Shadows of the Shifter

Chapter 4- Peppermint

"I'll race you to the campus; the winner gets forty bucks!" I yelled, knowing he couldn't refuse a bet to save his life. I might as well have been a pimp selling ass on the side of the street to him. As a college student, we were willing to do way more for less than forty bucks. Hell, if I didn't have what little respect remained, I would be selling myself by the inch.

I dashed off, a curse escaping his lips as he tried to catch up to my meager head start. The darkness of the morning was soft, a thin, cool breeze flowing mindlessly through my hair. He followed behind as we raced through the woods, the sound of desperate toes trailing behind the idea of a bet and the other for our very lives.

With every step, I could only pray they didn't sense me, that my mere existence could be eradicated from the face of the world, never to be seen again.

My prayers fell on deaf ears; the foreigners were getting closer, close to the point I could hear the puffing of snouts and scratching of paws against the dirt.

They were too close for comfort. If nothing was done soon, even Lucas would understand the gravity of this situation. The fear of being ripped apart by wolves did not terrify me; it was the fear of once again losing someone close to me that I loved like a brother.

His face flooded my thoughts; the pull to push them away was outweighed by grief and the reality that Lucas might soon meet my father, way sooner than my tattered heart could take.

My thoughts out of focus led to a quick misstep, and soon my hands were trying to cushion the fall against the cool forest floor. Lucas flew by me and yelled, "Thank you in advance, Hunter!" A pre-celebratory yell echoed but was quickly swallowed up by the stillness of the woods.

"I can still beat you anytime!" He mocked me with a middle finger as his frame disappeared into the trees.

Hunter: "Beta, we have 10 rogues on school trail fourteen, half a mile or so from campus, and need immediate reinforcements."

Beta: "Copy, take a detour and focus their attention from the main path, head west, I'll have surrounding patrol rendezvous with you."

I ended the link, back on my feet as I propelled my body forward heading west, my heart pounding in my ears.

This... this sensation... it was nauseatingly familiar...

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"Hunter, get out of here!" Joshua roared, his form flimsy and damaged, his clawed hand digging in the dirt as he shielded Hunter from glowing eyes and vicious snarls.

Joshua was a man of many things, an alpha, a protector, a husband, but most importantly, a father who would do anything for his son.

Joshua had always known this day would come, the consequences of his past coming in full force, threatening to take everything.

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The marrow within my bones boiled as a beastly rage came to life, threatening to take control.

My breath hitched; suddenly, it became too difficult to breathe. My feet lazily came to a stop as my knee hit the dirt floor, tears welled in my eyes, falling against my will, mixing with my muddied hands as I failed to wipe them away.

The rage inside me burned, a hot flame devouring every last remembrance I had of being human. I was losing control. My bones started to ache, a fresh sensation gripping me by my throat as my jaw filled to the brim with pressure, an awkward familiarity.

This same familiarity that I banished a long time ago. I hated it... I hated him.

I gripped myself tightly as I pushed it back into its cave, the farthest corners of my mind. The more I fought, the wilder its persistence, clawing and ripping apart my mental stability. My back arched, screaming for release, begging for me to just let go, pleading for my body to give in.