The Alpha's Pride

3

A moderate knock on my window had awoken me from my heavy slumber. My eyes felt extremely heavy as I opened them. Was the noise a part of my dreams? I looked over at the crimson light blinking on my right side. It was 4:37 am. Uncle Noir was supposed to pick me up in the morning. Definitely not now. I was eager to fall back to sleep. I wanted to ensure that I was well-rested for whatever he had planned. I groaned slightly to myself due to the frustration of awakening so abruptly. My eyes fluttered closed, immediately beginning to fall back into the depths of sleep. Then, I heard the knock again. This time, three moderate knocks. That definitely was not a dream. My eyes opened wide, nervous about who could be knocking so early in the morning. It could be Ty and Jayden, wanting to go out for the last time before I leave. I slid out of my bed, slinking toward the window. The bright full moon was leaking in through my navy curtains, sprawling a misconfigured illumination onto my rug. I slightly pulled open the curtains. Much to my surprise, Uncle Noir was waiting casually on the other side. I watched Noir glance down at his watch, sighing to himself. He lifted his hand to knock again just as I pulled open the curtain. He gave me his usual lopsided grin as I pulled open the window.

"Morning Ollie." He raised his hands to the windows, hopping into my room in one quick leap.

"Morning Uncle Noir. I thought that we weren't leaving until the morning?"

"Well. It is the morning, isn't it? Come on, let's get going. We have things to do and missions to complete." He watched me closely. Though his face looked completely casual and uncaring, his eyes held an intensity that was unknown to me.

"Of course. I'm all packed, I just need to grab my bag." I spun on my heels, making my way past all of the pictures hanging in my room.

Some have great memories with my friends. Others held fun family get-togethers. However, sparsely scattered throughout were a few small photos that portrayed the annual fishing trip that Ricky and I would always take. Ricky made sure to take a photo every year since he and mom got together. I had hung up two of my favourite photographs, laying the rest of them on a photobook inside my end table. I put the first plain thing I could find on. Pulling my shirt down, I began to slide my backpack on.

“Did you tell mom when you were picking me up?” I questioned, one of my eyebrows slightly more raised than the other.

“No. We’ll call her when we get to a resting point. If I asked, she would’ve said no. Better to ask for forgiveness and all that.” He waved his hand absentmindedly.

I quickly checked to make sure my wallet was in the side pocket, pulling it out. Carefully, I pulled open the wallet, slightly pulling out an old, yellow photo from my wallet. I sighed with relief. The photograph was in the exact place I left it. I quickly glanced over the aging photo of my mother and father on the day I was born. My dad was cradling me in his arms with a large, beaming smile. My mother would often talk about how much I looked like him. But I hadn't believed her until she'd given me the picture.

"Are you ready to go?" Noir's voice dragged me out of my deep thoughts.

“Oh! Uh, yeah. Sorry” I quickly shoved the picture back into my wallet and nestled it back into the Side pocket of the backpack.

Time to go.

The town was dark, only illuminated by the flickering street lamps that guided our way. Noir was walked quickly in front of me, forcing me into a jog if I wanted to keep up with him. If I lost sight of him, even for a moment, I would not be able to find him again. Though he strode quickly, his feet made no sound against the asphalt, and his movements were just as silent.

“Are you going to teach me how to do that?” I questioned Noir in a quiet whisper. He twisted his head back for a moment, revealing the confusion on his face.

“You do not know?”

“No, was I supposed too?”

“They train you in stealth during your mandatory training as a wolf. I believe you should have learned it there. For me and your mother, it is natural.”

“But she has a small amount of sound when she moves. Almost like a slight breeze.”

“That’s because she’s half.” Noir returned as a matter of factly. He sighed to himself for a moment, looking up at the blanket of darkness.

“We will have to make a stop before the mission it seems.”

“To teach me stealth?”

“No. To teach you everything.” A low exasperated growl released from his lips as he continued toward the dark trees. He was moving faster this time. Forcing me into a run in order to keep up. At this point I knew I had to keep my mouth shut, other wise I would cause even more trouble.

I wondered if my parents had woken up yet, were my sisters looking for me? I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to any of them. I thought I would have time before I left. Clearly, I was mistaken. I would have to call them when I reach my destination. That way, my mother will not mobilize the military for fear I was kidnapped.

We finally reached the edge of the forest just before dawn. The unseen sun was already beginning to illuminate the canopy of leaves. It hadn’t touched the forest floor. Peaking into the forest was peaking into pitch darkness. You could see the smallest outline of the tree trunks, eager to stop you in your tracks. I quickly assessed the looming darkness. Noir was unfazed by the abyss before him. He continued on his journey without stopping. I have to keep up. I pushed myself foreword into the thick brush of trees, following Noirs silhouette through the thick brush.