Wolfsbane- Chapter One in the Warren Pack Series

Chapter Fifteen

Wolfsbane

Chapter 15

Bran

I held a finger to my lips, my eyes darting to the three windows, trying to see any movement beyond the grime. Toby shook, biting his lip to keep any sound from escaping.

"Wait here." I mouthed, backing away from them, crouched to avoid being seen by whoever was outside. Three heartbeats, calm and collected, lay just outside the door.

"No!" Rowan hissed.

"I'll come back." My voice barely above a whisper. I pulled my hood up, and the change swept over me into my half form.

They must have followed our scents. Terra stated, as I reached for the rotting door.

They can't fight like this, I thought.

There's ten minutes until the moon reaches its peak. You just need to stall them.

The door shook as I pulled it shut, hiding my friends inside. Toby's terrified face almost made me pause.

"I wasn't expecting you to survive after Lawrence found you again," The voice that had haunted six weeks of nightmares called from the trees to the left. A glint of white caught the moonlight as he grinned," The little one made it, boys."

"She's grown slightly, and a little more meat on her bones." Another said; the large one loomed behind him, hatred dripping off his words.

I shivered as the three of them slowly approached me. Which one tore Rowan's leg open? Who almost destroyed Toby's mind? They all revelled in their guilt, wearing it like a badge of honour. It dawned on me that five others lay not too far away, enough to be called upon if things got too messy.

The leader stepped out of the shadows, wearing a black jacket that matched his slicked back dark hair. His face was pale, and stubble coated his chin, and the hand that reached up to scratch it was tipped with sharp, yellowing fingernails. I looked into his eyes and I took a step back in shock. He smirked, and his pearly white teeth flashed again.

"Yes, they can be a bit of a shock, little one." They were dull and aged, but quite clearly a deep gold.

"This," He pointed to them," Is the mark of an alpha."

My left hand tingled in response, even though the marks were long gone.

He was the one that bit you, only Alphas can pass on the genes.

"What do you want?" I growled, and the men laughed bitterly.

"It's the recruitment drive, honey. Young people like you are just what we need, you and your wolflings back there." He gestured to the barn, where my friends were silently trying to hold back the change.

"We won't hurt them if you surrender. Spilling wolf blood is such a waste." He shook his head.

"My place is here." I said firmly.

Let me have control, I can take them. Terra said, her voice loud, almost blocking out the laughs of the other men.

"Your place is under one of us, little one." The large one, the one with a slightly crooked nose thanks to me, stepped closer. His blonde hair was greasy, and he smelled of cigarettes.

"My place is with my pack." A gust of wind slipped back my hood, and revealed my half form. There was a second of stunned silence, and then the alpha walked right up to me.