Fated- Wolf and the Hare Read online

  Fated: Wolf and the Hare

  Pack of Brothers Book 1

  Hawke Oakley

  Copyright © 2020 by Hawke Oakley

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  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

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  Contents

  1. Len

  2. Hugo

  3. Len

  4. Hugo

  5. Len

  6. Hugo

  7. Len

  8. Hugo

  9. Len

  10. Hugo

  11. Len

  12. Hugo

  13. Len

  14. Hugo

  15. Len

  16. Hugo

  17. Len

  18. Hugo

  19. Len

  20. Hugo

  21. Len

  22. Hugo

  Also by Hawke Oakley

  1

  Len

  The entry hole to the warren was cool beneath the spring sun. I lay with my bottom half underground and my top half lazing on the sunlit grass. I shut my eyes as the breeze fluttered by, whispering through my whiskers and the grass. There was no time like spring. The weather was gorgeous—not too cold or too hot.

  There was one little problem, though. Namely, a huge chunk of the warren’s omegas going into heat all at once.

  Hey, we were hares. It was to be expected.

  I wasn’t due yet. Strangely, my schedule usually didn’t sync with the other omegas. I was a little different than most of my people, and not just because of my strangely colored fur. Most of the hares in the warren were gray-brown, but I was blessed with large patches of white. The pattern was called piebald, and if it was unclear, it was a curse rather than a blessing. On top of the strange coloring, I also had longer ears and a thinner, wiry body, not plump like the rest of the warren.

  And because of my unusual appearance, the Chief Hare liked to blame me for every single problem in the warren. Like right now.

  “Len!”

  My moment of peace evaporated as the Chief’s booming voice echoed through the underground tunnels, making its way to me like an angry snake. I sighed and opened my eyes, turning to face him.

  “Yes, Chief?” I asked.

  He wriggled his nose at me. An outsider might have found it cute, but I knew from his sour expression that he was pissed. What else was new? I wondered if there was ever a time the Chief’s blood pressure wasn’t skyrocketing.

  Chief lifted himself on his hind legs, making himself look larger. It was meant to be intimidating but with the short height of the tunnel he mostly looked cramped and silly.

  “The dandelion patch,” he growled.

  I had no idea what he was talking about. “The one by the old patch of grass?”

  “Yes.”

  “Um,” I said. “What about it?”

  He thumped his foot angrily. “Don’t pretend to be innocent! I know it was you who ate all the dandelion heads!”

  “What?” The accusation made me sit up so I was fully outside the tunnel. “I didn’t eat any of it.”

  He glared. “All I know is that there was a full patch last night, and this morning there are none left.” His burning gaze ran me up and down. “And you’re looking rather full today, aren’t you?”

  Was he calling me fat? I scowled, anger seeping into my voice. “You’re chasing the wrong hare. It wasn’t me.”

  There was no use denying it now that the Chief had already accused me, but I couldn’t help myself. Every time something went wrong, I was the first to be blamed. My odd-one-out coloring turned me into a black sheep, an easy target for everyone else to pick on.

  “Do you have an alibi?” he demanded.

  My ears sank. I didn’t. I wasn’t the most popular guy in the warren and didn’t have many friends. As depressing as it was, the worst part was that it made me more of a target. If something bad happened, no one was around to defend me. I was sick of it, but what choice did I have except to grin and bear it? Life outside the warren was more terrifying than the sad reality of living within it.

  “Well?”

  “No,” I said quietly. “But I was in my den last night.”

  “Likely story.” Chief huffed. “One of these days, Len, you’re going to be more trouble than you’re worth. If you weren’t an omega, I would’ve sent you away by now. Maybe I’m wasting my time letting you stay.”

  My heart dropped like lead. The idea of being anywhere but here frightened me. The warren was where I’d been born and raised, where I’d lived my whole life. Leaving it—whether by choice or by force—was the scariest idea.

  “Chief, what are you saying?” My voice wavered.

  But our conversation was cut off as a shriek went out through the tunnels, followed by the rapid thumping of warning.

  “FOX!” the call rang out.

  Panic seized me. My instinct demanded I run into the tunnel, but Chief blocked the way. His eyes widened and he grunted with fury.

  “It’s your fault this is happening!” he spat.

  “What did I even do except exist?” I snapped back, frightened and pissed off.

  I shot a glance over my shoulder and my body froze. A red shape slunk rapidly down the hill, heading straight for us. The fox’s greedy tongue lolled out, saliva dripping from its lips.

  I ran forward but Chief’s body was a solid wall.

  “Let me in!” I cried desperately.

  He surged forward, nearly headbutting me. “No! Do something useful for once and make sure everyone else is safely inside!”

  My heart twisted. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I needed to overcome my fear and help the rest of my people. I sped off, racing over our territory. I may have been disliked, but I was fast and even the Chief knew it was a boon. I called out to every straggler and hard-of-hearing hare that a fox was nearby, ushering them into the safety of our holes.

  The fox was at the mouth of a tunnel, casually licking his lips as he reached a paw inside. Anger burned in my blood. He looked well-fed, without even a rib sticking out. He wasn’t starving. He was toying with us for fun.

  I thought about shifting to human form and scaring the fox off, but even as a man, a fox was still a threat. He was a predator with a mouth full of sharp fangs and nasty saliva. I didn’t know if it was a shifter or not, but if it was a mute animal, it could harbor disease.

  Better stay in hare form where I have my claws and my speed, I thought.

  The fox slumped down to his belly and continued reaching in a greedy paw, like he was fishing for meat. Furious, I thumped the ground with my foot hard. The loud noise drew his attention.

  “Oh? What’s this? A brave little bunny?” he said in a lilting, arrogant voice.

  I ground my teeth. He was a shifter. As a fellow shifter, I understood his words, even though he spoke in feral form and therefore had an accented tone.

  Maybe he was confused. Did he think we were regular hares?

  “What the hell are you doing? We’re shifters, too!” I cried. “It’s against t
he law of shifters for you to eat another shifter.”

  He scoffed. “So?”

  My stomach dropped. He knew and he didn’t care. He was the worst kind of villain. I couldn’t even find the words to spit at him.

  “Don’t you have a fucking conscience?” I yelled.

  The fox sat back on his haunches with a nasty grin. “Nope.”

  When he lunged towards me, hare instinct took over. I bolted in a zig-zag pattern to avoid his bites. I was faster, but he didn’t give up. He moved with lazy confidence, like no matter what I did, he would win in the end. It infuriated me. I briefly contemplated stopping and meeting him face-on. A good, solid kick from a hare was nothing to sneeze at. I could claw his eyes out or rake his sensitive nose. I wasn’t weak or helpless.

  But I was fragile. I had tools to keep safe from the fox, but none of them mattered if I was caught.

  “C’mon, bunny,” he called from behind me. I risked a glance and saw that he wasn’t even running full tilt. He followed in a slow trot, like he knew he’d catch me in the end. “This game is getting boring!”

  “This is no game,” I spat. It was stupid, but I turned to face him, momentarily blinded by my anger. “These are lives you’re playing with!”

  The fox yawned. “Geez, you goody-goody types are so boring. I hope you taste better than you sound.”

  I opened my mouth to retort but when the fox suddenly lunged at me, fangs out, I scattered. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as fear took over. He was way too close. I’d played a dangerous game and now I was paying the price.

  I ducked into a nearby hole, thanking the gods I knew the territory better than him. The fox groaned and stuck his snout inside but removed it before I could kick him.

  “You’re no fun,” he complained. “Hiding is such an old tactic. I have all day, y’know.”

  “Screw you.”

  He grumbled and stuck his paw in to grope around for me. I wanted to go deeper into the tunnel, but it was full of other hares who refused to make space for me. I grunted as they shoved me closer to the mouth of the hole.

  “What gives?” I demanded.

  “It wants you!” they said, cowardice gleaming in their eyes.

  My spirits fell. It wasn’t just the Chief who didn’t want me here. Nobody else did, either. I’d never been popular, sure, but it almost felt like the rest of the warren wanted to sacrifice me for their safety.

  I went silent as other voices sounded above ground. They were unfamiliar, and though I strained to hear, I didn’t recognize them beyond a thick growl in their voices.

  Great, I thought. More canines.

  Too afraid to poke my head out, I listened with bated breath. Whatever was happening up there was loud and sounded vicious. The voices were thick and deep, obviously bigger than the fox, and struck fear in my heart.

  But the fox was gone now. Curiosity got the best of me and I snuck my nose outside to glance around.

  Wolves.

  Not dogs. Not coyotes or foxes. Wolves. That’s what they were.

  My hare soul was overwhelmed with panic. It took over my body, bolting out of the safety of the hole to run, run, run away.

  In the back of my mind, I wondered—why was I acting like this? Why wasn’t I going into the warren?

  Maybe the Chief was right and I was a mistake on the warren. I didn’t act like the rest of them at all. I was a liability, just like he said.

  Blood roared in my ears. Whatever the wolves said, I didn’t understand—I was in panic mode and too afraid to listen.

  As if in slow motion, teeth closed around my body. The hot breath of a predator stank all around me and saliva dripped into my fur.

  Something happened. My world spun and my body went flying. The jaws opened, releasing me. Pain seeped into my muscles. I was too dizzy and afraid to know what was happening. When I opened my blurry eyes, a huge furry face was in mine.

  The wolf spoke to me, but I was too disoriented to hear his words.

  “Huh?” I mumbled.

  Then the world went black.

  2

  Hugo

  The spring air was warm and pleasant against my skin. It promised flowers and blossoms, rebirth and new life. I inhaled a greedy gulp, filling my lungs with the amazing smell. I was enjoying myself greatly until my brother Sage accidentally bumped into me.

  “Whoa!” Sage cried.

  I peeked my eyes open in time to see him stumble, trip, and roll head-over-ass down the grassy hill. I sighed. My other brother, Dax, came up beside me with a groan.

  “Good thing we’re travelling with him,” Dax said. “I don’t know if the runt would survive without us.”

  I grinned. As much as we loved Sage, we both agreed he was more than a little clumsy. Currently he was on his ass at the bottom of the slope, whining and trying to get the grass stains off his pants.

  “Good thing we’re family and he’ll always have us,” I said to Dax.

  Dax snorted. “Sometimes it feels like more of a burden than a blessing.”

  I elbowed him gently. “Be nice. You know it’s been rough on Sage since we left the pack.”

  Dax’s smirk faded. He was the oldest out of the three of us and the most serious, but also bore the brunt of the responsibility. It was his decision to leave our old pack behind. There was nothing wrong with the pack, but we both wanted more from life. As alphas, Dax and I both felt the itch to go out into the world and make our own way, to create our own families.

  Sage was an omega, and a young one at that, so he didn’t exactly feel the same way yet. He still thought this whole journey was a stupid idea. He would understand, in time, as the hormones kicked in. But for now, he was the bumbling younger brother who whined every five steps that our quest was taking too long.

  “I know he’s having a tough time,” Dax agreed, “but he’ll feel differently when he meets that special someone.”

  The corners of my mouth quirked into a gentle smile. “His fated mate, you mean?”

  Dax nodded. His icy eyes scanned the far-off horizon. “There’s one out there for each of us. I know it.”

  I followed his gaze. Our journey to find our own territory and our own fated mates had only begun a few weeks ago, and already I felt the itch crawling up my spine. I wanted to settle down, but without a mate, how could I? I was half of a whole—empty without the other half my soul.

  Besides, we hadn’t even found a suitable piece of land for our territory. We still had a ways to go.

  “Do you think there’s fated mates out there waiting for us?” I asked Dax in a quiet voice.

  “I do,” Dax replied without facing me. His determined gaze was still surveying the valley below. “There has to be.”

  Maybe it was just the spring wind tickling my hair, but I felt a shiver of excitement at Dax’s promise. Knowing there was a perfect person out there for me seemed like a dream, but fated mates were real. I’d never seen it with my own eyes, but I had to believe it.

  “Our first step should be finding other wolf shifters,” I suggested.

  “I agree.” Dax raised his head. In human form, our senses were dulled, but still sharper than any pure human’s senses. He closed his eyes and scented the air. When he opened them, a slight furrow appeared in his brows. “I smell… canid.”

  “Wolf?” I asked.

  Dax shook his head. “It’s different.”

  “Maybe an unfamiliar pack,” I offered.

  But Dax narrowed his eyes. “No. I’d know a wolf when I smell one. Are you doubting my nose, younger brother?”

  I grinned. “Never, oh, oldest brother.”

  He gave me a playful cuff on the head before returning to business. “Smell it yourself if you don’t believe me.”

  I groaned. “If it’s not wolf, then who cares? We’re not gonna find our fated mates in another species.”

  “If that’s what you believe, then you have a small mind, Hugo.”

  Offended, I pushed my shoulders back and stood up strai
ghter. “Actually, I have a huge mind. I just don’t feel the need to waste our time.”

  Dax snorted. “You’re as immature as Sage.”

  I shoved Dax, but he was as solid and stoic as a wall. I’d always been jealous of his natural strength. He’d been my role model ever since I was a pup, but I could never quite catch up to him in terms of size and power. It infuriated me.

  At the bottom of the hill, Sage had slumped against the grass and stared lazily up at the sky. I snorted with laughter. Was he tired already?

  I nudged Dax. “Looks like someone needs a wake-up call.”

  Dax faced me, a wolfish twinkle in his eyes. “Time to run?”

  I’d shifted even before he finished asking. We shed our human forms, our bodies growing lithe and furry. Our clothes absorbed into our forms as we changed, adding a layer of defense. This way, we were stronger than our real wolf cousins. Of course, it was an added bonus that we weren’t naked when we shifted back. Not that I was a prude about seeing naked bodies. It was as natural as running or breathing.

  As our wolves took over, Dax and I ran down the hill. The grass disappeared beneath our paws. When we passed Sage, he yelped.

  “Hey!” he called, still in human form. “Wait for me!”

  Dax and I chuffed with laughter. Dax’s wolf fur was a deep, rich brown while mine was wild gray ticked with black. We circled Sage teasingly, encouraging him to hurry the hell up with his transformation. When he finished, he was a smaller wolf of bright gold, like a little beam of sunshine.