Three Alphas

24

Dad's jaw drops. I keep my head down, hoping he won't blow up or kill me. That'd be so embarrassing!

After some uncomfortable minutes, Dad finally spoke. "Okay," He swallows hard, his jaw tight. "So what do you do now?"

Ethan explains, "Well since he's human, it's gonna be much more difficult..."

The rest of the day was spent with my mates talking to Dad about wolfy stuff. I tried to listen but lost interest.

There was something in the back of my mind, pulling at my attention. I can't really explain what it is, but it's definitely something. It's like I can hear something, but not through my ears. Just an intrusive thought of sorts.

I stood up from the table, deciding to try to find out what was making me so unfocused, but a hand grabbed my wrist. I looked back to see who stopped me from leaving. Dean was still in the conversation as he held onto me.

I pulled away from his grip, causing him to look up at me. He mumbled, "Sorry. Reflex." And he turned back to the conversation.

I head towards the back door, needing some fresh air. I sit on the porch steps, breathing in the warm smell. The invisible force is stronger outside, I feel the tug at my mind and soul. 

I shake my head, hoping to get rid of the growing headache I'm getting from the odd feeling. It's like my head is being violated by someone else's feelings; someone who's scared. That's what it is, fear. The feeling in my head drains down to my chest, squeezing my heart as if I'm anticipating something. I try not to shudder at the terror entering my chest. I rub a hand through my hair, closing my eyes to try to block the outside world.

I knew one of the guys was still watching me through the glass doors, even if it's out of the corner of their eye. So I decide to look back and wave slightly to show I'm okay. Ethan puts his full focus back on the conversation now, letting me have a slow moment to my own.

The sound of someone's muted scream catches my attention. I stand slowly, checking to see if anyone inside has noticed the shout. They're all still deep in conversation so I hesitate to go into action. Maybe I was just imagining it. I mean, they're werewolves, shouldn't they have been able to hear it?

My head snaps back toward the woods when the sound of a wolf's injured howl catches my attention. It wasn't a yell at all, it was a whine from a wolf. Someone is hurt, they need help!
Wait, how the hell do I know that the wolf is hurt?
I know absolutely nothing about animals.
But yet, I know that the wolf, if even miles away, is hurt.

I hop off the porch, not caring about anything but the injured animal I can barely hear. I pass the tree line, not paying attention to how far I'm going. My slow steps turn into leaps over branches as I run as far as I can. The sound of the injured wolf plus the strange feeling I had earlier force me to go faster, almost in a desperate flee. The once uncomfortable feeling turns into loud ringing in my ears as I can feel a headache grow.

Eventually, I stop in my tracks, turning back but my house isn't in view anymore. I'm completely lost in the woods, and I haven't even found what I'm looking for.

"Dammit..." I mutter, glancing all around my surroundings.

A twig snap in the distance. I jump and try to find the source. I'm probably just being paranoid though.

A soft whine a few feet grabs my attention, making me jump in surprise by the sudden noise. I glance over, spotting a dark brown wolf with a bit of black on its paws and tail. It lays under a fallen tree branch, too big for it to be able to get up.

I slowly approach it, kneeling at its side. I say softly, "Hello, little wolfy."

The wolf lets out a small growl before its eyes make their way up to mine. The growl is cut short and the wolf's eyes soften. I slowly press my hand down on its fur, trying to comfort the animal.

The wolf whines and curls up on itself as best as it can. Surprising me, the wolf starts morphing into something much larger and mostly hairless.

I lean back as a man appears in front of me. My eyes are wide as I recognize the man's dark skin and poofy hair.

Darius is lying on his side, crushed by the tree branch. He breathes heavily as he looks up at me.

"Darius-" I start but get cut off by his weak but urgent voice.

"Charlie? No! No, go!" I furrow my eyebrows, questioning what he meant. "Please! You have to go before-"

"The mate of an alpha," A voice comes from behind me, "Human or not, can't resist the sound of one of their own being injured." I turn to see Josh and Mike a couple feet away. "We just had to prompt you, and you came to us!" Josh smirks at me.

"S-Stay away!" I shout and try to stand in front of Darius to protect him. But of course, I'm tiny and human. These guys could bench press me and then rip off my arms if they really wanted to. "Don't hurt him!"

Mike rolls his eyes, "He's not the one we want. He's just... collateral damage."

They're over me in seconds, grabbing my arms and dragging me away from Darius' injured body. They lift me, covering my mouth so I can't scream. I struggle to break free and make some noise but nothing works.

Darius screams, ripping at the branch that traps him. He yells and growls.

As the wolves take me away from one of my new pack members, I glance over my shoulder at him. He continues laying there, trapped and in pain. He cries out pained cries and howls as best as he can.

But he's gone.
I'm gone.
Shit.