Read Sweet's Journey for Free Online

Sweet. Get angry again, that worked!
    The trouble was, she couldn’t get angry. It was all just so silly . She couldn’t fight like this!
    Right. So I’m going to fail, in front of Alpha this time, and Beta will never let me hear the end of it. . . .
    The very image of Beta’s mocking sneer gave her a sudden strength. Twisting sharply, Sweet writhed out of Fiery’s grip, grabbed his shoulder with her foreclaws and hauled herself on top of him. She sank her teeth into the folds of flesh at his neck, and held him down until he went limp. She had a feeling he was submitting for her benefit, so that she could impress Alpha, but she kept her teeth firmly locked on his neck. Around them, there was silence from the other dogs.
    â€œWell,” said Alpha at last, tilting his muzzle skyward. “What’swrong with that, Beta? It looks perfectly efficient to me.”
    â€œFiery’s just—” began Beta, but Alpha cut her off.
    â€œIn fact, it looks a lot sharper than some of your moves.” The half wolf gave her a supercilious look. “I think Sweet’s a natural fighter.”
    Despite his words, Sweet felt a twist of annoyance in her gut. What Alpha said sounded suspiciously like what the older swift-dogs used to tell her when she was a pup. He’s indulging me , she thought angrily. Patronizing me—just to make a point to Beta .
    Maybe Alpha was trying to boost her confidence—which would be bad enough—or maybe he was using her, to keep his Beta in her place. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound honest to Sweet. She felt a growl rise in her throat, but she bit it back.
    Without waiting for the stammering Beta’s response, Alpha turned with a flick of his bushy tail and stalked back toward his den. Beta watched him go, then turned her ugly stare on Sweet.
    â€œThis isn’t over,” she snarled. She twisted and bounded into the forest.
    It’s not my fault! Sweet wanted to bark. Beta’s hostility felt like a gigantic paw on the back of her head, shoving her down into the mud. I didn’t ask Alpha to praise me for something I didn’t do!
    She knew there was no point running after Beta, though. Thered dog didn’t want to listen to anything she had to say. Sweet felt a warm flank pressing against her side: Fiery. Snap too sidled closer, giving her ear a reassuring lick.
    â€œDon’t worry, Sweet,” rumbled Fiery. “Alpha likes you, that’s obvious. And that counts for a lot.”
    â€œYes,” agreed Snap. “And Beta had better watch her hindquarters.”
    Sweet took a step back, startled, and met Snap’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
    â€œHuh.” Snap tilted her head and cocked a brown ear. “Every dog knows Alpha and Beta haven’t been seeing eye to eye recently. Maybe you’re just what’s needed in this Pack to—”
    â€œThat’s enough, Snap,” growled Fiery sharply. “Don’t gossip about your leaders. There’s nothing honorable about that.”
    Snap gave a dismissive hunch of her shoulders, but Sweet turned to her with horror. “I don’t want to cause any problems. All I wanted was a Pack, somewhere to belong. Somewhere to feel safe . I want to be an asset to this Pack, not make things worse!”
    â€œThat’s all very well,” muttered Snap, despite Fiery’s warning glower. “But I’m not sure Beta’s going to give you much choice. . . .”

CHAPTER SIX
    With the exception of Beta, thought Sweet, her new Pack had made her life a lot happier. She felt more content now than she had since the Big Growl had struck. Already, nearly a Moon-Dog’s journey after joining the Pack, she’d been elevated by Alpha to be a hunter. There was nothing more satisfying than prowling the forest for prey, doing her part to provide for the Pack. Sunlight dappled the forest floor, there was warmth in the air, and