie and the bear now, but hopefully, soon, it would just be Charlie.