Second Chance Mates Festival

Chapter 3: The Run

Emery’s POV

The sun was just beginning to set and we were gathered at the start of the treeline that was at the edge of a clearing waiting for the start of the run. 

Beta Michael was shirtless in front of us with his hair pushed back into a bun and his mark was more visible now than it had been in the afternoon. A pretty blonde wolf stood right next to him and I guessed that she was his mate. She was pregnant and she was exuding the typical pregnancy glow.

“Listen up everyone. Hello again, before this run starts I would like to go over some rules.” He said looking over the group before he continued. “The run is aimed at making your wolves more comfortable in this environment. You know wolves have a hard time being away from their pack territory for long periods of time but this activity is also set up to act as a guide, our wolves are more in tune with what they need from a mate since our human sides often take way too many things like rank, looks and home pack into consideration which often overcomplicates things so this would help make everything easier. Also, just a piece of advice, if your wolf doesn’t like someone don’t waste your time trying to convince them, wolves are very stubborn.” He said before his mate linked arms with him. He turned to face her and she gave him a strained smile.

“I’m gonna cut it in, if I let you talk anymore we are gonna be here all night.” The Beta Female said to him and everyone chuckled before she continued while facing the crowd confidently. “You can come back anytime you want, you will find people here who will be registering your name as well as whoever your wolf chooses at that desk over there. If you don’t find anyone, we’ll just randomize your pairs for the activities during the week. Although our pack warriors will be present and covering the perimeter of the space, please be vigilant as things that we haven’t taken into account can occur. The warriors will be wearing neon green armbands so you can look to them if you have any issues during the run. The most important thing to remember is consent, if the other person says no they mean it. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the run.”

The crowd clapped as she finished her portion of the speech. She, just like her mate, was very good at giving speeches.

I turned to Lacy and Cameron who were clapping along with me.

"We'll meet right here after the run, right?" Lacy asked. Cameron and I nodded. "Cool, I'm off then," she said before waving and walking away from Cameron and me.

Cameron turned to me, she gave my hand that was interlocked with hers a gentle squeeze, I guess she could tell that my nerves were almost getting the best of me. She then left and promised that we would meet up at the same spot as well. 

They were probably worried that my heart would be broken if I did not find someone to pair up with during the run, but I wasn't expecting to find a match, so I guess I would be okay if it panned out that way.

People started shifting into their wolves but I decided to wait until everyone else had shifted before moving behind a tree and shifting into mine. My wolf had thick dark brown fur that was slightly curly and bright green eyes, which were like my features in human form. I stretched a bit in my wolf form before taking off in a run following the direction where everyone else had run.

Sin’s POV

I knew I was late and Michael was going to give me a lot of crap for it, but the rogue groups on our southern border were acting up and I had to make sure that they didn’t get any bright ideas especially with all the guests we had on pack lands due to the festival.

This would be the third and final time I would be attending. At this point, I wasn’t expecting to find a mate but I had to at least look like I was looking for one to appease the  Alpha Council. They still believed that an Alpha leading a pack without a Luna wouldn’t be able to do a good job and although I had managed to do, in my eyes, a better than a good job the Alpha Council thought otherwise.

As I neared the clearing in my wolf form I spotted my Beta Female, Claire, talking with some of the volunteers. Without my a Luna, she had taken on more duties than a typical Beta Female would, and now that she was pregnant with her and Michael’s firstborn and only a few days away from giving birth, she wouldn’t be able to do as much. It almost made me want to take a mate. Almost.

She turned to me and gave me a wave. I nodded to her before taking off in the direction where the other wolves had run in. I did not have any particular route I planned to follow so I let my wolf follow its instincts and run in the direction it wanted to.

We passed many in both their human and wolf forms before coming across a female wolf who was hunting a rabbit. She was right at the edge of the piece of the territory marked out for the run, so she was miles away from any other wolves. My wolf decided to hide behind some bushes and watch the scene in front of us.

This female was smart. Rabbits are quite hard to catch because they are fast, and they are able to pick up the faintest of noises. So to say I was impressed that she had managed to get as close to that rabbit as she did was an understatement. My wolf wanted her attention so he growled in a non-menacing way. It didn’t scare the female but it did scare away her prey.

After watching her prey scamper away in shock, she turned to me with her teeth bared. I should have found this to be a threat and my wolf certainly should have found this to be disrespectful of his rank but he was too stunned by her beauty. She had glowing green eyes and a thick coat of slightly curly fur. I agreed with him; she was stunning in wolf form, I could only imagine what she looked like in human form.

I think she could tell that I wasn’t frightened by her in the least bit so she tried to take a menacing step forward only to fall flat on her face. I think her paw slipped on the wet grass. I let out a mocking huff before turning my back to her. This was my wolf's way of showing her that she was not a threat to me. I thought she would retaliate by biting my tail but I soon heard the sound of her paws thumping on the ground moving away from me.