An Alpha's Alpha

Silence

Saf's paws thudded against the forest floor, the smells of the trees, leaves and dirt filling her senses. Her wolf's eyes closed and she felt her mind stretch out, plotting the world around. Trees loomed and she easily sailed around them, on the distance of her senses she could feel heartbeats mingling, blood rushing.

She knew Leah and Kelsey would be close behind her, following her every step. She would track J quicker than the others, she could see further, deeper in the world than the average wolf. Most wolves would have slammed into a tree by now with their eyes closed, yet for Saf it gave her a whole new perspective, a wider view of the world.

J. She could sense her, smell her scent carried on the wind. Blood, too. So much blood. Saf slowed, eager to make a plan before rushing in. J was the fighter in the pack, Saf the tracker, Leah the healer and Kelsey - well she used to be good with knives, but these days it was lucky if she didn't suddenly disappear mid-fight.

'They're about 25 metres up ahead. I think if we split up we'll have more luck in surprising them. Leah, go left, there's blood everywhere so J or Cassidy may need healing. Kelsey, you just-' Saf paused, her wolf's eyes assessing the distracted wolf in front of her. 'Just try to stay safe.'

Saf nodded her head towards the fight in signal to the other wolves to go. With a deep breath, she turned and ran.

*

So much blood, so much destruction, only one target. Jake's wolf reared back as Caine's teeth sunk into the flesh of his belly. The pain was lost on him as he spun away and lashed back at him, teeth gnashing together, just missing Caine's neck. The whole world was lost to Jake, nothing mattered beyond killing Caine.

His wolf refused to acknowledge the unmoving wolf in the distance. Refused to admit what he'd lost.

Caine growled and leapt forwards. Jake, distracted, stumbled back and landed with a thud, pain ricocheting up through his spine. Jakes paws held Caine up above him, Caine's teeth snapping inches from his face. Drool dripped onto Jake's face, blood mixing from numerous wounds.

Using his back legs, Jake managed to kick Caine off him, sending him stumbling to the side. Jake leapt up and rounded on him, spying the flesh of Caine's neck, when a voice caught his attention.

"J-Jake?" She whispered.

*

Cassidy wasn't sure if she was dead. She had a feeling she might be. Her body wasn't quite hers, her mind too drowsy, but that smell. The one tinged with iron. That shouldn't be there, should it? It was familiar, that smell. A smell that reminded her of danger.

Something wasn't right.

She tried to crack an eyelid, tried to take a look around but her eyes wouldn't function. She tried to lift a hand but her limbs wouldn't co-operate.

A noise, something that sounded like an animal dying filled her ears. What was that noise?

A tingling began somewhere over her chest, it filled her with warmth, lighting every nerve ending. She knew this feeling. This had happened before. Leah. Leah was healing her. She'd felt this sensation before, knew the effort it took, the toll it would take on her friend.

Slowly she was able to open one eye, then two. Her vision was blurred but slowly focused on Leah's face. She looked pale, sweaty, her face strained as wounds opened and closed on her skin. Cassidy tried to tell her to stop, but the words wouldn't form.

Just over Leah's head, she could see Kelsey, surprisingly she was taking an active part in the fighting. Cassidy could smell Liam nearby too, though couldn't see him.

She coughed and pain arched through her, stealing her breath. As her limbs gained more strength, she was able to push Leah's hands off of her, the wolf going to protest before slumping backwards, knowing she was dangerously weak.

Cassidy sat up, her eyes searching the battle. The number of wolves seemed to have multiplied, Cassidy couldn't tell who was on which side. She spotted J, she looked wounded but unrelenting, slaughtering anyone who got too close.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she wondered where Caine was. Instinctively, her hand rose to her throat, searching for a mating mark, but it hadn't worked - Leah had been able to heal the wound which meant the mating claim didn't work.

Relief flooded her system but was chased by fear as the battle parted and she noticed Caine and Jake fighting, Caine looming over Jake, ready to strike the final blow.

"J-Jake." She whispered, just as Jake managed to kick Caine off of him.

Jake's head snapped towards her, his wolf recognising her instantly, some of the tension leaving his face, his eyes screaming words they couldn't wait to say.

But she'd made a mistake. She'd distracted him. Distracted him just long enough for Caine to regain his footing. She shouted out, trying to warn him, but knew it would be too late. Caine was charging Jake, Jake's attention still on her, worried by the look on her face.

Cassidy could only watch as Caine's wolf launched at Jake, claws and teeth outstretched. He knocked the larger wolf to the ground, wrapping his mouth around his neck. He clamped his teeth tightly and shook.

Cassidy's breath caught in her throat, nausea rushing through her.

Caine's eyes raised up and locked with hers, a smile despite the wolf hanging limb from between his teeth. Without another thought, Caine threw Jake to the side, his body cracking as it hit a nearby tree. Jake didn't move again.

The world narrowed, silence filling Cassidy's ears. The only sound was the rushing of her blood, as the battle cries and howls drifted from her. She watched Jake, waited, waited for him to stand up and move again.

She waited and waited, but knew he wasn't going to move again. The angles were wrong. She could tell that from here.

Everything was wrong.

She took a deep breath, tears pricking at her eyes. Slowly, her eyes slid from Jake and across the muddied ground until she reached Caine's paws. Her eyes shot up across his chest and onto his face. She was still in her human form, and he in his wolf form, the silver still dug at her flesh to remind her of her limitation, though suddenly that didn't seem so important.

Against Leah's protests, she climbed to her feet, her left leg not fully healed. With Caine in her sights, she limped across the clearing, his eyes meeting hers. Fire burned beneath her skin, her wolf tearing itself inside out at its inability to escape. The world lost colour as her wolf took over and claws slid from her human hands. Half human-half wolf, she stumbled towards Caine, driven by an anger she'd never expected, driven by her need for revenge.

A small voice reminded her that Jake was dead, but she couldn't handle that right now. She squished the voice out of her mind and let go, allowing her wolf to control her human frame. Caine got ready to pounce as she neared him, but at this point, she really didn't care.