Chapter Four
1227 Words
I trekked back to my room, thankful for the privacy of having the entire third floor to myself. As I closed the door to my bedroom, I let out a grateful sigh. It’s nice not having to worry about running into anyone up here. With no time to relax, my eyes glazed over and a scared voice called to me.
Haven! We need you! We’re at Red Moon Tavern and they’re attacking! Oh my god, there’s so many.
My reaction was immediate, my pack needed me, there was nothing to think about. I jumped to my feet and ran down the corridor. As I vaulted over the stair rail, I yelled for my pack. “Davidee, Nuna, Goo, Meeka, Bammiuk, Amittu! To me now!” In seconds, every high ranking member of my pack was at my heels, running behind me. “Amittu and Bammiuk, get your Lambda together as fast as possible and meet us at the pack tavern.”
“What’s going on, Ven?” Davidee asked as he kept pace with me.
“Our psi are under attack. We need to move.”
The door was thrown open in front of us as we barreled out. Our shifts were seamless as we leaped from the porch, our paws landing flat on the drivway as we started our run towards the tavern.
Who’s attacking? Bammiuk’s voice was clear through the mind link as he joined formation with five other wolves behind him.
No clue, I just know something is going down. The pavement under my paws was scorching, but I didn’t let it slow me for a second as we skidded to a stop in front of the large oak door of the Red Moon Tavern.
What’s the play? Davidee’s hazel eyes locked on mine.
We shift. There’s still back up clothes stored here for emergencies. And then… Then, we do what we have to. With my order given, my wolves and I shifted and grabbed the clothes stashed in the laneway.
“I’ll go in first, see what kind of threat we’re facing and then report back on how we need to handle it.” Bammiuk said, standing closer to me than he had in years.
“Okay. If you’re not out in five minutes, we’re coming in. Guns blazing.” I responded.
With a nod, he slid in through the laneway window, shutting it firmly behind him. A lock clicked into place and I hissed.
“What the hell is he doing?” Nuna barked.
“Trying to protect his Alpha and Beta.” Davidee sighed.
Shaking my head, I looked up at the window. “We could break it, but that would cause too much noise. If whoever is attacking is smart, they’ll have made sure any point of entry is covered. We’re going to have to fight through whoever is guarding the back door.”
“He’ll come back in five and we won’t have to worry about it.” One of Bammiuk’s wolves said cheerily.
“He’s not coming back.” I stated resolutely.
“Uh, no offense, Alpha, but I don’t think he’d try to take on an entire enemy force by himself.” The girl replied.
“He would to keep Haven safe.” Davidee muttered under his breath.
“To the back door. We go in now.” I said, ignoring them both.
To my surprise, the back door was unlocked, letting us slip into the employee break room silently. On my six. I mind linked everyone in the room as I peered around the corner into the bar.
Eight of my wolves were tied to chairs, twelve were dead on the floor. Coyotes. I mentally hissed. Seven of them stood around the room, Bammiuk was nowhere in sight. Suppressing a roar, I stepped back into the break room. We hit them hard and fast. Don’t give them time to scatter. Understood?
Everyone nodded and stripped down before following me as I burst into the bar. I immediately took out the coyote on my left, ripping his throat out with my claws. From the corner of my eye, I watched Davidee rip another coyotes throat out with his teeth. Every other wolf worked in teams, surrounding a coyote and taking them down hard.
As quickly as it started, it was over. We shifted back and got dressed quickly, Nuna looking for Bammiuk. “Haven! Look out!” Davidee yelled as claws raked down my side. Before I could react, the coyote that attacked me had four sets of jaws in him, ripping him to shreds in an instant.
***
Unknown
Metallica drummed away in my ears, drowning out the world as I walked past that new bar, Red Moon Tavern. For a second, I thought I heard something coming from inside. My steps slowed, and I pulled my earbuds out to listen closer. “Haven!” The desperate cry broke through and I pulled out my phone, ready to call 911.
Before I had the chance, a woman covered in blood stepped out of the front door. She looked dazed, almost like she didn’t know where she was or what was happening. “Ma’am? Hey, you okay?” Her eyes turned to me, in the depths was a burning red like nothing I had ever seen before. My body went cold and my stomach dropped as she took another step towards me.
“You smell nice.” She whispered.
“Um… Thank you?” I reached my hand out to steady her as she stumbled, but before I could make contact, a man and a woman grabbed her. As they dragged her back, two wolves stepped up beside them, growling low at me. “I didn’t see anything.” I said instinctively.
“Good. Go.” The man practically growled.
Without another word, I turned on my heel and ran. No way am I getting caught up in something I shouldn’t be. That’s how people end up dead. My steps slowed again as I realized she would probably end up dead if I didn’t do anything. My phone still in my hand, 91 dialed, I sighed heavily and pressed the second one.
“Hello, 911, what’s your emergency?” The operator chirped.
“Hi, yeah, I just saw a woman covered in blood outside of Red Moon Tavern. She had this weird look in her eyes, I think she may have been drugged.”
“An officer is on his way to take your statement. Do not engage with her, sir. For your own safety.”
“I didn’t, I ran after two people came out with, like, wolves. They grabbed her and took her somewhere.”
“You did the right thing. Hang tight and stay out of sight. An officer will be there soon.”
“Thanks.” I replied as I hung up the phone, sliding it back into my pocket. What the f**k did I just witness?
- Writer
