His Human Mate

It took Dane quite awhile to get used to Erick's body. Not only that, he also had to try to comfort the little wolf. It seems too terrified of Dane that it nearly passed out again when Dane grabbed him by the scruff.

In the end, Dane had to let his aura out and let it sweep over the little wolf. Once Luka finally recognized the aura and began to feel comfortable as if it had found its family, it got nearer to Dane. So near that it nearly tried to nuzzle into Dane's mane, much to Erick's amus.e.m.e.nt.

'Haha! Look, Dane! Luka thinks you're his mom!' Erick laughed out loud in Dane's mind.

This time, Erick was in Dane's consciousness as he took over his body. It was a weird feeling for Erick, yet he did not feel threatened at the fact that he has no full control over his own body. Rather it was surprisingly interesting. It was like playing a game with him with a remote control. The difference was that Dane might ignore him and do as he wanted. The fact that the shifters cannot fully control their body may alarm them, but for Erick, he trusted Dane.

Dane just growled.

Gently pushing Luka away, Dane got into position. Seconds later, he began to run, roaming around in the woods. Luka was far from him, yelping every now and then, as if it was calling to Dane to wait for it.

The run felt exhilarating for Dane, who had been inside Erick's body for years. It felt like such a release and freedom for him. He was thankful that Erick had accepted him back then. Even though Erick was still too young to accept him, he was glad that Erick was strong enough to welcome him. He knew he was selfish for inflicting pain towards a young boy who has years to go to shift. But he was confident in Erick's future and capabilities. He knew that Erick will one day change the wrongs in this world.

It was after midnight when Dane finally felt that he had enough running. He laid down, against the bark of a tree, watching as Luka, still excited, yelping around Dane's hind legs. Dane patted the little wolf with his paw gently.

Just then, he froze. He stood up straight, looking around him, feeling quite alert. He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in his amber eyes.

"Did you feel that?" Dane asked, in his raspy voice.

'Surprisingly, I do,' Erick answered in his mind. 'It felt… eerily weird yet familiar.'

Dane growled, which made Luka tremble in fright. "Seems like a bunch of rogues. A few of them."

'What the-- Are they nearby?'

Dane shook his head. "No, somewhere up in the North," he commented. "But there's also some other stench mixed with them. Kind of familiar. But I don't remember."

'We should go and tell Dad about this,' Erick said seriously.

Dane nodded. He then closed his eyes. Suddenly, it looked like he had shrunk. His fur gone, reverting back to skin. His fangs began to shrink as his claws slowly changed into hands. Before Luka, the shifter suddenly changed into a human being.

Dropping down, Erick held his head with one hand and another hand supporting him, as he held himself up against the ground. He shook his head, as if trying to shake away the feeling of dizziness. He blinked his eyes furiously and when he opened his eyes, his eyes had turned back to black.

He scratched the back of his neck and looked down. He winced when he realized that he was in his birthday suit. He immediately grabbed his clothes and put it on. "Okay, I'm not used to that yet," he mumbled as he put on his clothes.

Erick then began to stretch out his muscles; bending his knees up and down. He then picked up Luka, tucking him with his arm behind Luka's hind legs and said, "Alrighty! We need to get back home and report this to Dad. Hold on tight, little buddy."

Usually, it would take them less than an hour to reach Erick's house. However, using Dane's speed, Erick was able to reach his home in less than thirty minutes. Arriving in front of his house, he began to shake his feet, shaking all the tingling feeling he felt after the run. Luckily, his shoes were safe. And looking down at Luka, it seems like it enjoyed the ride more, rather than frightened by the unusual speed.

The house was dark as all the lights inside were closed. It was quiet. Erick's parents were probably asleep in their room as he could not see any activity happening behind the closed doors.

He unlocked the front door and went silently inside. However, just as he went in, he immediately got down, releasing Luka on the floor and rolled around. He jumped up and got into a defensive position.

"Good. It seems like your reflex is getting better."

Erick rolled his eyes as Lachlan switched on the hall lights.

"Really?" he said sarcastically. "Were you really going to hit me with that?" he asked, gesturing at the baseball bat in Lachlan's hand.

Lachlan lifted the bat and propped it against his shoulder, smirking. "Why not? I'm just testing your progress."

Erick rolled his eyes again. He then gestured towards Lachlan's office. "We need to talk. There's something that Dane would like to tell you."

Lachlan's face turned solemn. He then nodded. "Let's go," he said, leading the way to his office.

Inside Lachlan's office, he went straight towards his mini fridge at the side of the room. He grabbed one bottle of red wine from the inside and went to grab his wine glass. He poured some wine into his glass and took a drink.

"Feeling classy, aren't we?" Erick c.o.c.ked an eyebrow, being sarcastic as he watched his father drink.

Lachlan chuckled. "Just needed a drink," he replied. He returned the wine bottle back in the fridge and sat down behind his table, still holding his wine glass.

He set aside his wine glass and linked his finger together, with his elbows on the table. "So, what's going on? What did Dane tell you?"

"So, I was going for a run… Yes, I know we should be careful but no one was--"

Lachlan waved away his excuse with a wave of his hand. "As long as you're alright. And I already knew that you went for a run. So, cut to the chase and tell me what happened?" he asked, straight to the point.

Erick sighed and said in a serious note, "Dane said he sensed rogues not far from here."

Lachlan's eyes narrowed at Erick's words. "How far?" he asked solemnly.

"The next town to the north of here. He sensed that there's probably three to four rogues."

Lachlan sighed as he contemplated the seriousness of the news. "The north of here?" he repeated slowly. "That's probably the small village up in the mountains here." From what he could remember, the town in the north was more like a small village, which kept to themselves. The town was surrounded by range of mountains, away from the bustling towns. They do not have much contact with the outside world and vice versa. So, Lachlan does not know much about the town at all.

"Not only that, Dane also said that he sensed a familiar stench around them. But he could not remember it."

His father abruptly raised his head and stared at Erick in surprise. "He can smell them?" he asked. He knew that Dane was strong. But he did not expect that he could even smell from here. The furthest his Willem could smell was outside the town, not until the next town.

Erick nodded, looking confused. It did not occur to him that Dane's senses were stronger than Willem's.

Lachlan let out a soft chuckle. "Indeed, he is quite powerful, huh," he said softly.

"Who?" asked Erick, still confused.

Lachlan just shook his head, not answering his question. 'Seems like we need to gather for a meeting really soon,' he thought gravely.