The last Hope: A Prophecy is Born

Chapter Two

My breath caught in my throat as I stared into the face of pure evil. The beast in front of me had to crouch down in order to look through my door. A mane, similar to that of a lion, had been situated around this head. The gray fur was matted together. His red eyes stared directly at me, as if he were trying to look directly into my soul. His large paws had been placed on either side of the door frame, causing cracks to form from the pressure against it.

"This can't be...you're supposed to be a myth." I finally managed to choke out. A smile broke out across his face before he lunged at me. I quickly came to my senses as I turned and darted out the window. I landed on the ground below with a thud, not even giving myself time to process what had happened. I took off in the direction of the packhouse, already contemplating on how to explain this to the Alpha.

I darted through the houses between us and the packhouse, trying to avoid drawing a lot of attention to myself. After what seemed like forever, the front of the house came into view. I had forgotten just how large the packhouse really is. I mean, it's supposed to be huge but it is massive. It's a four-story brick mansion. Most people who think of brick immediately go to that god awful reddish orange-colored brick, but when the previous Alpha had it rebuilt to accommodate for technological advances, he had it built in this beautiful smoky-gray brick. The packhouse is the largest living area in the whole territory, due to the fact that it houses everyone from the omegas to the Alpha family themselves.

The Alpha and his family live on the top floor of the pack house. Once the current Alpha retires, he and his Luna will move into a house on the packlands so that the new Alpha and his Luna can have that floor. The third floor is for the Beta and his family. The same thing will happen to them when a new Beta is chosen. The second floor would be for the Gamma's family, but my father had decided to take a house on the pack grounds instead. The first floor contains rooms for any pack member who needs a place to stay. Usually it is for any unmated wolves and warriors, but the Alpha has opened it to anyone who wants a place to stay. Then, finally, there is the ground floor. This is where the pack kitchen is as well as the dining area. They also have a large game room as well as an entertainment room on this floor.

I made my way up the stairs and through the door. Seeing as this was a packhouse, it's not customary to knock before entering. The Alpha and Luna were standing in the living room discussing what seemed to be a very important matter with some guest whom I had never seen before. They all snapped their heads towards me as I burst through the door. The visitor's face paled as he stared at me. It looked like he had just seen a ghost. His demeanor instantly changed. I noticed how he instantly stiffened as soon as his eyes met mine. Alpha Hendrix straightened his suit jacket before turning his attention back to the visiting Alpha.

"Alpha." I greeted them as I bowed my head to them in submission. They both nodded in acknowledgement.

"What is the meaning of this, Serena?" His deep voice boomed. I cringed back, wondering if I had interrupted something important.

"I have an emergency I would like to discuss with you and the Luna. As well as my parents, if you wouldn't mind having them come here." He nodded at me before his eyes clouded over, an indication he was using his mindlink to reach out to my parents. As the pack still assumed I didn't have a wolf, I couldn't mind link unless I was in private. Even then, I could only reach out to my parents. He then turned to the visiting Alpha, who still stood staring at me.

"Alpha, as you can see, we have some urgent news to attend to. You are more than welcome to stay in one of the suites on our floor as I know you have come a long way to attend this meeting." Alpha Hendrix's words seemed to snap him out of his stupified state.

"Thank you. My Luna and I appreciate your hospitality towards us on such short notice." Alpha Hendrix shook the other man's hand before motioning for me to follow him. I watched as the visiting Alpha and his Luna ascended the stairs, making their way to the Alpha's floor where they would be staying. I walked in silence as Alha Hendrix and the Luna led me to the Alpha's office. I had been in his office numerous times, mostly for issues Victoria and I caused. Even so, this office never ceased to amaze me. The large mahogany double doors were located to the left of the living area. The Alpha had said that his father had purposely put the Alpha's office there so that pack members would feel less intimidated than if they had to come up to the Alpha's floor.

The large doors opened, revealing a large modernly furnished office. As soon as you walked in, the first thing your eyes shot to would be the enormous book shelves that lined the far wall. These shelves held books for every occasion, as well as some logs from previous Alphas detailing important events. Some even kept a record of each time a new Alpha rose to power. In front of the shelves, sitting almost in the center of the room, was a large mahogany desk. Rumor has it, the desk and doors were made from the same tree. The founders of our pack had it made so that the tree was not cut down in vain. Two chairs sat in front of the desk, giving anyone who had a meeting with the Alpha a comfortable alternative to standing.

A large bay window sat to the left of the desk, pillows were placed around the sides and two large curtains were tied back on each side of it. A folded blanket sat at the side, making this the perfect reading nook. A smaller wooden door that had an engraving of a wolf howling at the moon stood on the opposite wall. This led to Luna's office. I had only ever been there once, as the Luna's office had a lot of very important documents in it that were crucial to our pack. On each side of the Luna's door was a small, two-seater couch. Those were used when there were multiple people in attendance.

The luna had made sure everything in the office was well placed and organized. She hand picked every single item in this room, aside from the desk of course, so that it would tie together perfectly. In fact, she had the entire packhouse redecorated when she moved here. I mean, according to my parents, the change was welcomed as the previous Luna had kept most of the decor themed in the seventies. It desperately needed an overhaul and our Luna was the perfect woman for the job.

Alpha Hendrix took his seat behind his desk. The man already radiated power, seeing him in this chair made me feel like he was the biggest celebrity CEO out there. If you've ever pictured the perfect chair to have a dramatic swivel reveal in, this would be it. Luna Grace took her place in the Alphas lap. I watched in awe as he snuggled into her neck and took a deep breath. I've seen a lot of mated couples do this. They say it helps calm them down if they are on edge. I couldn't help but wonder what Alpha Hendrix had been on edge about. Then my mind started to wonder back to the mysterious visitor that kept staring at me.

He was a tall man, at least 6'7''. He had raven black hair that had been neatly combed back, and really suited him. I didn't get a long look at his eyes, but I noticed them swirl between green and some other color that was hard to place from a distance. The man appeared to be no older than his mid twenties at most, but the wrinkles around his eyes gave hints that he was much older, maybe his mid forties. Werewolves age slower than most other species, so it's hard to guess exact ages. He was defiantly handsome, to say the least, but not my type. I'm sure he had girls swooning for him all the time. I could just picture his Luna glaring at anyone who so much as looked his way. The thought alone made me giggle to myself. His Luna was a petite woman, which was uncommon for werewolves. So I just pictured her on the back of a shewolf that had the audacity to look at her mate in the wrong way, just beating on her head.

Alpha Hendrix cleared his throat, bringing me back to reality. I focused my attention on him before taking one of the seats in front of his desk. I have to say, these chairs are a lot comfier than they look. Luna Grace smiled at me sweetly before kissing her mate's cheek and sauntering off to her office. As her door shut, I felt a lump form in my throat. I had never had to formally deal with the Alpha alone. As soon as Luna Grace shut her door, it was like a switch flipped. His whole demeanor became stiff and rigid, ready for anything.

"So, what's the emergency?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. I knew this was something that couldn't wait, but I desperately needed a friendly face right now. My heart was pounding in my chest as the images of what had just happened flashed through my head.

"Uhm, So..." I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. Would he think I was crazy? I mean I know what I saw today, but they're supposed to be a myth. The last sighting was reported happened well over a century ago. Now all of a sudden, one shows up at my house?

"Apparently this isn't an emergency then?" I shook my head. I could feel the annoyance rolling off him in waves. Alpha Hendrix was a kind man, but he was not a patient man.

"Alpha, I-I belie-, No. I know I saw an Amarok." His features changed from that of annoyance to that of shock. I know I must sound crazy now, but I know what that was.

"An Amarok? As in the mythical wolf?" His expression was back to one that wasn't easily deciphered. It was a cross between amused and disbelief.

"Yes. I-it was in my house! I arrived home from school and dropped my shoes at the front door as usual. Then I went to my room to study. I sat my bag down on the floor and suddenly I heard a loud crash. I opened the door to check it out but my wo- I mean my conscious told me to run." I replayed the scene in my head over and over again, so as to not miss any details.

"So you didn't actually see the creature, you only heard the commotion?"

"No, Alpha. The creature came into my room and I stood face to face with it." He placed his finger on his lips as he stared at me. I felt like he was studying me for any signs of a lie or tall tale. But I wouldn't budge. I kept my composure as he studied me intently.

"Serena?!" My mother's voice rang out from the other side of the door. Just before the Alpha could get it out of his mouth for them to come in, my mother burst through the door, her eyes frantically searching around the place until they landed on me. I felt as if the weight had been lifted and I could breathe again. She embraced me in a hug before looking over my face for any signs of an injury. I loved this about her. She still kept the concerned mother acting up even though she knew I was more than capable of handling my own. After all, she and my father have been training me in private for some time now. I wasn't allowed to train with the other pack members as they feared I might get severely injured since I didn't have my wolf. Which I was fine with. I mean, I do have a wolf, but no one knows about her and someone would defiantly figure it out after my critical wounds heal up fast.

"Alpha." She dropped her hands from my face and bowed her head in respect. My father soon followed behind, worry evident on his face. They must have been on patrol, seeing as it took them a while to get here. He greeted the Alpha before placing an arm around my mother's shoulders. They stood behind me, as the Alpha sat across from us. His eyes burned into me, almost as if he was searching for something. I could practically feel the air around us growing colder with each passing second.

"It seems, "he paused a moment before standing and walking to the window," that we have an issue." My mother looked down to me, confusion evident in her eyes. I rolled my eyes because I already knew she assumed I had gotten into something.

"Whatever she has done this-"

"It's nothing that she has done. This is a bigger issue." Alpha cut my father off mid sentence.

"A bigger issue?" My mother said in a hushed tone.

"I...I saw an Amarok." I looked up at them and gulped. The color drained from my father's face as the words left my mouth. Shock was written all over his face. My mother stared at him, confusion plastered all over her face. To me, it was obvious only one of them knew what this creature was. Hell, I'd only known of it due to my love for mythical creatures. Well, that mixed with my curious personality.

"That's impossible. They....they're myths."My father stammered as he looked over to Alpha Hendrix. The Alpha had remained calm, a lot calmer than I had expected actually. I guess that's why he's Alpha though. A job like this requires you to control your emotions well.

"If the legends are true, then this is very bad news. Not only for your family, but for the entire pack." Alpha Hendrix stared out the window, never moving as he spoke.

"What does it want?" I managed to speak up. Alpha Hendrix had a sinister smile creeping up his face as he slowly turned to face us. The look in his eyes sent chills down my spine. I had never seen him so calm, yet so terrifying. He slowly began to walk towards us, his smile unwavering. The calmness in his demeanor scared the living s**t out of me. Nyx was on edge as a result of his behavior as well. I could feel her pacing back and forth inside my head. Her growls were low and meancing as she watched his every move closely. This was unlike him. This....this was not the Alpha I knew.

He stopped right in front of the chair I was sitting in. He slowly kneeled down on one knee beside me. I felt my whole body stiffen almost instantly. His eyes locked on mine, almost as if he were in a trance. The air around us seemed to turn into ice. I could almost see his breath as he leaned in closer to me. His lips just grazing my ear as I felt his smirk grow even wider. His breath sent shivers down my spine.

"You."