The Alpha's Silent Mate

5

I pant heavily. I am drenched in sweat and the blood of my deceased parents. Only ten minutes ago, I was enjoying dinner with Mom, Dad, Kaden and his Beta parents along with Lorenzo, now I am running as far away as I can from the only home I know. It all went wrong when Mommy started coughing and Daddy fell off his chair and onto the ground.
"Wolfsbane!" Someone had cried, but it was too late. I  held my parents for the last time that evening.

A breeze tickles my tear-stained cheeks. I curl  up into a ball and cry. Mommy. Daddy. Gone.

"Oh how I love seeing you cry, little one. Just a bit harder now." A raspy voice says.

I look up and see an incredibly grotesque and almost unrecognizable face. His skin was half decomposed, half burnt.

Kenneth.

"Mia won't save you this time."
His voice sounds as of two people were speaking. His eyes then flashed a bright silver grey colour.

"I'll fiind you!" A feminine voice says in sing-song.

The air gets knocked out of my lungs as a horrifying cackle leaves Kenneth's lopsided mouth.
My throat burns as breathing gets more and more difficult. I am suffocating! I gasp in a futile attempt to force air into my lungs. Blood pours out of my mouth like a running tap. I choke on my own blood.
No! This can't be the end!

"No, it's the beginning."

I lay clutching my throat with bloody hands. The hot, red liquid pools around me. I can't breathe. I'm dying.

"Chloe!"

"Your highness!"

I jolt up with a start. I am laying in a puddle of water on the training grounds.

Shoot! I passed out during combat training. The pack is going to get a kick out of this. No pun intended.

"Chloe, are you okay?" Anastasia asks as she hands me a towel.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I think I'll just be heading off to the castle to cool down." I say while wiping my face.

I slowly get up and regain my balance. I run off in human form to the ends of the training fields and shift behind the bushes. My pink tank top and black gym shorts tear into pieces.

I could get used to being let out this often. 

Will you shut up, Kasey?  We gotta go.

I run off into the forest, picking up speed with every passing second. The wind flies into my fur, my silvery white paws hit the ground. It really does feel good to let off some steam by running in the woods.

After about an hour, I slow down. The exhaustion from today's training finally kicks in. I find a large oak tree and sit down in wolf form. I lay my head on my paws.
I sit still, taking in my surroundings.

I watch a squirrel collect nuts and bring them back to his little hollow in a tree. I listen to the harmonious birdsong that rings in the air. I take in the refreshing smell of oak leaves and wild berries. A single browning leaf lands on my almost white head.
In a world as busy as ours, peace and silence seldom comes.
I let out a yawn and shake my head.
So peaceful. So quiet.

Too quiet.

Right you are. Kasey concludes.

I stay on the floor but keep my guard up.

Snap!

My ears shoot up and my tail wags vigorously. I whip my head to the direction of the snapping twig.
I lift my snout and sniff the air.
A single, faint scent is present.