The Alpha and I

Chapter 14

I jumped as my phone rang loudly, startling me awake. I realized that Peter was no longer laying next to me and sighed. I looked at the clock on my phone, groaning as I saw it was only 4:41. The sky was dark blue with a hint of a sunrise peaking in between the trees. The caller ID read Mom and I let out an surprised gasp before quickly answering the phone.

'Mom?!'

'Are you ready for a story?' A silky voice answered. I had never heard it before, but it definitely wasn't my mom's.

'Who is this? Where's my mom?!'

'There once was a lonely tiger. It had only one friend, the lion. The tiger would do anything for the lion. And that was it's fatal flaw. One day, the lion was captured by a wolf. The wolf knew that the lonely tiger would come and save the lion, no matter what the cost. The tiger found it's friend chained to a tree, beaten and weak; on the verge of death. But instead of leaving it's dying friend like it should have, the tiger attempted to rescue the lion. But the wolf was watching, much to the tiger's dismay. The wolf took aim and pounced on the tiger, making the lion yell out as it watched the tiger roar in agony. But the tiger continued to try and loosen the bonds holding back the lion, despite it's state of numbing agony. The wolf laughed, knowing that the tiger would die and the lion would never break free. The tiger shed a final tear as it begged for mercy. But the wolf showed no mercy, only laughed again; no doubt he was a deviant. He beat the lion again and again, laughing like a demon as the tiger cried out for it's only real friend. The tiger roared when the lion's eyes closed for the last time. The wolf smiled; he would feast tonight. You have ten minutes to save your lion. Come to the school auditorium. And do avoid getting shot. The wolf is watching.'

I sat rigid on my bed, shocked by the man's devilish voice and terrifying story. Then it hit me like a brick; my mom had been taken. But that meant... she must be awake! I grabbed my phone and hurriedly slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Throwing on my untied shoes and rushing out the door, phone in hand, I had one thought in mind. I was going to save my mother.

I jumped on my bike and sped out the driveway, heading for the school. I took a shortcut through a field and was soon in front of the school; doors leading to the large auditorium. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fumbled to answer it, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

The terrifyingly-smooth voice was there again saying, 'you had better hurry. Your lion is in a quite horrid shape.'

The phone clicked again and I felt a wave of anger wash over me.

I threw the now useless bike onto the ground and ran towards the hopefully unlocked doors. They opened with a soft click and I ran inside, hearing them thud shut behind me. I stepped into the pure darkness of the auditorium, my senses on high alert. I heard a soft whimper towards the front of the large room and ran towards it, stumbling in the darkness. Suddenly, a bright spotlight shone on the stage and I squinted to see a hunched over figure in the center. The figure seemed to move slightly, it's head hanging limp. As I drew closer, I realized that the figure was my mom. She was very obviously beaten and weak, her hands tied and her mouth gagged. I ran up to her, my heart racing from a mix of adrenaline and fear. I slid beside her and raised her head gently to look at the extent of her injuries. Her face was covered in blood and sweat, her hair sticking and matted. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, only for a moment, before shutting again. I pulled the gag out of her mouth and let it rest around her neck.

'It's a trap,' I heard her mutter so quietly, I could barely hear it. Her voice was weak; broken.

'I know, but before I deal with that, I need to get you safe,' I said reassuringly and continued struggling to undo the bonds holding her.

'You should listen to your lion,' a familiar, terrifyingly-soothing voice said behind me. I whipped around and stood in front of my mom defensively as I stared at the figure in front of me. He had short black hair that was smoothed down and neat. He was slightly taller than me and wore a dark gray coat with the collar up and a white shirt underneath. As he stalked closer, I could see that he was handsome and had black glasses on and was carrying a walking stick; he must be blind.

'Deucalion. Hello,' he said, answering my unasked question, with a smug tinge to his voice.

'What do you want with me?' Though I tried to sound tough, my voice was shaky with fear.

I could see his lips curl upwards in a devilish smile. He was only a few feet from me now, standing in front of the stage.

'I want to hear you scream,' he said in an almost whisper. I tensed my muscles and instinctively stood in front of my mom. I knew that this was what he wanted; for me to protect my lion.

He laughed harshly and I glared in return. My mom whimpered behind me and I immediately knelt beside her to make sure she was alright. She, very obviously, was not alright in the slightest bit. I moved behind her, my eyes still on Deucalion, and gently attempted to untie the bonds holding her hands. I saw Deucalion smile deviously and remembered the story. The wolf was watching.

I felt a blossom of pain in my ankle and yelled out. My once gentle hands now gripped the ropes tightly as I tried to suppress more cries. The pain shot up my leg and I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek. Despite the numbing pain, I reached out and undid the last knot holding back my mom's hands. I looked down at my likely shattered ankle and saw only red. Red stained my still untied shoes and seeped onto the shiny stage. I could feel the warm blood soak my shoes and smelled the coppery liquid.

A man with short blonde hair and a pistol in his hand walked onto the stage and approached us. I attempted to move in front of mom again but failed with a cry of pain and settled for cradling her head in my arms. The man smiled and walked quicker. When he was finally next to us, he pried mom from my arms and rose the pistol as if to strike her.

'No!' I yelled with as much force as I could muster. 'Please let her go. I'm begging you, I'll do anything. Please,' I begged, my eyes focused on Deucalion with the knowledge that he was the control center of this masquerade. My eyes were pleading, my voice cracking in pain and fear for my mom. Deucalion grinned widely and rose his hands in mock defeat. The man dropped his grasp from mom and instead stalked slowly towards me. My face was a mask of fear and pain, no confusion as to what was about to happen.

When the man was standing at my feet, he rose his boot and stomped onto my shattered ankle. I screamed in pain, hearing the echo in the large room. The agony was blinding and my vision darkened around the edges. Warm tears cascaded down my cheeks and I whimpered softly. I turned my head weakly towards my mom and whispered a soft 'I'm sorry' before slipping into unconsciousness, the pain being too much.