Hidden Among Humans

Chapter 2- Alejandro

Meanwhile, a couple of hundred miles away...

(Alejandro's POV)

The vision of a young brunette began to immerse in my thoughts as my bones snapped into place. A haze was evident over her dominant violet eyes, heavy with agony as I completed my shift. Even in anguish, she was striking. Her heart-shaped face was well complimented by high cheekbones and a dainty nose. It was strange, no one had ever recorded an experience like this during a shift. Not only that, during my excursion into the forest, I had sensed something watching me but discovered nothing during my investigation of the area. Before I could debate the apparition, I was distracted by a familiar voice.

In an instant, those majestic violet eyes slowly evaporated into the distance, it was as if the light inside of them were dying. Strange, the nobility in those eyes seemed familiar. I shook my head, giving stress credit for the whole experience.

“Man, that was sick!” Jace yelled from around the corner, carrying a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans. “The elders will be at ease knowing their Alpha has emerged.”

Today was my 18th birthday, it was time to take my place as the new pack leader. My father, the late Alpha, died twelve years ago during a rogue attack. Although the pack managed to defend our territory, it was not without considerable loss. We lost half of our pack that night, alongside three members of the royal family. Sadly, my father was among the dead. Being only six years old, I don’t remember much. What I do hold is a vivid image of my father's last breath.

I had been hurled behind two heavy black doors. My jailer was none other than my father. Knowing my father would never harm me, I resisted escape. The odor within the dark cavernous room was soft and earthy. Not having shifted yet, my night vision was limited but still superior to that of a human. I looked around to find a pathetic bare chamber. It didn't even have a window. Having no choice but to wait for my father's return, I cowered in a corner.

If my father returned to a cowering child, he would be disappointed in my vulnerability. I knew my father did not raise a rabbit. Well, at least that is what he used to say. Many nights, my mother would cradle me to sleep, assuring me he loved me. He was only trying to raise a fearless leader for this pack. I knew I was no coward, immediately standing to face the tar-like doors.

Cowards were easily passed around like prey. This was another test, I would prove I was strong. I stood in an upright position for what seemed to be hours when a thunderous roar resonated within the room, causing the walls to vibrate in fear. To my surprise, the door creaked open. What I saw next was the death of my father.

“Bow and I will spare your life!” My father stood before a bound woman draped with a sheet.

“Never!” She growled.

Two guards pulled her up by the hair, driving the sheets to roll off her. Without hesitation, she reached with her bound hands for the blade on the guard's belt. Simultaneously delivering a violent strike with the crown of her head to one of the guards. Her strike was fast and tactical, somehow the second guard was already on the ground, cupping his groin. My eyes swelled as she drove the knife into my father's chest.

I watched helplessly as the color gradually receded from his face. She maintained a grip on the blade while delivering a blow to his abdomen, causing him to slide off the dagger. Blood spewed throughout, generously covering the rogue.

Time stood still as I followed my father's body to the ground. His body lay motionless as I stood helplessly from behind a door. It was not long before a whimper left my fear-covered lips. A sliver of hope arose when I heard the faint sounds of his chest still rising. Hope dissipated when I caught the eyes of the rogue. Rage clouded her murderous eyes as she caught my scent. My gaze tracked her movements as she slithered into an upright position. There was no doubt in my mind she was developing a pang of hunger for my blood. Until a series of deep short grumbles seized her attention.

I fell to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief. I stared into the opening of the door, hoping everything I had witnessed had been a dream. Before I could continue to sob, I heard a groan that pulled me back to the gap between the doors.

“Find Una and run,” I looked out to find the rogue over a body.

“Maximiano,” She cried.

“It’s okay, my love,” blood sipped out from the side of his face as he let out a cough.

In the chaos, a deep growl rang in my ears. I turned to find a wolf camouflaged with the night. My father had risen from the dead, he would be fine, I told myself. My father charged towards the murderous rogues for the last time. Before long, blood gushed out with the full force of a geyser. The man on the floor was mid-shift as he created a barrier with his body to protect his beloved. The collision had taken its toll. Both their bodies were restored to their human forms as their lifeless bodies touched the ground.

My eyes continued to swell as waterfalls rushed down my cheeks. Over the years, I replayed that night over and over again. She plunged the knife directly into my father's beating chest while I watched helplessly as my father's life slowly left him.

Years later, I still recall the events vividly. Never forgetting the pigment-less wolf that leaped into the night, I promised I would avenge my father. It had taken her mere seconds to destroy our lives and a lifetime with no answers.

After years of investigation, I uncovered absolutely nothing. The recounting of that night is never the same. Without a reliable source in sight, it has always been hearsay. Those who were present that night seem to have a dim recollection. No one has been able to identify the rogues or what their motive for the attack was. With my new title, I would force the elders to reveal the truth.

I was the only successor my father had produced, and I was considered too raw to take his place. Not because of my age, but rather, I had yet to find my mate. Even when my pack needed me, I was powerless to shift until I located my Luna. Fortunately, that was not my only recourse. If by the time I turned eighteen, I had not found my mate, I would be able to take control and make the shift.

“s**t, that felt great!” I stood unclothed before Jace, who quickly threw the t-shirt and jeans at my face.

I couldn’t believe I had been obligated to wait this long to feel free. The feeling of shifting is indescribable. Yes, it was painful at first. But, when the transition was over, the freedom I felt was surreal. Now I was ready to take charge of my pack. Though we lack in numbers, we are feared by our rivals. We are generally peaceful until provoked. We hold a reputation for being ruthless warriors. It’s odd to be described as peaceful and ruthless at the same time. The truth is no one likes war, but we will defend what is ours at all costs.

Well, this is rude of me. Let me introduce myself.

My name is Alejandro Villalobos; I was born into the Yellowstone Pack. I have lived in Wyoming since birth. We have managed to remain secluded for centuries due to our dense forest. Although humans travel to the park often, they don't usually travel to our town. If they do, our town does not look any different from any other.

“f**k dude, you are massive!” Jace seemed to be more excited over my wolf emerging than I was.

“As an Alpha should,” I chuckled as I pulled the T-shirt over my head. “This is smaller than I remember.” I looked down to find it hugging my shoulders and pecs.

“No sh*t, look at yourself.” Jace laughed. “Ohhh, right, you can’t.” He said as he scratched his head.

“Hey, something happened…” I began to speak as I tried to pull my pants up, quickly realizing they no longer fit properly.

“Looks like you have some shopping to do,” Jace patted me on the back.

“Man, these were my favorite jeans.” I turned my head, in an attempt to look at my back.

“No one said you can't still wear them,” Jace chuckled as he took two steps back as if he were taking a better look at me. “Not bad, I would say,” My face wrinkled at his words. “I just don’t know if the ladies would dig it, you know what, maybe they would,” he continued to laugh at my newfound style.

“There you are,” I turned to find his mother running toward me. Distress was written all over her face. “Let me look at you. Did you grow a couple of inches since last night?” She grabbed me by the shoulders and then proceeded to pinch my cheeks. “I knew buying a bigger size would come in handy.”

“Mom, stop it. You know I did.” I rolled my eyes.

It was common for males to grow a couple of inches after their first transformation, especially for an Alpha. But my mother acted as if she didn’t know this.

“You remind me of your father,” she spoke as waterfalls began to form under her metallic eyes, creating a path down her face.

Over the years, she reminded me of how much I reminded her of my dad. But I knew it was further from the truth, dad was no coward. I could only watch motionless as a rogue took my father from us. I quickly took my mother in a warm embrace; she needed the embrace as much as I did.

I pulled back, realizing that I easily towered over her. Now that I stood at 6’ 4”, I towered over everyone.

“We have to talk,” her voice immediately changed to that of an Alpha. Since dad died, she had become the leader of the pack. Being a female, she had a lot to prove to the pack. Although many challenged her, she remained head of this pack for years to come. Of course, there were reservations from the elders, but with her dedication to this pack, she won them all over.

“Alright, let’s go into my office,” I was beginning to get worried as I trailed behind her.

“Okay, I’ll see you later. Damn, look at that booty movie.” I could hear Jace yell from behind.

“Jace, must I have a word with your parents?” A smirk crawled up my face as I heard mom’s voice carry itself through the air towards Jace.

“No! Mam, I mean... No mi... Lun…a…a. I mean Mam… m A… Alpha Luna.” I shook my head as he stumbled over his words. I will admit that Mom’s title was unusual. It was not common for a female to run a pack on her own. Outsiders have always been skeptical of talking business with a female Alpha, but once again, she proved to everyone, that she was well equipped to handle herself.

I didn’t want to take over because I didn’t think mom couldn’t handle it. But I heard her cry at night, she never had the opportunity to mourn dad’s death properly. From day one it was work, work, and work. I, on the other hand, had twelve long years to mourn. I am more than ready to defend our home.

We walked in silence with our thoughts until we reached my new office. This would be where I handled the pack's affairs going forward.

“Shifting before finding your mate is usually not heard of. As you already know, most of us find each other mates at a young age,” I began to get agitated inside, I hated talking about finding a mate.

“Mom,” I interrupted, “I already know this, plus I already made the shift. Does it even matter when I find my mate now?”

Honestly, I didn’t understand the whole excitement about finding a mate. I was initially only interested in finding her for the sake of shifting. But now that I was eighteen, I no longer felt the compulsion to search for her. No one can say I didn’t try. I attended every biannual gathering held in the depths of Yosemite National Park. Packs from all walks of the world rallied in hopes of finding their mate. Traveling to California for this event twice a year was a pain but I did it anyway to please my mother.

Of course, my wolf craved for a mate, but did he need one? I have witnessed absolute hypnosis by a mate; to be honest, I quite fancied my independence.

“Son, I have spoken to the elders.” I watched as the freckles on her forehead came together with a wrinkle. A crackle came from her as she tried to speak again but was unable to find the words. It caught my attention instantly; I could tell she didn’t want to say the next words. I watched as she took a deep breath, just before she spoke again.

“They reasoned to believe your mate may have died.” This news instantly devastated my wolf side, but I, on the other hand, the human in me had never formed an attachment. My wolf and I are the same, I feel what he feels. As she spoke, I felt my heart drop to the bottom of my gut, while at the same time feeling nothing over the news.

“That would make sense, I would have found her long ago if she had been meant to be found,” I spoke without a care in the world, but my mother's next words took me for a spin.

“No son, It… s…s possible yo…” Her voice began to crackle as she attempted to complete her sentence.

“What is possible?” I decided to speak as she remained silent. But before I even finished my sentence, an image of the same girl began to paint itself before me. Before I could even begin to understand what I was imagining, my mother's voice broke through.

“It’s possible you killed her by turning without her.” Her words struck my core so deep that I lost sense of reality. It was as if a pit of magma raged through my veins. The sensation of my insides burning was unimaginable. I wanted to crawl out of my skin. Unable to escape the fires within, I remained motionless as the fire continued to engulf me.

Death was around every corner, but it never arrived.

Weeks, maybe months, had gone by without relief. I saw no hope of escape, until one faithful day the fires subsided. I could hear muffled noises in the background, but I could not make out what they were saying. I groaned in pain as it continued to linger within, just in a lesser manner.

It was not long before the lights began to cloud my vision, shadows emerging from between the flashing lights. It took me a minute, but my eyes soon adjusted to the light.

“Alejandro?” The cries of my mother soon filled my ears. As her image became clear, I could see her trying to compose herself. I could feel the warmth of her hand holding my own.

“Mom,” I mumbled between my lips.

“No, don’t speak, save your energy.” She gave me a gentle squeeze before turning to look back at a figure standing behind her. “I need a complete panel STAT.”

“Right away, Doctor Villalobos,” their voices echoed in my ears.

In the blur of the scene before me, I felt my wolf cry in despair. I had destroyed the one thing he longed for the most. I say him, but in reality, it’s we. The problem was that I had spent eighteen years as a human with little connection to my dormant wolf. The moment I had turned, I thought the cage that trapped me would come tumbling down. Sadly, now I found both of us trapped inside.

Our wolves define who we are. It's difficult to explain, but we are the same entity. We think and desire the same things. For almost two decades, all my thoughts have been those of a human, but I know where my future stands. I have trained and desired one thing for over a decade, to find those who killed my father. The only way to do that was by becoming the Alpha of my pack, but with no mate in sight, the elders were hesitant. The way I saw it only one thing stood against me in my path, a she-wolf I had never met. I grew to hate her, knowing I knew nothing about her. Now, all of me wanted to love this she-wolf just as much as I wanted to hate her.

“I can’t feel him anymore,” I yelled as I clutched my heart.

“What do you mean?” I stared blankly into my mother’s eyes, unsure how to describe how I felt.

“My wolf, he is there, but he isn’t.” I clutched my heart deeper as the pain continued to pulse in my body.

Everything around me once again turned into a blur. I could barely make out the words of my mother yelling at the nurses to move faster. All I wanted was to feel whole, but now I felt more hollow than ever before.