Finding My Alpha

Prologue Part 3

Panic filled the room. The Ahroun pack had always been small in number but great in strength, but now they’d been reduced to only twenty-four with a six year old Alpha and Beta. At two hundred and fifty years old, Alba was the oldest and had seen the damage that the veratus could cause. She knew that the only way the rest of the pack would survive was if someone stayed behind to throw them off their trail or if they split up. She was about to say as much when she heard Nanette’s tiny voice in her head.

‘Wolves of Ahroun, this is your Alpha. I know we are few and I know we are hurting, but we are all we have right now. I know sticking together is what we would usually do, but considering the overwhelming numbers of the veratus, they will find us and kill us all. We must separate to throw the veratus off. Sadly, in doing so our numbers may further decrease as I’m sure the veratus will try to pick us off one by one. In five days time we will meet at Stone Mountain. It is close to the Philodox pack,’ she paused momentarily to pass on the image of the mountain and the area surrounding it. ‘Once we have all come together there we will seek refuge with the Philodox wolves. The veratus may have a powerful sense of smell but their eyesight is weak. Since we are surrounded by snow and ice, use the white fur of your wolves to keep yourselves hidden. We are strong. We are one. We are Ahroun!’ 

Nanette’s message to the remaining Ahroun wolves was full of strength, but also sadness. Short acknowledgements came back from the wolves that could reply. Since Nanette was now their Alpha, all the elders: Alba, Stuny, Vergo, and Fern agreed to honor tradition. The four elders gathered their memories and one at a time passed them on to Nanette through the mind link. This six year old pup now possessed thousands of years worth of memories and knowledge. As they were preparing to leave, Nanette confirmed the death of the two wolves she’d mentioned before. Her heart ached as she felt each loss. It was decided that they would all leave as a large group and then split up into several smaller groups after they’d put some distance between themselves and the veratus. 

Three days later.

Fern carried the twins on her back as she raced through the forest. The snow hindered her footing occasionally, but for the most part she was as surefooted as she was in her youth. Her white fur was thick and shaggy, offering the pups some warmth against the biting wind. They’d spent the last two days on the run from the veratus. Soon after they’d parted ways with the other members of their pack a small band of veratus had caught up with them. The other two pups that had been with them were killed first and Mauro, the warrior who’d been with them, had sacrificed himself in order to give them a head start. Nanette felt his connection slip away the day after, possibly from his wounds. 

The girls had been atop Fern’s back ever since. They’d stopped only to rest but not for more than an hour, she didn’t want to give the veratus a chance to catch up. They were stopping for their first break of the day when Fern asked about the others. Nanette was hesitant, but she couldn’t lie to the elder. She admitted that she felt everyone’s connection slip away the day before including Mauro. They were the only three left. Fern broke down, this information was too much for her to handle. Still in her wolf form, she whined softly as the twins rubbed their faces in her fur. A snapping twig had her on her feet and on the move in seconds, barely giving the twins time to grab onto her fur. She didn’t bother to wait to find out if it was the veratus or not. The aggressive rustling of bushes and ground debris confirmed they were being chased.

‘It’s the veratus,’ Annette confirmed.

Fern pushed her body even harder, she would not allow the last of the Ahroun to die at the hands of the veratus. But she could feel her body giving out. She was pushing a hundred and eighty years old, she no longer had the same stamina that she used to. She skidded to a stop as the forest ended at a cliff. Over the edge a fog filled chasm echoed the sound of rushing water far below. She turned around and saw the approaching veratus. Their fanged mouths gaping open and drooling as they fanned out, cutting off all means of escape. They had nowhere left to run. She looked across to the other cliffside, but she knew she couldn’t make that jump. The twins could if she threw them midway, but then she would plummet to her death. She could accept that death as long as the twins survived.

‘Jump Fern,’ came Nanette’s voice.

‘We wouldn’t make it across,’ she replied back.

‘Not across, just jump to the rushing water below.’

‘You both could die!’

‘We will all die if we stay here. We are not so fragile as to shatter upon hitting the water. We may break some bones, but we will live! The veratus are closing in! Now jump!’

Fern hesitated a second too long. The moment her paws left the ridge a fiery pain ripped through her hip and she yelped. Nanette looked back and watched as the veratus fought over Fern’s severed hind leg. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. Even if she and her sister survived this fall Fern would not. She held her breath as she smelled the approaching water.