Chapter Thirteen

The zoo didn't reopen for a whole week. Even then the buzz had not calmed down and the news channels were going haywire. With work out for that week, I had nothing to do. I rode Badger a lot more than I thought I would have. Believe it or not, I was starting to get the hang of things and I could now ride him as he galloped. But when I went back to work, it felt lonely. Not having Alastor or Gedeon to pay most of my attention to, I found myself bored and without things to do. I would bother other staff members, attempting to aid them in anything they did. Kari had put me on intense tour guide duty and even had me start feeding the tigers on a normal basis. Don't get me wrong, Teddy and Cuddles were amazing tigers. The large cats would play around with each other and it was entertaining to watch. But I still felt like I had nothing to do. I was the wolf girl after all, but what was I when there were no wolves?

"Danny, snap out of it! You are acting as if someone died. They were just wolves," I wince at Kari's words but nod. The day dragged like the last two weeks had. My mom's concerned about me. She says I sound distraught. I wouldn't say I'm distraught, but I'm definitely out of it. Frank, Penny, nor Eliza dared to bring it up. Last time they talked about how sad it was to lose the two rarest wolf breeds there were, I had combusted into tears. Call me dramatic, but I was connected to Alastor like a childhood dog. I found myself wondering the woods more than I ever imagined myself doing. Growing up, I was a safe child. I stayed inside most of the time with my nose stuck in a book or my hands wrapped around a game controller. Outside wasn't my forte. Don't get me wrong, I loved the outdoors. It's beautiful and never failed to amaze me. But I just always found my comfort inside. The woods had always been a place I avoided as a kid. The darkness was eerie to me. The way there were animals around every bend and the way the shadows swallowed potential dangers. It freaked me out. But now I wondered the dense crowd of trees. Running my hands along with each one that stood in my way. I found comfort here and tended to stay until dark. No matter how much I enjoyed the woods now, the dark woods would always send chills down my spine. The dark was worse. There was no brightness to light up the shadows even if it was just a smidge, now it was all shadow. Everything was dark and there was no way to show what direction to turn. Which way was up or down?

That's where I found myself now. Perched upon a small rock, watching the wind rustle the leaves above me. When the wind began to push to roughly, a leaf would say goodbye to its branch. I would follow it until it landed on the floor, settling into the dirt. I found myself at ease. Relaxing into the stone under me tell my back leaned against it and my body laid out onto the earth. A heavy sign left my chest as I watched another leaf get ripped away. I followed it just like the others till it landed about 20 feet from me. A soft smile slipped onto my lips. I did a brisk overlook of the perimeter, an unconscious habit. I froze, cold as the stone beneath me.

Who knows how long he had been sitting there, right on the line of shadow where I couldn't see him unless I was looking. He blended in perfectly. He watched me, his blue eyes aflame with an intense emotion I couldn't comprehend. His tail swayed slowly, disturbing the leaves under him. It sped up until his tail was wagging. His head fell to the side and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. He looked like a real wolf now. Fur blew back by the wind, eyes burning with freedom. If possible, he got bigger. His black fur was shaggy and dusty. I stayed frozen to the ground. He might not have hurt me the few times we had been in a situation just as this, but this time we were in his territory. In his world. With nowhere to run and no tranqs to save me. Surrounded by woods. I didn't move, afraid to trigger a reaction from him. My heart began to pound behind my ears when he slowly lifted himself from the ground and took one short step into the sunlight. The light hit his fur and I could see the red hiding amongst the black. A diamond shining out from the rough. My instincts pulled me from the ground and taking shaky steps from him. He followed my footsteps with his own.

"A-Alastor," I whimpered. His ears hit the back of his head but he didn't halt his movements. I made my steps quicker now. I was closing in on the edge of the forest and soon I would be able to make a run for the barn. As if he could read my plan, his pace quickened. Was he going to rip me apart? Who am I kidding, he's a wild wolf, of course, he's going to rip me apart. I began to hyperventilate and my palms started to sweat. My knees quivered and I feared for my balance. He slowly crouched down as he walked, pressing his body to the ground. Before I had time to think the words, he sprang at me. A scream fell from my lips, but it had no time to reach anyone for his paw pressed down on my mouth. He glared down at me and his lips curled over his teeth. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the pain of my throat being ripped out to come, but it didn't. Instead, he moved off of me. My eyes slowly opened to find him sitting in front of me, his ears down and his brows lifted in sadness. A small whimper escaped him. It reminded me of the last time I had seen him. I tentatively pulled myself into a sitting position. His eyes followed my every movement.

"Y-you're not gonna hurt me?" I stutter. His head shook back in forth in answer to my question. It was obvious that he had understood my words and answered my question. I gasped softly and his ear twitched in response. He laid down, his head between his paws. I cautiously raised my hand and pressed it between his ears. He winced slightly and I jumped in response. He purred in apology. I ran my hands along his fur. What was I doing? Petting a wolf in the middle of the woods. How had he found me anyway? The zoo is two hours from here, there was no way this was by chance. Had he been looking for me? Following my scent all the way here? But why would he do that? I pulled back to stare down at his face. His eyes were shut and he seemed at peace with his head now laying in my lap. His purring vibrated my entire body. As time went on, I was convinced he had fallen asleep. What was I to do? I wasn't going to wake him, afraid in the rage of being awoken he would tear into me. But it was starting to get dark and I began to become even more anxious. Alastor started to disappear into the darkness and if it wasn't for the vibrating and the warmth I would have been sure he was gone. I started to see things in the intense shadows and found myself pressing myself further into Alastor. At least then I didn't feel so alone. I found my lids becoming heavy. As the darkness dragged on, I wonder what the family was thinking. Would they think I had met up with friends and left or been eaten by an animal while out here in the woods? A rustle of a bush as me ramrod straight. It was silent for a moment until I heard a dark snicker. At first, I thought it was Eliza laughing at the situation I had gotten myself into, but it clicked in my head that it was a man's chuckle. The tiredness evaporated and was replaced with terror. I panickingly searched the darkness but came up with nothing. I clung to Alastor but he stayed peacefully in sleep.

"Well would you look at that you guys," the man's voice seemed to be coming from every direction. It was scratchy and was dripping with hunger and humor. Other chuckles filled the static air. That's when I realized we were surrounded. I looked down at Alastor and I knew I had to protect him if worst comes to worst.

"Big Alpha fell asleep on this human's lap. How pathetic." He spat. I heard growls and snarls to back up his statement. I was confused. But then I could see a figure standing before me as if the moon had finally blessed me with a shed of light. He was tall and slim, almost to the point where it was scarily unhealthy. I could only see his outline due to how the light hit his back. Then I saw the wolves. There were so many of them. All lanky and shaggy as the man. It reminded me of the story Frank had told me. Him surrounded by the wolves as a small child. I could imagine his story so vividly as if it was my memory. Now I had my own story to tell. Just like his. The wolves snapped and growled in my direction. I clung to Alastor's fur so tightly that it must have woke him. His eyes slid open and he let out a grunt. He scrutinized my face for less than a second and went tense. I grabbed his face in my hands and shushed him silently. I eyed the man again before looking back at him. He followed my gaze and a blood boiling snarl ripped from his lips. He leaped to his feet and stood over top of me. He growled at the guy but he just chuckled in response. Did this guy not realize that he was in the face of death? Alastor would rip him apart. I hyperventilated under him while he growled.

"Not so fast Diesel. You might want to watch your tone. You're currently surrounded by 18 rouges. You won't be able to take on all of us and protect your precious mate there." None of his words made sense to me. I ran my hands through my hair in confusion. Alastor's growl was cut short as he assessed the wolves around him. He glanced down at me before looking up at him again.

"What do I want? Oh, that's an easy question. Give me back my land that you stole from me. That also includes all the females you stole from me and my pup." He snapped. Alastor growled in response. One of the wolves leaped for him and Alastor jumped at him in response. He wrapped around the scranny wolf and before I knew it, he was standing on top of me again. The lifeless wolf thudded against the ground and Alastor spat something from his mouth. Silence followed the small gasps. The wolf's throat was torn out, his eyes rolled back into his head and blood dripped from his lips. I recoiled away from the sight, hiding my eyes in my sleeve.

"That was unnecessary." His voice wavered as he leaned away from the corpse. His face reflected the light and I finally got a good look at him. His hair was greasy and tangled, deep amber and it reached his shoulders. He had a crooked nose that bulged from his face. His black eyes were sunken into his face just like his cheeks. He had an unkempt beard that clung to his jaw. He scowled in our direction. Another one of the wolves snapped at us from behind. I gasped and Alastor's reaction was to immediately spin around and grab the wolf by the shoulder. The gray wolf howled in pain before returning the favor and sinking his teeth into his shoulder. I gasped but Alastor seemed unfazed. He gnawed on the wolf before biting into his chest. The wolf fell over and started to convulse. No one dared to interfere, fear locked onto each wolf's face. Alastor jumped back as the wolves twitching became intense. He spun back toward the man and pressed himself lower to me. I started rubbing my arms as I quivered. The man was steaming, his hands curled into a fist.

"Make that 16." The wolves were growling so loudly that I wasn't sure if that was what he said. Two wolves came at Alastor from opposite sides. The reddish one was locked on Alastor's throat, the silver one was looking at me. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Alastor lunged for the red one, exposing me. I heard snapping behind me, but all I could see was the silver wolf prowling toward me. But before he could make his move, Alastor wrapped his jaws around his neck and slammed down so hard that his head disconnected from his body. Bile swirled in my stomach and I started to feel nauseated when I watched the head roll away and the body crumple to the floor. When I looked back toward where the red one stood, all I saw was a pile of red fur and a pool of blood surrounding it. I swallowed to keep down the vomit. 14...13...12...11...the wolves were dropping like flies and not one touched me. I wish I had knocked on wood. Two wolves charged Alastor, one from the front and one from the back. The brown one in front tackled him. When they collided, the sound was so loud I had to cover my ears. They rolled over each other before slamming into a tree. Alastor pinned the other one. Something hard hit my back and that's when I realized that I was pinned as well. A dirty white wolf stood over him, his teeth inches from my face. His hot death smelling breath washed over me. Saliva dripped onto my cheek. I wanted to scream but I couldn't find my voice. Suddenly the wolf was being dragged from me. Alastor grabbed the wolf's tail and went to tear him off me, but the wolf was stubborn. He slammed his paws onto my legs and sank his claws in. I found my scream then. As Alastor dragged him off me, his nails ripped into my flesh. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I could feel the thick liquid oozing over my skin. My eyes fluttered for a second. Alastor was standing over me, panic in his eyes. He whimpered softly. A wolf threw himself at him, but he didn't move from over me. The wolf hit his shoulder and bounced off. Alastor seemed to not have any idea he had been hit. The wolf attempted again, instead this time he sank his teeth into his spine. Alastor yelped and spun around, grabbing the wolf by the collar bone and slamming him into the ground beside me. He released him, only to grab him by the throat. I turned to watch the life leave the wolf's eyes and the clear tears be replaced with blood. I spun my head the other direction when fresh tears leaked from my eyes. I heard another crunch and looked back just in time to watch Alastor toss another lifeless body to the side. He looked back down at me, his eyes examining the slices down my legs. I wonder how bad it was. I stared up at the starry sky. I finally found it in me to sit up, but I dared not to look at my thighs. Afraid I would faint. When it was just the man and two other wolves, they stopped charging. We were surrounded by corpses and blood inched toward my feet. The wolves retreated to the man's side. They snarled in anger. I was feeling lightheaded.

"You kill all of my men. For what? I just want my family back you beast!" The guy choked on his words and tears spewed from his eyes. The sun had begun to rise then, the golden hue kissed the trees. It turned the dark liquid that surrounded us to a rose crimson color and made all the deaths around me even more visible. I swallowed the vomit in my throat. The wolves whimpered when they looked over their lost ones. I felt bad, what had Alastor done to this man's family? But that wasn't the only question I had. Nothing here made sense. But I couldn't find the strength to think of the questions. The man took a step forward and Alastor growled in response.

"Diesel. Give me my family. Then and only then will we let you be." The guy pleaded. Alastor snarled in response. He took another step forward and it seemed to finish off what patience Alastor had left. He charged the man, ramming his head right into his chest. This sent him flying into the air. I watched as he rolled around and I listen to the scream come from his throat. Before he could land back to the ground, I heard a shredding sound. The man exploded, his clothes falling like the leaves. He landed on four paws. I stared in horror. Frank's story... The man was replaced by a shaggy amber wolf. Bigger than the other two but nowhere near Alastor. The wolf was just as greasy as the man. My jaw dropped. The three wolves started to circle us. Alastor's body tensed over me. One leaped for his throat, Alastor twisted around to catch him. They slid across the ground, their growls echoing so loudly that the sleeping birds were startled from their nest. Out of nowhere, a rustic color wolf leaped from the shadows and tackled the other wolf that was prowling toward Alastor. I stared at the new wolf. Gedeon? Before I could elaborate, my view was interrupted by the amber wolf. He stalked me while also keeping an eye on the others. When I could smell his breath, his jaws opened. I looked down his throat and went limp into the dirt. I watched his jaws snap around the air where my head had just been. He looked down in surprise before letting out a wolfy chuckle. He went to wrap his jaws around my throat but he was swept away by the rust wolf. The wolf's eyes were green and they glanced at me in panic. This gave me my answer. It was definitely Gedeon. He turned quickly back to the wolf that was snapping at him. My head leaned toward Alastor's direction. He and a bluish wolf were dancing. Circling each other. I winced when Alastor effortlessly finished the wolf. His blue eyes caught my foggy gaze.

He ran away from me. I wanted to reach after him, but my body was weak. So I stared after him. I sighed in the sun's rays. The brightness blinded me. That's why I couldn't see the man's face. But I could see him, and I was positive I didn't know him. He was huge, by far the largest man I'd ever seen. He sprinted toward me wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts. His tan skin seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Who was this man? And why did he seem so unfazed by overstepping the mounds of dead bodies? His body was covered in purple bruises and blood splattered across his chest. I should have been afraid by that, right? I couldn't find it in me to feel fear. I had witnessed too much today. Hell, I have had too many near-death experiences this past month that should be healthy. Maybe it was all catching up to me now. He kneeled beside me, scooping my head up in one of his large steaming hot hands. The other cupped my face. His face was creased with worry. He had a sharp jawline, flawless features, and a 5 o'clock shadow. His hair was crazed. It spiked around his head and fell to touch his eyes. His eyes were piercing blue. And in those eyes, I found so many things that I remembered. My statement of not knowing this man seemed to be wrong. I had seen those eyes somewhere.

"Alpha, is she all right?" A voice asked. He didn't glance up. The man's eyes were brimming with tears as he held my face in my hands. I should have torn my face free of the stranger's hands. But I couldn't find the strength. I had completely forgotten about the wounds on my legs until he glanced down them. He cleared his throat and looked away from them with a pained expression. The man caught my eyes with his.

"I'm so sorry they hurt you," he whispered. His minty breath washed over my face. His voice was pained and even cracked. He skimmed his thumb over my cheek and I felt him rub the wetness away. I was crying.

"Should we take her back?" The unknown voice asked again. He looked up then. He scowled while he thought. A nap sounded nice right now. Plus, his hands were so warm.

"We don't have a choice. If we left her, who knows how long it would take them to find her and if we let her go back they would for sure have a bounty on our heads. Plus, I'm not sure when I'll have this kind of opportunity again." He whispered the last part and I strained to hear. His hands moved from my face and were replaced with his arms under my back. He lifted me from the ground pressed me against the warmth of his chest. I shivered and leaned into him unconsciously.

"How bad are the cuts?" The voice whimpered. The man didn't respond, instead, he started running. I never would have guessed that though. I couldn't feel him running, it seemed to quiet and I wasn't bouncing around like I should have been. But I felt the wind bullying my hair and I heard the crunching under his feet. Though it was much quieter than it should have been. His breathing didn't waver either. As if he was taking a nice stroll instead of sprinting. The whole time the man ran, he whispered to me. "It will be okay," "I'm so sorry," "Please forgive me," "You're going to be okay," "Thank you for everything you have done mon amour." Was that French? If only I had paid attention to French class back in freshman year.

"Alpha!" A woman's voice squealed in fear. I was laid down then, the unmistakable crinkling sound of a hospital bed sounded from under me. I scowled. I hated doctors.

"Doctor, please treat her wounds." Without a missing beat, my pants were removed and my legs began to sting. I cursed as the stinging turned to burning.

"What the fuck! Cut it out!" I shot up and shoved at the women working over my thighs and knees. I glared at her and seethed through my teeth. I glanced down at my legs and winced. It was worse than I thought. Down my thighs laid four large slices. Two for each leg. They each were wide enough to lay a chapstick in and so deep that the color was such a dark red that it didn't look real. I almost re-fainted. The slashes ran down my thighs and swirled around my knees as the wolf put in its last effort. I swallowed thickly and looked up at the doctor. She seemed remorseful.

"My apologies ma'am! But please, allow me to clean your wounds before they get infected." I rolled my tongue along my cheek before clenching my jaw. I looked away from her and leaned back, allowing her access to my thighs. She sighed in relief. Two men were leaning on the wall across the room from me. One with pitch-black hair, but if the light hit it right it had bits of red. The other one was a redhead all together, he had fluffy hair. He had bright green eyes and a face covered with freckles. To finish the look, he had a sly smirk. The other man had blue eyes- all too familiar eyes- and he had a deep frown.

"She's got quite the vocabulary, doesn't she." The redhead commented with a chuckle. My eyes rolled involuntarily.

"And an attitude, you got the whole package Diesel!" My eyes snapped to the man whose name was Diesel. He was staring at me, his brows pulled up as he inspected my thighs. The redhead's face fell when he saw what Diesel was focused on.

"Do I know you?" I snapped, my face flushing. The redhead smiled a toothy grin and Diesel offered me a small smile. His eyes sparkled. I was sitting pantless in front of two men. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it down to cover the goods.

"All right I'm all done! I would refrain from walking as much as possible, wouldn't want to rip the stitches." Stitches? I looked down and sure enough, the gashes were sewn together and there was a sticky brown substance on the cuts. I nodded at the doctor and reached for my ruined jeans.

"No, here." I looked up quickly, blowing my brown hair from my face. Diesel had a pair of sweats extended toward me, his face tilted toward the side as he blushed softly.

"Please, wear these. Your jeans are destroyed. They may be a bit big but they have a jaw string. I will acquire you some more fitting clothing later but for now, please accept these." The way he spoke was so gentlemanly that I ended up blushing too. I grabbed them and thanked him in a whispered. He smiled in return. He was right, they were way bigger than me but I pulled them as tight as possible and tied them to hold them there. Even then I constantly pulled them up.

"I'm Diesel," He extended his hand. I shook it and gasped when he turned it over and kissed the top of it, then he helped me off the hospital bed and balanced me against his side. I thanked him again.

"Dakari," The redhead offered his hand and I shook it firmly.

"We have a lot to explain to tell you," Diesel said quietly. I looked up to find him staring at me. What was I doing? Trusting this stranger? But he didn't feel like a stranger like I said earlier there was no way I'd never seen this man. I feel like I've known him my whole life. I stared at him for a moment. He sighed and smiled softly at me.

"Yet you need rest. You've been through a lot today." I blinked and looked down. He was right, I was exhausted. I wobbled.

"We have a spare room," he offered. Did I have a choice at this point? I nodded.

"Yes, that would be very kind of you." His grin widened across his face. But then his lips puckered.

"May I carry you again? We want your injuries to heal as soon as possible." My brows scrunched up but he was right. Again. I nodded and his eyes lit up. I had seen that somewhere before. The way the blue eyes exploded into a starry sky. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He lifted me from the ground and Dakari held the door open for him. I fell asleep on his warm chest that was stained with blood and bruises.