The Little Human

PATRICK

The day after my eighteenth birthday is here, and I’m still waiting for my official appointment as the alpha of Half Moon Pack.

My dad is a stickler for tradition. That means I can’t claim my birthright without a luna by my side.

This has been the way of things for generations of alphas in our pack: you can only step up as alpha if you’re of age and have found your mate.

And, of course, the mating has to happen first.

The only time this tradition is bypassed is when an alpha dies. The next in line takes over, even without a luna, but only temporarily.

If the new alpha can’t find his mate within a year of taking over, he has to settle for another, chosen through a special ritual.

This only applies if he’s of age. If not, there’s a bit of wiggle room.

I know, it’s complicated. Outdated? Yeah, that too.

I think an alpha should prove his worth in other ways and earn the position based on skill. Finding your mate quickly is just a matter of luck.

Every pack has its own rules, so what I’ve just described doesn’t apply to all packs. Thank goodness.

Anyway, it’s been a long time since anyone in our pack had to perform this ritual. That means all the alphas before me, including my dad, have been lucky.

I’m hoping luck is on my side too.

I want to be the new alpha.

But if I’m being honest, what I really want is to experience the mate bond. My parents are so in love. I want that for myself.

Yeah, I guess I’m a bit of a romantic in an old-school way.

I’ve only ever admitted this to my best friend and cousin, Max, who thinks our tradition is borderline oppressive and puts too much pressure on future leaders.

Max isn’t a romantic. He never has been. For the past two years, he’s been the pack’s playboy.

Sure, the guy is good-looking and charming. I’ll give him that. But I’ve always wondered how he feels about the whole mate thing.

He doesn’t seem eager to find his other half. He started casually dating girls when he turned sixteen, calling it “gathering references.”

For a girl to have Max in her bed more than once is like winning the lottery.

Max is a few months older than me, so his birthday has come and gone without him finding his mate among his past or future lovers.

He didn’t seem bothered by it. As he often reminds me, he’s not in a rush to be the next alpha of our pack.

“I’m just going to be the pack doctor, buddy. A mate is wanted—or not—but not necessary.” He shrugged it off, saying it was silly to expect to find his mate so soon.

“I have a life to live and a career to conquer. If I get so obsessed with one woman that I can’t see past my own nose, I’ll be a terrible doctor.”

I hate to admit it, but he has a point. Although, I don’t think being obsessed with your mate is as bad as he makes it out to be. You just need to be good at multitasking.

When I told him that, he shot back that he’d rather multitask with two girls in his bed. And honestly, I think he could pull it off.

I don’t know the details of his sex life. I’m not that interested.

All I care about is that Max is happy (and I can’t imagine him being anything else) and that he’s there for me, just like I’m there for him. So far, we’re solid.

***

To celebrate my birthday, we ditched our training, shifted, and took a long run toward the borders with the human territories.

Humans don’t know anything about us. We’re not allowed to reveal our true nature to them unless it involves a mate.

But no one in my pack has ever found a mate in a human. That, and the ritual I mentioned earlier, hasn’t happened in years.

Anyway, we were running. I didn’t race Max. There was no point. I’m faster than everyone else, thanks to the alpha gene. But my cousin is a pretty good runner.

So, I let him run ahead, his dark-gray fur shining in the sunlight.

We were both feeling rebellious for skipping our routine, and everything was going great.

Until we smelled it.

Blood.

Human blood.

Through our mind-link, I knew Max had picked up the scent too. His doctor instincts kicked in immediately.

We followed the scent as carefully as we could, in case there were rogues nearby. But we didn’t smell any. The only scents in the air were blood, burned flesh, and metal.

We crossed into human territory and shifted back into our human forms without a second thought.

“Damn,” Max cursed through the mind-link.

“What?” I asked. “Do you see something?”

“No. But we’re fucking naked, dude!”

“Shit!”

But there was nothing we could do about it. We were already on human land, and by the time we found the source of the smell, our nudity was the least of our worries.

What used to be a large family car was now a smoking wreck, split down the middle and wedged against a tree.

Three burned bodies were still inside, and one was lying next to the car, still smoldering. Two of the bodies were smaller. They must have been children.

The realization made my stomach churn. The sight was bad enough, but the smell was making my head spin.

I was about to tell Max that we needed to hurry back, get our clothes, and call for help when I heard him growl as if he were in pain.

Before I could ask him what was wrong, I saw movement behind the tree where the car had crashed.

A little girl, no more than six years old, stepped out. Her clothes were half burned, her body and face were covered in soot, and her big brown eyes were filled with fear.

Other than that, she seemed mostly unharmed.

Poor kid, I bet the people in the car were her family. I can only imagine how she must be feeling, but I can’t put myself in her shoes.

In fact, I can’t even bear to think about something like that happening to me.

Not that a werewolf has much chance of dying in a car crash, but we do have rogues who kill us from time to time when they get lucky.

I moved toward the little girl, dropping to my knees to be on her level. I was careful to move slowly, not wanting to frighten her.

She didn’t seem to notice me, though. She didn’t even flinch as I drew closer.

Her eyes were locked on something behind me, and I turned to see what had captured her attention.

Max.

He was acting strange, pressing his forehead against the nearest tree while his fists pounded against the trunk. He was muttering curses under his breath. I’d never seen him this upset in all the years I’d known him.

The girl was watching him, her eyes wide with fear but also a hint of curiosity. I couldn’t blame her. I’d be scared too if I were in her shoes.

I was curious and unsettled by Max’s behavior, but I pushed it aside for now.

The immediate crisis was more pressing than my cousin’s strange outburst. With a heavy heart, I pulled my gaze away from him and turned back to the girl.

“Hey,” I said softly, trying to get her to focus on me. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

I reached out to take her small hand, hoping to distract her from Max, when suddenly I was knocked backward. My back hit the ground hard.

Max was on top of me, his claws digging into my chest, his teeth bared. He’d shifted again.

“Mine!” he growled through our mind-link.

I looked back and forth between the girl and the angry wolf pinning me down, realization slowly dawning on me.

But it couldn’t be. This had never happened before, not in my pack, not in any pack that I knew of. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

I reached out to Max, but he let me go immediately, shifting back into his human form and walking away from the girl and me.

I got up and dusted myself off, still a little shaken. He’d never attacked me before. I’d always thought he was the last person who would ever do that.

“Sorry about that, Patrick,” he said, sounding remorseful.

“Max!” I called after him, but he didn’t turn around or even pause. Knowing him, he was too ashamed to face me.

This was so unlike him. He was the least possessive, least aggressive person I knew.

He was usually so cheerful and easygoing. Seeing him like this hurt.

But I had to put his outburst aside for now. The girl needed help, and there were bodies to be recovered and buried. We needed to call the police.

The smell of death was getting stronger, and it was affecting the little girl. We had to get her out of here.

“Max, get your ass back here!” I ordered, and he stopped.

“We’ll deal with this later,” I said more gently. “We have more important things to worry about right now.”

He came back, hesitating as he passed the girl, trying not to look at her. But she was still watching him.

I couldn’t even begin to guess what was going through her mind. This had to be incredibly confusing for her.

When Max was close enough, I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort, but I wasn’t sure it was helping.

He looked like he was on the verge of tears, and there was nothing I could do to help him. Not right now, at least.

“Shift,” I told him, and he did.

I went back to the girl and knelt down next to her again. This time she looked at me, tilting her head to the side, her eyes filled with confusion. I thought she might say something, but she didn’t.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I asked again, but I didn’t try to touch her this time.

She didn’t answer right away.

For a moment, I thought she might be mute from the shock of losing her entire family.

And then being found by two werewolves who had shifted into two naked men. But I was wrong. She finally spoke.

“Estella,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“That’s a beautiful name, Estella,” I said, my voice choked with emotion. “I’m Patrick.”

She didn’t react to my smile. Instead, she looked over at Max.

“This is my friend and cousin, Max,” I said, introducing him since he seemed unable to do it himself.

“Is he a dog?” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

“A wolf,” I corrected her. “Just like me. And you can ride him if you want.”