She dropped to all fours, her black claws digging into the fertile soil. And instantly felt even more at home in the woods.
The sound of a long, low howl suddenly pierced the air, maybe a half-mile away in the direction directly behind her. That's when the she-wolf turned fully around and looked Cassie's way.
The two locked gazes, the wolf mother standing stock still, half-hidden in the undergrowth beneath the trees. Her amber eyes stared at Cassie's eyes, watching her for her reaction.
Hell, if Cassie spooked the mother, she might abandon her pups. Cassie wasn't equipped to move the whole kit and caboodle to a safe place by herself at this point and then capture the mother so that she could join her brood.
Even though the howl--the call for a gathering of wolves by an older male--had disturbed Cassie, she concentrated on the she-wolf in front of her, who likewise continued to observe Cassie, the closer threat.
* * *
Another wolf howled, this one a lot closer to them than the other, and Axel Ash frowned at Elgin. "It's Quincy returning Satros' call. Hopefully, Pierce--"
Pierce let out a companion called. He wasn't in close proximity to his twin, though, when the two were usually joined at the hip.
"Now where the hell is Sarge?" Axel Ash asked.
"Most likely he won't howl. At least he hasn't before when he's changed into his wolf coat," Fergus said.
"All right. Your search in the direction Quincy and Pierce called from. Tell them I'm out here and expect them to mind you, and they will. I'm going after Satros. He's a crafty old wolf, and if anyone can track Sarge down, it'll be him."
Elgin tried to hide a look of disbelief, but then he quickly nodded. Despite Satros's age, he still could smell and hear almost as well as anyone. Although he had discovered a coyote and a couple of red-furred dogs he mistakenly thought were red wolves off in the distance.
No one would let the old fellow live the mistakes down, either. But Axel Ash couldn't help respect him for all that he had contributed to the pack in the past and the stability he provided to them now.
Axel Ash didn't want him or anyone else running in their wolf forms during the day. Not unless they were in a secure place.
"In our human forms, right?" Elgin asked.
"Yes." Axel Ash wanted to run as a wolf so he could move faster and sniff the ground for the scent left by wolf paws. And he would, as soon as his men were out of sight.
He didn't want them sharing the danger, nor did he want them knowing that their pack leader was going against his own rules.
"I'll have Satros howl a message when I've reached him. When you find Quincy and Pierce, guide them to where I am. We'll gather the pack and then search as a group for Sarge if he doesn't join us voluntarily."
"All right. Hook up with you shortly." Elgin stalked off with the other men in the direction they'd heard Quincy howl.
Axel Ash headed straight for the sound of Satros's communication, concentrating on a good location to ditch his clothes, intending to shape-shift to locate Satros but to return with the old wolf and change before letting the others know to join them.
Before he could find a good location to hide his clothes, he smelled a woman's aroused scent. Cassie. But something was wrong with the scenario. She wasn't anywhere nearby.
Unsure why he could smell her, he paced around the area. The closer he grew to a pile of branches and leaves, the stronger her beckoning fragrance.
He poked around at debris and discovered a backpack. For a second, he just stared at it. He didn't doubt for an instant that it was Cassie's olive-green backpack. But why would she leave it behind?
He jerked it free from the branches and unzipped the bag. Inside, he found the clothes she'd been wearing, so she must have changed into something else.
But why leave her backpack behind? A couple of water bottles jostled around in the bottom along with several energy bars, but underneath everything, he discovered hunter's concealing spray.
He glanced around the area. Her boot treads had stopped right here where she'd changed clothes. And then? Wolf tracks led away from the site. Wolf prints smaller than his own would make. And...
He leaned over to touch a few strands of fur snagged on a branch... a red wolf's fur. If Cassie was one of them, why couldn't he smell...
He yanked the can of hunter's spray out of the bag. She had to be one of them. No other tracks were located anywhere near the site. Only her boot prints walking to this point and wolf prints leading away.
No wonder she'd fascinated him so. And why she had been so concerned he might learn the truth about her. Yet her natural inclination to be with one of her kind must have led her to dance with him anyway all night long.
With his wolf's nose to the ground, he could detect the scent her paws had left on the ground and follow her trail much more easily. Even hunter's spray wouldn't stop the natural secretion of a wolf's scent while walking.
And Axel Ash could move a hell of a lot faster. But the instinct for self-preservation ran high also, and he knew the danger he could be in if he shifted and a hunter caught him in his sights.
Which made him wonder why she was running in her wolf coat during daylight. Unless she had no other choice.
That's when he heard another wolf's howl in the distance. Maybe five miles away. The wolf sounded as though she was pleading for help. Wolves called to others to gather them together when they were separated.
So were other wolves in the area? Lupus only?