The Beast of the Briar Woods

Chapter Four. Supreme Alpha

“if you live among wolves,

you have to act like a wolf”

nikita krushchev

The wolves were smart enough to run.

They didn’t really have a chance of outrunning me, but at least they were smart enough to recognize that they couldn’t fight me, either. I chased them to the edge of the forest, letting them think that escape was possible. My wolf was cruel that way.

Once they were nearing the edge, I began to close the distance between us. It wasn’t that difficult even though they shifted to their crinos form as well. Clearly, they weren’t strong individually. That’s probably why there were five of them chasing after one wolf. However, they did exhibit loyalty to their pack mate.

As my jaws clamped down on the hind leg of the werewolf that was closest to me, the other four stopped in their tracks and turned towards me. The poor wolf whimpering in my mouth couldn’t do anything but try to snap at me and pull its leg from my teeth.

Deciding to give it a chance, I opened my mouth and allowed it to join its brothers. The other four began circling me, looking for a weak spot.

You’re making a big mistake, I warned them.

Wolves could communicate telepathically, but I never bothered with much conversation before. This seemed to surprise the five little rogues surrounding me now. You’re trespassing on my territory. Leave, my wolf snarled at them, snapping its teeth for emphasis.

Let us have the boy, and we won’t bother you again, the one standing directly in front of me was courageous enough to reply, his teeth also bared in a grimace.

The image of the man with the golden hair and the honey-colored eyes flashed in my mind. The thought of turning him over to these wolves made me extremely defensive. I lunged for the wolf who had replied, making the others on my side jump me. I was quicker than they were, and I easily twisted out of their way, catching the other one in my mouth before throwing it against a tree.

Leave, I repeated in a louder voice. I won’t give you the choice again.

The wolf who had replied to me gave me one last snarl before turning around. They helped the two other injured werewolves out of the trees, and they disappeared from my line of sight for good. My wolf was extremely disappointed at the turn of events. The taste of blood in our mouth was not enough to satisfy it, but when I remembered the mysterious man, my wolf immediately shifted its focus to him.

I ran back to the clearing where he crashed into me, only to find his limp body on the ground. For a moment, horror coursed through me. Had I failed to protect him? The worry was so overwhelming that I found myself shifting back to my homid form as I ran towards him.

Thankfully, the sound of his strong heartbeat reached my ears before I reached him, and I knew he was alive. He still looked a bit banged up and dirty, though. He obviously needed some attention, so I easily scooped him up into my arms and carried him with me towards my shack.

I could’ve left him in the woods. I was sure he was a wolf, and he would’ve healed on his own. Then, I wouldn’t have to bother with him. But for the first time, my wolf and I were in agreement again. And we both agreed that we needed to help him.

However, it seemed to take forever before the man woke up, and I was beginning to lose my patience.

I was by the small table while the man slept soundly on my bed. Again, the restlessness wouldn’t let me sit still. I kept checking on him then walking back to my table then checking my window to make sure more wolves hadn’t returned. This went on for hours until, finally, the man stirred.

At first, he simply groaned in pain. I almost shot towards his side, but I remained firmly glued to the side of the table. I didn’t know who he was or why other wolves were after him. He could’ve been dangerous, and I needed room to shift into my crinos form if I wanted to defend myself.

But as I watched him, the pain on his face morphed into shock, then confusion. He looked around the unfamiliar shack until his eyes landed on me. When he caught sight of me, his eyes widened further. “You- your- who are you?” he asked incredulously, a demanding tone to his voice.

My wolf immediately stood on alert, and I glared at him. “I should be asking you that question,” I practically snarled at him, baring my teeth in anger. “You’re the one trespassing in my territory.”

“Your territory?” Again, that incredulous tone.

“Yes,” I ground out, my hands gripping the edge of the table tightly. If you haven’t guessed, I have a very short temper. “Do you know where you are?”

This question seemed to stump him. “I was- I was leaving home. And then five rogue wolves were chasing me. I headed into the trees, trying to lose them in the forest, then I ran into-”

The memory of our first encounter seemed to surface in his mind. I could almost see the memory replaying in his mind. Him, running, crashing into a girl, then falling to the ground, only to meet the eyes of a monster when he came to his senses. It wasn’t that difficult to put together, and he stood when he realized who – or rather, what- I was.

“You’re the Beast of the Briar Woods,” he murmured, trying to put some distance between us.

I rolled my eyes at the nickname other werewolf packs had given me. “Yes, but I usually go by Elara in this form,” I replied sarcastically.

The man only continued to stare at me. Then, after a while, he repeated his words in a tone of disbelief. “You’re the Beast of the Briar Woods?”

“I would really appreciate it if you could give me your name, seeing as you seem to be so familiar with mine,” I snapped. I really hated that nickname even though it was sort of fitting.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, seeming to remember himself. “This day isn’t turning out how I imagined, but I guess you weren’t expecting me to drop into your life like this, either, huh?” At this, he scratched his head in embarrassment.

I only gave him a pointed look in return. Still waiting.

He cleared his throat and offered a friendly smile. “I’m Deimos, and I could really use your help.”

His words made me snort in disbelief. This man must’ve hit his head pretty hard while they were chasing him. He already knew I didn’t like outsiders. He knew I was dangerous. And yet, he wanted my help? Did he honestly think I was going to give it to him? But, out of curiosity, I had to ask.

“And what makes you think I would do that, Deimos?” His name sounded foreign on my tongue. Probably because it was Greek.

“Because I’m supposed to be the next Supreme Alpha,” he replied, making my beast snap to attention.