Finding The Alpha

Chapter Two:

I - the more human side of me - woke up in a small grassy clearing to the side of a public park. The sun was just rising, meaning that it must have been the early hours of the morning. The rusty paint on the fence and swings of the shabby park flaked to the ground.

I lay naked in my human form. I grabbed my head in both hands, already dreading the pounding headache that was bound to come. The whole night was a blur of blood, darkness and more blood. I hoped I hadn't killed anybody. Then again, the pent up rage I'd stored inside for seventeen years of my life had been released all at once last night, like one gigantic explosion and I was desperate to have escaped no matter what the cost was. At least I had managed to regain control, now I had to try and forget what I may or may not have done and focus on finding Shane and figuring out what this situation was and who was behind it.

Overhead, a flock of birds flew past and their tweeting was harsh to my over-sensitive ears. I shivered even though it wasn't that cold. My legs ached and, come to think about it, my whole body was sore and stiff. I groaned and flopped back down on the sharp blades of grass. My chest rose in uneven gasps of breaths. Letting the wolf out had physically and mentally exhausted me.

However, I knew that I'd have to get up and find a solution to the problem I was in soon, lest a stranger find me. My mind was buzzing with whirr of thoughts, I couldn't walk around naked and I didn't have that much energy left to transform into a wolf again and in the early morning it would have been too dangerous if I was spotted by early morning dog walkers or people leaving for work.

Unwillingly, I heaved myself up, glanced at my surroundings and spotted a few large brick houses opposite me. I ran towards them in the hopes of finding at the very least some clothes. One house in particular caught my eye, unlike the others it stood alone. The house was rather large, it looked posh and the front garden was clipped, looking neat and tidy small flowers just starting to bloom. The curtains were drawn and so, taking a chance, I crept around the painted wooden gate and slipped into their back yard.

The yard held four deck chairs and a wooden table, a small decrepit shed stood to one side. There was a gravel pathway straight down the middle of the garden – neatly clipped grass on either side. Numerous outdoor children toys littered the yard, whoever lived here took pride in their garden, unlike their children. Opposite the large living room window, hung a washing line. I grinned and grabbed the first clothes I saw - including a posh looking bra with matching underwear. Without a second thought, I threw the clothes on.

I'd managed to find a pair of denim shorts that fit me snugly. The black vest top that I had stolen would have to do until I found something else. I scanned the line again seeing if I could spot a jumper to wear on top, but everything else on the line was too small for me. I pulled my hair behind my head and contemplated what to do for footwear. Going into the house would have been too risky, but I couldn't walk around barefoot.

Growling, I stormed over to the lopsided shed. The wolf inside still hadn't calmed down and some of my more angry emotions would be present for the next few days. I heaved open the shed door, breathed in the musty smell and used my enhanced vision to see through the shadows. A battered pair of old black converses sat on a shelve. I sneaked my hand through the cluttered contents of the shed, snatched the shoes and sprinted away, leaving the shed door to bang shut behind me.

After sprinting for what felt like days but in reality was only a couple of hours, I found myself in the middle of Erie, a small yet quaint town that breathed friendliness, on the outskirts of Pennsylvania. The town's population must have only been a few hundred as the number of houses was small and I hadn't seen that many people as I walked around. I had no idea how far away Locksley was from here, or which direction I should travel in to find The Howlers.

As the sudden realisation hit me of how lost I was, I wanted to cry. The amount of energy I had used to get here had burned away the remaining feelings of anger, leaving only pain and the desire for revenge. The force of all the emotions bubbled up inside of me and I want to cry out, grab my chest and fall to the floor. Instead, I blinked back tears and carried on walking like the pain in my chest wasn't about to rip my heart to shreds. I had a mission to carry out, seventeen years’ worth of pain to avenge and an Alpha to find.

The sun shone in the sky, the rays splitting in all different directions, not a single cloud loomed overhead and I was struck at how contrasting the weather was to my mood. I was walking on a pavement, equipped with many shops, cafés and barbers bustling with everyday life of everyday people. So much for such a little town. On the opposite side, quaint little bungalows lined the street, each with their own little neat garden.

I had no money. No clean clothes. I had nothing. I needed to figure out a way to get myself out of this mess. I needed Shane. I needed Jess. I needed a friend; an ally. Taking a deep breath, I walked into one of the cafés. Inside, the smell of stale bread hit me. The buzz of coffee machines and the beeping of ovens invaded my ears and made me squint.

A few people sat in the booths, sipping drinks and chatting. The floor was a hard, smooth, dark brown and the walls were painted light blue, decorated with shining white clouds. It was more like a child's wallpaper. I steadily made my way over to the young barista. She looked to be about my age, her name tag stated that she was called Bethany. Her black hair was pulled into a pony tail, and with grace, she undid the glass cabinet and selected one of the many cookies on display for her current customer.

Her features were dark and defined, worthy of notice. Once the customer had paid she turned to me. "Have you decided what you'd like?" she asked, smiling sweetly at me.

"I was wondering if you had a computer that I could use, I'm lost and I need to find my way home, it's really important and I wouldn't ask if I didn't have any other choice." I watched as Bethany's face grew grave, she must have seen the worry in my eyes because she beckoned me through and led me to the back, where, in a small room, sat a desk with a computer and telephone.

"Take as long as you need, email somebody if you need to. I hope you find what you're looking for." I mumbled a quick thank you to her and waited until she left the room, and then I scrambled over to the computer on the desk.

As I waited for the screen to load I observed my surroundings. Mixed in with the smell of coffee was a faint hint of oak. The walls, presumably where the smell was coming from, were plastered over with a peeling pale pink wallpaper.

As the computer hummed to life, I opened the internet browser and searched for directions to Locksley from Erie. My eyes bulged as the information slowly showed on-screen. It would take three hours by car, something that I lacked, four and half hours by bus, something that I couldn't afford and six hours on the cheapest train.

My only other option was to run, in wolf form. What would I do when I got there, though? Hang around, desperately hoping for Shane to show up, whilst his sister began to hate me even more than she already did?

I leaned back in the recliner chair, goosebumps rising on my arms. Sighing deeply, I glanced at the many ornaments that littered the shabby computer desks. They were all old and chipped, covered in dust, some were turned the wrong way, a penguin faced the wall and a fat pink pig was on its side. Neatening up the figures, my fingers brushed over something cold. Peering closely at the ornaments, something glittered in the corner of my eye. I moved a hard, grey field mouse figure out of the way and picked up the gold coin, inspecting it.

It was an old coin and it didn’t look like currency. The ragged edges dug into my skin, it’s smooth surface gleamed pride. I flipped the coin over and reeled with shock at what I saw. A black wolf stood on a hilltop, howling at a full moon, a look of certainty in its eye.

“It can’t be,” I muttered under my breath. This coin was the emblem of the mighty Warrior pack, legend had it that this pack was formed from the leaders of the high wolf council. The pack only had ten members, but they were the strongest and wisest of all werewolves and they were our ancestors. The pack had long since been disbanded when the struggle between mankind and werewolves hand long since been forgotten. Their purpose was to stop the human tribes from attacking wolf packs they came across. They first bartered with the tribes, asking them to not speak a word of what they had seen to any other tribe so that our kind could live in peace without the threat of death. If the tribe agreed to keep the secret, the Warrior pack would give them this coin as a token of their gratitude. However, if this didn’t work, which it sometimes often didn’t, the Warrior pack were forced to slaughter the tribe.

The word spread quickly among human tribes and soon, the legend of the werewolf was forgotten and became a fairy tale, a fantasy.

“Did you find what you needed?” Bethany asked, leaning against the doorway. She eyed the coin in my hand and her tone was cautious. I hadn’t noticed before, but she was a muscled woman, strong toned legs clad in tights with a tight-fitting dress on that accentuated her figure. Her purple apron was tightly wound across her waist.

I cleared my throat and turned towards her, holding up the coin towards her. I wanted to know how she had come across this coin, but I didn’t want to give too much away, so I quickly calculated a lie. “I’ve seen one of these before, when I was little. My father had one before he passed. What is it?”

Bethany looked at me for a long time, her mind calculating whether or not she should tell me what she knew. Sighing, she relaxed her body. “I hope I can trust you to keep what I’m about to tell you a secret. That coin belonged to my father, who also passed but it originally belonged to a group called the Warrior pack and they were…werewolves.” I feigned a look of disbelief, I needed more information but I couldn’t just go along with what she was saying straight away otherwise she would become suspicious.

“I know it’s hard to believe.”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at her. “Let’s say I did believe you, what does it mean?”

Bethany raised her eyebrows and thought for a moment before continuing. “Well, the wolves wanted to live in peace but humans wouldn’t let them because they’re not a natural part of this world. So the Warrior pack either slaughtered the humans or swore them to secrecy, offering them that coin as a thank you. The tribes that accepted the bribe, told this story to their children and the story, the legend travelled down their lineage. Those who had family members who were victims of the Warrior pack formed their own pack of sorts, using that coin as a symbol of being a member. Anyone who owns that coin is human and believes that those creatures are still out there and their aim is to hunt them all down and kill them.

“My father believed in the order and it cost him his life. I’ve kept the coin as a reminder of him, but I won’t indulge in a stupid fantasy that took over his life, and neither should you now that you know the truth.” Bethany glanced at the silver watch on her wrist. “I better go, my breaks over. Remember what I said, and I hope you find your way.”

I took a deep breath in and went over what she had said once more. If there was an order out there hunting us down, maybe that was why so many of us had been caged up in the place I had escaped from. Perhaps they were studying us and our weaknesses not to learn, but to rid the planet of us. It made sense, and at least I now had a theory as to why all this was happening to me.

Considering how serious this group sounded, they must have been after me, meaning that I didn’t have much time until they were after me. The race was now officially on. I shut the computer off and pocketed the coin, I would need it if I was to gain Jess’s support otherwise she would never believe me.

Getting up from the chair, I left the room and entered the café once more. Smiling at Bethany and giving her a quick wave, I walked out of the café and I was back on the street. Hurrying down the pavement I tried to act as normal as possible but I was conscious that I really needed to get into the forests, out of the sight of prying eyes – anyone could be part of this group and I needed to keep myself as safe as possible.

I needed to be quick and I needed to find Shane. I knew the general direction of Locksley and that’s where I would go – Jess and The Howlers would help me find Shane, their alpha. I spotted a little path that led towards what seemed like a forest-esque area and decided to follow it. I was filled with a strange new hope despite nothing having changed. I just knew that if I found The Howlers the game would change and Shane would be back with me in no time.