The Wilding's Call

6

Brantley's POV:

"What do you mean, this was never supposed to happen?" I asked Reese as I walked over to him and Kolby. "I mean... hell, kid. Your Daddy's Wilding Gene was dormant. The chances of either of you ever shifting or showing ANY signs of carrying the gene were slim to none." He shook his head. "So Big Bro here is an anomaly?" Kolby asked. Reese nodded. "The fact that he presented as an Alpha worries me." He said. "What do you mean, Alpha? I just turned into a fucking wolf in my driveway. If you try to tell me that there's even more to the story, we gonna have a problem, family or not son." I growled. My patience running thin. "Stop growling!" Kolby bared his teeth at me. A rumble started deep in my chest, and I stepped towards my little brother. "Back off boy! You piss him off right now, he'll tear you to shreds!" Reese shoved Kolby out of my reach. He held his hands up and huffed. "Fine!" He snapped. "I mean, you're an Alpha. Top of the food chain. You lead, others follow. You know damn well what I mean." Reese explained. "Now where's Hayley?" He asked. "Who?" I frowned. "Hayley. Your mate." Reese looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. "Mate? What?" I was still confused. "You've seen her, in your dreams, haven't you?" He asked. I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know her name, but yeah, there's a girl." I admitted. "Becky!" He bellowed. Mama came running. "What is it?!" She asked anxiously. "We've gotta find his woman before the full moon, otherwise..." he trailed off and shifted his eyes to me. "Otherwise what?" I growled again. "Otherwise... he'll be lost to the Wilding." Mama gasped. Kolby put a hand on my shoulder. "An Alpha's Change is always harder than any Beta or Omega's, and as strong as this one is, it ain't gonna be pretty. Once an Alpha starts dream-sharing with his mate, he has to complete their bond. Otherwise, when the full moon comes, the Wilding will take himand there will be no more man. Only wolf. An unmated Alpha is dangerous, the bloodlust will drive him mad. Feral. Without Hayley, Brantley is a ticking time bomb." Reese said sadly. "How do we find her?" My little brother asked solemnly, serious for the first time since he got here. "We don't. He does." Reese pointed at me. "How?" I asked. "Close your eyes. Call to her. Let your wolf feel her." He said. I raised an eyebrow. "After everything, now you have doubts?" Reese asked with hands on his hips. I shrugged and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I concentrated on her. The woman in my dreams. Slowly, she appeared before me. But something was wrong. She was sick. Hurt. "No!" I bellowed. "Please... Help me... Need you..." She sniffled, curling up in a fetal position on the ground. "What's wrong?!" I yelled, unable to move in this dream world of mine. "It's the bond. Your wolf has come. The farther we are apart, the worse this gets." She whimpered and started coughing, slowly fading away. "No!" I roared, snapping my eyes open. "Brantley!" Mama yelled worriedly. I took off to the garage, and jumped on my bike and hauled ass. I ignored the protests of everyone behind me. All I knew was that I had to find her. Before it was too late. Reese was right. I could feel her, but it was fading. A deep ache started in my chest, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

After driving for what seemed like hours, I screeched to a stop in front of a small house. I could smell her. I don't know how, but I could. "Hayley!" I roared. A mewl of distress from inside the house had me running up the driveway and kicking the door open. I could hear her sobbing as I ran down the hallway and stormed into her bedroom. There she was. The woman I'd been dreaming about for months. She was on the floor, her hands desperately rubbing at her chest as she tried to breathe. She looked ghostly white. Her veins, black and inky, prominent and bulging under her skin. It looked like someone had drained the life out of her. Without a second thought I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms. When I did, a shock went through my system, my entire world shifted on its axis, and this tiny little woman became the center of my universe. Nothing else mattered. Nothing but her. "Hayley.." I sighed, and crushed her to my chest, connecting us as much as I possibly could. Slowly, her veins returned to normal. Her skin once more glowed, healthy and tan. Sucking in a lungful of air, her eyes shot open. "Brantley...." she smiled. The ice around my heart cracked. "You came for me.." she whispered, and stroked my beard. She looked at me like I was her hero. "I'd die before I ever caused you pain." I rumbled. Where it came from, I had no idea. But I meant it. I knew, without a doubt, that I'd rather rip my beating heart from my chest, than to ever cause her any pain.