The Alpha's Saviour

The Manor

"Wow, cool. Iron jewelry!" Stormie jolted for joy. She rushed to a corner, somewhere at the airport, and the seller, who was an elderly man, gave her a silver necklace with a wolf's head caved out on a love-shaped pendant.

"Beautiful! How much should I pay for this?" Stormie asked, checking her wallet.

"Just keep your money, silly! You're probably the same age as Suzy, my granddaughter." The elderly man seemed jovial. Talking to her as if they've known each other for long. "I see you're new here."

"Yes, from America. What is this?" Her eyes furrowed as she pointed to one particular pendant that caught her attention.

"This pendant is made from an actual wolf's tooth."

"Wow, sounds cool. What does it mean to wear a wolf's tooth?"

"We consider a wolf's tooth, a good luck charm that symbolizes power and courage." The man was persuaded. "Wearing a wolf's tooth or a wolf's claw also means having the ability to master and tame your inner strength. Howling for these pieces of sterling silver jewelry is a world of fortune."

"I would buy more of this." Stormie giggled with so much enthusiasm. "But first, I would have to settle for tonight."

"Are you here for the fest?"

"What fest?"

"Wolfsberg's Alpha Saga is the greatest master fest here in Austria. It holds up every January 15th, which would be held in six days. Every year, scent marks the Alpha in our territory and howling; it will fight any intruder."

"What intruder?" She frowned at the old man in concern.

"Don't tell me you don't know the intruders? You love werewolves and you don't know the intruders?"

"No, I don't." Stormie made it clear. One could see the eagerness in her puppy eyes.

The elderly man nodded his head in disappointment but leaned closer to her and whispered to her ears. "Vampires..."

"Really? Am I going to see these vampires?"

"Probably. But the Alpha wolf would give a howl warning, telling them to go away."

Jessica stopped by a taxi.

"Hey, Stormie! We gotta go!" She called on her daughter, who was standing by the shop facing the road.

"I gotta go, sir. Hope to see you soon." She told him.

"Yes, at the fest. Call me Paul!" the elderly man exclaimed.

"Bye, Paul!" Stormie waved him goodbye and rushed to Jessica.
"Hey mum, would we stay for the fest?"

"What fest?" Adrian interrupted.

"Look, dear, whatever it is. We are only here to clarify stuff, see the manor, and return home." Their mum pointed out the fact.

The taxi man was tall and firm in his black shiny suit. He had pale skin and dark circles. One would think he has a skin disease.

"Honorable guests, do you need a taxi?" He asked in a thick German accent.

Jessica brought out a paper from her handbag and read the address book to him.

"Yes, we need a taxi to 12.12 Lycanthrope Coastal Street-"

"Oh, that's Wolfsberg Manor, right?" he interrupted before she could complete the sentence.

"Yes, it is..." Jessica replied in confusion. She wasn't expecting it.

The driver carried their bags into the boot while Stormie helped with the packing. Adrian took a seat close to the windows. Just then, he realized something lurking in the night like a giant wolf, but she wasn't sure of it. As it is, Adrian fears dogs. His eyes caught a billboard saying 'ALIENS EXISTS' in red graffiti, and the hair on his skin turned to needles.

After closing the boot, Stormie wanted to get into the car when she saw the lady in the red velvet cape. She stood there, just watching her, and Stormie was confused once again to follow her or not. Taking a clearer look, she saw the basket of red velvet roses in her hand this time.

'Is Red Riding Hood following me?' Stormie wondered.

"Would you come on already? This freaking place is creeping me out!" Adrian sputtered, as a sudden chill overtook him.

He was suffocating.

Stormie squinted and narrowed her eyes until the lady turned away. She could only see her full, symmetrical lips, which were as red as blood, forming a mysterious smirk. And her hair was all white. 'Or wasn't that white?' Stormie pondered over the thought.

"Move it, Stormie! We don't have all day!" Jessica whooshed out impatiently while Stormie jumped into the car with curiosity in her eyes and mind. So was her bother, Adrian. He wasn't settled sitting in the taxi, either. It was already dark, so they endured.

Finally, the yellow car stopped before an enormous mansion.

The corridor looked like the scene of so many murderous alleys; cold and humid. The night air bites at the skin, and a sudden breeze blows at them like saying, Welcome.

Adrian's skin crawls as if being watched. He sensed the dead. Imagining the screams of the damned who have plunged into the depths of the watery abyss surrounding this fallen manor.

"Wow, outstanding!" Stormie's eyes sparkled at the giant Grey Castle standing before them.

"Where are we, Mum? Let's just go back home." Adrian stuttered in fear.

"Are you serious now, Adrian? We've come from California, so there's no going back. At least, not tonight."

About to knock, the door creaked open. Jessica turned to her kids, a little flushed, but signaled that they should enter. Adrian and Stormie dragged their luggage alongside.

Adrian imagined the place as the mouth of hell and he was drawing deeper by enchanting, silent whispers. His head becomes clouded as if a fog entered his mind. Then he knew this would be the end of all of them.

Stormie was excited. Entering the first room, her eyes admired the large stained glass windows, pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses, and ornate decorations of the building.

"Hello!" Jessica called, and her voice echoed faintly back at her.

Her dark eyes widened in surprise. The whole place looked perfectly clean, unlike the outside. Someone lived there, but who?

The first door closed with a loud thud, then the second and third, before they knew how far they had gotten. Looking back at the closing doors with scared eyes, Jessica and her son thought that Magdalena Novak's spirit would appear anytime soon but a look forward and their eye glued to a man standing before them.

He was all dressed in black, but his suit was darker than all the shades of black combined.

"Oh, shit! " Jessica cursed under her breath while Adrian tried controlling his breath, not to pass out that instant. The smile Stormie wore was a bright moon. She was eager to know who the man was.

The stranger was tall. Among the three of them, Adrian, who was the tallest, barely reached his chest. Although they couldn't see his face because of the darkness of the space, this man was sure sullen, like the cloud before the sun.

"Um, hello. I'm Jessica Knight." Jessica faked a smile, breaking the silence as she forwarded her hand for a handshake. "You must be..."

"I am Sir Shkodra Svoboda." The strange man spilled his baritone voice out in a German accent and ignored the handshake. "Follow me."