Chapter 16

**Winter**



I wake up to find myself enveloped in Cole’s huge biceps. Goddess I have never slept that good. I am so cozy and warm. The bed is like a cloud. I have not slept in a real bed in 5 years. That is a long time. No wonder my rest was amazing.

I would love to enjoy this moment a while long, but the sun is starting to rise, and I have things to do. I need to train to stay in shape, and Athena needs to stretch her legs as well. It would be rude of me to not let Athena go for a run.

I lift my mate’s huge strong arm off me, and he starts to stir. How can he still be asleep? The sun is rising. The day is new. We should be up. Maybe he isn't used to getting up early in the morning. I am, however. I love getting up with the sun.

When the sun is rises it doesn’t just mean the day is starting. The earth is waking up as well. My family told me, we live by the grace of the earth and seasons. So, when the sun is up, we should be too.

I dart into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Then I get on my sports bra and my spandex shorts from my gear. I look at him sleeping, and decided to give him a kiss on the top of his head. He finally starts to wake up. “I told you, you can’t keep up.” I devilishly say. He sluggishly gets up and brushes his teeth, as I sit on the bed waiting. He throws some shorts on.

I didn’t really mean his morning routine couldn’t keep up with mine when I made the remark. I meant that I think I am faster than he is. Which I probably am. I have never met anyone who can out run Athena and me. I can’t help taking the opportunity to tease Cole for sleeping in though.

So, he is not up as fast as I am. He still looks sleepy. Maybe he won't want to go out with me. He may just go back to sleep. I hope he does not go back to sleep though. I have not trained with anyone in a while. So, I really hope he decides to join me.

“Ok, you lead the way, since this is your routine” he grumbles.

With that I am out the door. I run down all 3 flights of stairs, my bare feet hitting every step. Then I fly out the front door. The morning air hits me, and I feel the rain. I knew it was going to be a good day. Athena loves to run in the rain. I can feel her excitement.

Athena’s favorite weather is snow. It is my favorite as well, but rain is a close second. Snow only comes in the winter, so rain is my favorite weather for most of the year. I love to run in it to.

I strip out of my sports bra and shorts right there in front of the pack house and shift. I look back and see Cole taking off his shorts and boxer briefs as he shifts. I start to run. Cole is hot on my tail. I wonder what his wolfs name is. In just a few hours we will be a part of a pack again. Athena will finally be able to talk with other wolfs. I know she has probably been as lonely as I have.

It does not take him long to catch up, but I am not going full speed yet. Athena kicks into high gear, and I speed away. I told him he could not keep up. I know he is fast, but I am faster. Well, he is going to know now. I let Athena go full turbo and she runs even faster, leaving him behind.

As we run, I can feel my white fur getting covered in mud, but I don’t care. Suddenly I sense that we are not alone. Out of nowhere a bunch of fucking warrior wolfs start to encroach on my run. I have out run Cole, and although I know he isn’t far behind; this can get ugly fast. I forgot that until 8am I'm still a rouge, and a rouge on pack territory doesn’t usually end well for the rouge.



**Cole**



I can’t believe Winter. How does she have so much energy? She was up before the sun even broke over the trees. It’s like she has an internal clock. Five a.m. to her means it’s time to wake up. She must be in tune with sun.

I finally make my way outside to see her waiting for me. I notice she just threw her clothes by the front door. I guess she really doesn’t care about being naked. She is definitely different from the she wolfs in the pack.

She looks so sexy. Her naked body is already soaking wet from the rain. But she doesn’t even know she looks that good. She shifts with no hesitation. I strip down and feel the rain hit my skin right before I shift. As soon as Dante is out, she bolts.

Wow she wasn’t lying. I may struggle to keep up with her. She is fast, but I do catch up. After a minuet of running with her she starts moving even faster, and I must admit I can’t keep up. She is a lot faster than I am. I can't believe she is faster than me.

She isn’t even in eyesight anymore. I will have to follow her scent to find her when she decides to stop running. Ugh, the rain is making difficult. I am able to find her sent though, and I follow her at a fast pace. It just occurred to me she isn’t in the pack yet, and a rogue this far into our territory will be killed on sight.

Why the fuck did I not remember that last night? I should have told her to stay with me. She won’t be able to communicate with any pack members as her wolf, because she isn’t in the pack yet. This is bad. I need to speed up. I need to catch her before something happens to her.