The Alpha's Mutt

It was the middle of the night; everything was dead silent in the pack lands. The only wolves that remained up at this time were the guards on duty along the border. It was a night like any other night. That was until…

Screams rang out ripping through the silence with a deafening roar causing me to shoot awake at the horrid sound. I could smell the faint stench of blood that hung in the air, wafting in through my open bedroom window. I could hear the sounds of snarls in the distance and the howling from the warriors as they warned the pack members.

I knew what this all meant…the pack was under attack, either from a rival pack or perhaps a group of rogues. All the warriors were expected to run and join the fight along with the higher-ranking members of the pack. All other members of the pack such as non-warrior females, Omegas, the elderly, and the children were expected to run to the pack house to be guarded by the Luna. Since we had no Luna, the responsibility would fall to the Beta Female, meaning Alessa.

I would be left to fend for myself. Alessa would not be joining me to offer her protection this time as she would be responsible for the pack. I was not allowed to find sanctuary within the pack house like the other untrained wolves. I would be all alone with only the walls of my cabin to keep me protected. I prayed that I, somehow, survived the night.

I rushed around to all the windows, slamming them shut. I forced the wooden shutters closed over them to offer a bit more protection and to keep the attackers from being able to see inside my cabin. I ran to the door and made certain to lock it tight. I slid the table over to it and propped it up against the doorway, hoping that it would act as an additional barrier.

I sat in silence and stared into the darkness from the corner of the room farthest from the front door. I tuned into the sounds of battle going on somewhere in the pack lands, listening for the sounds of my pack members. Any noise that would alert me to the fact that the danger had passed.

But the danger had not passed. My wolf senses were actually picking up that the danger was closer than I had thought. I could smell a putrid stench and I was certain that a rogue was near my cabin. My only solace in the fact that it was night, and I would be able to shift, if necessary.

The scent grew stronger and began to overwhelm my senses. I could hardly focus on anything else as my fear zeroed in on my potential attacker. I could hear the distinct sound of claws scrapping against the boards on the outside of my cabin. I scrunched in on myself trying to be as small as possible. I knew they could smell me but until they got inside, they could not see me. I prayed to the Goddess to spare my life, as miserable as things may have been, I did not wish to die.

There was slam against my door, followed by another. I used my wolf vision to help me see through the darkness and I watched as the door began to buckle and splinter ever so slightly. All number of horrifying scenarios began to play through my mind. I was an unmated female of a pack that they were choosing to attack. He could kill me on the spot, take me as his slave or any number of ghastly things in between. Only one thing was for certain, it was unlikely that I would get out of this in one piece.

The door crashed open, busting away from its hinges just as I thought it was about to split in half, the table acting as very little additional protection. A mangy rogue with filthy matted fur stood in my doorway with a wild look in his eye. It was obvious that this creature was more beast than man. I could not reason with him; my only hope was to shift and pray that I could outmaneuver him somehow. There was no other way to survive the torments that he likely had in mind.

I was just about to begin my shift. I did not shift often, and I worried that it may happen a little slowly, leaving me open to attack during the change. I chastised myself for not having thought to shift before I was in immediate danger. I truly was the worst wolf alive. No wonder my pack hated me; I was a complete liability, such a disgrace to the wolf species.

I was pulled from my inner monologue by a snarl. I began to shake as I watched the rogue approach me. It was shift now and take the risk or die trying anyway. I took a deep breath and then...a powerful howl erupted through the air, reverberating off the walls. It was certainly not the howl of the rogue; he was not powerful enough to cause that kind of reaction.

My senses were flooded with the distinct aroma of peppermint and pine. Then I was certain that I knew the source of the howl, Alpha Farris was there. Though I could not begin to fathom why the Alpha would be here. Surely there were more important areas of the pack that he should be defending. Maybe the battle really had come to my front door. It would be the only reason that I could see for the Alpha to be here with me. All of the warriors must be battling right outside my doorway. The knowledge of this caused my fear to rise even more. Getting out of here was not going to be easy at all. If this rogue did not get me, then another likely would.

The rogue turned just in time to see Alpha Farris’s large black wolf come bursting through the door, landing on top of him with a thud. It took the Alpha no time at all to grab the rogue by his throat and twist, snapping its neck with ease. The rogue went limp and died in an instant.

Alpha Farris turned to look at me, I’m certain that he noted the terror on my face. I probably disgusted him because in the next moment, he was lifting the rogue’s body and carrying it out of my cabin without another glance in my direction. I was unsure what to do, but I knew that I was unprotected in my cabin with no door. I immediately shifted into my silver-gray wolf. At least, I could defend myself better this way.

Alpha Farris returned a few moments after I had finished my shift and stared at me curiously. I was not sure if he had ever seen my wolf before, but if he had not, then he was probably surprised by my coloring. Most wolves fur matched their human hair color. But for some unexplained reason, my fur matched the color of my eyes instead. This was an anomaly among wolf-kind. I had also been told once before that it was not even a common occurrence for a mutt. There was no explanation for my odd coloration.

Alpha Farris had grunted for me to follow him with a tilt of his head, and I obliged although I could not understand why he had returned at all. When we stepped outside of the cabin, I expected to be greeted by the scene of a horrific battle, yet none of the other warriors or rogues appeared to be anywhere near us.

“Why had Alpha Farris been near my cabin if the battle was not there?” I wondered, my confusion growing.

I followed Alpha Farris in silence as we were unable to communicate in wolf-form since I was not allowed to be a part of the pack’s mindlink. We stopped just behind the pack house and Alpha Farris quickly shifted to his human-form. I turned away from him, blushing at the glimpse I had gotten of his toned, nude body.

“Shift.” He demanded.

I turned to look back at him and saw that he had donned a pair of loose-fitting shorts. He held in his hand an oversized t-shirt and I believed that he was meaning to offer it to me. I took the shirt from his hands, gently, with my mouth. I turned to trot behind the tree line so that I could change in privacy.

“Absolutely not.” Alpha Farris growled, causing me to turn back and face him.

I cocked my head to the side so that he could tell that I was not understanding the issue.

“There are rogues about. We have killed most of them or chased them off, but they could still be nearby. You will need to shift right here, so that I can keep an eye out.”

I grunted in protest, but being stuck in wolf-form, this was all that I could really do to express my displeasure. He rolled his eyes, clearly understanding my meaning.

“I will turn around and watch for others but that is as far as I am going. You are a wolf; you should be more comfortable with nudity in front of another by now.” He turned his back towards me and scanned the horizon.

“I’ve only ever shifted in front of Alessa.” I admitted once I had changed forms and pulled the shirt over my head.

“Hmph.” Was his only response before he turned and headed inside the pack house.

He made a motion for me to follow him…so I did.