Porcupine Ridge the shining [m]

In his haste to claim what he had been wanting since the ridge pack was born, the black wolf missed that the beguiling scent and the scent of the only wolf for whom he had eyes were not one in the same. But such was the power of a female in heat on the mind of a sexually mature male: clear thinking was strongly limited as most of his control was given over to the automation of instinct.

He ran, but even so, he was not quick enough. By the time he arrived, there were three wolves present, and his paws skidded to a halt as he sharply looked to each of them. His nose twitched as it made to pry the scents apart and determine exactly what was going on, and it did not take long. He was surprised to find that it was not his alpha female who had come into season, but one of the subordinate females; and then he was enraged to see the beta male making an attempt at her.

Taggarik did not fault his companion for this. It was his place to defend his sole right to breed, and with a thunderous roar he launched at the beta male, lips peeled back, ears thrust forward, fur bristling, and tail arched severely over his back.