Melody

32

They stayed together in the seclusion of the cabin until it was time to head back for dinner or risk going hungry. Begrudgingly they got dressed in comfortable jeans and sweaters, Alexander carrying their things in a large duffle bag that was in the closet. Melody had been certain she was going to have a giant, red, angry bite mark on her neck based on how it had felt last night. However it had somehow already healed into a silver scar that she thought looked kind of pretty.

She had caught Alexander watching her when she had paused to look at it, she ran her finger along the crescent shaped mark, and she could strongly feel just how much he liked it. It was also a new strange erogenous area for her as well. The feeling of just her own skin brushing it was heady. When Alexander touched it, or god when he had licked it, it had drenched her thighs.

She was so drawn to him now, all she wanted to do was touch him or press herself against him. Anything to feel him. She had seen wolves being touchy and fondling each other all over the pack house and outside, no one had batted an eye. She understood now, if they felt anything like she did, it was a wonder anyone had clothes on or left their rooms.

As they walked back into civilisation and out of their dream, there were more than a few wolf whistles as everyone caught sight or scent of the bond being completed now. Melody blushed furiously, but she was smiling. These were loving jabs, from her new family and friends. A far cry from the last time she had received wolf whistles. There was nothing lewd in them. It was welcoming, she could feel the difference.

Everything just naturally fell into place from there. They slept in alternating rooms, went to school, together In Alexander's jeep. Bringing Melody's bike for any chance nice day so she could fit in as many rides as possible before the snows forced her inside away from her favorite recreation. It was the only time she had mostly to herself, with a secret guard in the woods trailing behind. But she thought she was alone, and Alexander wanted her to keep her independent streak. Plus, the guards told him that some days she sang to herself while biking, Like some kind of magical modern pied piper on a vintage bike in canvas shoes. He wished he could watch her too, but he restrained himself. She was never more than fifteen minutes behind him anyways.

The other wolves were friendly, but still had to keep up with their integration in the school. They were able to change the general tone of how everyone treated Melody but something was off. He had been popular with the humans when he had first arrived, but the moment it was clear he was with Melody it was like he had been red lined out. It didn't make sense. There was no way humans could coordinate something like this and not have a single shifter be aware of the plan. He was going to need to talk to Alec, something wasn't right in town, and it involved Melody somehow.

It was the first week of December, things had grown cold but not frozen yet and it hasn't snowed, Melody was still insisting to bring her bike, just one more day she had begged him. Alexander was helpless to say no to her, plus if it was too cold or windy, she didn't want to ride anyways. It was no real effort for him to let her be optimistic. So he let her. Today though it was unseasonably warm, and almost no wind was in the air. The weather had held all day, Alexander had watched as Melody got more and more excited as the temperature rose to practically warm and held through the afternoon.

She was practically vibrating when she met him by his jeep, a giant smile on her face as she walked up, seeing him already bringing her bike down off the rack for her. While he secretly messaged Andrea who was on standby today in case Melody was going for a ride. She said she was on the way to where the earliest part of the road Melody would follow intersected with the large expanse of dense woods that would follow her the whole way back home.

Alexander always watched from the jeep until she turned the first turn, and then he slowly drove until he passed her, ensuring he saw her as long as possible. Then it was just a short path along the main road, one side street, and then following a winding path through claimed pack lands and the woods where she was perfectly safe. She was only ever out of sight for a minute or two on all her previous rides. Alexander had usually got confirmation that eyes were on Melody before a new song came on the radio after he lost sight of her.

Not today. He had made it the whole way home with no check in from Andrea. She hadn't responded to any of his attempts to contact her. This was wrong. Something had gone wrong. He sent a frantic message to Alec as he turned the jeep around and floored the gas back down the road he had just travelled. At twice his typical speed, tires screeched as he took turns far too hard for the jeep. He hadn't felt anything from Melody change suddenly, but now it was clear that she wasn't awake. Which terrified him more than anything he had ever experienced.

Alexander drove, searching for any sign of Melody or what happened to her. He had made it to the last side street she had to use to get to the border of the pack lands. So close to where she would have been safe, Andrea would have seen what happened from the woods, it was a straight road connecting to the smaller artery feeding the suburban area up towards the main streets. Whatever happened, it had to have been here.

Alexander slammed the brake down hard under his foot, pulling off to the shoulder of the road, dust flying up as he stopped. Leaping out as the jeep still rocked with inertia. Alexander drew long deep breaths in through his nose. He could smell Andrea, and Melody had been nearby. Both their scents fading, the scent of blood and death in the air worried him the most.

He walked towards where Melody's scent was strongest, just up the road, behind a thicket of thorns in the ditch was her bike. The frame twisted and mangled like it had been run over. The scent of Melody's blood in the air. Alec, Guillermo and several other people Alexander didn't really know arrived while he was still looking at the wrecked bike. Wondering how he hadn't noticed something had happened. It seemed impossible. He knew she was alive, he could feel her, her sleepy mind was there, it wasn't dreaming anything that he could sense. But she was there. He was having a hard time figuring out a direction where she was, it was like she kept jumping around from one side of town to the other. But that was also impossible.

This was wrong. Alexander had been on his knees, kneeling in the gravel trying to pull himself together. He didn't know when he had fallen to his knees, but he remembered getting up. Pulling strength from deep inside that he didn't know he had.

Someone had planned this, someone had come for his mate. They had to pay for this, He had to rescue Melody. It was going to take all the resources available to him to make sure he found her as soon as possible. She was hurt, she needed to see a doctor. He needed her back with him.

"This isn't right, something bigger is happening" Alexander heard himself say to Alec. His voice more confident, radiating power even though he felt hollow and void of strength without Melody by his side.

"mhm." Alec said simply. Agreeing as mindlinks filtered in from those searching the area.

"I can't smell anyone but Andrea and Melody here. Has anyone found Andrea?" Alexander asked. There was a mournful howl in the woods nearby. Almost exactly where the guards would wait for Melody on bike days.

Alec's eyes turned sad as he had the far away look of listening to communication in his mind. He sighed, deeply, "Yes" Alec turned to look at Alexander. "She's dead. Neck broken and drained of blood. There are vampires around".

Guillermo came up and handed a small orange feather tipped dart to Alec. Who brought it up to his nose sniffing carefully. "Tranquillisers, strong ones." Alexander caught the scent of Melody's blood on the tip of the dart. Someone had drugged Melody.

Alexander desperately grasped at the link to Melody in his mind, steady and unchanging. But if she was slowly drifting away in a narcotic fuelled slumber, would he notice in time or would she slip away suddenly, killing him with shock.

Alexander's mind was racing, this attack was planned, coordinated, and took minutes to pull off before they were driving away. Melody didn't bike very often these days, her choices were random. Whoever planned this knew she still could bike home, and were ready in advance to act on short notice. Someone at the high school was in on it, or someone had been watching. Alexander had missed it. There had been a threat, and he missed it. He left her alone without confirmation she was protected. This was all his fault. Fate had brought her to him, made her love him, and fate was going to get his wonderful human mate killed because of him.