Lauren was beginning to hate running, solely because of the way Aidan did it. He ran like he was in a race with the wind. Lauren , even with her heightened senses and more precise speed, could barely match up to his agility. The wind blew her hair into her face and she shouted for Aidan to stop. But he either didn't hear her or didn't care: he continued to race and laugh as he did so. Lauren looked around; she recognized the tall, sparse trees. They were heading towards her cabin, within a walking distance of her pack's lair.Soon Aidan stopped before the cabin and waited for her to catch up. She was barely out of breath as she reached his side and frowned, folding her hands. "Next time," she said "Give me a heads up.""Yes ma'am." Aidan made a mocking bow and circled the cabin to the back. Lauren followed him, arms still folded, and stopped when he did. He was staring at the ground. Lauren copied him, eyes scanning the ground."What are we supposed to be staring at?" She asked. "Wo
hate what we're doing and why we have to do it." The female scientist said to her partner, worry lines etched in her forehead "All those children—""I hate how trapped we are sometimes. Watching the doctor do these terrible things to people, turning them to animals..." the other scientist, a short bespectacled man said."And what he'd do to us, to our families if we try to make a run for it." The female scientist shuddered. "I mean, look at Katherine all those years ago. That man—" She looked around the corridor where they were standing, and after making sure they were alone, whispered "He's a freak.""Some people even say Katherine is still in his prison, after all these years. How he destroyed her family, her—her little baby daughter." The man shook his head sadly "Sometimes I wish I had the bravery that Beth Norman had, to just run and leave this freak and his creepy laboratory behind.""We're stuck here, Floyd." The woman murmured. "There's no getting out, unless we die."After a
Mike's last statement had shocked them all into silence. They looked at each other in confusion. Beth and Axel exchange perturbed and knowing looks. Lauren looked at each of the adults in bewilderment."Answer me! Where is she?" Mike roared, gripping Axel tighter, a manic look in his eyes."Mike Sommers, drop the knife and let the man go. We'll discuss this peacefully." Beth said soothingly, moving forward."No! I'll see my daughter first, then we'll talk!" The man bellowed "My daughter, now!""Let him go!" Lauren snarled. She had bent low, her fingers curled into claws, her eyes changed from the normal brown to a glowing golden colour. Her fangs were out and hair was beginning to sprout from her body.Mike growled dangerously in response, his fangs even bigger than that of Lauren. Then suddenly his growl changed to a shocked expression. His fangs slowly receded and his eyes went back to normal as he stared at Lauren. The knife slowly dropped from his hand and he let go of Axel, the l
Lauren's body reacted before her mind could. She ran out the back door, across her backyard and into the darkness beyond. The serene twilight had blended into the cobalt blue of night, and moisture from the grass soaked into her bare feet. Where to? The woods, of course.She heard cries of her name from behind but didn't turn. She ran blindly, on and on, with no sense of direction, only being guided by the wish to leave the house and the unwanted truth of her birth behind. Between the house and the woods she morphed into her werewolf form and ran on all fours, her tears and anger blinding her.Suddenly she hit a rock solid object and a muffled oof! escaped her lips. She tumbled blindly and hit the ground, changing back to her human form mid-tumble and pinning the object under her body. The object turned out to be a very startled Aidan."Jeez, Lauren!" He exclaimed, grabbing her arms and holding them together. "Watch out!"Lauren recognized him and paused, her hair hanging on both side
Mike watched as his daughter stormed out of the kitchen and into the woods, calling after her feebly but she didn't turn. He collapsed on a nearby kitchen chair, placing his head in his hands. Daughter?! Heck, they weren't even related! God, what had he done?Beth and Axel rushed into the kitchen and gaped at the open back door. Beth crossed the kitchen and peered outside through the door, but there was no sign of Lauren. She closed the door securely, then faced Mike."What did you do to her?" She demanded "What did you tell her?!""That I'm not her biological father." Mike said weakly "That her mother is still alive.""Hell!" Axel swore and folded his hands "Who is?""Dr Makovsky is her father." Mike uttered and closed his eyes in despair."My goodness!" Beth said, horrified "That cannot be true! Lauren is your daughter—""She's not, okay?" Mike snapped "She's not. We're not biologically related. It's a long story.""We have to get out of here. We have to leave town." Beth muttered,
When Lia awoke, the first thing her mind registered was the prickle of leaves and twigs on the left side of her face. Rolling over, she saw the stick that had knocked her out lying to her side. With a groan she sat up and rubbed her head ruefully. Although the bump that should have been there was gone, there was dried blood on the side of her face.When she'd stumbled on Aidan and Lauren it had been night. Now a soft morning light was streaming in through the trees and birds were chirping merrily on the branches. They must have taken Lauren hours ago. God, how long had she been knocked out?Lia looked around and saw Lauren's phone lying a few metres away. She picked it up and saw that the screen had been cracked and badly damaged. Apart from the cellphone there was nothing else to show that Aidan or Lauren or any of the hooded guys had stood there some time ago. She stood to her feet and shuffled forward, gripping a nearby tree as a wave of vertigo hit her. "Damn," she muttered, sque
Jacob Boris stared dejectedly at his pack members, all gathered in a circle around him. He knew all their individual stories: from the college student who was Bitten by a rabid changeling, to the young 14-year old who found herself in the dead of night among a gang of werewolves. Hs knew all their stories, had to listen to each and every werewolf in his pack tell the story of how they were changed the moment they joined his pack . It was one of his many roles as an Alpha, his many, challenging, tiring roles.Like coming to terms with meeting his son again.He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He remembered the pang of guilt that had racked him ever since Lauren had brought his son to him. He had looked into his son's eyes and blanched: the hatred in them had been acute and raw. How did he not recognize his son the moment he had walked into their pack?His every waking moment since then had been tormented by the hatred in his son's eyes. He'd tried to make amends, had followed his so
The three adults followed Lia out of the forest as she ranted to herself. Mike had frankly never seen any young girl so aggravated. She was making a lot of noise as they trudged through the woods, her sneakers kicking twigs and dead leaves around."Aaargh!" Lia screamed "I am so done with that pack!""Easy, girl." Beth tried to calm her "Don't do or say something you'll regret. You're still accountable to your Alpha, whether you like it nor not.""No I'm not." Lia cut in "I'm a rogue werewolf now. When you openly confront your Alpha the way I did you're automatically banished from the pack, and the only way you can return is if the Alpha himself wills it. I cannot believe him, though. What kind of an Alpha Is that?""Lia," Beth said in a warning tone "Calm down."Lia kept calm and tried to walk as quietly as possible, then after a few precious seconds of silence she spoke again "Why wouldn't he help us? It's a member of his pack in danger, for crying out loud! Will he just watch while
Eric's heart skipped a beat at Doctor Makovsky's words. Lure Lauren and her mother here? "What do you plan to do with them?" He asked, his voice betraying a hint of defiance. "Why drag them into this? You already did that, didn't you? You used Aidan to kidnap Lauren so she could be with you. And it didn't work."Doctor Makovsky's smile widened, breaking through his poker face. "Sure, it didn't work the first time, because neither of them wanted to be with me. But this time...""...Things will be different." Eric echoed. He looked up at Doctor Makovsky slowly. "This time, you're using a bait. Me.""I want my family to witness firsthand the extent of my power and influence." The doctor continued. "They have defied me for far too long, thinking they could escape my grasp. But they will soon realize that no one can escape the fate I have designed for them. Katherine...she's a strong woman. And I know she loves her cop husband. But ultimately, she belongs to me, and so does Lauren. They're
Eric stayed awake throughout the truck drive to Perkins, his mind amok with several thoughts. A part of his heart was still in Beacontown, with Lauren and all the memories they had shared. How he terribly wished things could go back to that period of time, those moments that seemed alive only in his mind. He wondered if Lauren still thought about him, if at all. It seemed that the only part of her heart that wasn't populated by thoughts of her villainous father was taken over by that overbearing Aidan boy.Eric sighed and closed his eyes as the truck flashed past the large sign that declared that they were now in the town of Perkins. He wished he'd told Lauren more about how he felt before leaving Beacontown. Right now, with the prospect of death before him, he wished his words had been enough.He'd had a crush on her ever since he'd seen twelve-year old her in the playground with those bullies. She'd looked small and inconsequential, and yet her dark eyes had blazed with a fierceness
Eric's heart raced as he ventured deeper into the dense forest. He still had no idea where he was headed, but the pull in him was getting stronger. As he walked, he thought of Lauren, his mind consumed with thoughts of her safety. Every step he took was guided by an unexplainable force, a magnet pulling him towards something unknown. It was as though the attack from those rabid wolves had somehow tied him to them, forced his will under theirs and made him do things that an otherwise sane Eric would have objected to.The weight of the responsibility Lia had placed on him pressed heavily, but he was determined to protect Lauren from her vicious father, no matter the cost. He stopped and stared through the canopy of leaves and branches above. The sun was beginning to rise already, painting where he stood a brilliant mix of orange and yellows. Hikers and other nature-loving people would soon come out for their rounds: perhaps a quick rest wouldn't be so bad anyway. He would rest for some
Eric trudged through the forest that surrounded Beacontown. Twigs snapped under his feet, echoing eerily through the trees around. He was scared shitless, and yet he couldn't stop himself from walking into the thickness of the woods. Every fibre of his being wanted to bolt out of there, but it was as though there was an invisible energy pulling him deeper and deeper into the forest.He paused and looked around, realising that he was severely lost. If he took a detour left, he might come out to Beth's backyard in about twenty minutes. His mouth went dry as he thought of Lauren, only a few minutes away from him. How he missed her, how he wished things could go back to the way they used to be, before....well, everything had happened, but he knew that everything was past wishing for at this point. He still was getting used to the idea that his best friend was a werewolf.He'd left his house last night, and now it was almost night again. He'd been walking aimlessly around for a whole day,
It was a hot summer night in July. The people of Perkins were either outside their homes, trying to catch a stray breeze or populating any of the clubs and bars downtown. It was a sleepy little town, but it came alive on days like these, when there was little else to do than to watch the twinkling stars outside or party till sunrise.Clyde Roberts was behind his counter, having a busy night as customers came and went. This was his favourite time of the year, when everyone suddenly needed a cold bottle of beer to try and wash away the sweltering heat of summer. He was all smiles as he cleaned a glass with a dust rag, a glowing cigar bouncing in his mouth.Things had been very heated up in the town some few weeks back, when the Russian laboratory in the nearby woods had suddenly gone derelict. The Russian scientist who had made the laboratory his abode for more than two decades had mysteriously disappeared, and so had the people working for him. Cops and other authorities usually ignore
On the night that Eric was taken back to his home, it was raining very heavily. Lauren had stayed behind in Beth's house; only Beth and a disgruntled Lia had accompanied him.Beth parked the car in front of Eric's house and turned to him. "Do you know what to say to your mother yet?""Yes, yes." Eric replied, his face blank. "I was kidnapped.""Alright." Beth eyed him warily. "Eric, how are you? Like, really. How have you been doing?""Don't know." He replied morosely. "The past few days have been a lot."Beth nodded, a knot of fear forming in her stomach. She was worried for him, more so with the way he sounded. She'd seen the worst of Dr Makovsky and the results of his experiments, had endured it for many years. But how would it look to someone who had never seen any of it before?"Lia will be checking on you from time to time. Is that okay?" Beth asked."Of course," Eric murmured and opened the car's door."Bye, kid." Lia called."Bye, werewolf." Eric answered, then stepped down an
The bus that took Mike from Beacontown back to Perkins smelled just as bad as the one that had brought him. Mike hated buses: the acrid stench of other people's sweat pressing against his nose, the smell of takeout food and gasoline that seemed to hang like a cloud over everyone's heads, the _bump bump_ of the bus on speed bumps that left him sick to his stomach when he got down.He'd had no choice but to take the bus. Beth had vehemently refused when he wanted to morph into his wolf form and run all the way to Perkins.Mike was still assessing his relationship with Beth. Theirs was a strained one at best, and he could not look at her without remembering the way she'd smiled down at him when he was strapped to the experiment table, the headlight above her turning her deep red hair golden. The feeling of immense hatred that had coursed through his veins alongside the werewolf Serum, that had changed his life forever.She'd turned him to the monster he was, and there was no moving away
Aidan walked forward to meet them. Lauren's hand was still gripped in his, so she was dragged along. She could sense from the stiffness of his back, from the way he gripped her hand almost for dear life, that he was very nervous."It's a pleasure." He said, offering his other hand to the men. Alpha Lyall, the man in the middle, gripped Aidan's hand in a strong handshake."Why don't we continue this meeting somewhere more... private?" Alpha Lyall offered. Lauren did not miss how the alpha had completely ignored her."No." Aidan refused. Lauren watched as he tightened his jaw. She wondered just how much effort it took him to not bolt out of the pack's lair. She could see just how tense and anxious he was."No?" Alpha Lyall repeated. His eyes narrowed a notch and he waited, as though to give Aidan a chance to take back his words."I think we should have the meeting here, should we not?" Aidan continued. "I mean, everything you'll be discussing with me will have something to do with the n
Aidan grabbed Lauren's hand and pulled her out the front door. Together they both walked into the woods that bordered Beth's house, towards the general direction of Lauren's cabin and the pack's lair."Have you ever met the Council of Alphas?" Aidan asked after some thought."Oh, yes." Lauren replied. Then she added. "At your father's funeral.""And what were they like to you?"Lauren grimaced. "Oh, they're the worst. For some reason, they think humans are not worth their time in general." When Aidan raised an eyebrow, she continued. "During the funeral, they walked up to me. I guessed they thought I was something very special because I am Dr Makovsky's daughter. They were probably pissed too that I had invited humans like Axel and Beth to a strict werewolf ceremony. When Beth stood up to shake their hands, the bastards ignored her."Aidan raised both eyebrows in surprise. "Oh!""I'd never disliked anyone as terribly as those men." Lauren shook her head. "Why do we need a Council of A