The man who saved me stands with his back to the growing pack of wolves who had chased me, but didn’t dare to cross over into the unfamiliar territory. I look up at him and his eyes are full of concern as 3 large, male wolves from his own pack stand close by him.
“What is going on?” he asks me sternly and I realize that I can’t speak to him, and I must shift back.
While not as painful as shifting to my wolf form, it does hurt and this time, I don’t try to hide my pain as I cry out, laying on the ground exhausted and in pain.
“They killed my family,” I cry, gasping for breath as I sit on the ground and pull my knees to my chest, crying into them. “They’re trying to capture me to sell me. I need Beta Ralph!”
The man kneels down, gently placing his hand on my arm, clearly very worried. “The Alpha is on his way. He will sort everything.”
“No!” I cry, trying to sit up. “I need Beta Ralph. I know him. His daughter is my friend.”
“How old are you? You look like a young pup.” he asks me as he stands and unbuttons his worn, flannel shirt, removing it and gently draping it around me. In all the commotion, I had forgotten that I had shifted back and was no longer covered in fur.
“I need Beta Ralph,” I tell him again, my voice breaking and my lip quivering as I slide my arms into the sleeves and wrap the shirt around me.
“He’s on his way as well,” he reassures me. “Alpha David will be here in just a moment. He wasn’t far when we linked him when we first saw you. Are you hurt? Your shift was really rough.”
“I… I don't know...” I stammer, pausing, unsure how much I should tell him. I don't know how safe it really is here, but it’s Audrey’s pack. I know I’ll be safe here. I have to be. There's no other alternative. “I hadn’t shifted before.”
A large man, as big as my dad approaches and kneels down on the ground in front of me. “What do you mean? It’s not a full moon.”
“I need Beta Ralph,” I whisper desperately, intimidated by this man’s presence. His aura clearly makes it known he’s the Alpha, but he’s younger than I would have ever expected.
He nods once at me as he tries to kneel a little lower next to me, never reaching out to touch me. “He’s on his way. Jerry said that you know Audrey?”
I nod, looking down at the grass beneath us. “She’s my friend.”
“I need you to tell me who you are,” he says to me quietly, trying to make me feel more comfortable. “You’re safe here, we won't let them to you, but we need to know where you’re from.”
"My dad was the Alpha, but they killed him," I say softly, stifling a sob. "They killed my whole family. My mom. My Brothers."
I look up and meet his blue eyes. They're kind, too kind to belong to an Alpha. His blond hair hangs in front of his eyes. He's young, so very young. I'd met the Alpha here before, but he must have stepped down because it wasn't him.
A large, dusty white wolf walks up and I know immediately from his scent that it’s Beta Ralph. He shifts back and puts on a pair of shorts that someone tosses to him. He approaches me, tilting his head in question. “What are you doing here? What’s going on?”
I move to stand up, but my recently shifted legs give out. The Alpha quickly grabs hold of my arms, helping to steady me as I walk to my friend's dad, wrapping my arms around him tightly and sob into his chest, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. Slowly, he places his arms around me in an awkward hug, reminding me so much of my dad that I'll never see again.
“He killed them,” I cry. “He killed them all. He said he would sell me if I couldn’t outrun his men. We just barely made it. Please, don't send us back.”
“We?” Alpha David asks, looking around.
The man who had given me his shirt shrugs. “She was alone,” he tells them. "I never saw anyone but the men chasing her. She was alone the whole time."
“My wolf,” I say quietly.
“Hey,” Beta Ralph says, moving to hold me at arms length as he looks at me. “Did you shift?”
I nod at him and chew on my lip nervously, trying to hold back even more tears.
"Have you shifted before?" he asks me seriously, inspecting me, looking for any sign of major injury as I slowly shake my head at him, confirming what he thought.
“She crossed in wolf form and shifted back once she was here,” the man tells him and they all look at me, concern clearly evident on their faces. “It was really rough. She should probably see the doc.”
“Sweetheart,” Ralph says to me, shocked and his face softens. He looks more like a dad than a pack Beta right now. I notice he glances briefly at the Alpha, a look passing between the two of them that I can't interpret before continuing. “You’re only 15. It’s not even a full moon.”
I nod at him, a few more tears escaping my eyes. “It hurt so much. I couldn't outrun them like this, though. It was the only way to get away.”
“Let’s get you to the pack doctor,” Alpha David says, offering his arm to me. I look up at his face, so very unsure of him, and glance back at the angry wolves still standing at the border, watching, waiting for me to be sent back over. I clearly don't have much of a choice.
“My men will handle them,” he tells me reassuringly and I timidly place my hand in the bend of his offered arm. “We need to make sure you’re alright. Shifting like that was something that most wolves can’t do. Can you walk alright?”
I nod and walk alongside him apprehensively, my fingers barely touching his arm. I try my best to ignore the pain coursing throughout my body with each step. Now that I've stopped and the immediate danger passed the pain is nearly impossible to ignore now that adrenaline is not surging through my body.
“Audrey will meet us there,” Ralph says from behind me and I feel relief flood over me.
“They’re going to come back for me,” I whisper, more to myself than anyone. "He'll never let me leave like this." I’m surprised when I feel Alpha David’s hand on top of mine, an attempt to comfort me some.
“You’re safe here,” he tells me again. “They will not be allowed near you. You can stay here as long as you need.”
I nod, chewing on my bottom lip and whisper, “Thank you, sir.”
I hadn’t ever realized just how large their pack lands were until we were walking through them to their doctor. Every time I had visited previously, we had driven, which makes a lot of sense now with how long the walk is. I ran so far, so quickly tonight, to try to get to safety, that I’m not sure I can walk any farther, but I don’t think I have any other option. My feet are bare and continue to cut open as I step on rocks and twigs.
“We aren’t far,” Alpha David tells me, looking down at me as he slows some, likely realizing that I was struggling to keep up. “Are you alright?”
I nod shyly and take a deep breath, not wanting to admit just how terrible I feel or how much pain I'm really in. Short of when I actually shifted, I don’t remember ever feeling this bad before. “I’ll be OK. You're safe here.”
When we finally reach the building, Beta Ralph steps ahead, opening the door to reveal the scent of my dearest friend. Quickly, I release the Alpha’s arm and rush in, looking around until I find her sitting in a chair waiting for us.
“Celeste!” she says, walking over to me quickly and wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. “Come. Sit here with me. The doctor will be here soon.”
Aksara