FIFTEEN
1132 Words
A loud howl sounded in the distance. Kael grabbed Elara immediately by her arm and stirred her into her room.
The howl came again, this time, a bit closer than the last time.
Hurried footsteps came running through the hall and a man carrying a flashlight rushed inside the room. Elara recognized him as the other man that took her from her home.
It had been a while since she saw him. What was he doing there? And why was he in a hurry?
The rays from the flashlight fell on Kael’s body. Splashes of blood covered his body.
Elara’s eyes widened as she looked up at him. She saw his face clearly now. Streaks of blood lined his face. His eyes, sharp orange.
“Alpha, I have alerted the men. They have gathered around the fountain.”
A drop of blood rolled down Kael’s cheek. Elara reached out to him but he tilted his head back, away from her reach.
His face looked like it had been clawed through.
“What’s going on?” Her face was twisted in worry.
“Stay here.” Kael thundered. His voice, gruff. He turned sharply to the man with the flashlight.“Cassian, get one of the maids to stay with Elara and meet me out front.”
“Yes, Alpha.” With the same speed he came, he rushed out.
“Will you tell me what’s going on? Why do you have blood all over you?”
“Just stay here, Elara. Keep your door shut at all times and stay out of the windows. No matter what you hear, don’t come outside.”
“Alpha Kael, who did this to you, what is going on?
“Some rogue wolves infiltrated our pack. They attacked most of the families along the borders. I happened to be at the borders when this happened, we fought back, most of them retreated but some managed to sneak into the pack.”
A bulb lit up in Elara’s head. It was the middle of the night, the pack was in chaos, a perfect opportunity for her to sneak away.
“What do you need me to do? I can fight them off, I can hold my own ground.”
Cassian -the guard with the flashlight- came running back into the room with Kathy hot on his trail.
Kael began to step back immediately. “You are an omega, Elara. Stay here.”
Cassian and Kathy entered the room. Kael turned on his heels and brushed out.
“You are to stay with her at all times and make sure she doesn’t leave. It is an order from the Alpha.” Cassian instructed and rushed after Kael.
Outside, Kael was already in front of the men gathered addressing them.
Most of them had wolfed out, their claws digging into the earth and those who hadn’t, had adrenaline charging through them.
“A group of rogue wolves dared to enter our pack,” Kael began. “They killed unsuspecting families at the border and snuck inside this pack.
I want you all, from this minute onwards to go into the nook and crannies of this pack and fish them out. I want all of them at my feet before ripping their hearts out and feeding it to them. Go out there and find them, don’t stop looking until you find them.”
The men roared, the wolves howling as they rushed out of the compound and into the forest.
That howl that came before shook through the Manor. Harry, who had been in the crowd, walked up to Kael as Kael turned his face to where the howl came from.
“The Bramble Hound,” Harry muttered from behind Kael.
“The Ashen Outcasts,” Kael said without looking back. “Bramble Hounds don’t have the guts.” He turned and faced Harry. “Why are you still here?”
“Because I need to stay with you. You need to have a shadow on you.”
“I can handle myself. Go with the other men and find those Outcasts. I am going back to the borders.” He started walking away.
Back in the house, up in Elara’s room, she stood by the window and watched as the men scattered out of the compound.
Her eyes followed Kael as he left Harry and brisked out of the compound.
Kathy stirred awake on the couch and saw Elara by the window.
“You will worry yourself to sickness, Elara. If Alpha Kael says he’ll handle everything then I trust he will. Nothing will happen to us.”
Elara looked at her briefly and turned back to the window.
“You can speak for yourself only, I don’t trust your Alpha enough to keep me safe. He took me as his slave after all, I need to stay awake to save my head in case he plans on using me as a collateral.”
“Alpha Kael specifically told me to stay with you because he doesn’t want anything happening to you. If he wanted to cut you loose, he wouldn’t have bothered.”
Elara huffed a breath and walked to where Kathy was seated. “Just take the bed, I won't sleep a wink this night after all.”
Kathy yawned as she eyed the bed. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, please.”
Kathy dived to the bed immediately, her weak body sinking into the soft mattress as Elara took the couch.
Elara shuddered sharply as silence surrounded her. Her mind ran back to the dream, the paper threat she received burned a hole in her hand.
This was all connected.
Her kidnap, the dream, the threat, Kael’s words. She had been sent there to die.
Tears burned her eyes and she blinked them back immediately, sniffling back her pains.
There was no way her life would end after a series of unfortunate events. After she had toiled and sacrificed her life for a moment of goodness she never got to experience.
A stray tear ran down her eyes. She let it flow. It was a reminder of all the pain she would never have to bear again.
“Kathy?” Her voice came out in a whisper. “Are you awake?” Silence answered her.
Elara got up from her seat and tiptoed to the window. Nobody was outside, the men and Kael were long gone and Harry was nowhere in sight.
This was her chance, she thought. The pack was in chaos but she would rather die fighting for her life than to give it up with defense.
“Kathy?” She called again. The lady remained unmoving in the bed.
Tiptoeing away from the widow, Elara pulled her bedroom door open and ran.
- Writer
