I look down at the Alpha as I’m awash with conflicting emotions. I want to get revenge on the person who imprisoned my love. I know I have enough strength to kill him, and after everything, I’m mad at everyone in a way I never have been before.Confidence assures me that I don’t need his help. I can lead a pack without him. I can be the best Alpha without him.And yet, I suspect his help wouldn’t hurt. It could be good to have a guide, a mentor. And it would be great if the pack just accepted me without me having to use a lot of force. I certainly don’t want to get on their bad side.I want this transition to go smoothly. I want peace. I want to be with the one I love freely.As I question what I should do, I notice that the wolf pack has gathered around us. They all saw the fight. They’ll see what I choose. This will shape their opinion on me forever.“Okay,” I say, slowly releasing the Alpha. “I’ll let you go because it’s beneficial and wise to show mercy sometimes. But know tha
"Nicole, did you hear?" Shelby asks me."Hear what?" I ask."About the new alpha," she says. I stare at her, confused."What do you mean 'new alpha'?" I ask."There's a new alpha coming to visit," Shelby says. "One from a neighboring pack.""That's odd," I say. I'm not sure we've ever had a visit from another pack's alpha."I don't know what to make of it," Shelby says."Me either," I reply."I have to go help my mom," Shelby says. "See you tonight?""Of course," I say."I'll let you know if I hear anything else," she says, and then she turns and walks down the path toward her house.I stare after her. I'm not sure why, but this news about the new alphas visit makes me feel very uneasy. I don't have to be anywhere for hours, so I decide to go for a walk to clear my head. I walk through the woods behind my house, admiring the tall, strong trees. It's a sunny day, so the sun shines through the trees, making the leaves sparkle with life.I reach the clearing near the o
I feel dizzy. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to feel.This wolf just appeared out of nowhere and told me a bunch of stuff that makes no sense. I don't know if I believe him.But at the same time, something about it feels so real. I can't explain it. I just... I get the feeling that he's telling the truth.I feel like I'm missing something, but I have no idea what.I decide to go home and try to forget about it for now. I'm sure that I'll figure it out eventually.I walk home and cross my fingers that my mom is done with her preparations for the evening ahead.I walk into the kitchen and see my mom is cutting up vegetables for a salad.I go to the refrigerator and grab a bottle of water, then go to the table to sit down.Mom sits the knife down on the cutting board and turns to me."Where were you?" she asks."I went for a walk," I say."I've been looking all over for you," she says."You should really let me know where you are," she says.She picks her knife
The rest of the dinner party is uneventful. The guests do their best to try to engage me in conversation, but I keep to myself as much as possible. I'm worried that I might say something that reveals the secrets I'm holding inside.I'm also worried that I might slip and just lose it. If my emotions were ever going to come back to the surface, I'm sure it would be tonight. I'm on edge, more than I can remember ever being.I'm barely able to keep it together around the guests. I'm sure other members of the pack have noticed. But they don't know what to say to me. Nobody does.After a couple of hours, everyone leaves, and I excuse myself to go upstairs to bed. Falling asleep is a struggle. I cannot stop thinking about the prophecy.When I do finally manage to drift off, I dream of the new alpha.He's walking toward me with a look of kindness on his face. He extends his hand and helps me off the ground. But as I get to my feet, I realize that I'm standing on the edge of a cliff. I'm
The thought of Shelby betraying me is something I can barely even fathom. She’s been my best friend for so long. I thought that telling her was safe.I thought that telling anyone would be safe. I did have that weird sense that I should keep it from some people, but I figured that was just because it was a new thing. I didn't think I had good reason to keep it safe. No one has ever cared about who I interacted with before.Why wouldn't they want me to go see him again? What's wrong with Gavin? He seems really nice to me. He seems like he just wants to get along with our pack. Why would they fight against him? Why am I not allowed to see him?“Why am I in here?” I call out.No one answers me though. It's just me down here. I yell a few more times, trying to get anyone’s attention. This is a nightmare. I have no idea what's going on. I have no idea why this is happening to me.Eventually, I give up. I stop crying, I stop yelling, and I stand. I look around the room.The room is
No matter how hard I try to get answers, my mother won't tell me anything else. She's just as determined as everyone else is to keep me from the truth it seems. And I feel betrayed by her. I feel betrayed by my best friend. I feel betrayed by everyone. Eventually, she leaves and I'm on my own. I take some time to read and I watch some TV. I try to do everything I can to distract myself.Then, I walk around the room. I try to look for an escape. I look for any possible way out or any explanation.As expected, I find nothing. They're too smart to make it easy for me to escape or find information. There's no way I'm fighting my way out of here. I'm stuck until someone tells me the truth or until they finally believe that I'm loyal.I don't understand it at all. I have always been nothing but loyal to the alpha of my pack. I've never even thought of going against him until now. I don't know what they're seeing in me, but it's not true. I am loyal. They have no reason to do this to m
We dart out into the night, hoping that the car will be the only thing awaiting us. Though we can’t be sure. There’s nothing we can do but run and hope and…The coast is clear.The stars and the moon watch over us, giving us enough like to see by while still allowing darkness to cloak us. No one seems to have noticed us. So, we run as silently as we can, avoiding the twigs and rocks underfoot. Each sound is amplified by our fear.Thankfully, people are nestled in their beds for the night, giving us time to get away. If we don't run out of luck, they won't notice I'm gone until morning. And my then I'll be safely in my new pack where no one can hurt me.I follow them towards their car, hope flooding through me. This means that I will be able to see Gavin again. Maybe he'll have answers as to why everyone else acting so strangely. Maybe he can tell me why no one wants me to be around him.The road is in sight. The future looks hopeful. But then, the alarm sounds.They must have
It's wild how once everything fades to black, the world seems so much brighter when my eyes finally open. It doesn't seem like I've been out for long, but my body is sore. The ground underneath me feels wet. It feels like my whole world has changed.Even though it's night, I have no trouble seeing. But I’m terrified by what I see, so I quickly reclose my eyes.Of course, I can’t keep my eyes closed forever. What I'm seeing is horrific. There are bodies all around me, covered in blood. Their limbs are ripped off at unnatural angles. Their life coats the forest floor.All of the wolves who were chasing me are dead. These are wolves from my pack. These are wolves who I grew up with. They are wolves who I've loved.I wonder what happened. I wonder why I'm still alive. I wonder...I look down at my hands and see that they're covered in blood. But I don't have very many marks on me. This blood is someone else’s blood.I look back at my pack members who look like something powerful ha