For The Love of An Alpha

Rising Sun

Seven years ago...

A puff of air moved the auburn strand from her view, as she turned the pages on the book in front of her. Reading line after line, she turned to make notes in the small spiral book she kept. The black ink of her pen put her thoughts onto paper, as her wolf helped to guide her. She had been researching for months. Pages and tomes had been flipped through over and over, as Scarlet guided her on what she was looking for. Ancient myths, folk lores and legends were poured over, every word processed and recorded.

Jhera stood from her seat at the table, the most recent book on Greek folklore in her hands. She had been in the library enough as of late, that she knew where to return the book to. She gathered up her books from the table and placed them in her pack. Turning from the now empty table, she began her trek upstairs to return the book to it's rightful place. Passing the areas of fictional books, she headed for the desk of the archives section. The attendant behind the desk smiled politely at her as she approached. 

"Would you like me to put this back for you?" Jhera whispered softly, holding up the book in her hands. The leather binding showed some signs of wear, but overall it was kept nicely.

"I can get that." The attendant took the book from her, "I could use something to do." She flipped open the pages then turned to Jhera, "How'd you translate?" 

Jhera smiled and tapped her backpack, "I bought a book for it. We lose a lot when other's translate."

The pair shared a smile and then Jhera turned to leave. She stopped in her tracks when a smell came in off the elevator to her right. The rancid smell filled her nostrils. Her stomach flipped and she turned her energy to focusing on calming herself. She had learned what that smell meant. How warlocks sell their souls for energy. Because of the connection to the demonic realm, the smell leaks slowly into the area around them. Jhera walked back down the stairs calmly. 

We can't ignore it. Scarlet's voice came through clear.

I know. Jhera's calm reply had surprised her wolf. She focused her attention on where to sit and where to stand. She positioned herself so she could see the main doors easily. Grabbing a book that was on a table, she sat down and began to act like she was reading. The book in front of her was nothing of interest, it spoke of the uses of charcoal in drawing. She really couldn't care about what was on the pages. She kept her head low and her senses high. It wasn't long before the smell came again, it wafted by as a man in a three piece suit walked by. The smell obviously coming from him. Jhera watched him reach the door intently, then moved to follow him casually.

When she stepped outside the building, the busy city streets began to fill her ears. The smell of the car exhaust and women with too much perfume filled her nostrils. It only took a moment before she caught the sent once more. The trail was hot and she was not going to lose this one. 

Are you sure we are ready for this? Jhera asked her wolf, as they walked with purpose down the city sidewalk.

Of course. We've been training for years. Jhera could feel Scarlet smiling. We got this!

Jhera smiled to herself as she turned a corner. She nearly ran into the man she was following, and with a quick action she side stepped and barely missed him.

"I'm so sorry." Jhera said, holding her hands up. "I should pay better attention." She smiled awkwardly to the man, everything in her wanting to tear him apart.

He smiled back at her, "No worries."

Jhera stopped and looked around, "Seriously..." She muffled under her breath, hoping he heard her. She stooped down and pulled out her phone and looked at, acting like a text had just gone off. 

"You lost?" The guy almost sounded nice. He had blond hair and an aristocratic air about him. His hazel eyes considered the girl carefully.

"I don't know." Jhera said with exasperation. "I thought I was meeting my friend at the cafe over there, turns out it was the wrong one.." She lifted her phone, "and now she's canceled."

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" the man asked, almost eagerly.

"No,"Jhera began, "I can just take the next bus out." She put her phone in her bag again. "I live out in Schmitown, it's too far to have you drive."

"Nonsense." He waved his hand at her, "Come on." He walked to his car, almost a pep in his step.

"Thank you so much!" She faked a smile at him, one that she hoped he bought. He smiled back to her and walked her to his car. They walked together up the stairs of a car garage and over to his car. A black, four door sedan, the windows were tinted but otherwise a simple car. Jhera walked to the passenger door and climbed in. It wasn't long till they were on the road. She reached over and rolled her window down a c***k, enjoying the breeze in her face.

"You know," the man began, "I was hoping to run into one of you today."

Jhera's heart sped up briefly but she quickly regained composure. "One of what? A girl?" She said sarcastically.

"No," he stated coolly, "a wolf." The doors quickly locked and Jhera just smiled at him and turned to look out the window.

"Ya, ok." She joked. She could feel the man regarding her, she knew what was happening. 

Careful Jay, I don't trust him. Scarlet chimed in. 

I know, me either. But he doesn't need to confirmation that I am what I am. Jhera kept her cool. At sixteen she had already been in trouble enough to know how to stay cool under pressure, it also helped that Scarlet was there to calm her nerves. She felt the man beside her relax, when they took a turn away from the direction she had given him.

"Uh, I think you took a wrong turn." She pointed back the way they had come.

"No, I have to make a stop first." He eyed her carefully, "Hope that's ok?"

"Ya sure, it's your car." She turned to look out the window again. She didn't reach for her phone or her pack. Everything in her body language was intentional, an attempt to give the man the feeling of security. From his body language Jhera could tell he was buying it, this would give her the upper hand. She thought back to a few nights back, the words she was practicing to channel through. The magic that Scarlet revealed within her that they had been working to master. The poor rabbit that she had banished to the demon world, in an attempt to practice her skills.

Focus girl. Scarlet's words brought her attention back to the current. They were turning down a long drive that took them to what looked like an old homestead. The fields were beautiful and the trees were large that lined the drive. She glanced to the driver as they parked.

"Should I wait here?" Jhera asked casually.

"You can come in, I'm sure I won't be too long." The man got out of the car and walked to the door.

Jhera got out of the car, grabbing her pack from her feet. She walked behind him, the stench getting stronger the closer to the house they got. Crap, Scarlet...

I know, don't worry. We are stronger then they are, I know it. Scarlet's confidence gave Jhera a newfound faith in their abilities. The smell continued to grow as she stepped inside the home. The woman that answered the door smiled at both of them.

"Erik, so glad you could stop by." She stepped to the side and smiled to Jhera. "You brought a friend?" Her eye brows went up as she regarded the young woman.

"I'm Jay." She smiled and waved at the woman at the door. Her acts of naivety allowed them to believe she was a dysfunctional teenager from a random pack. She already knew they thought she was a wolf. She could tell by the way they eyed her up. 

"Welcome, Jay." She walked down the hallway, "I'm going to show Erik to the basement to get a few things." She looked to the man she called Erik, who was standing to the side of Jay.

"Ok." She looked around awkwardly, "Should I wait here, or?" She pointed to the hallway she was in and shrugged. 

"Why don't you come with." Erik looked to you, "We could use your help."

"Ok." Jay set her pack at the door and prepared to follow them. She noticed how happy they were with her responses and how easily she went along. It was obvious with how they played off each other they had done this many times before. 

They turned a corner at the end of the hall, and Jhera followed them as the woman opened a door that took them to the basement. As she opened the door the rancid smell became almost unbearable. It took everything in her to stop sniffing. She carefully cracked her mouth and breathed slowly, trying to not use her nostrils. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end as she followed the pair to the basement. The smell of old iron mixed with the acidic smells, the smell of blood becoming more obvious. Any other wolf would have turned and ran, it seemed the pair in front of her almost wished she had.

Jhera recalled briefly the texts she had read from Russian Folklore about using wolf blood for certain spells. They had similar spells to those the warlocks used, and she began to wonder whose blood she smelled. 

They reached the basement and the woman turned on a light at the bottom. The floor was clean, remarkably clean. In the corner was a shelf that canning jars with peaches, pears and other fruits in it. Beside it stood a freezer and there was a shelf of empty jars that had been turned on their top.

"Oh cool," Jhera said as she eyed the shelves, "you can?" She pointed to the jars of fruit.

"What?" The woman was confused and looked from the man to Jhera and back again. "Are you sure..." her voice trailed off as she raised a brow at the man.

"Positive. She tracked me from the library to my car." He looked to Jhera.

"I did what?" She acted innocent. The confusion on the woman's face was leading the moment and Erik began to explain it further.

Jay, you need to act now. I got a bad feeling.

Right now? Are you sure? Jhera was having fun toying with them.

Yes, something bad is about to happen.

Jhera took a deep breath to calm herself and then walked over to the pair, they were at the beginning of a very active conversation, one that included her calling him a liar.

"I'll prove it!" He said as he turned, one hand coming to the air.

"Katestraménos." Jhera spoke as she touched the pair. They both froze in place and fear came across their eyes. She didn't know how long she could hold them both, so she didn't savor the success of being able to channel the energy correctly. She already could see the fingertips of the woman moving. She stepped back and waved her right hand in an arc from her left side to her right. "Aposynthéto."

The sudden scream that came from the throat of the woman, was not something Jhera was prepared for. She quickly covered her ears as she screamed louder, the male beside her joining into a chorus of screams that made Jhera's head swell with pain.

Run! Scarlet's voice in her head was clear over the sounds that pummeled her. Jhera glanced to the two bodies, watching as they began to contort in on themselves. Keep you energy focused on the spell, but run. Get out of the house!

Jhera steeled herself, focused her energy back on the spell she was trying to complete. She hadn't realized she began to falter. Suddenly the speed with which the bodies were closing in on themselves increased, the spell was nearly complete. She kept her ears covered to shield them from the screams and ran up the stairs. She rounded the corner as she felt the house shake. Taking one hand from her ear, she grabbed her pack at the door and then continued through the threshold and out the door. She watched as the entire house began to fold in on the collapsing point. She watched in amazement as the building slowly sucked into the point where the bodies had first gone. It reminded her of water going down a drain, the way the building shrank and moved instead of falling apart or collapsing.

Soon she was standing in the middle of an empty field. A dirt road behind her and an old, puke green, beater car beside her. She dropped to her knees and tried to process through what just happened.

Not here. Shift, we need to move.

Jhera stripped as quickly as she could, shoved her clothes in her pack and shifted. There would be time to write this down when they were safe. She had just finished shifting and began the run across the field when she suddenly felt exhausted. 

Rest, my star. You were amazing. Scarlet began to push to the front and take over and Jhera relaxed into a state of calm.