Haikon suddenly stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. Xander waited silently as the theta closed his eyes and listened. This was the crucial moment. They had caught up to the wolf. The two remained silent and still as they listened. Xander also closed his eyes and listened intently to their surroundings. The cool, night breeze whistled through the trees, rustling the leaves and creating its haunting sound. The theta's ear twitched as he picked up the footfalls of various animals. Then, the crunching of a dry twig brought the theta's attention to his right. And there it could be heard: the low growl of the alpha.
The delta's eyes snapped open as he, too, picked up the sound of the alpha. Xander felt his throat close up as the the sound approached. Soon, the growl intensified. The alpha was now running, running towards them. "Change!" The delta ordered as the alpha came upon them.
The theta was quick to heed the delta's command and swiftly shifted into his wolf form. His black fur shimmered under the sparse moonlight, and his yellow eyes glowed brightly in the night. A brown wolf with bright blue eyes rushed past the theta. Haikon watched as Xander confronted the alpha who came to a stop before the two wolves.
The tip of Xander's tail swished as he and the alpha engaged in circling one another. Saliva dripped from the alpha's opened snout as the wolf bared his teeth. Haikon watched as the two higher-ranking wolves sized each other before charging. A whine sounded as the alpha sank his teeth into the delta's side. Spinning around to gain momentum, the alpha released his hold on the blue-eyed wolf, and the delta was sent flying through the air. Haikon rushed to the wolf flying through the air and jumped between the delta and the tree the wolf was thrown towards.
Haikon let out a grimace as he crashed into the tree. The theta shifted to his human form to check on the delta who had also changed out of his wolf form upon crashing into Haikon. Xander looked around the surrounding trees as Haikon studied the wounds on the delta's side. They were not fatal. Xander could still hunt.
Haikon followed Xander's gaze and looked around them. The alpha had disappeared. The wolf had run off into the trees after throwing Xander towards the tree.
"Let's go," Xander said as he stood to his feet. Haikon followed the delta, and the two disappeared into the trees in search of the alpha.
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"Where did it go?" Xander sniffed the air, looking for any trace of the newly lost scent.
"This way," Haikon said as he picked up the scent of the alpha.
"Gosh, this bastard moves fast," the delta commented as he followed the theta deeper into the forest. "I wonder why the prince needs him alive."
"Don't wonder. Just do your job."
"'Just do your job,'" the delta mimicked the theta's curt words. Xander knew he shouldn't be joking around in a situation like this, but he needed to distract himself from the unstable alpha for a little bit, even if it was just a split second.
"Shh!" Haikon let out a sharp warning.
Keen to the theta, Xander knew Haikon sensed something. The delta's face grew serious at the theta's tense composure. The two males silently crouched behind a bunch of shrubs and observed their surroundings. A low growl reached their ears, sending shivers down the males' spines. They turned their heads to see two, red eyes glowing at them from behind forest growth about twenty feet in front of them.
"Is that-"
"Yep. That's him," Haikon confirmed through his impeccable tracking skills. They had found the alpha. "You're up, Delta," Haikon said as he moved aside and took shelter behind a wide tree. Thetas were excellent trackers, but deltas were expert fighters. Once Haikon tracked down the target, Xander eliminated it.
The sound of daggers being drawn resonated quietly as the delta readied his weapons. The glowing red eyes grew bigger as the alpha slowly approached the delta. "Come on, just a little closer." Xander adjusted his grip on the daggers in his hands. Deltas were naturally weaker than alphas when it came to strength; however, no wolf could beat a trained delta's flexibility and innate skill.
Xander sized the target in the shadows and released a dagger. If Xander could not beat the alpha in his wolf form, he would fight in his human state with weapons. He had trained for years for situations like these. The delta's confrontation with the alpha just an hour before allowed the delta to size the alpha and determine his strength. He was not an alpha Xander could beat wolf-on-wolf. A howl sounded as the dagger reached its mark. But, before Xander could throw the second dagger, the alpha bounded towards him wildly. Haikon quickly ran out from behind his tree and tackled Xander to the ground as the alpha leaped over them.
Fighting instinct, Haikon kept his eyes wide open. He needed to be ready to act at any moment in response to the alpha's unpredictable movements. Xander's eyes widened as he watched the alpha leap over Haikon. His eyes had a wild glint. It was almost as if he was an addict fiercely searching for his next fix. Xander's gaze moved to the theta covering him as the tail of the alpha exited his range of sight.
"Haikon! I could have gotten him!" Xander protested as he looked up at the man hovering over him.
"We're not supposed to kill him, remember?"
"Yes! I wasn't going to stab him in a fatal spot; just enough to maim him," Xander huffed as he sat up under the theta. "Anyways, where did he go?" The delta looked around at the surrounding trees. "Did he run off?" Xander was growing annoyed at the alpha's habit of running off and leaving some crazy trail that he and the theta would have to follow.
Haikon's face turned white as he smelled the awfully strong scent of the alpha. "No," the theta began in a low whisper. "He's still here."