I let out a sigh as I stepped outside. I desperately needed to go for a run now that Gabe was asleep and not asking a million questions. Adam had spoken with James and Apollo to make sure that it was safe enough for me to go out alone. James didn’t want to take a chance and allow something to happen while Alexander was away, so he decided to join me. Over the last month, James’s bitter attitude had grown on me. Though, I sometimes still couldn’t stand his smart-ass mouth. It sometimes made my patience grow thin.
“That human friend of yours, he’s interesting. He acts brave but is really terrified of us all.” James snorted as he shifted into our forms. I ignored him, moving slowly through the woods as James followed me, taunting me with snaps at my fur. Though he never got close enough to hurt me, he still did it to piss me off. I gave him a warning gro
I was swimming in this dark pool, the inky blackness calling to me like an old friend, asking me to follow it. But something was calling from behind. I twisted the ink water, feeling that tug from the front and the back. Behind me was a warmth, and in front of me was a calm peacefulness. I felt like something was calling me, making me turn to the warmth. What was that? It felt like home, happiness, my favorite food, my favorite novel, all things good, calling me, begging me to come back. A person… But who? They were begging me, pleading that I come back. Princess, listen to me. Please… Don’t leave me alone. That voice, I knew it. I blinked, feeling that pull in my chest. Who was that? I knew them, I did, but who were they? Please… Don’t make me do this alone. My heart began to ache for this man; he seemed to be in pain. So I swam toward him, feeling his pain as if it were my own. He was hurting in more ways than one. As I stirred closer to him, he began to get frantic. That’s it,
The following day, Gabe and Alexander were supposed to meet. As tough as Gabe was trying to be, I could tell he was nervous. I put my hand on his arm as we walked toward the dining hall to have breakfast, “He won’t do anything to you, Gabe. You’re important to me.” He shivered, “I doubt that would stop him if he really wanted to hurt me.” As Maggie pushed the dining hall doors open, I rolled my eyes at him. No one looked our way as they sat and ate breakfast. “How many people are in your pack?” He whispered as we walked to the large table set up that Maggie and I always ate at. “If you think it is a lot, then you’ll be shocked to know that this isn’t even all our pack. Our pack is the largest pack in the region.” He shuddered but kept his mouth shut as he sat beside me.“This is Gabe. Everyone this Gabe.&rdquo
Eventually, we returned to the pack house, where Adam was waiting for us outside. I felt bad as I realized we probably were late coming back, meaning my class would be running into dinner tonight most likely. But instead, what Adam said shocked me. “We have a test today.” He waved me forward, “Gabe must stay here.” “A what?” I stuttered, glancing over at Gabe as we entered the hallway leading through the bottom floor of the house. “There is an Alpha here from a neighboring pack who is willing to help track down those who were responsible for attacking you. He’s the next biggest pack to ours, and is very respected throughout the other packs. He’s very wise, and he has direct links to the Council.” He explained, pausing a few feet away from the stairs that led to Maggie’s room. “Maggie asked to see Gabe, so I figured we could drop him off with her before joining Alexander in his office.” I turned to Gabe, who shrugged and bounced up the stairs, “Catch ya later,” He winked at me and left
After the meeting with Weston, Alexander restricted my time alone. At first, he tried to hide it, but then it became more apparent as time went on that he wanted someone with me at all times. He didn’t want me going to see James either, figuring maybe that there were humans who were spying for whoever it was that was planning their attack on me. But, being afraid of things we didn’t know about would be the downfall of both of us. I somehow managed to convince him that we couldn’t remain in hiding for the entirety of our lives and that we needed to show that we were not afraid of them. So, Alexander accompanied me to see James. I stood outside in the hall, fiddling with the string of my hoodie for a moment. Alexander was a few feet away, speaking with Adam on the phone, preparing for the upcoming Alpha ceremony. I took a deep breath and entered the room, the sound of James breathing less ragged than it was the last time I had seen him. His superficial wounds had healed, but his inte
I sat down at the wooden table, watching as he moved to the window, scanning the woods. Something of a habit I had found between both Alexander and James was they were always watching their surroundings. “There’s a legend that there’s a ghost wolf in this part of the forest.” He began to say, pulling the chair out with his free hand, “It’s a story that we tell the younger kids at bonfires so that they stay near the packhouse, but there is some truth to the story. There have been sightings for years of a wolf that patrols the woods, one minute you see him, and the next he’s gone. Poof! Like a ghost.” He raised his eyebrows as he said ‘poof!’, before shaking his head, “It’s said that he’s searching for any with a ‘dark heart’. Cursed and can no longer return to his human form until he finds the one th
“What do you mean?” I asked, making James lean into his chair. “Something changed in Alexander that night… For the worst. Something in him broke; it was like his sanity was gone. After he shifted and gained his real strength, no one could stop Alexander.” James sighed, his voice dropping low.“Being alpha and being a part of the Hunters was too much, and despite what he wanted, he had a duty to his pack. So, he tried to leave. The King didn’t like that very much but allowed him to leave, under one condition. Complete his last mission, and he would be free of the Guardsmen to be an alpha. Little did Alexander know what that mission would be…” James took a deep breath, “When you’re given a mission, you aren’t told who or what you would be killing. Alexander didn’t care; he only desired to be free of the King&r
Two more days came and went without a word from anyone. Not even James came back around, so I was left alone for an unknown amount of time. I had gone through the cabinets and freezer, discovering that I could very well be up here on my own for at least another month before I ran out of supplies. That’s not what worried me though, it was the fact that no one had come back here to check on me, to make sure that I hadn’t been kidnapped or worse. Maybe there was some truth to what James had said and maybe everyone was too afraid of coming near here. But, in my small journeys around the cabin in my boredom, I hadn’t smelled anyone, no wolf from our pack or the neighboring one had been near this place in ages, or in fact, ever. The only one I smelled was James and myself. I didn’t know if that scared me or made me feel some sort of comfort, but at least I knew I wouldn’t be having any visitors soon, outside of maybe James or Alexander coming back to take me home. I wondered what was s
For a while, there was no reply. I began to think maybe my most recent dream had come true, and Alexander was gone. The white wolf watched me with weary eyes as I paced the cave. “I have to go back! Alexander could be dead!” Alexander is a smart man. He’s most likely too busy or around people that he cannot reply to you. I sighed, flopping onto the straw bed I had woken up on, “You’re not helping. Whatever your damn name is.” I grumbled, running a hand through my tangled hair. Graham. “Well, Graham, you’re not helping.” I rolled my eyes, holding my head in my hands. So it’s true. You two are mates. I didn’t reply for a moment to Graham. Then I glared at him in suspicion, “How do you know? I thought you were some folktale.” Graham shifted to move closer to me, lying a few feet from me. Alexander used to come up here a lot before you came around. He calls me his therapist. I call him mine. “So, it’s true. That you can’t shift back into a human? Or did you never have a hu