Riley
The news channel was interesting this morning.
William killed plenty of my pack members outside of my school yesterday. The media was confused about what had happened or where the wolves had come from.
It's not surprising the pictures made headlines everywhere. I'm still haunted by the images, and I'm a werewolf. I couldn't sleep all night, not without nightmares.
Therefore, I hope to make myself think of something else by being in the woods today. My pack is going for a hunt. I could use the distraction. Maybe I can get William out of my head for a few seconds?
But I think that's only wishful thinking.
William is my mate, and he is a spreading infection. His smile is constantly on my mind.
I should be mad at him.
Seething.
But I'm not.
It would be easier to stay mad at William if he weren't so gorgeous and friendly on the inside. I know he chased me away from him to protect me from his fairy self.
I wanted to stay but then realized William needed the space. We haven't known each other long enough for trust to be built, yet I intend to become the person who William trusts the most.
And I'm not THAT frightened by his fairy form. He looked scarily perfect, like a retouched model on a cover. He had pointy ears, and his blue eyes had a faint glow.
His fairy form was gorgeous but much more monstrous than his human one. I guess that's because fairies can regulate their size at will, but in their world, they are giants.
"Yesterday was a huge loss for the Crescent pack."
Is that Asher speaking?
I enter the woods and walk lightly over branches and leaves. My pack members are gathered in a circle, listening to Josh's big brother speak. He is the alpha of our pack, and his name is Asher—it couldn't get any more cliché. His name stinks of bad boy.
He looks like one too: gorgeous and muscular, tall, tattooed stature, but with cruel lips. Asher could be a Disney villain.
"We have lost plenty of brothers and sisters to the freak alpha named William Rossi. He is our enemy number one, and he deserves to die. I will make it so that our allied pack, Bloodmoon, will have the bastard on their list of enemies as well."
My breathing seizes, and I freeze mid-step. Oh, wow. My alpha wants William dead? William killed like sixteen of our pack members, but they attacked him first. It makes little sense for my pack to kill him.
"What about Riley?"
"Yeah, what about our omega?"
"Shouldn't she be killed too?"
"How could it slip past your mind that she is the freak alpha's mate?"
"I want answers!"
"She needs to be punished for being the freak alpha's mate!"
Asher hushes the crowd by talking loudly. "As you may have heard, William's mate is supposedly a member of our pack—I want her annihilated. Kill her immediately when you get the chance. She is officially a rogue and kicked out of our pack."
Wait.
What?
My heart slams against my ribcage, and I immediately turn around, trying to sneak back the way I came from. But my pack members are sniffing the air, beginning to realize I'm here.
I decide I can't risk it and shape-shift into a wolf. Eyes land on my form, and countless snarls follow.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out I should be running.
I bolt in the direction from where I came from, and plenty of pack members shape-shift.
"There she is!" Asher shouts, narrowing his eyes when he sees me. "Chase the freak alpha's mate, and don't let her get away! She is a traitor! Hurt her, but I want her brought to me alive! I repeat: do not kill her!"
Fear makes my heart thunderclap. It's attempting to make its jailbreak while I'm paddling forward, running like a maniac to save my sad life. And if there is something I'm good at, it's running—I've been running my entire life; from myself, my mother, and fake friends.
I bolt forward at the speed of light, uncaring that I'm entering the city with plenty of wolves chasing me. It would be great to be seen; my former pack members wouldn't dare to chase me then.
Cars are honking, driving on the streets. I make a right turn, ignoring the snarls behind me. A woman is staring at me, shouting, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" while pushing her stroller.
I run right past her, hoping to be mistaken for a husky. My fur is pure black, but whatever. I'm not planning to die today! People can yell wolf all they freaking want!
I pass windows and shops, but my pack members aren't stopping. People pick up their phones, filming us while an idea settles over me: I should find William. His home isn't far from here!
New strength seeps into my lungs, and I force my legs forward, gripping the pavement to speed up my pace. Heat is spiraling within my body, and I'm panting like a dog craving water.
But I can't stop.
Not yet.
I dash past more people. Most stop and pull their children away from me or their suitcases. There are gasps and silent, "oh-my-god" responses, but most people are screaming or shouting.
"Is that a wolf pack chasing one of their own?"
"No, I think they are huskies?"
"Who the hell is their owner?!"
"Someone stop the dogs!"
"Should we call the local animal rescue center?"
"Look at the size of that one! It's the size of a freaking horse!"
I zigzag past people, determined to make it to William's home. It doesn't take long before I can see the hill and road leading up to the mansion in the distance. Sadly, the iron gates are closed outside.
What do I do now?!
I jump up at the gates, hoping for a security camera to catch my movement. I'm praying for a friendly fellow to come and help me, or I'm dead meat!
A howl slips out through my mouth, and I try to press my way through the iron gates, but it's no use. A few pack members have already shape-shifted back into humans, and a bald man is approaching me.
I try to grit my teeth and snarl at him. But he only smirks at me, still coming closer. "You're such a pretty little thing, aren't you? I almost wish the alpha didn't want you brought back alive; you would make a nice rug in my living room with that black fur."
I growl louder, but it turns into a whimper when the bald man grabs me by the scruff. A few other ex-pack members help him, and I try to bite them but get silenced by a brutal hit to my head.
Was that a bat?
It doesn't matter, the world turns dark, and I pass out on the street.