Mated to the Alpha and His Beta (Lanie Stanton) novel Chapter 436

Chapter 436
Xander

Wolves can run for a long time at a steady pace. Long, loping strides. Measured breathing. We’re built for long distance travel in our wolf forms, but even in our human shapes, we’re pretty good at it.

Even so, by the time we were seven miles away from Brightsky, the frozen tundra and equally frigid air was taking its toll. We might have shifted into our wolves, but that would have meant leaving our backpacks behind, and none of us were ready to do that. We’d eventually have to return to our human bodies, and we’d be naked in the Alaskan wilderness. Not ideal.

“We’re going to have to camp here for the night,” Mason said, looking up at the sky.

So far, even though it felt like the middle of the night, the sun hadn’t gone down. No moon had risen, either. I couldn’t tell what time of year or day it was.

“How long have we been at Brightsky?” I asked Lanie as she set down her pack with a sigh.

She shook her head. “I don’t know, my love. I’ve lost track of everything.”

“Same here.” I pulled her close for a hug and kissed the top of her head as we watched Stella giving Zane and Mason orders about how to set up camp. “No tents. No sleeping bags. Nothing to build a fire with.”

“Stella will take care of everything. Besides, you’ve had survival training, haven’t you?” Lanie teased lightly, nudging me in the side with her elbow.

“Yeah, sure. My father had us doing drills from the time I was weaned. We always had some preparation, though.”

“We have her.” She tipped her chin toward our daughter.

“I’ll need something to use for the fire,” Stella told us all when Lanie and I joined the rest of the group. “I can light it, but I can’t make anything out of thin air. Any transmogrifications need to have a source to change from.”

“We packed light, the way you said. I have this.” Lanie offered a popsicle stick picture frame the twins had made her in preschool. “I want to keep the photo, but I guess you can have the frame.”

“Perfect,” Stella said with a grin. “I’ll make sure they replace it with another one.”

We watched her break the frame into small pieces. She put them on the ground and concentrated. The sticks grew larger, into a stack of firewood. She looked at us proudly.

“Bravo,” Mason said.