A Pack Divided Read Free Page B

here will have heard us by now.”
    â€œOf course, Storm.” Whisper got quickly to his paws and trotted after her like a devoted pup.
    As she led the small patrol farther from the cliffs and the Endless Lake, heading for a far belt of pines, Storm’s stomach squirmed and her fur prickled. She’d begun this hunt with such high hopes and excitement, yet now they were returning with a poor prey-haul—and a bunch of dogs who didn’t, after all, want to work together as her perfect team.
    Is that terrible battle the only thing they care about? If I hadn’t killed Blade, would they trust me at all? Or would I be just another Arrow—alone in a Pack that thinks I’m the enemy?

CHAPTER TWO
    Hungry as Storm was, the rabbit dangling from her jaws didn’t even tempt her as she led the hunting party back to the camp. Her paw pads hurt, more than she thought they should, and her appetite was dampened by the sinking sense of failure in her gut. The dogs had tried their luck at a few more likely spots, but the rabbit warren in the hollow really had been their best chance, and by the time the Sun-Dog was loping down the sky, they had caught little more: a gopher, a couple of voles, and a skinny rabbit Storm suspected had been ill anyway.
    Long shadows lay across the camp by the time they returned, making golden stripes through the trees that glinted on the freshwater pond. Storm’s heart lifted a little as she carried her rabbit to the prey pile beneath the two trees in the camp’s center. Bella had taken out another hunting patrol and they’d come home withtheir own catch—not much better than Storm’s, but together the two patrols had found enough to feed all the dogs. Storm felt a tide of relief; at least her first day leading a hunting patrol wouldn’t end with a hungry, discontented Pack.
    Across the glade she could make out the golden shape of Lucky, sprawled with his mate—the Alpha, Sweet—and the white-and-black Farm Dog Moon. The three senior dogs were talking softly, but their conversation couldn’t have been too serious because Lucky rose to his paws as he caught sight of Storm. He stretched lazily, then padded across to greet her, giving her an affectionate lick on the jaw.
    â€œWell done, Storm,” he told her, pricking an ear at the prey pile, where the other members of her party were already dropping their catch. “Your first hunt seems to have gone pretty well.”
    The rabbit in her mouth immediately tasted more appealing. “Not bad,” she murmured through its flesh, glancing away a little. “Could have been better.”
    â€œIt was a good first hunt for a new leader, take my word for it.” Lucky nuzzled her reassuringly, but she saw that his dark eyes were distant, already drifting back to Alpha. The slender swift-dog was not so lean anymore: her sides were rounded with her and Lucky’s pups, and even as Storm watched, their Alpha shiftedposition and stretched her hind legs as if she was uncomfortable. Lucky’s gaze was a combination of love, pride, and faint anxiety, and Storm felt a prickle of fondness for him, even as she cocked one ear in bewilderment. Is it really that exciting? I know they’re his first pups, but hunting’s got to be a lot more fun than fatherhood.
    He was obviously distracted, so Storm sidled away and padded to the prey pile herself to lay her rabbit on top. The little twist in her stomach was odd. It was right that Lucky should be focused on Alpha now, and on their soon-to-be-born pups. He’d be a wonderful Father-Dog, that was obvious—and Storm knew it from experience. He’d helped to bring her up after he and Mickey had found her and her littermates abandoned, and she’d never stop being grateful for Lucky’s kindness, his bravery in defending her, and his constant good advice.
    But she was almost fully grown now. She was an adult dog, or very nearly, and