Untitled by Unknown Author

wolf ears picked up the cacophony of tiny sounds he'd never hear in human form, he still found it peaceful. And there wasn't anything more soothing to his soul than the sound of the wind sloughing through pine trees. It was such a distinctive sound— there was nothing else quite like it.
       Something was different tonight, though. It wasn't anything obvious, more a feeling of disturbance. All the regular sounds of nightlife were there, the scuttlings of tiny creatures in the undergrowth, the hiss of air flowing under the wings of a swooping owl and, over everything, the breeze. He paused, his nose raised to scent the wind, and waited while his mind sorted through the different sensations.
       Humans. They were close or, at least, they had been. The wind brought details to him; of where they'd been, what they'd been doing. He could sense their trails, fading now, but still bright enough to be clear. There was something wrong too.. Overriding it all had been the acrid orange stench of triumph, of adrenaline-laced sweat.
       Cold wind ruffling under his fur brought his mind sharply back to the present and he padded a few paces into the lee of a clump of bushes, thinking furiously. Two men, both reeking of beer and sweat, and a woman. Fear radiated from the woman, saturating her too-familiar scent.
       And pain. Always pain. The fear came and went, almost like she was only there part of the time. Odd. Ears pricked, he strained for any further information. A short lull in the wind had reduced the amount of information flowing towards him right when he desperately wanted every smallest detail.
       A fresh gust carried the information that the men were gone, leaving the woman behind. In the forest? At least three miles from the nearest habitation? He shook his head roughly, certain he was wrong. It was too long since he'd changed regularly, practicing the skills that should have come naturally. There was no way that Gina was out here by herself. There was absolutely nothing wrong.
       He hesitated, then, ignoring his own admonitions, turned tail and ran. Nate streaked through the forest, for once heedless of the joy he found in his wolf shape and the way his muscles responded so effortlessly to his commands as he slewed around the occasional boulder, galloping headlong up the rise.
       Within minutes his heart was pounding; not from the exertion, but from sheer fear. He could no longer fool himself. It was Gina—not just his over-fevered imagination—and she was in trouble. He could hear her heart rate fading with every beat, could almost feel her labored breathing.
       For a second he paused, lifted his head and howled into the wind. If he was lucky, one of his family would be close enough to hear, but with the wind whipping his voice away from him… He repeated the call, relief flooding over him as he heard a faint, answering echo. Another ware had heard, and the cry would be passed from wolf to wolf until Sebastian knew of his need.
       Nate raced onwards, leaping logs and streams, for once grateful for the fact he was both wolf and man. He glanced up at the stars that flashed between the foliage, laughing sardonically at himself even as he sent a vow whizzing upwards to whichever deity had decided to entangle his life so thoroughly with Gina's. Whatever it took, he'd do. Obviously, they were meant to be together and apparently he wasn't going to get any choice in the matter. If this kind of heartslamming fear was what he was going to feel every time she was in danger, how was he ever going to let her get far enough away from him to even cross the road by herself? He'd do whatever it took to save her.
       Soulmate. It was a word he wasn't keen on, something his mother had told stories about when he and Sebastian were young. He hadn't really believed

    in it. But now…

    * * * *

    Gina's head throbbed. Actually, most of her ached, but her head was the worst. Every time she tried to lift her head,