Song of the Alpha, page 2
part #9 of Full Moon Series Series
“It's out, over there. A good mile or so.” He gave a kind smile and pointed his finger in the direction he was explaining.
Megan sighed. “We were told it was close.”
The guy shook his head as if to say, you’ve been given the wrong info, lady. “What do you want a wooded area for, anyway?” he asked curiously.
“We need to bury a body,” Kelvin said, keeping a straight face. “Nah! Just kidding.”
The guy wasn’t sure what to think. “Well, if you’re wanting… He raised his finger and pointed, his keys hanging from his fingertips. “Um, a wooded area, the lake’s just a couple of hundred meters the other side of the expressway. Lake Breeze, on your right, can't miss it.”
“Well, thank you mister,” Kelvin replied as he began doing jumping jacks to limber up.
Megan gave Gabriel a kiss on the cheek (a token gesture) and she said she’d catch up with Maria, Dustin, and Kelvin. They jogged off, and Megan walked back in the direction of the motel. She veered off and crossed the parking lot.
Megan hadn’t forgotten anything, she had to do something. She spent a few minutes doing it, and then she headed off toward the lake. She could smell the water and the forest. Her senses heightened. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket.
Megan: It’s done.
“A new sunrise shows every flaw, paying for the night before.”
Chapter 2
Born to be Wild
“I’ll stay with you for a thousand years; nothing will touch you in our golden years.”
Dustin was excited, it bordered on being aroused. And for him, that was really saying something. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a hunt for food, and for fun. Previously, they had all the hunters to contend with; and it was at that same time that Sanders was making his appearance known.
The trees were close. He heard the rustle of the leaves with his wolf senses. Water lapped against the shore of the lake. Thoughts of pain in his ribs and fingers vanished minutes ago. His mind was at one with nature and his inner wolf was healing his human body at a faster rate.
“Are you ready?” he asked. Maria and Kelvin nodded. They started to change into their wolf forms.
They bounded down the grass embankment as they heard a cry in the night. They glanced over their shoulders. Megan dashed toward them as she changed. Her one good eye flashed fuchsia, and the other one flashed in a color that was a blurry white, being of no use to her in its new blindness state. She rushed past and disappeared into the woods. Her head tilted as she howled up to the darkened sky.
“She’s keen!” Kelvin cleared the fence. “She’s either hungry or very angry.”
“Wouldn’t you be angry if you’d got a face full of scar and were blinded,” Maria remarked.
Kelvin grinned. “You know, I couldn’t think of a better person for it to happen to. I don’t really like her.”
Dustin leaped over the fence and flexed his shoulders. “Keep comments of that nature to yourself. She’s a little on the touchy side, especially right now.”
Dustin vanished into the undergrowth. He felt instant revitalization. His wolf took over as he ran through the underbrush. Wisps of green brushed over his face. All pain vanished from his body as the last remnants of discoloration faded, deep under his fur. He snapped at thin branches in excitement, he was back to his old self, and the weight which had been weighing him down lifted, even if it was only slightly. It hadn’t vanished, but it had definitely shifted somewhat.
The real burden now sat with Gabriel who sat alone in the diner waiting for his order to arrive. That thought was far from Dustin’s mind as he neared the shore of the lake. He broke cover. His paws crunched the small gravel under his steps as he walked toward the water's edge. Ripples on the lake glistened like streamers as the moon broke cover. He peered up and was thankful there was no sign of a storm. He bowed his head and looked at his reflection before his tongue touched the surface of the water, and he drank. He saw the reflection of his wolf. He was getting old. Kelvin was right to call him an old man who smelled of earth. Maybe this venture with Gabriel would be his last. The further he went and the more he did, the greater the toll on his body. Wounds took longer to heal and he pondered over the fact that one day his inner wolf wouldn’t have the energy to repair a wound. He sighed as he licked his lips; the fresh-tasting water felt cold as it ran down the back of his throat.
Kelvin sprang from the undergrowth. His paws dug into the small gravel pebbles which sent them into motion, and it skimmed them toward the water’s edge like brownish marbles in a child’s game.
“There’s a deer a couple of hundred yards upwind. Are you ready for a kill?” he asked Dustin.
Dustin’s hunched wolf turned to Kelvin. You bet your ass I am,” he replied. “Lead the way.”
Kelvin and Dustin ran back up the narrow path. They approached the clearing where the deer foraged for the wet green leaves. Kelvin stopped and sniffed. The moon cast a silvery veil over the clearing as Dustin soaked up the scent of the deer as it raised its head. It glanced in their direction as it chewed merrily.
“You go to the left, and I’ll come in from the right.”
Kelvin nodded and crept along the path. His eyes were fixed on the deer as he stepped, crab-like. His paws fell soft and silent against the padded earth. Dustin breathed deeply and held it for a moment, now stretching his lungs. It’d been a long time since he’d made a kill.
Are you still fast enough?
He exhaled slowly and silently. He mirrored Kelvin and crept around the path in the opposite direction. His paw hit a twig.
“Snap!”
He froze as the deer looked up, startled. A large stand of grass hung from the side of its mouth. The deer’s head glanced around, chicken-like, checking for threats. The forest fell silent, and it carried on chewing.
Dustin met a sizeable moss-covered boulder at the edge of the pathway. He leaped on top and crouched. He watched. He spotted Kelvin’s eyes pushing their way through the undergrowth. The leaves parted as the bridge of his snout made its way into the clearing. The deer lifted its head and bolted in Dustin's direction once it saw Kelvin's form pushing its way toward it. It shot toward the path where Dustin was, he was ready in a hungry and very excited waiting stance. The deer zigzagged as Dustin’s coiled legs sprang. He hurled himself toward the opening of the clearing. The deer smashed into his ribs as his neck contorted. His teeth sank into the neck of the deer as they both rolled over in the final moments of motion. The final pumps of the deer’s heart were swift. The hot saltiness rushed through Dustin's veins. He stood and looked down at the lifeless body as Kelvin trotted across the clearing.
“You still got it, old man,” he quipped.
“Yeah! But for how long?”
Dustin and Kelvin buried their muzzles in the deer while it was still warm. Maria pushed herself through the thick bushes. She complimented Dustin on a good kill and joined in the feast.
“I could smell this; from way back there,” she said, right after she swallowed. “I’m not sure where Megan is, though.”
They finished their fill and heard a crack of twigs behind them. They started to hide. “It’s me,” Megan said in a sorrowful tone.
“What’s up?” Maria asked.
“This fucking blind eye. I'm way off being able to hit a target. As soon as something moves to my right, I can’t see it,” she remarked.
“Have your fill here. That’s what packs are for.” Maria urged Megan to enjoy the fruits of Dustin's kill.
Megan frowned. That wasn’t exactly what she meant. She quickly found out that she’d now become unable to support herself in a wild habitat. Any animal that might quickly dart from one direction to another was an issue. She’d lose sight of it, and by the time she countered, it would more-than-likely escape. She heaved a tremendous sigh and rammed her nuzzle into the warm succulent belly of the deer.
Kelvin watched as she ate. Her eye (the good one) flashed a golden hue. He saw it before, and Megan, as he knew, normally had a pinkish tone in her wolf form.
Maybe a trick of the light…
Kelvin tossed the stripped carcass into the bushes. They headed to the lake to wash and drink. They turned into their human forms as they stepped into the shimmering water. Water dripped into the lake as a crimson cloud formed where they stood. The lake was tainted by the color of death, and in Dustin’s case, satisfaction.
They waded further into the lake to wash. Kelvin licked his lips as Maria changed back to her human form. Her nipples were already hardened from the night-chilled water.
“I know you’re looking,” she said.
“Yep, can you blame me?” he asked, stepping back onto the shore.
Maria flicked her wet hair over her shoulder and wiped her face. “I can’t blame you, but it doesn’t mean you have to.”
“The only way you could stop me noticing is if I was blind.” He lowered his head realizing Megan probably overheard his words.
Mouth faster than the brain. Shit. Dustin had warned him about thinking before speaking on many previous occasions.
“Sorry!” He glanced back to Megan who adjusted her bandana.
“We’d better get back to Gabriel,” she said bluntly, without uttering another word after that.
Kelvin, you smart-mouthed jerk. You can go straight to the top of my favorite people list. The ones I’m going to kill when the time is right.
“How hard is it to get wheels for a van?” Sanders yelled. It was obvious (when some mechanics were turned into vlads) that Sanders was very mad about the situation. “These freaking hybrids better do as they’re supposed to do. The last thing I want is a race full of half-wits.”
“Calm down,” Tanya remarked. “You’re no use to anyone if you have a heart attack or anything.”
“I know, but come on. It’s not exactly hard to do, is it?”
Tanya watched Sanders as he ranted and raved, seemingly mad at the entire world for not aiding his professed anarchy. He’d showed his true colors, and she saw deep inside him for what sort of ruler he’d be. She was happy at the moment because he possessed no reason to be upset with her. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t in control of the way things were panning out, but it’d all be put right, especially once he was back making all of the decisions. It would be much easier when he took over the entire world. That was the goal; the end plan.
The gate opened to the rear of the theater. A breakdown truck reversed in, with four brand new wheels and tires.
“Sorry, boss,” one of the vlads said.
Sanders looked like he was about to scream, but the guy appeared to possess a little more up top than most of the others put together. “Just get those wheels on so we can get moving. We need to make up some time.”
He vanished inside as the breakdown guy started fitting the wheels to the vehicle. Sanders told Tanya to wait in the yard, and when the wheels were installed he wanted her to turn the breakdown guy. They might as well have someone on their side who knew how to fix vehicles… for once.
Sanders walked through the old foyer of the theater. He looked at the old matinee posters that were hanging on the walls. It was red flocked wallpaper, curled from the walls as trickles of water seeped from the shot roof that sat high above him. The stench of mold filled the air. Sanders relished in the rot and decay. It wasn’t ideal, although it was a glimpse into his world. A footstep to something he would’ve created. Whoever wanted to join him and worship him; fine. All the others could rot in hell for all he cared. And he didn’t care overly much; truth be told. His mind lacked the innate empathy that humans were normally born with. For Sanders, it only meant something to him if it benefited him.
He sat in the chair and put his feet onto the old desk. His knurled fingers were clasped behind his head and he closed his eyes. A tight smile appeared on his face. He pictured what had happened and what was going to happen. The struggles would be worth it in the end. From six months of aggravation, to an eternity of bliss, it was a fair exchange. He could see the end game in his mind’s eye.
The pack had only narrowly missed their chance for Gabriel to become a wolf. The shaman possessed all he needed, but Megan had made sure she wasn’t in a state to help him. All the effort Sanders had wasted to find the same shaman, and she wasn’t even powerful enough to help him. In Sanders’ mind… that prick Kelvin, he’d spent so much time and effort on him. But he wasn’t a hybrid, after all. The honor fell to his twin sister, and she was no use. Drake was the only male who was a first-born hybrid. He knew that for sure, and now he knew where they were, or at least, he knew the city’s location. Declan would know they were coming, but Sanders now took the advantage, and they’d never know until it was all too late. Sanders also knew the location of the shaman who could help. The pack would shit bricks when they found out.
My dear friends, you have no idea what’s coming your way…
His eyes opened when he heard a creak at the door. Tanya walked in, wiping the small trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. “All finished, all turned and ready to move,” she said.
Sanders swung his legs from the desk and stood. “It's about fucking time. Now they’re five or six hours ahead of us, already. Megan texted and said she’s managed to slow them down so we can leapfrog them with some luck.”
Sanders continued to explain he wanted Tanya and some of the others to spread out around Miami and turn as many as they could. He pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
He looked at her with a serious gaze. “When we get to Miami, send a few guys to that location and tell them to start turning people. We need to spread out. They might be collateral damage in the end, but once we get to the final shaman with Drake, there’ll be more than enough volunteers to replace them.”
They walked from the office. Sanders flicked the switch for the light. Thank god I’ll never set foot in this dump again.
“What do you want to do with this place?” Tanya asked.
“Let it rot. I’d say torch it, but it’s too freaking damp to burn,” he belted out, now raising his arms in a crucifix pose. “Leave the doors open and the corpses will burn in damnation.”
“Are you not bothered by how many we’ve lost here?”
Sanders stopped walking. He turned quickly. The length of his long coat swung like a loose drape in a Caribbean breeze. He pointed at Tanya and screwed his face up.
Please don’t yell, she thought.
“Tanya, all these bodies here didn’t do something they should’ve done,” he explained.
“What was that?”
“They should’ve fought harder and not have underestimated the pack,” he explained. “That’s what they should’ve done.”
Sanders walked around kicking his feet at the dead bodies. Deep in his mind it was a loss, but other thoughts were more important. Only the strong would survive. He knew this fact, wholeheartedly.
The van sat idling in the yard. The breakdown guy stood next to the van and was rubbing his neck. His uniform was spotted with blood (his own), and he waited for Sanders to speak.
Sanders climbed onto an old crate. The vlads huddled together in a sea of conformity. Paled faces stood in awe as he held his hands in front of him (palms faced upward).
He spoke like thunder. “Directly to Miami. No stopping, apart from gasoline. Time is of the essence.”
“What about toilet breaks?” a voice called from the rear of the crowd.
Sanders stepped from his crate and walked through the gap which opened up in the group. It parted like Moses and the Red Sea. One vlad stood alone. Sanders towered above him. He looked down and heaved a huge breath. He lowered his head and bared his teeth. The vlad trembled. A sizeable damp patch and a puddle appeared around his feet. Sanders glanced down at the steaming yellow liquid.
“You don’t need to stop on the way now, do you?”
“I’ll stay with you for a thousand years; nothing will touch you in our golden years.”
Chapter 3
Spaghetti Incident
“The dark is dug up by dogs of night; the sun’s stitches are torn and broke. It is the raw meat upon which many a dog of night choke.”
Gabriel exited the diner; he began patting his belly as the rest of the pack arrived back at the parking lot. He felt stuffed to the rafters and from the look on their faces (apart from Megan) they’d had their fill and were satisfied.
He sighed from overeating. “Good hunt?”
Dustin walked like a man who’d won the lottery. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed that,” he said.
Gab smiled. “Just think how the hell I’ll feel when I get back to being a wolf. I’ll be a hunt virgin all over again.”
“Gab, you’re full of shit. You know it’s like riding a bike, and from what Declan said, you were a natural born killer.”
“Yeah! If he couldn’t kill it, he wanted to fuck it,” Megan piped up, finally mustering a smile.
“We’d better get back, we’ve got some miles to get under our belt tomorrow,” Dustin said as they walked back toward the motel.
Megan walked in front, she was followed by Dustin and Kelvin who laughed and joked as they always did. Gabriel and Maria thought it was good to see Dustin back to his old self for once.
Gabriel found time to linger further back and talk to Maria with no one else being able to hear. “I called Declan again,” he said.
Maria moved forward and then looked to her side. “You’ve brought him up to speed on everything?”
“Yeah. I made sure he knew Sanders could be there at any time and that Drake was his priority.” Gabriel also began talking about something Maria hadn’t even considered. He wasn’t even sure anyone had considered it. “Then there’s Tiffany,” he said.
“Geez! That’s a name from the past,” Maria remarked. “What made you think of her?”
