Eclipse

The rain was a merciless beast, hammering down on the pavement with an unmatched bloodlust. I could imagine that behind each house I walked past was a family huddled up against the radiator like a cat, but not me. Even amongst my own family, my pack, I was the only one who would dare stand against the brutal night and its aqueous minions. I let my head tip back, savouring the almost painful feeling of pellets of water hitting my skin. After all, pain was good. I was tempted to just sprawl myself across the pavement and let the water saturate my clothes, but the last thing I wanted was for someone to find me, or worse, trip over me. The wolf within me was drowsy, too tired to cause trouble. Thankfully. On another day with this sort of weather, she'd be struggling to unravel my hold over this body, aching to shift and escape the rain. My thoughts mindlessly drifted to my parents and my pack, and my mood instantly plummeted. Each and every one of them had found the love of their life, their 'soul mate', except me. Even those several years younger than me had found their other half, and I was twenty-two. Finding your mate changes everything, and I've seen the difference. The wolf inside is far more stronger with the other half of your soul, and that was exactly what I was missing. Slowly they were withdrawing from me, reluctant to be around the final unloved wolf, even though I was the daughter of the Alpha and I would soon lead them. Even my friends were drawing away from my company. I wondered how they would treat me when Father's time finally came. He was already a senior in his mid sixties, and we all knew that he would soon to move on, and my mother would be plunged far too deep in sorrow to be in any shape to lead. A forked snake's tongue of lightning and a rumble of thunder jerked me out of the psychological ditch I'd thrown myself into. "s**t," I muttered, heading under the nearest shop's awning to seek shelter from the lightning. I liked the rain, but lightning? Well, the idea of being a charred crisp isn't exactly appealing, is it? That was when I heard the voices being buffeted in the wind, barely audible but very much angry. I froze in my tracks, unsure what to do. A wolf never approaches danger alone, and only with her pack. She never leaves anything to chance, but now I was alone with no form of contact, and too far away from home to access the mental pack link that interconnected our minds. I was contemplating the idea of leaving the arguers to solve their problem themselves like mature adults, when the wind blew something else my way. A scent that I'd never smelt before, something addictive and unnatural, like I'd been hooked to a fishing line and was being reeled in. It felt so...strange. Was this what my pack experienced when they found their mate. I was rooted to the ground, feeling light and giddy inside, until I heard cry of pain. Before I even realised it, I was sprinting in the direction of the sound, only several blocks away. My wolf was waking up, sensing my distress, and immediately caught the scent that had me running to save the day. The voices came from a dark alley between two suspicious shops, but I was stopped short of entering by the stench of rat faeces and rotting food. I stood at the corner. My ears were sharp, so despite the thunder and rain, I could hear everything perfectly clear. "Whoa, keep it cool... go easy on me if I'm gonna end up being your boxing bag," the owner of that dizzying smell said. His voice held a trace of an accent, and was lighthearted and carefree, warming my heart. "Shut your f*****g mouth and give me the bag, you bloody-" "Now, now, watch your mouth there, big guy," the voice said with mock severity. "And I'm sorry to say that I can't give you 'this bag', seeing as I'm standing here very much empty-handed. Now, I suggest you be on your way. You wouldn't want me the remember your face and have the cops on you fine little tail, yes?" "Oh? Is that how this's gonna be?" the second voice said, brusque and holding the tangible threat of blood. Now, what d'you think of this fine baby, huh? I think you might want to hand over that bag right now. You don't think I didn't see you this morning? I saw you at his place, and I saw you take that bag, so if I were you, I'd quit it with the lying, yeah? Now I'm not asking again: give... me... the... bag." I inhaled sharply at the sound of a click. A gun. The smell of the first man's fear became clear, but his voice remained steady. "Sorry, man, but I think you're mistaken. I don't know what you're talking about," the beautiful voice said cooly, and then my blood froze in my veins. Bang. Bang. Bang. Three shots in quick succession, loud enough to smother the scream of agony. "I didn't wanna do this, you son of a b***h, but you left me no choice," the mean voice muttered, and I heard footsteps. I shook myself out of my stupor and stepped into the alley to see the man crouched beside the body. Sensing my presence, the man turned and froze at the sight of me. I cringed as I saw the sick look of satisfaction in his eyes as he raked his eyes over the curves of my body, which were only emphasised by my waterlogged clothes that clung to me tightly like a second skin. "Well, hello there," he said throatily with lust in his black eyes as he slowly rose to face me, barely reaching eye level. He observed my body appreciatively, but the desire vanished instantly when he met my cold grey eyes, and terror replaced his want as he took a step back. "Hey, you alright?" No reply. I was too shaken. "You want money? Money? I'll give you money! I've got plenty of money! Look, you don't need to give me no lap dance if you don't wanna, I'll give you all the cash I've got!" I released a shaky breath and took a step closer. Realisation spread through my body, but my hands received the message before my brain, though, as I seized his scrawny neck tightly. It felt like I was underwater, everything sounding muted. I noticed his finger tighten over the trigger of the gun, and quickly jerked my hands. He went limp with a sharp snap in my arms instantly like a rag doll. The crack of his neck breaking pulled me back into reality, and only then did I realise exactly what I had done. I had killed a man, but I didn't care the least. All I cared about was the man bleeding to death several feet away. I knelt beside the man and cradled his head in my lap. He was still alive, but I knew that his breaths were numbered, and any of them could very well be his last. I wiped away a trickle of blood that seeped from the corner of his mouth. He stared at me in confusion with dulling amber eyes. "Who're...you?" he slurred, his eyes glazing over slightly. "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!" I sobbed hopelessly, my head lolling forward, and thick locks of black hair curtained my face. "You're dying!" "Yes, well...so?" he grinned weakly, teeth stained with blood. "And, it...matters. Beautiful," he murmured softly, and he raised a trembling hand to my face. "Well, then..." I hiccuped, "for what it's worth, my name is Megan Vaughn. Not that it's much use." "Then...pleasure to meet...Megan Vaughn." "And you are?" "Leo Juarez...at your service." He broke off into a coughing bout, spraying my face with blood. He was running out of time, and we were exchanging small talk. Stupid. "Please don't die on me," I pleaded desperately, clutching his hand tightly. If this really was my mate...I couldn't let him die. "I've...just met..." Leo said, quirking a dark eyebrow at me, but he traced the track of tears down my face as though we'd known each other for years, brushing the corner of my lips. An expression of contentedness spread across his face before it slackened, and his arm fell to his side. Amber eyes stared blankly over my shoulder, unseeing and still in their sockets. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I hunched over the dead body in a fit of sobs. I couldn't stop the tide of tears until the sound of a siren wailing filtered through my muted ears. I wiped my eyes dry and looked down at Leo for one last time, when I saw something half-concealed in his pocket. I bent down to pick it up, and a silver band tightened around my heart again. An ID card. I stood unmoving as I stared at his wide, white grin and the wavy black hair that hung to his pointed chin against his tanned skin. I stared at his name beneath the photo and pocketed it before shedding my clothing. Once it was all in a neat pile, I let my desperate wolf free, ignoring the sickening cracks of my bones realigning themselves to form paws and claws. I gingerly picked up my clothes in my mouth, careful not to rip it with my teeth. Before the police could corner me in the alley, I bounded away from the crime scene. I didn't even look back at Leo's killer's body. It didn't deserve my regret. I suppressed a howl as I hurried away to my pack. I hurried away from my one and only mate, destined to be forever incomplete.