Trespassing Into The Alpha's Heart

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

My heart was practicing playing the drums as blood dripped like honey from my skin, tainting the fallen leaves on the ground. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion even though I was hurrying through the woods, trying to locate the road like my life depended on it. I suppose it did. If the wounds that were draining me didn't do the trick, Talon realising I had smashed my way out of captivity would certainly lead to my demise.

          I couldn't believe I was actually in this situation. Last week I was on the beach with my friends who threw me a bonfire to wish me well at summer camp, and now I was in the middle of nowhere, barefoot, bleeding and practically limping, trying to find a way out the darkness.

          It didn't help that I couldn't remember the journey to the party, either, as the sky had been displaying an absence of light ever since Talon and I left our date. So I was really just making it up as I went along. Still, I kept going, rushing through the blur of trees where I could see a street lamp in the distance. 

          Suddenly, a growling noise reverberated around the seemingly desolate woods, resembling that of an unfriendly animal. When I turned around to identify the source of the sound, the leaves rustled and I knew it wasn't due to the wind, but there was nothing there. I swallowed and focused my attention in front of me again, refusing to be shaken.

          And then I saw it. The giant, furry, four-legged creature who snarled upon drinking me in despite its beautiful appearance. The wolf was standing two metres away holding my wide stare with its own yellow eyes before they darted from the heels dangling from one hand, to the blood dripping from the other, and then the bright red colour that had used my bare leg as a canvas. I totally should have worn jeans.

          I was frozen, having never encountered the mammal before. All I knew was they usually travelled in small packs which included their mated other, and humans were rarely their desired snack. I hoped it didn't start howling and calling other wolves, or decide it needed more protein in its diet in the form of a teenage girl.

          "Don't panic, Avalon," I told myself in a hushed voice, keeping my eyes on the wolf's as I took a step to the side, needing to manoeuvre around it if I was going to reach the road alive. "It's harmless. Just keep walking."

          The wolf seemed to react to hearing my name, cocking its head to the side and studying me intently from head to toe. I felt my breath hitch when it walked closer but I didn't dare move, knowing it would be perceived as a sign of fear which might have been exactly what the animal wanted. When it was close enough, it sniffed, putting its muzzle dangerously close to Talon's jacket that I was still wearing. I felt my stomach drop but I swallowed even though my mouth was dry, and I was sure the animal could hear how violently my heart was thumping against my chest.

          Thankfully it backed away from me and took one last stare, almost curiously but I probably imagined it, before turning and running in the direction it emerged from. Something about the look in the wolf's eyes looked almost. . . human, making me think it wouldn't have harmed me anyway.

          I exhaled before running as best as I could, clutching my shoes and focusing ahead in case anything else freaked me out. After one last hop of determination, I made it out the woods and on dry grass. Everything was suddenly drenched in light from the row of street lamps, and the moon and its stars which weren't hidden by trees any more.

          I hugged Talon's jacket tighter around my chest as I crossed the wide and empty road, feeling overdressed for a visit to the gas station. When I ran my fingers through my hair I noticed that my braid had come undone and the messy waves cascaded freely over my shoulders, so I probably looked like I had crawled out of a crime scene. At least I had bothered to put my heels back on despite the blisters and dirt on my feet, not wanting to look like a drunk tourist who couldn't find the way back to her hotel.