Fated to the lost Alpha

Chapter 3

I stared at the large book in front of me, my perplexed expression obvious to anyone who cared to observe. Today was another boring day in school, and fortunately, or rather, unfortunately in my case, I was assigned a project to research democracy. The only good thing about it was that I happened to be paired with Cedric and Jack, the only people who had yet to drive me nuts.

History class had ended long ago, and Uncle Wes, who had assigned the project, left, but not without giving me a discreet gaze. I had read meaning in his look. It only meant one thing: stay out of trouble.

“This sucks.” Cedric slammed his head against the table and groaned. “As if history wasn’t boring enough, he had to do this to us. Democracy? Everyone knew it was founded by Abraham Lincoln. Who gives a flying hell about this?”

Jack scowled at him at his last sentence, which contained profane language. Cedric ignored him with a scoff.

“I would rather be interested in research on Count Dracula or Frankenstein’s Monster. Heck, even give me Griffin, the invisible man. And those things don’t even exist.”

“Is that what you really believe?” I arched an eyebrow in interest and turned to face him. From my side view, I could see Jack shifting a bit in his seat.

“Of course, that’s what I believe.” Cedric folded his arms with a blatant roll of his eyes. “Vampires, werewolves, and zombies are all myths and pop culture references.”

"Of course." I chuckled dryly. My eyes left Cedric, and I scanned the class. The students seemed to be in a world of their own. Some were chatting, and some were dozing, taking advantage of the absence of a teacher. I turned back to Cedric, and my eyes lowered a bit.

“Then you haven’t heard of the tale of Sylvian," I said, the name rolling off my tongue in disgust.

"Sylvian, the profane?” Cedric scratched his chin and scrunched his nose. “Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He’s just part of the scary stories my mom used to tell me when I was five. She used them as a way to make me behave. I fell for it then. Too bad I grew up.”

“Yeah. My mom used to tell me stories about him too," Jack added.

I faked a gasp and turned towards Jack. He gave me a confused look.

“What?” he asked.

“It’s just... this is the first time I’ve ever heard you speak since yesterday. Sometimes, I forget that you can talk.” I chuckled.

Jack went pink in the face immediately. He muttered something incoherent and looked away when my laughter became louder. He was such a puddle of oat cereal.

“Come on, Tori.” Cedric scowled. “Ease up on him.”

“Alright, Alright.” I raised my hands in surrender.

“So, what are the stories you boys heard about Sylvian?” I asked, putting on my poker face.

“That he was a hideous monster who usually came into children’s bedrooms and ate them up when they were naughty.” Cedric scoffed.

I deadpanned. "You're kidding, right?"

"No." He shook his head.

I held my breath, though I couldn't hide the way my eyes twinkled with amusement, and I turned to Jack.

"Well?" I said.

“What I was told was that he was a flying demon that only came out at night to eat people who moved about aimlessly," Jack said.

A long pause followed, and suddenly, for the second time that morning, I nearly fell on the floor as I laughed uncontrollably, punctuated with small hiccups. The boys stared at me in surprise and then at each other and shrugged.

“You boys are just so cute and hilarious.” I wiped a tear from my eye as my laughter gradually subsided.

“Now, why would your moms tell you such stories?” I asked.

The boys shrugged simultaneously again.

“And your dad was in on this?” I asked again.

My question dampened their moods, as they both had sullen expressions on their faces.

“Our dads are dead," Cedric said quietly, looking away. Jack rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

“Oh." I felt a twinge of guilt and put my hand over my heart. “I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t…”

“It’s okay.” Cedric forced a smile. “We didn’t really know them per se. They died months after we were born.”

“Both of them?” I raised my brows and turned to Jack, who nodded.

“Anyway, what do you know about Sylvian?” Cedric changed the topic.

I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a habit I was accustomed to. I saw the boysinquisitive gazes and wondered if I should tell them the truth. Clearly, Cedric didn’t really consider the existence of the supernatural, so there was a very high possibility of him not taking me seriously. Jack, on the other hand, didn’t know what to expect. I might as well tell them. What was the worst that could happen?

“Sylvian wasn’t a hideous monster that ate children.” I said to Cedric.

“Nor was he a flying demon.” I stifled a giggle, facing Jack's direction.

“Sylvian was a supernatural being, though," I continued. “He existed centuries ago, during the time when there was a pact within the supernatural. The pact was that they could interact with humans, but no human was to be harmed or killed. Sylvian broke that pact when he killed a human. He then launched an assault against a werewolf pack.

“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa.” Cedric raised his hands, interrupting my narration. “Werewolves? As in Lycanthropes?”

“Yes, werewolves.” I gave him a heated gaze for cutting in. “As I was saying, Sylvian laid an assault against a werewolf pack and killed their alpha. The spirits prophesied that the descendant of the Alpha he murdered would bring his downfall. For centuries, he has been killing werewolves, trying to make the species extinct so that the prophecy can be averted.”

“You mentioned that Sylvian is a supernatural being. So what is he exactly?” Cedric asked.

“He’s a vampire," I replied after a long pause.

“And where is he?” Jack asked.

“No one really knows." I rubbed my forehead with a heavy sigh.

A long, awkward silence ensued between us as we took the time to reflect on the story. I spared glances at the boys. They seemed to be on the fence about their beliefs.

“Well, at least your fairytale is far better than the ones our moms told us.” Cedric finally chuckled.

I scowled at him.

“Sylvian is not just a 'fairytale'.” I put up my fingers in a quote. “He’s as real as you and I.”

Cedric deadpanned, and Jack tilted his head sideways in confusion, his red lips forming a thin line.

“So I’m supposed to believe that werewolves exist too?” Cedric scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, they do.” I suppressed a growl. “And they are closer than you think.”

************************************

I poked my head out of my bedroom and scanned the hallway.

“All clear." I sighed in relief.

It had been a very long time since I last shifted. My wolf was getting antsy and pesky recently, pestering me for a release. It didn’t help today when my two new friends couldn’t take my story about the werewolf and Sylvian seriously. I felt like I made a fool of myself as the boys expressions mirrored my thoughts. I had arrived back home with a dark cloud over my head. My parents had asked what the matter was, and I claimed all was well. Of course, mom being mom, I had to press on the matter until I gave her a fake smile to reassure her. To cap it all, dinner sucked.

At the moment, I needed to release my inner canine and take a run along the woods near the house. It would probably do a lot of good.

As I passed my parents bedroom, my ears perked up at the sounds that came within. Curiously and with great caution, I leaned closer and cupped my ear towards the door. The sounds of moaning, groaning, and the bed scraping against the floor were enough to make me recoil in disgust.

“Gross.” I nearly gagged. “Great, it’s going to be hard to look those two in the face from now on.”

Shaking the grotesque images my head had conjured, I made my way out of the house and stopped at the large fence that surrounded the house. A wry smile crossed my face as I imagined my parents thinking this would keep me in. I sprinted towards the fence and, with inhuman agility, leaped over it and was on the other side in seconds.

Stepping into the woods, I gently peeled off my clothes and dropped them in a pile just at the border. The cold evening breeze against my skin wasn’t a challenge. My body heat increased quickly in defence, thanks to my inner canine friend.

‘Finally!’ My wolf exclaimed in excitement. ‘Now, let me out. It has been long. I can't believe you took this long. Sometimes, I think you derive pleasure from my discomfort.'

I rolled my eyes inwardly but nonetheless shifted. My now alternate appearance shone in the night as my thick white fur contrasted greatly against the darkness of the woods. My ears twitched in excitement as I took off into the woods.

I felt great in the moment. I couldn’t remember when I last did this. My tongue slipped out of my open mouth as I panted and sprinted through the woods. I could hear everything clearer now. The chirping of crickets sounded like the war cry of a million soldiers. Even frogs croaking miles away could be detected. I smiled within.

Suddenly, I detected a different scent. It was the scent of a familiar animal. Before I could make anything of it, a grey wolf charged out from a clearing at my right and intercepted me. My movements came to a halt as it stopped a few feet away from me.

I stared cautiously at the wolf. It was way bigger than I was, and muscular too. A gasp escaped me as I detected the blood dripping from its muzzle. It’s glowing golden eyes stared at me blankly. I sniffed towards it, and my eyes widened in realisation as she detected someone familiar within. My initial surprise shifted to mild irritation.

‘Seriously, Uncle Wes?’ I sent a mind link to the grey wolf.

‘Got that right, young lady," he retorted. ‘Can you give me one explanation as to what you’re doing out in the woods at this time of the night? A school night, for that matter.’

‘I was...taking a walk?’ I responded innocently.

‘Not tonight, you’re not.' Uncle Wes sat on his hind legs and stretched a paw towards me. ‘And where are your parents, by the way?’

‘Trust me when I say you don’t want to know, Uncle Wes.' I cringed as memories of a few minutes ago surfaced.

‘O, but I really want to know. That’s why I’m asking.’

'Okay, then, you asked for it. They are busy.’

‘What are they too busy with that they couldn’t detect you leaving the house?’

‘Do you really want me to spell it out for you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Two grown adults in a bed inside a bedroom.’

A short, painful silence followed, and then he cringed, his grey fur stifling.

‘You’re right. I did not need to know that,' he confessed.

'Told you.'

'Now back to you.’ He stood straight. ‘Turn around and go back home.’

'Oh, come on, Uncle Wes,’ I whined. ‘I need…’

‘Not today, young lady.’ He shook his head. ‘Maybe on a Friday night or a weekend night. And we still don’t know much about your abilities.’

‘Wait a minute,' I cut in as I remembered something. I stared at his bloody muzzle.

‘Why is there blood all over your mouth?’ I pointed it out.

‘I killed a deer not far away from here,' he said plainly.

I just stared at him, partly in disbelief and a bit of relief.

‘What.’ His ears drooped a bit. ‘I was hungry, and I ran out of food at home.’

‘And grocery shopping was out of context?’ I tilted my head sideways.

‘Don’t change the subject, Tori.' He dismissed. ‘Go back home.’

‘But…’

‘Home.’

‘Why...’

‘Home.’

I groaned inwardly as my constant attempt to patronise my uncle was met with an adamant refusal. Trying to engage him physically was not even an option. He looked bigger and was more experienced. Turning around with my tail literally stuck between my legs, I trotted solemnly back home.

The moon goddess must really hate me.