Unspecified Rage

Something wicked

Julia had gotten her hot shower, changed into clothing that wasn't almost 2 days old and had even managed to get some hot chocolate into her stomach. And then it was right back to the hospital, waiting for her brother to wake up. Genetic order be damned, he was her brother in everyway that counted.

She was still devastated by the deaths of her family, and being happy that her brother was alive was a double edged sword because then she felt guilty because he was going to be a werewolf like she was. And she was learning that this wasn't necessarily a good thing. So her mood swung from a manic anxiety to a snappish depression and back again. She smoked an entire joint to help settle the mercurial temperment down but ended up taking one of the valium as well to stop her fidgeting. She'd started picking at her fingernails without paying attention and ended up shredding hte tips of several fingers before anyone realized she was bleeding. So now she was sitting in the hospital room, watching her brother breathe deeply while he tried to survive.

One leg was thickly wrapped in white bandages but even with many layers, she could see a gaping hole where leg muscle used to be. The hole was bigger than her hand and she knew why the doctors felt he'd lose the leg. Even with a were wolf's healing power he might not recover fast enough to save that leg. But he'd live. The doctors wouldn't let anyone but family in to see him, so she was alone with him, waiting and listening to the beeps of machinery and the shush of the air filtration system.

The silence was driving her mental. So she started talking, at first about how she's been doing in school, then about the play she was a part of and how opening night went. Then she had to tell him about the kiss from Guess Who, that had turned out to be Graham, and then dance, then the drinknig with friends, her first motor cycle ride and the whole awkward mating mark thing between her and Enrique. It felt good to just talk about it with someone who wasn't a judge on the matter. Hell, he was out cold so it was just like talking to herself. She told him what she knew of being a were wolf and how the Pack worked and the Alpha's edict that she could complete the mating bond with Enrique. Which was funny to her because it was like being told not to have premarital sex by your parents, awkward and provoking at the same time.

"So you and the Spaniard finally hooked up?" she heard weakly from the bed.

"JOHN!" She flung herself at him, sobbing and crying and hugging her brother. It probably hurt him like hell but he hugged her right back, bandaged ribs, broken arm and all. "Th-th-they're gone John....they're dead!" she wailed, sobbing into his shoulder. He rubbed her back gently, crying softer than she was.

"I know Jules, I know.But it'll be alright." he murmured.

"How much did you hear about what I was yabbering on about?" she asked after they cried together.

"I remember hearing you talk about your dance and kissing boys and a motorcycle ride. All of which I will thoroughly scold you for later." he teased, making Julia blush softly. She was still too fuzzy headed to think much but her metabolisim was fast and was burning through the valium quickly. Which explained why pain meds and weed or alcohol never seemed to be as useful for her as it is for others.

"So you heard about Alpha Adam?" she asked, John nodded.

"He's gonig to want to question you about what happened. And talk to you about... your survival." she trailed off, suddenly not sure how to tell him about it all.

"Hey Ju, just spit it out ducky."

"You survived but it means you're gonna go furry. You'll be like me." she started to explain sadly.

"There's no one ever like you. You're unique in ways that make snowflakes jealous." he interrupted.

She smiled sadly. "But even so, were wolf like me, you may loose your leg. There's a huge piece missing and it might not heal back fast enough to save it."

"Well there goes my aspirations to be an athlete." he joked. John was the biggest bookworm Julia had ever known. But it made her cry again.

"Hey, no tears. I'll be a cyborg were wolf. How sci fi is that?" he joked, making her smile.

"You're such a nerd." she teased, trying not to get bogged down in depression.

"Damn straight I am."  he grinned at her. "Go get the big scary Alpha, the men folk need to talk." he kept joking.

"Ignoramus." she teased, heading to the door.

"Go make me a sandwich." he threw at her retreating back.

####

John talked to the Alpha but what they discussed, Julia never learned. Instead, Abuela had gotten her to drink another hot chocolate, only this one was laced with a little pack magic to make her sleep. Despite the Alpha's protestations of not assisting the Omega, every wolf that had met her was there to help.

Enrique carried her out to Graham's car and the Old One sat in the back, eyes distant. Megan and Tiffany were heading out to the shops to pick up some new clothes for Julia because to her wolf sensitive nose, everything from home would smell of fear, blood and violence. Andrew had headed out to the grocery store because once the pills and shock wore off, the chances of her loosing control were amazingly high. If she Changed to wolf, they'd have to keep her inside and the only way to distract a newly Changed wolf was to feed it.

Enrique had wanted to stay with Julia, hated in fact having to leave her, but the Alpha had ordered him to stay in the hospital and guard John. If the rogues learned that one of hte humans had survived, they'd come to claim him. A were wolf born belonged to the Alpha of the mother. Her pack became the offsprings pack. The Alpha of the wolf that infected you became your Alpha. In a situation like this one, where they didn't know who Julia's birth Alpha was, and they didn't know who the Alpha of the rogue was, they were depending on John being able to tell them more information. But if the rogues came for him, they'd either kill him or take him with them.

Adam had no intention of letting that happen. Any human who could survive the attack like John had and also survived the change would be a formidable addition to the Pack. It was also a great fact that he had no maddness in him, he wasn't afflicted like most of the rest of the Pack. The issue was her. She was Omega, a threat to his control of the Pack. ANd if her brother was a Pack member, then she would never leave and never stand to remain Packless. It made Adam snarl in frustration.

There was something seriously amiss. The maddness driving all the wolves to loose their human side, the methodical slaughter of the submissive wolves, the regular hunting and killing of any special wolf, there was a plan in place. Somehow there was a reason for all of these actions and a driving force behind it all. His Pack was under seige and he had no idea what face the enemy wore. And in the midst of it all, this Omega that wasn't Pack but still had the power to destroy the power structure he'd built. She would ruin his pack, and needed to be dealt with .

Adam had walked outside and away from view of the hospital. He was pacing along the trail of a small forest. It usually helped him, to get outside and away from the confines of his home, or any structure he was in. But the angry fears walked with him. He felt it as if he were being viewed and judged by a greater comsic force. He needed to protect the Pack. That was the Alpha's duty, their reason for existing. And he was failing them miserably. He could see it in their eyes. The maddness stripping away human thoughts until their wolf self watched from human flesh. The constant attacks on the submissive wolves, their murderes upsetting the balance in the pack. Those wolves that were middle rank often loosing their humanity altogether and going rogue. It was all too much. And only getting worse since the Omega arrived. She seemed to be a focal point for trouble. She needed to be dealt with. Now.

Adam was deep in thought and distracted. He never saw the human eyes watching him, following his frustrated movments. And he never detected the large, mottle coloured wolf stalking his steps. But they didn't attack. Instead the forest filled with the dark wolf's magic, slowly bending and twisting even teh Alpha's thoughts to suit their needs. When Adam mentally reached the frenzied paranoia they wanted, the woman stepped out and into his path.

"Hello Alpha. We need to talk." she said smoothly, smiling with wolf teeth.