The Darkest Hour

CHAPTER 2

“Don't trust the Alpha.”

That’s what Zara says every day. Of course, she phrases it in different ways everyday but I always get the message.

My eyes bounce from him to the wolf to the woods. My mind flitting through different possibilities. Eventually, my eyes settle on a path, a path just west of where I stand. I turn to see him for the final time.

He sees me thinking, he too looking from the wolf to me. Clenching his fists his presses his mouth into a thin line before speaking.

“Don't think about it.”

The moment the words leave his lips I jump into a sprint. I hear the wolf behind me lurch to its prey but I'm already gone. I know, I am cowardly. Leaving a friend behind is surely not a respectable choice but I'm not even sure if I know that wolf.

Surely it must be a werewolf; it has to be. From my knowledge wolves don't grow that big.

I continue my sprint, flitting through the trees. The adrenaline returns, it seems running wakes a part of me that I want to sleep forever. I'm running for a while before I hear the sound of feet behind me. I hear the feral barks of a crazed wolf.

I know I can’t escape. Not when I'm this way. I pump my feet faster, not giving up on this impossible task.

I feel the change begin. I cannot afford to do that. Not right now, the pain would overwhelm me. The faster I run the more I wake the feral part of me. Fear once more wanes to excitement.

I offer a silent prayer for my body to obey me. To hold back the transformation, but when I hear a loud c***k, all hope goes out the window.

I fall to the ground and let out a loud wail, clutching at my right leg.

No, this cant be happening not right now, I'm too vulnerable.

Another resounding c***k echoes and the scream that leaves my throat is blood-curdling.

Soon the sound of crepitus fills the space and I continue to wail.

A shadow falls over me and he comes into view.

An even bigger wolf than the brown one. Completely black.

Tears roll down the sides of my face and I concede. Somehow coming to terms with the fact that I have failed.

I should have known it wasn’t possible. It was too easy. Grey eyes probably set me up for whatever sadistic reason he has.

Watching Him as I continue to writhe on the ground, I'm plunged back into that hollow place I usually stay. Where lowliness is my only companion.

I wait for him to transform back and laugh in my face, to tell me what a lost cause I am, but he just stares at me for a while.

I turn on the ground and face away, a pitiful attempt to protect my dignity. Still, he never does a thing. Why doesn’t he say anything, what is he thinking. Is he judging me. I know he is. That’s all they’ve done since I got here. At least the ones I've met had the balls to tell me what they thought to my face. He just stays there and stares, back to being the useless wordless statue he usually is.

Anger surges in me and I scream through the tears.

“Go away, get away from me you creep!!!”

Now full-on heaving, I didn’t know what I thought that would achieve, that would probable just make him angrier. Maybe if he’s angry, he would finally say something. Tell me why I'm here. Its maddening to not know.

As my body racks with sobs and bones continue to realign at an unbearable slow pace, I feel him nuzzling his nose along my arm before he settles his large wolfish head on my abdomen and just like cool water to hot iron my body responds.

The pain withers away from where his head is positioned and continues in ripple waves out throughout my entire body.

Slowly the sensation travels across me until my breathing has returned to a normal rate and my transition has completely stopped.

That’s really strange, I have never been able to stop my transition before its complete. For whatever reason, he was.

The transition didn’t just stop; a sense of tranquillity covers me.

Laying there covered in sweat, curled into a ball on my side, with his head on my abdomen, the bulk of him almost covering my entire body.

I don't speak; I just lay there catching my breath with my eyes still closed.

After a while I feel his arms curl around my body and lift me up, taking me back to the place I just managed to escape. I want to cry, but the tears don't come. I just stay and accept my faith.

I fade into sleep from there.

A wet cloth gently dabbing at my forehead causes me to blink my eyes open.

They continue to flutter shut as my eyes gradually adjust to the lighting from the windows.

Finally, my gaze falls to the person seated on the right side of the bed on which I lay.

Zara

“Hey.” I say.

She freezes. Her eyes locked with mine. Nervously she draws her hands back and settles them on her lap.

She’s young, maybe seventeen. She looks older though; it’s the way she behaves that gives her away.

“You shouldn’t have done that” she says while looking at her hands and fidgeting.

“You can’t escape without him knowing, he’ll feel it.” She continues.

My brows draw together and I sit up on my elbows.

“What does that mean.”

She looks up now. Eyes wide and bottom lip stuck between her teeth. She takes a breath and holds it, I can see in her eyes, she’s debating wether or not to tell me.

I can see the war in her eyes; I tell when she concludes she would tell me when she draws quickly to the edge of her seat and grasps my arms.

“He’s is not going to tell you, but if you know it will – “

The door opens abruptly putting an end to what she was going to say.

She doesn’t turn to see who walked in immediately, she holds eye contact with me before losing a breath, drawing back slowly and letting go of my hands.

At some point tears have gathered in her eyes, she sits up and blinks the tears away.

“I feel like I have interrupted something.”

I want to scream in frustration, what was she going to say. I hope she will still be willing to speak later. I need to know something, anything.

Why am I here?

What do they want with me?

Who am I?

I release a breath of frustration and look up to see who walked in.

Rheedah

She only comes in when Zara’s here.

They’re friends but Rheedah is not a maid. She never has any duties to attend to. She mostly just tags along to wherever Zara is off to.

Zara loves to pretend she’s irritated by having Rheedah around all the time, but I see the small smile she tries to hide

“Ohkay... the awkward silence is killing me.” Rheedah continues walking into the room and locking the door behind her.

I lock eyes with her but I don't say anything. I've never said anything to her. She and Zara are the only two people who come here regularly. Besides Him and recently the grey eyed man, though he has come here just once.

She’s not even allowed to be here.

But she comes here and keeps talking to Zara all while Zara cleans. She can hold a conversation with herself. Though Zara chips in now and then.

Of course I have wanted to ask her many questions, but Zara mentioned that she wouldn’t have any answers to any question I have. I trust Zara, for some strange reason.

“Anyways...” she pauses, eyes bouncing between both of us and she continues. “Zara, I'm having a major crisis right now, I need your expertise asap.”

Zara drops her head forward and releases a long sigh

“Rhee. I'm sure your crises can wait.”

She has given up on telling her she’s not supposed to be here. She tried to ward off her friend’s presence the first three or four times, but Rheedah is a relentless girl.

The first time the poor girl was absolutely terrified, begging her fried to leave. All fruitless efforts.

“What! No, it can not. I know I come in for matters that aren’t that important most of the time, but I promise today is different.” She’s said that a million times. “Now, come tell me.

Which of these two fabric colours do you think my birthday dress should be, the seamstress is coming in about two hours and I need to have an answer.”

“Rhee, your birthday is not for another two months.”

“Exactly, we are running out of time. Its already here. Do you think there’s no time to make a new dress? Should I just buy one?” she starts pacing in the room, words pouring out of her mouth, one hand on her hip the other on her forehead. “You know what, you’re right, there’s not nearly enough time, I won’t be able to find the perfect dress in time, I’ll just keep the seamstress idea.”

Zara ignores her and continues to go about cleaning the room as she does every three days a week. Rheedah continues to ramble on with her self as she always does and I listen to her.

I sit on the bed watching her as she continues to pace for a while before she sprawls on a couch opposite the bed.

The red-haired girl is obnoxiously obsessed with her birthday. Though I think its less about the birthday itself and more about the age she’s turning. Rheedah is turning eighteen this year and is finally hoping her sister -Danny- would finally ease up on her. From what I've gathered Danny is extremely over protective of Rheedah.

She’s my only source of entertainment while I'm locked in this place so it’s refreshing to hear her talk sometimes. Eventually Zara finishes up with her work and gathers her materials and moves to the door. Rheedah’s out the door first and Zara stays and looks at me for the last time before she leaves. I wait for the words, the warning she always issues to me before leaving. She holds my eyes then walks out the door. Not saying a single thing. Once the door shuts. I'm once again left with my thoughts.

I sit thinking of Him, of what Zara was about to say. I'm beyond confused about all that is going on. My thoughts continue to spin about me and I settle into the silence. Now ill wait two more days before I get to know the company of another human being.

I lay there in utter silence. That is, until I hear the knock on my door.