Forbidden But Bound

Fight or Flight

“You better tell me the truth or I will skin you alive like the damn dog that you are!” Caltan said to the man laying on the ground. Caltan was standing over him with a metal club in his hand. The victim was half-conscious and covered in blood and bruises. It was Alister Hilman. James recognized him as they had been on a couple of hunts together the year before. James thought he was a great guy. Alister helped james this one time when they were attacked by another pack from the Northside of the river. 

“Do you think I have time for your bullshit Alister? You know the damn rules!” The Alpha changed his tool of punishment to a pair of clippers usually used to clip the tips of werewolves' fingers and claws. His voice echoed through the air drowned by the sounds of a flock of crows flying above. The sun was setting and the light slowly dimmed behind the trees. The small number of pack members gathered around Caltan. They stood there looking on in pin-drop silence. No emotions were displayed while they saw their pack member being brutally beaten. It was a common occurrence within the pack that Caltan would discipline other members of the pack on display to set an example for the rest.

It was pretty evident that Alister was not going to respond he was not conscious enough to fathom a response to Caltan regardless of the threats that were given to him. James did not know what rule Alister had broken but all he knew was that this was unacceptable. 

“Sir!” finally James stepped in at his own risk.

“Give him a few minutes to recover, he is unconscious,” James said to his alpha.

Caltan was taken aback by the audacity that James had to interrupt him while he was in the middle of his business. 

It was not the first time James had thought of becoming alpha of the Crystal Moon pack. There were many occasions where he felt that it was time for a new pack leader. He was tired of all the rules and unnecessary regulations that Caltan had force the pack to follow. The punishments were harsh and unjust. As far as he was concerned torture and punishment were not necessary. But no one dared to go after Caltan for the position of alpha. The risk was too high. They felt that Caltan had too many influences that could threaten them and their families' lives. 

Caltan stopped for a few minutes. You could tell that he was trying to calculate what was his next move. He slowly transferred his gaze to James. There was a smirk on his lips one that was hard to interpret. James stood firm keeping his eyes locked on Caltan. 

“If i have to fight then i will,” James thought to himself. 

 Caltan dropped Alister to the ground like he was a sack of potatoes. Alister’s body made a “thud” as it hit the earth and there was gravel that flew in the air. 

He slowly walked towards James. James just stood there, feet apart and his arms crossed. The Alpha went closer to James invading his personal space straight right up to his face. For a second, everyone thought that Caltan was about to kill James. But he did something completely out of the ordinary. He turned around and walked away into the forest, stepping over Alister’s body laying on the ground. 

James had been holding his breath the whole time as Caltan disappeared out of sight he relaxed and released his breath. It was at this moment that James knew that if he truly wanted to become the alpha of the pack he would have to start doing more than just standing up to Caltan. It was time for him to show that he can be more than just a part of the pack.