Nightmares of the Alpha

FIVE

Unknown POV

I stalked past the coffee shop, my thoughts intent on my prey. Saliva dripped from my elongated canines as a low growl rumbled deep in my belly. I could see her inside, curled up on one of the overstuffed crushed velvet armchairs from the knitting corner, smiling in her sleep. That wouldn’t do. No. Not at all.

With ease, I jumped up on to the hood of the silver car parked right out front. All four paws landing with a purposeful thud. The force was enough to stamp a tapestry of cracks across the windshield and, of course, set off the alarm. I knew it was hers and I knew that before too long she’d be out to see what was going on. Then I’d make my move. For now, I leapt back into the shadows, watching her stir from sleep through the front window. I waited for my opportunity to pounce, to tear at her delicate flesh, taste her blood pumping into my mouth until I felt her heart slow its beating and eventually stop. My body thrilled at the notion, causing my fur to stand up. I’d watch the life drain from her eyes. I crouched down, dragging my front claws across the concrete in preparation for the kill. She had to be eliminated.

Jessica’s POV

My dream was interrupted by a loud honking. One by one, everyone around me turned into geese, the honking getting louder and louder. Once my own body started sprouting feathers, something in my subconscious realized this could not possibly be real life. The sound of honking carried me back to reality. I hate when that happens. It was a good dream, too. I’d never be able to get myself back into that gondola... or the arms of that Italian hunk now. So lame.

Sleepily, I stretched my arms above my head and my legs out in front of me, trying to relieve the cramp from falling asleep curled up in this chair. That honking was driving me totally insane! Was it time for Ari to wake up and start working again already? It was still so dark out.

“Turn it offffffff,” I whined in Aria’s direction, but when I turned my head to find her, she was no longer in the seat beside me. I yawned loudly, looking around and rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes. Typical Ari. She wouldn’t want to sleep here in the Stitches Brew, she barely wanted to be here in the daytime. You’d think she would have at least invited me up to sleep in her room too, but I knew that’d never happen. Those evil crones she had for aunts would never allow it. They hated my guts.

“Honk, honk, honnnnk! Jeez, I hear you! Shut up already!” I put my hands over my ears and grumbled in frustration. That’s when I saw the headlights flashing and everything started to make sense. That was an alarm, alright, but it wasn’t any clock or phone... it was my car!

That was all I needed to wake me up and get my butt into gear. My car was my baby! What was going on out there?! Straightening my clothes in a hurry and wiping the drool from the side of my mouth, I ran to the front door and pressed my face against the glass.

Squinting into the night, I could see clearly that yes, it was MY headlights flashing and YES that awful honking was coming from my precious Silver Bullet as I affectionately named her.

“Why are cars always girls, anyway?” I asked as I smooshed my face further against the glass, trying to get a better look at what the cause of all this noise was. That’s when I saw it and I let out a blood curdling scream!

My windshield. My poor, poor windshield had a spider web of cracks spread from one side all the way to the other. I would have to replace the entire thing! Fumbling with the lock, I rushed outside into the rain, not bothering to grab my jacket or umbrella.

Before I made it to the car, I realized I’d forgotten my keys in my haste to get to Silver Bullet. I turned back towards the door and took one step forward, but my body wasn’t listening to any more commands. A sharp pain was exploding through my back and a heavy weight was bearing down on me, bringing my knees down to the wet sidewalk. It all happened so fast, my brain had to catch up with what was happening to my body.

Someone was on top of me. Someone big. I could feel now where they had stabbed me. The pain searing in my back had to be a knife, right? I could still feel their points plunging deeper into me, right below both of my shoulder blades... there were so many of them. How could someone be holding on to this many weapons at once? It didn’t make sense. My mind was racing. Someone couldn’t be doing this to me and those weren’t knives in my back. SomeTHING was tearing at me with its claws!

I tried to scream for help, but the only thing that came out of my opened mouth before the rest of my body crumpled on to the floor was hot, gurgling blood. I was going to die here. Here on the wet concrete, under some kind of rabid animal, I was going to die.

Miraculously, I felt the claws retract. I reached toward the door to the Stitches Brew, willing my body to cooperate and crawl away from this beast to safety. I didn’t even move an inch. A massive paw rolled me over until the rain was stinging my eyes and I was face to face with my attacker.

It was a wolf. This was no ordinary wolf; the beast was double my size and it’s eyes revealed intelligent thought that was far beyond that of pure animal instincts. A werewolf. It had to be. I’d heard stories ever since I was a little girl, warnings about the strange magical beasts lurking in the nearby woods. I’d thought they were just fables - tales grown ups told to scare their children into listening. Were they true?

For a moment I forgot about my pain as I examined this impressive being. Its fur was thick and dark - it was hard to say what color. Black, brown, grey. Whatever it was, there wasn’t a patch of white anywhere. This wolf looked like it came straight from the depths of hell. Then there were the eyes. Those eyes...

Once again, I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could even make an attempt a paw lashed out, colliding with my face. All I could see now as my head lolled to the side was the slick blood from my newest wound swirling and mingling with the rain puddles and running to the street underneath my tires. In the shiny rim I could see the reflection of the wolf ready to lunge for my throat. Then pain, just pain. The horn blared on, the headlights flashed. The wolf greedily lapped at my dying essence as my body convulsed. My mind ceased to be anything but a receptor for all of that pain. This was it.

Just when I was ready to give in and let go of the excruciating pain, I heard the wolf splashing away into the night. What scared it away? Did it know I was still alive? Was I still alive?! I needed to tell someone about those eyes...