Chapter 2

[Alexander] 

My entire being was seized by rage. We were outnumbered due to a cunning attack, and I had already lost two of my best guys. I wasn't about to lose any more ground to these repulsive beasts. Selene, our Savior, would not have made a being so foul and hideous that I felt my stomach churning the instant I laid eyes on them, even as a flesh-eating and blood-thirsty Alpha.

I signaled Adam, our pack's Beta, to double up on an attack on one of the larger werewolves. I wasn't sure; their tongues were purple and their eyes were flaming, and they stood on their rear legs like humans, only they slouched their gigantic backs and their arms appeared to be double-jointed. Adam and I ran for the beast and severed its throat, roaring in unison as it collapsed to the ground, its head tumbling off the cliff.

The other animals had noticed, so we broke off and tore more necks, figuring we had taken down the one that led them. They slumped to the ground one by one, but others appeared from the shadows.

I wasn't hurt, yet a shooting ache gripped my chest. I whimpered as the pain ran down my forearms, but as quickly as it appeared, I shook my head and rushed forward, ignoring the pain. I was not prepared to lose more friends, and I would not accept defeat in war. The Mystic Moon Pack was a pack of victors, and I was the leader who refused to give up.

Three creatures down, and the pain was no longer something I could ignore. But the beasts were closing in on our den, and I was not going to let them destroy our holy place of worship. I was wrestling a beast towards the edge of the cliff, signaling the others to draw our enemies westward, when I heard a muffled voice inside my head.

I threw my rival over the edge, certain that it would perish in the valley's pine trees, and gazed out into the distance. I looked back at my pack members, who were all too busy fighting, but I needed to make sure that the cry for help, or whatever the strangled voice inside my head said, was only heard by me. I couldn't ignore the agony in my chest any longer, and my instincts, which were more awake than ever, informed me that the voice originated from across the valley, someplace in the trees. And whoever it was was somehow connected to me because the pain in my chest tightened, despite the fact that I was in good health and managed to fight off the beasts without getting hurt.

I then took off, leaving my pack members behind. They were doing well fighting off the beasts on their own, and Adam was there to protect them and call out to me if necessary. I sped through the trees like lightning, sniffing deeply as I caught a whiff of the scent I recognized and almost tripped over my own paws.

No! That can't be! I shook my mind and regained my footing, following the pleasant aroma that was unlike the werewolf scent I was used to. As I ran through the woods, I prayed to Selene The Great that nothing bad had happened to her.

But it was too late for me. As I reached a glade, the fragrance of blood became more powerful. I moved carefully through the bodies in front of me, which were still moving and breathing. Whoever these people were, they were completely unprepared. There were far too many - it appeared to be a bloodbath - but there was only one person I hoped would not be among them.

My Lord Selene was cruel tonight, and I bit my tongue to keep from cursing Her. But anyone in my position would have felt the same way if they had seen the soft brown curls cascading on either side of her lifeless shoulders, whose scent was sweeter to them than the blood of the freshest meat. I was enraged to see her naked and bleeding out in the middle of nowhere, as if her life had no meaning. Nobody deserved that kind of death, least of all the lady I loved.

I sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall at the sight of her, inhaling her scent - when it hit me. I wouldn't be able to smell her if she wasn't breathing. When I felt her pulse, fading slowly but still present, I rushed forward and nuzzled my nose in her neck, letting out a sigh in the form of a doleful cry. I listened for Adam's voice in case he called, and when he didn't, I lay beside her and willed my human body to come to life.

My chin rubbed against her pale skin, and I tried not to touch her any more than that. I would have had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted with her at the time, but she was dying and that was the last thing on my mind. I needed to get her out of here, away from this scene of horror that was undoubtedly taking her life. I had to protect her. I had to keep her alive.

I took her hand away from the wound she was covering, wincing as her hard breath froze in her throat, signaling she was in far more pain than I realized. I carried her gently off the ground, being careful not to touch the injured parts of her body as I drew her onto my back. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, intending to bring my wolf back to life.

I made my way among the slaughtered bodies of werewolves who had now taken on human shape in death. The fact that she, too, was in her human form meant that death was close at hand, so I increased my speed toward my territory. I had no idea who she was or what pack she belonged to. All I knew was that she belonged to me at the time, and her life was in my hands.

Adam called out to me, his howling growing louder as I approached the mountains. I continued through the valley, ignoring him, until I reached my red Porsche. I rolled onto my belly and summoned my human to help me lift her off my back and into the car. I wrapped a shawl around her and would have taken the wheel if Adam hadn't continued to cry, even conjuring his human voice to speak to me.

"They're escaping."

"Which way to go?"

"We're heading for the river." Should I go along with them?"

"I'm getting closer."

"Alex, where the hell did you go?"

"Forget it. Is everyone okay?"

“Yes.”

I gave her one more look through the window before watching my reflection as the dark cloak of a leader wrapped around me. I was so near to the river that a few more minutes wouldn't make a difference. I took off eastward, following the horrible scent of the creatures. The only apprehension I had was about leaving her alone.

I was able to catch up to the creatures, who were faster on two legs than I was on four. Their group was much smaller than when we first spotted them, and they jumped through the air, crossing into territory I refused to explore. I'd rather sever my own tongue than cross the river into The Land of Witches. We knew better than to annoy them, and Adam had assured me that our pack was secure.

"They've made it across the river."

"You must return, Alpha."

Adam's voice sounded troubled. Unless something was seriously wrong, the Beta never sounded that way. I dashed towards the valley in the trees, where I could smell other Mystic Moon members congregating. They had all assumed human forms, and I summoned mine as I ran towards them.

Sierra, one of our newest members, dashed towards me, clutching a scarf and staring at me with sorrowful doe eyes. I looked at Adam, who was peering into our den, perplexed. The door was split in two, as if someone had broken in.

"What's the problem?"

"They've got it."

I shoved him out of the way and entered the den, feeling rage rush through my veins when I discovered the glass case shattered on the floor and Elijah's scalp missing. It was as if a piece of myself had vanished with the sacred item. I was Alpha, and my mission was to protect my den and my members. And I had failed in both.

I dashed past Adam and continued running until I reached the peak of the mountain. I screamed at the top of my lungs, swearing to the Goddess that I would recover the scalp and make those heinous beasts pay for their crimes. Something told me that our attackers had also attacked her pack, and that they deserved to be punished. They had earned the pain I was experiencing.

When I returned to the car, she was still unconscious. I checked her neck for a pulse and was relieved to find one. Blood had seeped through the blanket, and I was afraid that the longer we waited to get her to safety, the worse her condition would become. So I stepped on the gas and drove back to the hotel where I was staying.

I carefully lifted her into my arms and took the stairs up to the room rather than the lift. Once inside, I placed her limp body on the bed and scrambled for any medical supplies I could find. However, the first-aid kit was insufficient to repair a wound so deep that I could almost see her rib cage. The nearest hospital was thirty miles away, and I doubted she'd go that far again. I needed to make a phone call.

"Hello, Amelia."

"You only ever call when you're in pain."

"Please just get here." Even I could detect the strain in the final word. I informed my sister of my location and waited.

As I waited for her, the clock ticked away. I paced the living room floor, agitated and concerned about the dying woman in the bedroom.

When the doorbell rang, I dashed to open it.

"Now, the room!" I forced Amelia into her bedroom.

"What the hell is going on, Alex?" Amelia returned my frown, then gasped as she saw mom resting there, blood dripping from her wound onto the blanket.

"I require scissors and vodka." Oh, and cotton and a needle."

I dashed downstairs to the vending machine, where I purchased several goods. As I rode the lift, I thanked The Moon Goddess for gifting my sister with the gift of her healing hands rather than the curse of the wolf. I gave her everything and watched her work while biting my nails. She closed her eyes as soon as she'd managed to stop the bleeding and murmured a prayer over the wound. Amelia took a handful of herbs from her purse, crushed them in her other hand, and blew the crushed leaves onto the wound.

"She'll be fine."

I took a step forward and placed my index finger on her wrist, believing my sister when I found a steady heartbeat.

"Who exactly is she?"

Because I didn't have a name, I shook my head. In all honesty, I had no idea who she was other than the fact that she was important to me. And there was no plausible explanation.

"I believe -" I paused, looking for the right word. "She's my buddy."