Running From The Alpha

Chapter Six

False Facades

"What are you doing? ... No! ... Stay away!" It was Mommy. "No! Why? No!"

Her screams echoed throughout the house and I listened, frozen as ice, to the yelling. I looked between the wood poles of the banister, wrapping my hands around them as fear turned them into the metal bars of a prison cell. Mommy's eyes shone like flashlights, or the moon, in the dark.

"Run! Run! Run, Violet!"

When I woke I was clenching my hands as if they were still gripping the wood poles of my dream. I shivered, feeling undeniably alone. I was so use to Peter being the one shaking me awake from the nightmares that plagued my nights. I kicked the comforter away from my legs and got out of bed. I picked up the digital alarm clock that sat on the windowsill. It blinked at me that it was just at five am. I sighed and set it back down.

It was still dark outside, no one would be getting up for about an hour. I decided to take a shower now, before the hot water was used up. I grabbed some clothes and padded across the room to the locked bedroom door. I flipped the lock and poked my head out into the hall. It was unlit with everyone's door closed.

I stepped out, closing my door behind me. "Hey there."

I let out a sharp yelp, dropped my clothes and whirled around to see Cole, the Beta, or second-in-command, of the Blue Thorn pack standing in the dark hallway and staring at me.

His hands shot up in surrender and he took a startled step back. "Sorry!" he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

I pressed a hand to my chest and bent over slightly in an attempt to catch my breath. "Oh my God," I gasped. "Where did you come from?"

"I was coming back from an early morning run," he explained rubbing my shoulder. "Are you okay, Violet?"

"Who runs at five in the morning?" I asked incredulously as I picked up my clothes. "Are you insane?"

He chuckled. "No, just fit. What are you doing up so early?"

I straightened, clutching the bundle of clothing. "I couldn't sleep."

Cole reminded me a lot of Peter, they both got the same look of concern when the subject of conversation turned to me. "Do you want to talk? We could go get some breakfast."

I forced a smile, but like most of my attempts it was little more than a grimace. "I'm fine, Cole. Really. Just didn't sleep well."

He didn't look convinced. "You sure?"

"Yeah," I fibbed. "Shouldn't the Beta of a pack be focused on more than the well-being of just one member of said pack?"

"Eh, probably," he answered smiling. "But anyone who questioned it would understand if they'd seen how pretty said pack member is."

I rolled my eyes, I didn't take Cole's overly flirtatious jokes too seriously. Cole had been like that towards me ever since I arrived at the Blue Thorn pack. He was kind and friendly, Peter would probably say too friendly but he thought that about any guy who showed interest in me. He was always a little over-protective of me when it came to guys, I think he still looked at me as his traumatized and defenseless friend who just witnessed her the death of her parents. I guess he was half-right.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Cole asked. Clearly I'd gotten a little lost in my thoughts for a little too long.

"Yeah," I repeated. "It's nothing a hot shower can't fix."

He nodded. "Then I will go scare the shit out of some other unsuspecting bystander in another dark hallway."

"Like any other semi-good horror movie monster would do," I replied with a chuckle.