Blood Night Prisoner

The moon was high in the night sky.      On a clear, crisp Fall night like tonight, you could usually find me sitting outside on the low stone wall in our backyard that looked out over the large field and into the dense woods. I loved sitting there in the bright moonlight staring out at the thousands of glittering stars that dotted the heavens. I loved the pull of the moon and how it called to me. But tonight, the moon and stars were all a blur as I ran. I could feel the dirt and rocks beneath my bloody feet as my body pushed forward. If I slow down I will die.      My lungs are beginning to hurt and I can feel my muscles ache. My long dark hair is trailing behind me and catches on branches as I sprint past them. In my mind, I can hear my wolf howling to me, prompting me to shift. Her body wont burn from running and her strides are much longer than mine. I allow my mind to melt with hers and instantly my human stride shifts to my powerful wolf. I've only done this a few times since I came of age this past Spring on my fifteenth birthday and if I have to be honest, I'm not quite in control of her yet. My parents, Christopher and Emily Reynolds, were the Alpha and Luna of our pack. On the night of my birthday, my parents led me deep into the woods where it would be safe for me to finally shift into my wolf for the first time. It could be a catastrophe if someone else were there that didn't know how to control the situation. They could be torn apart. The second it began, my father had to use his Alpha voice to break through my blood haze as a newborn wolf. It was the only thing that would get through to her. It took my father all Summer long to painstakingly teach me how to mind melt with her and yet control her, so we could now coexist instead of one completely taking over the other. He did this for all of our pack. But  he isn't here to help me now.       Although we all have more powerful senses than humans, my wolf senses are extraordinary. I pick up the sound of many padded paws rumbling on the ground toward me. I can hear the rustling of the leaves as they travel and when their direction changes. The scent of adrenaline, testosterone, fresh dirt and blood fill my nostrils. Tears fill my turquoise eyes and threaten to spill but I blink them away  as my claws dig into the earth to push me faster. The sound of paws is thunderous around me now and I can hear their desperate panting and snarls. As the pack spreads out to close in on me, the scent of the blood forces a soul wrenching cry from me as I recognize it. My parents blood.    Earlier that night.....      I had just finished washing the dinner dishes and was wiping the table off with a soapy sponge. My two older brothers were in the living room playing some shooting game on their Xbox together while my father did some work on his computer on his desk on the opposite wall from them. Being Alpha, he was always working and making sure our pack ran smoothly and our members flourished. There were alliances to nurture, businesses to organize, food and supplies to replenish and distribute to our families. We were a large pack. The largest in the Northeastern territory and we have been very prosperous since my grandfather took over as Alpha years ago. Unlike some Alphas that keep the wealth that the position comes with, my parents used that money to distribute throughout our people. They felt the responsibility to make sure that all those under our care and protection had enough to live. No one would struggle.        Marcus, my oldest brother, yelled out at the t.v. as my other brother Chase started laughing. "You asshole! You were supposed to revive me and you walked right past!" They were a little less than two years apart and grew up as best friends. Even though Marcus will someday take over as Alpha, Chase never seemed phased by the fact and was content in the position of Marcus's Beta. "Sucks for you, Dude. I had a clear shot to the other guy!" Chase laughed as Marcus punched him in the ribs.  My mother, who was quietly mixing herbs at the kitchen counter, smiled to herself as she listened to her boys. They were men now at twenty two and twenty years old and she relished these moments that she could still see the child within them that still had some time to mature. She looked over to me then. "Jenna, sweetheart, can you hand me that glass bottle with the purple flowers in it?"       "Why do I always have to be the one to clean up after them? They never get up off their butts to help out! Why can't we switch chores for a change?" I whined to her.         "Because it's woman's work, that's why!" Chase yelled in from his spot on the living room floor. He knew exactly what button to press to get me instantly pissed off. "Then you need to get in here and take over if that's the case!" I spit back at him. " "Stop being such a brat. Are you PMSing or something?" He snipped back at me. Marcus looked up from the game now with a smirk. "C'mon Chase, leave her alone. She can't help being a baby."he teased.         "Baby?!!" I shrieked. I threw the soapy sponge right at his head.       Marcus dodged the sponge as it landed on the couch behind him with a loud slosh. Chase was laying on the floor now laughing even harder and my father looked up from his desk on the other side of the room. He was about to intervene when the four of us froze.      The air in the room changed and we all smelled them. The pungent odor of strange wolves were on our property. Many wolves! There was something else mixed with the odor that I wasn't familiar with and the smell scared me. It was a strange chemical smell mixed with blood. With lightening speed, my father and both brothers leapt up from their positions and I could see my father's green eyes had already begun to turn into large black orbs as he yelled "Emily, get Jenna downstairs to the basement!" Marcus rushed past my mother and I and I could see his pointed teeth starting to come down from his mouth as his shift began. Chase was right behind him as they bolted toward the door.      My mother grabbed me by the arm and pushed me in front of her toward the basement door. "Jenna, go!!" she yelled at me. I could feel my hands shaking as I ran down the stairs with my mom following me down. My mother was the Luna of our pack. She was the one who would be there in any situation lending her quiet strength and support. She would build people up and give them hope. She would mix herbs for our pack Doctor and usually try to assist him when he needed a softer helping hand. I reached the bottom of the stairs and ran over to the door that led to our storage room. My parents had drilled it into me since I was very little that in case of emergency or attack from others, this was where I was to go. The door steel but was inconspicuous. No one could smell my scent when I was in there. I ran inside and turned around expecting her to follow me inside. She locked eyes with me as she started closing the door. "I love you, my baby girl." The door clicked shut on the last sound of my mother's voice in my ears.      I sat in the dark room alone for what seemed like an eternity. Minutes felt like lifetimes. My wolf was there in my head with me whining. I could feel her agitation though my bones. I knew my brothers and parents were in trouble but I had no idea what was happening. Do they need help? I was of age now. I've shifted before! If they need help, I know I could shift and help my family!" My wolf was pushing me on now "Go to them! They are your pack! They are your family! We need to fight with our pack!"       I opened the heavy, metal door and heard silence. I took a tentative step out of the storage room toward the stairs waiting see if I heard any noises coming from the upstairs. As i slowly climbed the steps, I could hear the snarls of the enemy wolves in my front yard. Suddenly, I hear a loud yelp and I could tell that it came from Marcus. I ran the rest of the way up the stairs and over to the front window to see what was happening.       There were so many of them! There had to be at least 30 wolves crowded around our property. My parents were there in the middle with a large man standing a few yards in front of them. The Alpha! The dark, dangerous look on his face dared my parents as he turned to them. "It looks like we have a little showdown here, don't we?