Disclaimer:multiple pov i hope you like it.
For three nights the forest had carried only one scent, which was blood.
Anita had run through the woods, almost entering the other pack's territory, until her paws bled, the rest of the patrol fanning out under the cold light of the moon, but there was no trace of their Alpha. No pawprints. No howl to answer theirs. They had almost involved the police, but they already knew the normals in Atlas City didn't really like them; they just coexisted.
At dawn on the fourth day, the old man had been kneeling there throughout the night at the pack's boundary stones, his palms injured and stained with blood, his voice cracking as he called out for them to listen. "You're searching the wrong places," he said. "He's with me. He's dying." Tears streaked the dirt on his face.
"Beta, there's an old man under the rain crying, mentioning our Alpha," and that was how the pack got to find news of Alpha Drey. Anita stepped forward, barefoot in the frost, her beta mark glinting on her throat. "Show us," she said.
The old man led them through the trees to his hut. The smell hit them before they reached the door: blood and burnt herbs. Inside, on the earthen floor, their Alpha lay collapsed against the wall.
His fur was dull, and his claws dug into the dirt as though he'd been fighting invisible chains. The injection still burned through his veins, blocking his shift; his eyes, usually black, were now blood red, rolling as he was about to snap again.
Anita dropped to her knees. "Alpha…" she whispered. Drey's jaws snapped at empty air, a low, ragged growl leaking out of him, but for an instant the sound broke, and it seemed he had calmed down. He looked around the hut as if looking for someone. Only the old man knew he was looking for the girl who seemed to have left. Maybe it was for the better, he sighed.
The werewolves panicked. They had seen berserk before. They knew what came next if he couldn't return. But none of them dared move closer as the old man crouched by Drey's side, clutching a talisman. "I can keep him alive," he said hoarsely. "But not here. You must get him back to the pack's ground. Hide him. Buy me time for a cure."
Anita swallowed hard, then signaled the others. They lifted the huge black body, even as it jerked and snarled, and carried their Alpha out into the woods. They wouldn't be going to the main city for now; they had to avoid the normals.
- - -
Becky's POV:
I woke up gasping. I had another dream again, a wolf calling me, begging me not to leave, and another voice telling me to leave. Yes, I accepted the deal. I wanted blacky to be safe. He had called his men to go give the antidote while I stayed behind to train and master my powers. I needed to learn how to shift my full body, and I was a werewolf. I've lived in denial, but the black eyes of Blacky in pain couldn't let me think about my problem now.
I wanted to scream, Find my mom and ask her what I was if she knew any of this, but I had to be strong to see the people I loved again. Pressing my palms to my temples, my throat hoarse. The training room smelled of incense. From the other door I heard other wolves howling, some crying in pain.
The Masked Man's people had been fighting me for days, trying to make me snap again and unleash the power I had fought with that day my body burned with pain. I did meditation to unlock my "inner wolf," sparring to make my claws appear at will, and strange exercises that left me shaking.
They said it was power. My instincts said it was a cage.
"Again," barked one of the trainers. "Push your energy out."
I drew a breath, reached inward, and let out a beastly growl and lost control. A pulse of heat ripped out of me. For a heartbeat I felt claws slide out of my fingers, and I scratched the trainer, my eyes turned red, and my energy lashed back at me. Pain bloomed in my chest, and I staggered, spitting out blood.
Before I could fall, gloved hands caught me. "Enough," a low voice murmured.
I looked up, and our eyes met. The masked man stared at me through the mask. Closer than he'd ever been, I could hear his breathing. His eyes above the mask were unreadable, but his grip was steady, as if scared I would hurt myself. For a moment he just stared down at me, lost in my eyes. I could hear his thoughts. I was surprised I could do that, but he snapped out of it.
"You'll tear yourself apart if you fight it like that," he said quietly.
Something in his tone, laced with concern buried under it, made my heart jump. "You're the one who brought me here," I snapped, pushing weakly at his chest. "Why do you care if I break?"
His gaze flickered. Then he let go and stepped back, the cold mask sliding back into place. "Because broken weapons are useless," he said, but his voice wasn't as sharp as the words. He turned to leave, hesitated at the doorway, then left without another word.
I sank to my knees, trembling. Then I heard the voice again in my head: "My Alpha, you're not a weapon." "You're still in there all along," I whispered. This was my inner wolf.
I heard the tiny voice again: Run. Leave this place. I'm still weak. We can't awaken our full power now. I've been sleeping for long time. I need time. I'll always be with you." Then it went silent. But what if he hadn't given blacky the antidote yet? Except I had to find a way to confirm blacky was fine. I wouldn't be anybody's pawn.
- - -
Drey POV.
I woke up in the mansion. I was chained. Did I finally go berserk? I growled. Sedatives numbed my limbs. Every instinct screamed to tear free, to rip and run but I still had a tiny bit of my reasoning.
Becky… The name came to my mind. Did the pack find her? Did she run from me? I panicked and tried to get up. I wanted to shift so badly, but the world tilted and a splitting pain hit me.
"Arrrrrgh!!!" I screamed.
"Alpha, please calm down," Anita's voice sounded from the door wall. She had run here at the sound of my voice.
But I just stared at her. I needed to find Becky; nothing else mattered. Then Anita spoke again, "The old man is working on a cure for you, Alpha; we won't abandon you." I tried breaking free from the chain, but I couldn't. The world went black, but a name remained on my mind: Becky…
- - -
Becky's POV:
I wiped the sweat from my palms on my thighs. The training yard still smelled of incense and blood; every time the masked man taught me a new way to push my power, it left me trembling, but I couldn't summon my wolf. I was curious about the color of my wolf and how good it would look with blacky beside me.
The masked man stepped closer, his presence wrapping around me like smoke. This time I wasn't able to pry his head. "You've come far," he murmured. "You're ready for a real task."
I blinked at him. "A task?"
"Yes, you strike now," he said simply, placing a small dagger that was rubbed with something in my palm. It was pulsing faintly with power. "Remember my enemy I told you to ruin. Stab him with this dagger. It won't be easy; that's why I trained your power. He's not a normal human; there would be people fighting you. Your power is to take care of them, but this dagger alone is to pierce his chest. Do this, and the antidote for your friend will be yours."
My heart stuttered. Blacky. I thought of his dark fur, his soft eyes. "But you promised you would send someone already to give him," I asked, angry that he'd tricked me. "Relax, I wanted you to have something that motivates you to fight well," he said.
"Is this how I save him?" I whispered.
His masked face tilted, unreadable. "Exactly."
I looked at him with hatred, wishing I could shred him with my claws, but the thought of losing Blacky was worse. "I'll do it."
He smiled under the mask, though I only felt it in the shift of his voice. "Brave girl," he said softly, almost like a caress.
I told myself I was still in control; I just wanted to save Blacky . But as I left the room, clutching the dagger, a chill went down my spine. I didn't know whose life I had just agreed to touch.