Running from the Alpha's Son

Trouble at the Pack House

I was walking with my mother and father. The sky was blue, with just a few clouds. They dotted the horizon and every now and then you could make out a shape. Pollen floated lazily in the air, making it's slow dance to the various flowers and plants before completing it's final bow. I walked between them, and held each by the hand. Every so often, they would lift me up and swing me forward. The feeling in my stomach caused me to laugh hysterically and beg them to do it again. They happily obliged. 

My mom looked down at me with sad eyes, and smiled. It confused me, because this was such a great day. They stopped walking, and for the first time I noticed where we were. We were at the tree they had hidden me. They pulled her close and took turns holding her. "We love you. We are proud of you. You have to be strong, but we'll be with you always." They stood up, and then vanished.

Sirens screeched, pulling me out of my dream. Moisture trickled down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away.  Just then, Luna rushed in and picked me up. Alpha joined her, with James in tow. They rushed down the steps and then into the kitchen. Alpha lifted up the rug and a trap door was hidden. They shushed  us inside and down the steps. Alpha turned on the light switch and I was surprised to see a spacious room furnished with two beds, a TV, refrigerator and a bathroom. There were also board games stacked up on a shelf. "Do not come out until either I or your Luna come get you." Alpha ordered. We both nodded our heads solemnly. Luna kissed us both and then they were gone. Scared, we looked at each other after Alpha and Luna left.

James spoke first. "Let's call a truce. We don't know how long we'll be down here." He sounded pretty mature for a 7 year old. I looked at him skeptically. My gaze shifted to his outstretched hand. She was skeptical, but he was right.I didn't quite trust him, but he was right. We needed to be focused. I grasped his hand and shook. Together, they inspected the room. 

There was no stove, but there was a microwave on a counter with a sink. There were also plates stacked up in the cupboards, and there were utensils in the drawers. A brief glance into the fridge gave way to how hard Cook worked. The freezer was stocked with meals he had prepared, and the fridge held juice, milk and cold waters. There was also fresh fruit and deli cuts. 

I wondered at the insight and the preparation involved in keeping things stocked and fresh down here. I glanced at the steps, but we were shut in tight. Glancing at James, I nodded towards the board games. He met me there and we took inventory. There was Monopoly, Clue, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland and Operation. Upon further inspection, we discovered several boxes of puzzles, and some blocks. Furthermore, there was also a few sets of racetrack and a bin full of Hot Wheels cars. I glanced over at James, who, to see what he thought, but he was just standing there. 

His gaze was focused on the steps. He looked worried, and so I asked him, "Want to try Clue?" Snapping out of his reverie, he looked at the shelves and nodded. I set up the game at the little table and pulled out the game rules. James read them out loud and we picked our characters. She chose to be Miss Peacock and James picked Professor Plum. The object of the game was to find out who the murderer was, where the murder happened and what the weapon was. It was a great diversion from what might be happening above.

While Ember and James played their game, Alpha and Luna went outside to shift. Cook joined them, and also Alpha's second in command. Alpha's wolf was large and as black as midnight. His red eyes glowed as he sniffed the air. Luna's wolf stood next to him. She was black as well, save for a white patch that covered her left eye in the shape of a heart. Her eyes were as black as coal. She sniffed and a growl erupted from deep within her. The group separated into pairs and met up with a few of the pack warriors to check the perimeter. They still hadn't discovered how the rogues that killed Ember's parents had entered the pack. Luna had her suspicions that they had inside help, but she didn't have any evidence. 

Nothing seemed amiss so far, so they met back up started checking individual houses. When they got to the third house, Alpha and Luna could sense that something wasn't right. They made their way slowly around the house on one side, Cook and Alpha's second on the other, glancing inside the house. The house was dark, but it didn't matter. They had the gift of nocturnal sight. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, at first glance. Luna saw a slight movement inside and huffed at Alpha. He had noticed it too. They both focused, and there it was again. Shards of glass exploded outward as a large, white rogue jumped out of the window they were facing. 

Alpha and Luna were ready.