For The Love of An Alpha

Melancholy and Madness

Six years ago...

Her black hair fell down her back, the soft waves showing hints of brown and red among the soft tresses. Her green eyes flashed through the forest. She knew she didn't lose them. Taking a slow deep breath, she focused her senses, Her newly created bond with her wolf heightened her hearing and sense of smell. She faintly heard the crunch of snow as she closed her eyes, he long lashes barely brushing along her under eye. She smelled it, the track she'd been on. They thought they could lose her in the snow, but they were wrong.

Theresa, it's not safe. We should turn back.

Her wolf called out inside her spirit, but she shrugged it off. She wasn't going to be left behind anymore. Her brother and cousin had taken off to hunt and she was determined to hunt with them. She had finally gotten her wolf! She was seventeen and it should have happened sooner, but now that she was considered "of age" they had to treat her like part of the pack. 

Theresa shrugged her shoulders and then stripped from her winter clothes. The heavy jacket landing with a thud on the fresh snow. She shifted as soon as she could, trying to beat the feeling of the chill in the air. The change in her senses flooding her as she got her bearings. She felt her nails dig into the snow, finding the moist dirt beneath it. She smiled to herself, letting her tongue lull to the side, as she took up the scent again. She was enjoying this.

Her hind legs pushed off from the ground and she was on the hunt. The smell was strong and she knew it all too well, her brother's room wreaked of it. That musty earth and trees smell. She ran along the edge of the pack property, until she reached the open land. The hunting was best in the mountains, and she knew they would go where they could get the best. She turned hard at the edge of the property and took off up the mountain.

The trees blurred passed her as she ran parallel to the trails. She wasn't sure if they had shifted or not, but the scent was close. She turned left suddenly, the scent taking her away from the trail and higher up the mountain. She followed it with a hunger, a desire to catch her prey.

Her attention to her surroundings was neglectful, as she only focused on the scent she was on. She burst through a stream, splashing her fur with cold water. She nearly whimpered at the sudden explosion of cold, but kept pushing. 

They have to be close. Her thoughts coming loud and clear to her wolf.

Theresa, stop! You have to turn back! The warnings from her wolf continued, but she pressed on. She wasn't going to deal with this. 

Rounding one more corner, she hung a hard right. The scent was strong, it was just around the corner. Her hind right foot dug deep into the earth, giving her the purchase she needed to take the sharp turn. She growled a playful growl as she entered the area they were in, hearing the growl from her prey. She kept going until she ran into something, hard. Looking up she expected to see her brother, instead it was the large form of a black bear.

Her eyes went wide and she began to panic and she started to awkwardly back up. Her footing was strange and she slipped several times. The bear was rearing up on his hind legs as she finally got her footing. The roar that came from the large beast sent a wave of panic and terror through her body. 

They said the bears we still sleeping?!

No, Her wolf corrected, they said they 'thought' the bears would still be hibernating.

Theresa felt the flustering of her fury at the statement of her wolf. She turned and started to run, but she reacted to late. The bears paw swiped her in the chest, sending her flying at the nearest tree. She landed against the tree with a thud and then hit the ground, a whimper escaping her mouth. It took all the energy she had to ignore the pain and rise to her feet. Her ribs were screaming at her and she could taste blood in her mouth. She reared her head back and released an earth shattering howl. It was the loudest she had ever been, channeling her pain into the the sound that came from her throat.

In the distance came a familiar howl, it was Henri! Soon a second howl came and a third. It was the guys, they would find her! The bear roared at her once more, before a thundering c***k could be heard overhead.

Theresa looked beyond the bear, watching as the sound of rumbling in the distance mixed with the sight of a large white cloud that was forming. She shook her head and blinked, clearing her vision. The bear turned to the mountain and then took off running, leaving her behind. With the bear out of her way she say it clearly, it was snow. The white cloud was a slab of snow coming in her direction.

Stumbling to her feet she began to run back the way she came. She was just about to gain speed when her body collapsed, the pain in her chest causing her to pant harder. 

Theresa! The sound of Henri's voice in her mind alarmed her. He had to be close if she could hear him.

Henri!

Where are you? It was Eli's voice, they were scared, she could feel it.

I'm not sure. I got hit by a bear and... She tried to regain her balance and started to walk again. She knew she was West from the pack house, as she always loved the view of the sun setting behind the mountain. I'm having trouble running.

You're hurt?! That was Victor, her uncle. She knew she was in trouble now. 

I said I got hit.

I've got her scent! Eli was breaking the tension, We're on our way.

Eli took off further up the mountain, running head first toward the avalanche. Henri and Victor were hot on his heels.

You boys stay here. Victor commanded them, both boys stopped in their tracks. Victor continued on, his pace increasing as he went. They knew he could run faster without the younger wolves with him. His feet dug deep as he called back out to her. Theresa? Can you hear me?

Yes, Uncle Vic. Why is there blood? Her thoughts still connected to her family.

You're bleeding?! Henri was was furious and scared for her all at the same time. He wanted to rip something apart. His kid sister was in the woods and he couldn't get to her. 

The snow slab slid quickly down the mountain side, picking up more snow as it went. It wasn't long before the snow slab had rushed into the forest the two boys stood in front of. The crashing of snow hitting trees sounded as loud as thunder, as they waited for their family. It fell eerily silent as the two wolves paced. Henri's dark gray back shifted as the agitation in him grew. He was getting angrier the longer they waited.

Eli walked alongside him, his lighter gray coat laying soft against him. The random black hairs throughout his coat standing out more as he shook his fur. It felt like forever for the two young men as they waited for them to come out of the snow. It was Eli who saw it first, a faint outline of a man walking out. He was almost certain it was his father. He shifted quickly and ran for him.

Henri saw Eli shift and turned his gaze, the shadow of a man walking with something in his arms. He shifted and ran as fast as he could to his uncle. Both men arriving at nearly the same time. The bundle in Victor's arms was limp. The arms hung from it's sides and the legs dropped off, dangling without restraint. The head of the young girl was leaned against his chest, her dark hair flowing down the side of her face. He met Henri's gaze slowly.

Henri had just made Alpha a few weeks back. The pack had finally known peace without the war monger of Levi as their Alpha. Now, his younger sister was laying limp in the arms of their Uncle. Anger raged through his veins as his eyes scanned from his uncle to Theresa and back again. When he finally locked eyes with the older man, he saw the flecks of green amongst the amber orbs. Sadness washed over his face as he shook his head slowly at his nephew. 

Eli turned to see the veins begin to bulge at his temples. His fists were clenched at his sides and the muscles in his arms rippled. He was angry, no he was furious. The scream that exited his lips left his throat soar and his lungs burning. He was enraged, he knew it and he didn't care. He rushed the nearest tree to him, a large oak that had long since fallen asleep amidst the winter season. He pushed the trunk hard, his muscled burning. The loud c***k it gave satisfied his hunger only slightly.

"Henri," his uncle spoke calmly, "we need to get her back to the pack."

Eli walked over and shifted beside his father. Watching as Henri slowly regained his composure, his breathing was ragged and his face was red.

"I'll carry her." He spoke low and deep, the anger in his voice making him sound gruff and distant. He walked over and stood stoically before his uncle, his arms outstretched to take the frail body from him. 

Victor gently moved her body against her brother, taking the moment to lift her head to rest against his warm chest. He lifted her right hand from it's dangling position, the warmth of her body starting to leave in the cold air, laying it in her lap. A tear slid down his cheek and he nodded to his Alpha. He shifted into his large gray wolf. His son looked to be his twin, as the two light colored wolves came along either side of their Alpha.

The walk back was slow and grueling, but necessary. The lineage of the Alpha was celebrated and Theresa was loved by the entire pack. She deserved every honor that could be afforded to her. Henri's mind went back to that morning, how he had argued with her to stay behind. How adamant she had been about going and Henri should have known her stubborn behavior would cause her to follow them. They had just celebrated her first shift a few weeks back, and now she would never shift again. Henri held her body tight to him as they crossed the small creak that would take them back to the pack house. He noticed the dried blood that was around her mouth and wished he had the chance to clean it away from her face. 

She looked like an angel, her skin had a soft porcelain look to it and appeared lighter in contrast to her dark hair. Henri smiled, as she looked so much like their mother, with her heart shaped features and long lashes. He hugged her close one last time, then rounded the path that took them onto the pack lands. One by one wolves came out of their homes to walk alongside their Alpha. Soft howls coming for doorsteps before they joined their kin. Henri walked slowly to the pack house, giving time for others to grieve as they needed. This was a blow that none of the pack expected and all would mourn.

Mama Jones came out of the pack house, her familiar blue apron tied about her waist. Henri's heart broke as he watched her hands clasp about her mouth. His uncle had shifted back and run to the older woman, catching her before she hit the ground. Her knees giving way and a heart wrenching wail leaving her throat. Henri's heart broke for her. She was the closet thing they knew to a mother. Theresa and him had been orphaned when she was just a pup, mom and dad had left to fight a war between packs and never came home. Mama Jones had taken them in, raised them. 

Henri walked up and fell to his knees before the older woman. Her deep tan skin showing signs of her age and her brown locks had begun to gray. Tears slid from Henri's eyes as he knelt there before the woman he considered a mother. Her caramel brown iris's had red about them and her under eye was already swelling, as tears fell freely from their confines. With a trembling hand, she moved to lift a stray dark strand of hair from Theresa's paled face. Her body was going stiff and it would be difficult to lay her out soon.

Mama Jones nodded to Henri, who responded with a bowed head. He froze for a moment and then nodded back. 

His uncle Victor's voice rang through the yard. "Build the pyre!"

Quickly wolves shifted and without delay, even while mourning, they worked to honor their fallen kin.

Henri knelt there, holding her body with Mama Jones before him, waiting for the word. He knew it would come quickly, she would be laid to rest and her wolf would be freed from it's shell. They could run together in open fields on the winds of the coming summer heat. The ones that always made her dance when she felt them. Henri recalled how she would twirl around in circles in the middle of the yard, saying she felt summer coming and that it was the warm breeze that always told her. Oh how he would laugh with her, listening to that giggle. He would miss that most.

"Alpha," a blond haired young man came softly beside Henri, "it is finished."

"Thank you, Jacob." It took everything in Henri to keep his voice from cracking. He stood slowly, a whimper coming from Mama Jones. He looked into her brown eyes, recalling how many times she had looked at him with frustration. This time it was only agony and pain, everything in him wanted to scream. He walked slowly, with his family alongside him. The wood had been laid out perfectly, the rectangular pyre prepared to receive it's shell and release the spirit that it held. Henri laid her body gently on the pyre. One last time he looked upon her face, moving the hair from her eyes, as she always hated that. He stepped back slowly and looked to Eli.

Eli stood to Henri's right, a long handled torch in his hand. Just behind Eli stood a large black wolf, Sebastian was ready to sound the call. His voice would be heard throughout the packs, not just theirs, but every pack within one hundred miles would hear the mourning call. It was a slow nod, Henri almost hesitated. Eli moved forward and looked to him one more time. Henri gave a more assured nod and Eli brought the torch down to the dry wood. The wood flicked to life and the flames began to eat at the wooden fibers. When the pyre came to life and the fire was nearing her body, Sebastian rose to his full height. Henri stepped back and shifted, his dark gray fur rustling about his body. 

Henri and Sebastian's eyes met, then they looked to Eli, who also had shifted back. Moving as if they were one wolf, their heads raised to the sky. The mourning howl rising into the evening sky and resonating through the open fields. In the far off distance the resounding call of the mourning howl was heard from their sister pack, the Lunar Blood's Alpha's howl was heard above them all. As the last howl ended from their pack, further off another howl could be heard starting.

The sound of mourning was heard through out the night, but Henri didn't focus on it. Soon it became white noise in comparison to the ringing of steel in the garage. His family had owned a custom car shop forever, and he happily took up the family business. Even now, in his moment of grief, his comfort was found in the dredging of hot steel and forging of iron. The hit from the kilns and the hum of the drills seemed to relax his anger and the focus of creating something seemed to focus his mind and energy.

It would be years before he found a life outside of this large garage. Slowly working away on the custom orders that had piled up, and still more would come in. It was early one morning, six years later when his work would be interrupted by a patrolling wolf.

"Alpha," the blond male walked in slow to the garage, careful to not surprise his leader, "your presence is requested."

"By who?" He called out from under a hanging engine, the sound of a compressor humming in the background.

"Eli, sir." He took a slow step back, giving his Alpha space to work, "There is an intruder on the pack lands."

Henri sighed and set down the torch he had been using. Reaching over he shut off the compressor and removed the shield from his face. Grabbing a water bottle, he escorted the male from the garage. "Run ahead and tell Eli I'm on my way."

"Yes, Alpha." The blond turned quickly and didn't wait to undress, just shifted and ran into the woods. 

Henri sighed, eventually they would stop fearing him. He knew his temper had been short in the passed, but it had been months since he yelled and longer yet since he threw anything. He slowly walked the way back through the forest. Lost in his thoughts of how the pack regarded him now, when a warm breeze washed over him. He stopped and looked around, the smell of floral and cinnamon in the air. It was fall, there was no way a summer breeze should be coming now, yet it comforted him like nothing else could.

What is that? His wolf was prancing about, eagerness filling him.

I'm not sure, Keiro, but it's amazing. Henri felt a new rush come over him and it was then that he saw her crest the hill in the distance.

He stood amazed as he watched her come to a sliding stop, shifting out of her wolf form as she did. The red fur giving way to a beautiful sun kissed skin, her auburn hair had waves to it that made him want to run his fingers through it. The warm floral scent was stronger as she lingered in the clearing, neither of them saw Eli come over the hill. His wolf collided with the human, not expecting to find her standing there. She fell, her head landing with a loud c***k on a large rock. 

Henri growled ferociously at his Beta, causing him to cower back from him. The entire team of patrols cowered back from their Alpha. Henri rushed to her side, the smell was her. He moved a strand of hair from her face, just as he watched her gray eyes cloud over and close. Fear washed over him, he couldn't lose her. He lifted her body from the ground and ran at full speed to the hospital.

She has to be okay. He said to his wolf, a feeling of possession rising up in both him and his wolf. She couldn't leave him after just finding him. The electricity he felt from her sent his hair on edge, she was his everything. The desire to live igniting within him. He wanted her to be okay, no he needed her to be okay. This was his love, his life, his mate.