Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,75

probably done just as much to earn her fame."

David's brow furrowed at that, and I just ducked my head, realizing that I should probably explain that, but I decided against it. "Girly things, David," I said. "Celebrities. Don't worry about it."

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a howl from the entire pack. I turned to see dozens of wolves all racing toward the trees, but only a few stood out. At the front was a pale form that I knew was Ian. Just behind him was a dark juvenile with legs that were too long for her body. That was Gabby. Right on her tail was Lane, with the other guys at his sides.

They were leading it all, and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And still, I noticed David hunch in his chair and grab the arms. For just a moment, he froze, pulling in a long, deep breath.

"You ok?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I just..." His eyes drifted to the rest of the wolves vanishing into the trees. "I'd love to be able to control myself enough to run."

Hearing the longing in his voice, I decided that we could do something about that. There had to be a way, and if anyone would know, it would be Bridget or Ian. One of them had to have an idea. After all, if I wanted to be a wolf, then I would have to learn too, so why not give everyone the chance?

CHAPTER 22

As soon as the moon was up, we took off. I spared one last glance back at Elena, needing to know she would be fine out here on her own, then I was off. There was a freedom to being a wolf that I couldn't get enough of. The smells were so intense. The sounds were more crisp than ever. I even loved how massive the world around me looked from down here.

Ian was leading us at a hard pace. Mostly to challenge Gabby, I thought, or just because he needed to outrun his own problems. Thankfully, Gabby was doing a good job of keeping up. She'd adjusted so well to being a wolf. The girl had no idea that Ian was carefully grooming her to be his heir, but we did. Oh, we'd all talked about the idea of a convert becoming the next Pack Alpha of Wolf's Run.

He'd once hoped to encourage Roman to take the position, but the boy was adamant that Gabby was his alpha. He made it sound like he was her beta, but I had a feeling it was a little more complicated than that. Gabby wasn't like most wolves. She'd lived as not only a human, but according to Seth, as a Latina in a world where she had to fight for everything she got. It had prepared her to lead a pack in a way that most wolves couldn't even comprehend, and Ian was helping her turn that into so much more.

That was why she ran at his hip. He picked the path, but she could change the direction. The rest of the pack followed behind, weaving through the trees, jumping logs and ditches, or just trying to follow the trails. Some were already panting, but most were waiting for the first howl to sound. The cry to the moon that proved it had been spotted.

Ian zigged and zagged through a set of saplings and then it happened. There, between the leafless limbs of the winter trees, the edge of the moon was visible over the community wall. Ian lifted his muzzle and howled. I added my voice along with Lane, while Seth and Trent were only a split-second slower.

Around us, the entire pack cried out. It was like music to my ears, but we didn't slow. We ran, and ran hard. The whole point was to leave the mundane behind for a few hours and just forget about the responsibilities of being human. Tonight, while the moon hung in the sky, we were just wolves. Just one large family chasing something we could never catch and not caring at all.

We scampered down the edge of a creek bed, then scrambled up the other side. Around me, the order of bodies shifted, each of us trying to be the first to the top, but Gabby slipped. Lane shoved his shoulder into her haunches, giving her a boost, so I darted up on the other side. Trent moved in to help as