He is Number 4

10

Cai

I sit on the bed in the room I was assigned to in the pack house. I was told I wasn't allowed to go to the homecoming dance and, to be honest, I don't really care. I was probably going to end up ditching it anyway with the girl I had asked. I don't really know why I asked her in the first place. I haven't been to a homecoming dance since I was a first year. It's stupid, it's another place for popular people to show they're popular and a contest on who is the hottest.

To be honest, I usually just go out with the guys and drink but something happened at the game today and Kyle needs me for back up just incase something happened at the dance. Jax agreed to go as well and he hates going to dances, but I guess he's taking Georgia. I don't really know the full extent of what's going on and I'm pretty sure they're scared to tell me to see how I would react.

The pack doctor gave me pills to temporarily suppress my wolf. I'm only allowed to take them twice a day and at night I have to let my wolf out to run. Taking them more than twice a day can hurt my wolf, I guess, but this is the only way to get him under control so I don't loose it again. I can't let him take full control around Ashley or else the rejection process won't work. The pills seemed to be working though. I was allowed to go to the game to test them out and I felt fine.

I felt my phone buzz, I opened it to check.

No Name: I can't believe the alpha won't let you come to the dance. This sucks :(

This must have been the girl I asked. I don't even remember her name to be honest.

Me: Ik I'm on patrol or something sorry.

No Name: Maybe we can meet up when I'm done here? ;)

Me: Ya maybe

I don't want to tell her yes, I don't want it to lead to other things and then it ends up like last night. I don't know how well these pills will work if she's hurt or in pain. I need to keep my distance. I look at the time. It's 9:45. I feel like if they needed me they would have called me by now. I grab my backpack and empty the contents on my bed and grab a spare change of clothes, my sketch book and a set of charcoal pencils. I walked out of the pack house and down to the woods and behind a tree to take off my clothes and put them into my backpack.

I started to shift. Being part hell hound, the shift is slower and described as more painful than being a normal wolf. The counter to that is, if we are in trouble, we can shift in the blink of an eye faster than a normal wolf. Slowly, one by one, I feel it, I feel every bone in my body break and morph into a new bone. I feel all my ligaments stretch to the length they need to be. I feel it, it feels like fire throughout my body. After what feels like an eternity, I finish shifting. He stretched and picked up my backpack in his mouth and began to run. I don't quite know where I want to go yet, but I know I should let him run for as long as possible. It has been a while since we've gone for a run and with the new meds on top of that, I know he's antsy.

He runs for about 30 minutes and we reach an open field. He walks behind a tree and lays down, signaling me that he's ok to shift back. The shift from wolf to human isn't as bad. It's not as painful but feels just as long. After we were finished, I took out the spare sweatpants from my backpack. It's a beautiful night and the cool air on my skin feels nice, so I don't put on my shirt. I went out into the field and saw two large rocks about 4 feet tall. I sat about a hundred yards away from them and pulled out my sketch pad and pencils.

I began to sketch the landscape before me and I started thinking about what Ashley's dad said yesterday. Before my mother passed, everything seemed to be going right. My dad was the strongest hell hound alpha. I was in line to take his place once I turned 18. My mom was pregnant with a girl. My parents hoped she would be best friends with Ashley like I am with Kyle.

Then it happened, it happened at my mom's second babyshower. This was the babyshower the pack wanted to throw for her. Something small and intimate to show their appreciation for all she did as a luna. We were all dancing and having a great time when there were battle howls, then there were gowls. My dad made his beta take me and my mom into the house to hide in the saferoom with the other small children and pregnant wolves, but that's where I messed up.

I managed to escape out of the room before the door was closed, and I heard my mom scream for me. I wanted to prove to my dad I wasn't a child anymore, that I could help him fight. I shifted as soon as I left the room and started to run back outside. As soon as I got out of the front door I was attacked by a rogue. He must have been waiting for someone to come out. He was on top of me baring his teeth and snarling at me. Before I could use the move I was taught in training to get him off of me, something grabbed his neck and ripped him off of me. I stood up and started running towards my father again. I heard footsteps behind me and I looked back to see my mother following me in wolf form. It's dangerous to shift while pregnant. While she's not paying attention, a wolf hits her from the side and she goes flying. I turned to go after the wolf and noticed he was on top of her limp body. I lunged toward him as I hit him to get him off. I heard it. Sorrow fills the air as my father howls, his mate, my mother, died in action.

From that day, my father was never the same. He was angry all the time, and training was more brutal than ever. It took my father a week to identify all the people we lost that day. All the kids and expecting mothers were safe that day. After a month, my father sent me here to train under the best alpha in the country while he rebuilt the pack. I remember how angry I was, I still am actually. As the future alpha of that pack, I should have stayed to help.

I feel my pencil break in my hand, I throw it. I feel like nothing is going the way I want it to. It never does. I got up and walked over to the rocks and started punching them. I just want things to go my way for once. I punch the rocks harder, I feel my knuckles start to bleed. There's a smaller rock next to them I didn't notice before. I pick it up and whip it at the tree. It hits the tree so hard it breaks it in half. I growl, if I'm this strong now, why would it matter if I don't want a mate? I could protect my pack without her. I started punching the rocks again as hard as I could this time. After the fourth punch, the rock cracks.

I looked down at my hand, it's bruised and bleeding but it should heal in an hour. I walk back over to my stuff and put the sketch pad and pencils away and pull out my phone.

No Name: I'm so over this dance already.

No Name: You still patrolling?

No Name: I think I would be more fun than patrolling ;)

No Name: Damn, you must be super invested in this not to answer.

No Name: Let me know when you're done and we can meet up ;)

Goddess, I made out with her one time and now she's blowing up my phone.

Kyle: Hey can you check to see if my sister made it home ok, her and Jacoby left about 10 minutes ago.

I checked to see what time it was. It's 11:30. I checked to see when he sent the text. He sent it at 11.

Kyle: Dude hellooooo, what's going on 4 did she make it home????

Me: Sorry dude I went for a run like the doctor told me to. I'm heading back now to check.

I quickly packed up my stuff and took off my sweat pants and put them into my backpack. I shift and he grabs my backpack and starts running back towards the house. After about 30 minutes, I reached the house and ran towards the front and saw a car I didn't recognize. That must be Jacoby's. I go to the pack house and to my room and shift back. I didn't know she was going with Jacoby. I thought Kyle told Jacoby to stop talking to him when the rumors started about what happened between him and some girl. Jacoby hasn't shown his face in a long time, so why now?