Northwood

The sound of the man’s crazed laughter filled Adline’s ears and sent another shiver of terror through her body. His gaze seemed fixed on her but she wasn’t sure what he was capable of. She didn’t know yet what he could do to her.

Climbing to her feet she watched as the man stepped towards her menacingly.

Turning from him slightly she looked down the street behind her. If he was confined to the shadows she would be safe in the middle of the street but she wasn’t too sure how sound her logic was.

“What are you waiting for child? Run!” She didn’t know who was talking but looking at the odd glowing blue eyes she knew it wasn’t Ambrose.

Her feet began moving as she took off, away from Ambrose and the thing that now occupied his body.

As she disappeared down the street his menacing laugh chased after her but it seemed that he didn’t.

Looking for anyone to help her she realised the streets of the town were very much deserted. Where was everyone?!

Her heart raced in her chest nervously and her breathing bordered on panic as she sucked in as much air as she could in a futile attempt to calm herself.

Closing her eyes and taking deeper breaths Adline cleared her mind of all thought. As she did so however something jumped through the darkness of her mind. Not menacing like the shadow man but it scolded her nevertheless.

“Addie!” An urgent voice called, pulling her from her thoughts.

Turning her head to the source of the voice she saw her grandmother standing there with a panicked look on her face that perfectly mirrored Adline’s. Hearing the old woman gasp she soon started muttering something incomprehensible that Adline could not understand even with her wolf like hearing.

“Addie!” Her grandmother yelled at her again, this time the urgency in the old womans voice was more than a little urgent. “Hurry child come to me!”

Turning her head back towards Ambrose’s possessed body she saw the shadow man’s eyes shift from her to her grandmother and an evil smirk spread quickly to a full blown smile, “well if it isn’t the witch!” His voice was no different to what it had been when he was just a whisp, a shadow and Adline didn’t understand.

Adline got up and ran to her grandmother more than a little confused, “gran.....witch? What is he talking about?” Was that the reason her grandmother had been pushed to the side after her grandfather’s passing? Was that why she was warned to stay away from the woman as a child? Because she wasn’t a werewolf?

“I will explain in a minute child. Right now we have bigger things to worry about.” Adline’s grandmother stepped out in front of her and began speaking in a language Adline had never heard before, “lumen de te malum,” as soon as the shadow man heard the words a terrible cry rang out from his lips.

“No!” He shouted as he began moving towards them. Not running but strangely hovering slowly. “You will not weaken me again!” Anger seemed to radiate through him and Adline could feel its intensity grow.

“Ut nunquam in tenebris,” she continued as Adline watched the shadow man drag himself closer and closer. “Ut luceant in cordibus vestris in caritate et vincere,” Her grandmother put her hand up and drew a diamond in the air. Each point matching a point on his body. As soon as she finished Adlines grandmother, Mollie, took her by the wrist and started dragging her away. “Hurry! Come with me. He’s hindered for now.” She seemed more than a little frazzled as she willingly went with the woman.

“Who is he?” Adline demanded as they ran quickly from the scene. Her heart racing in her chest. Thankfully I was not completely dominated by fear as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

“He is Nox. An old and ancient evil.” Mollie choked out as she ran. “I’m too fat and too old to do two things at once,” she seemed to gasp for air, “I’ll explain we just need to get to my home.” She began tugging Adline again as she turned back and finally lost sight of Nox. She heard him yelling but now that he was out of sight she seemed to relax a little.

So many thoughts clouded Adline however that she didn’t know where to start. Her grandmother was a witch and not a werewolf like her and everyone thought it wise to hide that fact?

It all seemed rather suspicious as Addie ran alongside her grandmother. Soon they approached the edge of town, they were very near Mollie’s home but as they cleared the last street Adline looked to one side and saw a pack of wolves stalking up the street.

Turning her head in the other direction she saw more wolves stalking towards them. Adline and her grandmother were stuck in the middle and needed to pass in order to get to her home.

“Those are Ambroses’ men,” she murmured almost unsurprised. Mollie turned to look towards the forest where the others came from, she didn’t recognize a single one. Looking closer she spied two large and dark coloured wolves on the fringes of the pack. They were short and bulky and resembled her son in many ways, “wait!” She called as she gripped Adlines wrist tightly, “there, look!” She pointed urgently.

As Adline’s gaze fell on the two familiar wolves and instantly she felt both hope and terror as she realised what it meant. Ethan and Nathaniel strode with confidence and what looked like an inherited anger. She worried for them. Turning her attention back towards the front of the impossibly large pack she spied Kane walking slightly behind another. Someone she knew well but was instantly annoyed to see. David Carriere.

The short time she had been in Kane’s home she had come to realise something. David Carriere was not a nice person. Though many might have assumed the same could be said for Kane she knew now that he was everything people said he was but at least he had a good heart.

Looking back on her encounters with David she remembered and felt differently. He was arrogant and flashy and rather over the top. She suddenly found herself glad that she and Kane had crossed paths, that she found her mate and that he hadn’t let her carry on with the rest of her pack towards David and his.

It didn’t take long for Kane to spot Adline and before long he ran towards her excitedly. As he drew closer to the pair and saw the wounds to Adline he stooped lower and sniffed. Against his wolf form she was absolutely tiny. His nose pressed against her skin and she winced slightly at the pain of the bruising as he tried to figure out who had done this to her. It didn’t take long till he picked up his brothers scent.

In a flash Kane was checking every inch of her to make sure nothing else had happened. It bothered him greatly that it was Luce’s scent marking her skin instead of his. It should have been him marking her skin with his scent, with his touch, with his everything but instead all he could smell was Luce.

“Kane listen to me,” she grabbed his head and tried to steady him. “We have a bigger problem now. It isn’t just Luce and Ambrose we have to worry about. It’s something else, someone else. Nox.......I think that’s what gran called him.” As soon as the name left her lips she noticed a change in his behavior. He became whiny and uncertain. He stepped backwards and let his ears lay flat against his head.

He was frightened.

“Looks like he knows who you’re talking about,” Mollie concluded grimly as she took a look at him. “So that’s the one that marked your leg huh,” she gave a gentle huff of air as she looked him over. It wasn’t the time to get sentimental and clucky over her grand daughters mate. “Listen big fella! We need to get to my home over there in that field. We need to get inside and stay there. You and your pack need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Nox doesn’t play around. He won’t keep any of you alive.”

As much as Adline tried to keep herself calm she could feel her grandmother’s worry and concern. She could feel her powerlessness and helplessness. What were they going to do?

The only thing she had to deal with was losing her parents and her pack. Now suddenly she had some supernatural dick head to contend with.

All Adline wanted was a life to call her own. A life where she didn’t need to worry for her future, a settled life. It seemed that anything Adline wanted was too much for the universe to grant.

As she stood there thinking about her situation a loud howl rang through her ears. Looking back towards the wolves on both sides a couple broke ranks and ran towards their enemies. Before long both sides were well and truly on the attack.

Kane threw his gigantic head back and howled a long, eerie and somewhat mournful howl. Adline watched as three other wolves appeared from the undergrowth and padded towards them. How many others were hiding there?

Before long Mollie and Adline were surrounded by gigantic wolves. Kane pushed Adline towards one of them in what seemed like an effort to get her to speak.

“We need to get through the wolves and to the house in that field! Help us.” Adline begged the wolves as she turned again to look at Kane.

In an instant she found herself shrouded in a veil of coarse fur as Kane pressed and rubbed himself against her. He moved quickly and before turning from her to join the fight he licked the side of her face leaving Adline standing in a cloud of joy and annoyance. While she now smelled like him her face was also dripping with wolf spit.

“Let’s go Addie. I know it won’t be long before that bastard catches up.” Mollie needed to get to her potions cupboard to gather what she needed to put a stop to Nox and his evil desire for total destruction. “Bloody bastard couldn’t wait till I was dead to crawl his way out of that bloody hole,” Mollie groaned as they were surrounded by wolves.

“Gran.” Mollie heard Adline’s gentle voice. “I’m going to shift as well. I don’t want anything to happen. You need to do whatever it takes to defeat him. Or weaken him.” Adline wasn’t quite sure what it was she had to do but she needed to do it.

Adline crouched behind the wolves and concentrated on what she needed to do. Shifting had always been difficult for her and so she rarely did it. As she concentrated with all her might she felt the familiarity of her bones break, the searing pain that ran coursed and surged through every inch of her suddenly fragile body, the shifting and changing, the pulling and shrinking of bones, tissue and skin. Before long she stood on all fours in her bulky wolf form.

“Oh shit,” groaned Mollie as Adline Ed turned and looked at her. “We’re all fucking doomed.” The look on Mollies face was one of annoyance and anger.

Sitting on her haunches Adline looked down at herself. There was nothing different about her. She still had her grey, silver coat with the white patch on her stomach that stretched up to her throat. Perhaps it was something she couldn’t see?