Never with Me (Book 1)

[10]: More questions than answers

[Damien's POV]

        It had been a week since my engagement to Rachel.  A week since I had marked her as mine, and made her officially Luna of my pack.  Although the man part of me, swelled with pride at seeing her wearing my mark, the wolf side had not.  I remember my wolf fighting with me, causing me to hesitate for a moment before I sank my teeth into her neck. As soon as my teeth broke the skin on her neck, he lashed out at me.  It had taken every ounce of control I possessed and trained for, to keep him at bay.  To keep him from lashing out violently at my beloved Rachel.  She hadn't noticed the temporary fight I was having at the time, and fell asleep contented in my arms.

        Thinking my wolf needed time to adjust to my choice, I had let it be and not bothered him.  But as days passed, he continued to war with me snapping and snarling at the physical evidence of my betrayal of his heart, Leilani, resting on Rachel's neck.  It was as if he were too disgusted with me, and wanted nothing to do with me.  As much as I reached out for him, he just seemed to retreat further into the recesses of my mind.  I know one day, he will submit to my will, and he will accept my choice.  But I knew it would take time, as a destined mate bond is strong.

        During the week, I had seen little of Leilani.  And apart of me was concerned for her.  I knew what I had done, was of no fault of her own, but she was suffering for my decisions.  And I knew I was being slightly selfish in my decisions, but they were my own.  I would find some way of making it up to her, and hope that with me marking Rachel, our own bond with slowly die out.  Allowing her to find her own chosen mate.  The hand full of times I had been able to catch a glimpse of her, only increased my concern of her.  She had taken up the habit of wearing blank hoodies almost daily.  Always with the hood up, covering her face from view.  Alex had come to my office the day before, asking me if he could have a few days off to spend with her.  And although I had not readily agreed to it at that moment, telling him I needed to think about.  I knew that I needed to let him have a few days to help comfort Leilani, since I could and would not.

        I turned in my chair and stared out the window again, when I noticed a black hooded figure exiting the woods.  I immediately knew it was Leilani, coming back from where ever she seemed to go everyday, all day.  It was a little after 6:30 in the evening, but it was already begin to darken outside, as it had been raining off and on all day.   There was just enough light seeping through the clouds of the setting sun, for me to catch a good look at her as she was walking to the house.  Her hood had slipped down, and she obviously hadn't noticed it.  Her hair was matted to her head, soaked in rain water.  She had a robotic like gaunt to her walk.  Her skin, which had already been pale and iridescent before, seemed to have taken on a slight grey color.  Almost as if she were sick.  Just at that moment, her eyes darted up at me and our eyes collided.  I knew there wasn't a possibility she could see me as I stood there behind the screen, but I couldn't help the discomfort her gaze gave me.  From here, it looked as if her entire eye was black, and a slow smirk spread across her face.  But that smile, held nothing good in it, if anything it looked pure evil.

        I was obviously overtaxed with Alpha duties, if I could ever envision Leilani as anything but good.  Just as I was turning away from the window, I heard a loud knock on the door.  Before I could tell whomever it was, to come in, Alex came rushing in.

"Damien, there's another rogue attack happening on the Southern border.  Our scouts have reported that at least two of our warriors are either died, or severely wounded.  We need to go, NOW!"

"Let's go!" 

        On the way out of the house, I instructed one of the guards to make sure Rachel and Leilani were protected well, indicating that neither one could leave the house until Alex or I got back.

        Rushing out of the back door, Alex and I stripped and immediately changed into our wolves.  Me being an Alpha, I was was twice as large as most other wolves.  Alex, being my Beta, was only a bit smaller than me.  I looked over at Alex's russet red colored wolf, as he ran slightly ahead of me to my right side.   Looking to the left, I saw the river that ran through my territory, and saw my own reflection.  My wolf's fur was jet black, to the point of almost being blue.  My eyes remained green, just as my wolf's, only in wolf form did my eyes seem to have a glowing effect to them.

        We were pushing our wolves as fast as we could trying to get the the Southern border as quickly as possible.  We could see fighting in the distance.  Body of our own beginning to litter the ground.  Their bodies torn to shreds, some missing limbs.  Others missing organs.  Their eyes dull with no life, as death welcomed them with open arms.  I watched as Alex was surprised from the right by one of the ill-gotten rogues.  Pinning him on his back to the ground.  I was about to go over to help him, when I felt something forcefully push me to the ground from my right, ambushing me as well. 

        Alex and I began to fight for our lives.  I quickly snapped my muzzle at my attacker, catching its neck between my teeth.  Using all my strength, I swung my head with it still in my mouth to the left.  As I threw the rogue away from me, its teeth still clenched into my ribs, ripped a chuck of my flesh out.  The pain was searing.  It landed with a thud on the group, before getting back on its feet, and spitting out the flesh it had just taken from me to the ground.  I watched as its black eyes stalked my movements.  Barring its teeth at me, and saliva pooling and bubbling around its mouth.  His fur long gone, and his skeletal features more prominent from the lack of fur to cover its skin.  It looked as if it was a hell-hound risen from the depths of Hades.  Purely vicious.  Purely evil.  It then lunged for me, but before it could clamp its jaw down into my flesh yet again , I grabbed it by its neck.  This time, I shook it violently back and forth in my mouth, until I heard a snap and it ceased moving.  It lay at a unmoving heap at the my feet, when I finally realized Alex may still be in trouble.

        As I turned to look for Alex, I noticed he had just ripped the throat out of another rogue.  Presumably the one that had attacked them.  His russet fur, covered in putrid smelling blood, that smelled like decaying flesh.  We both went charging into the intense battle.

        Thirty minutes after our arrival, we were able to kill the last of the rogues that had attacked us.  There had only been fifteen of them, but those fifteen had done maximum damage before they fell in death.  In total,  in exchange for their fifteen deaths, we traded more than forty of our own.  They each were capable of killing almost three times more of my best trained warriors, without even blinking an eye.  There was no way my pack would be able to sustain these attacks much longer.  I needed to find answers.  I needed to find something to help me get an edge on them.  I needed to understand what they were, or what they had all changed into.  And I had no idea where to start.

        Before I could even start to find answers, I noticed four of my strongest warriors surrounding something that was thrashing about.  And that was when I realized, for the first time since the attacks started, we have finally been able to capture one that was alive.  We could finally, maybe find answers to what drove these beasts.

"TAKE HIM TO THE PRISONER'S VAULT NOW!"  I roared, as I watched it continue to struggle.  Trying to break free.

        I turned to Alex, and told him to go back to the house and make sure everyone was safe.  Then to call the surrounding area Alphas to come view our newly acquired prisoner.  As well as our own pack doctor, so that he could inspect the rogue.  Maybe now, I would get the answers that I seeked.