Blood of My Wolf

Chapter 2

Dan

Dan's heart banged painfully in his chest as he scrambled down another dark alleyway, veins burning with hunger. He'd been starved of blood for the last five days, and the resulting withdrawals had weakened him considerably. It was a miracle he hadn't been caught yet, and even more of a miracle he'd escaped from his coven in the first place.

He wheeled around a corner and plastered himself against a damp brick wall, chest heaving as he fought to quiet his breath. He strained his ears for signs of pursuit. For a moment he heard nothing, then a bone-chilling howl rang out nearby, followed by several others from all directions.

Dan stiffened as cold fear gripped his entire body.

Werewolves.

He knew he'd been taking a risk when he entered their territory, but anything had seemed better than being dragged back to the coven. He had prayed that his presence would not be noticed, but apparently, his silent plea had gone unanswered.

Dan turned and darted a few steps forward, then skidded to a stop as he realized the alley he'd turned into was a dead end. He whirled just as a dark figure appeared at the mouth of the alley. He recognized him immediately as one of the vampires from his coven.

The vampire hissed at him. "There you are, you little cunt!"

Dan dove to the side of the alley where a rusty door was recessed into the brick wall. He shoved it open and slammed it behind him just as a heavy weight pounded on it from the other side.

"Open up, you brat!" the vampire yelled through the thick metal.

Dan grabbed a metal shelf stacked with boxes and yanked as hard as he could. The shelf toppled over, sending boxes and junk scattering everywhere as a thick plume of dust spewed into the air. He didn't wait to see if the barricade held up, instead turning and bolting further into the building. He wove through a maze of shelves and boxes, breath grating in his lungs as his head spiked with hunger pain.

He burst into a huge warehouse area. It was mostly empty except for a few shelves and stacks of crates along the periphery. No lights were on, but the long windows circling the tops of the walls poured moonlight into the space.

Dan spun around, searching frantically for an exit.

A shadow dropped from the ceiling and landed behind him. Before he could twist to face it, a boot smashed into his back and sent him flailing onto the floor. The rough concrete scraped his arms as he rolled to a stop on his side, gasping in pain. Usually, he could heal in moments, but in his starved state, his healing abilities were no better than a human's.

He had barely struggled up onto his elbows when another boot slammed into his stomach, sending him skidding back with a choked grunt.

Two more shadowy figures dropped from the ceiling to join the first, and Dan looked up into the hateful eyes of three of the hunters from his coven.

The first one bent down and grabbed his shirt, shaking him painfully. "All done with your little game of hide and seek now, you little shit?" the hunter spat. "Do you have any idea what a fucking waste of time it's been chasing after you?" He shoved Dan back to the ground. "Don't even know why Master Kwon wants us to bring your sorry little ass back."

Dan got his palms under him and sat up, jaw trembling. "I'm not going back."

The hunter snorted. "I love how he thinks he's got a choice, huh boys?"

The other two hunters sneered as the first reached down and grabbed Dan by the neck with both hands, dragging him up until his feet were kicking in the air. He choked and spluttered, clawing at the hunter's hands. The hunter slammed him back against a tall crate, driving the breath out of his lungs. "You're gonna come back without a fuss, or so help me I'll cut off your fucking-"

A vicious snarl roared through the room, making them all jump with fright. All heads whipped toward the hallway entrance as a gigantic black wolf streaked toward them, its face twisted in a savage growl.

One of the hunters tried to scream, but the sound was cut off as the wolf clamped its jaws around his entire head and hurled him across the room.

The hunter's grip on Dan's neck loosened as he turned in an attempt to defend himself, but the wolf was frighteningly fast, tearing him away from Dan and pinning him to the floor with a massive paw as his jaws found the vampire's throat.

Dan screamed as he fell to the concrete. He clenched his eyes shut and covered his head with both arms as a terrible crunch met his ears.

"Fucking wolf!" the final hunter shrieked. "You'll fucking pay for this you-augh!" His words ended suddenly with a strangled cry that had Dan curling into a shuddering ball on the floor, arms still wrapped around his head.

Why was this happening to him? All he'd wanted was to escape his hellish life. Now, his frantic efforts would end with him being torn limb from limb by a vicious monster.

A cold, wet nose snuffled against his ear, making him shriek and scramble back. His back hit the splintery wood of the crate behind him as he raised his eyes and met the burning amber gaze of the black wolf. Fear petrified his every muscle, freezing another scream before it could escape his throat.

This is it, he thought. It's going to kill me!

But instead of opening its jaws and ending him the way it had done the others, the wolf whined and shoved its nose under his chin, sniffing furiously at his neck and chest, its bloody muzzle leaving red streaks on his grubby t-shirt.

Dan yelped and kicked his legs to scoot back, even though there was nowhere for him to go. "No, stop, stop!" he cried. "Get away!" Terrified tears surged up and streaked down his face.

The wolf glanced up as if startled, tilting its head in what could only be described as a confused gesture. Its ears were perked attentively toward him, but suddenly they flicked back toward the hallway. It whirled around and let out a feral growl.

Dan could only huddle trembling on the floor as he watched several more vampires pour into the room, some of them dropping down from the windows above.

The wolf snarled, inching back and keeping itself between Dan and the vampires.

The hunters gawked at the crumpled bodies of the first three vampires. One of them hissed at the wolf. "Fucking mutt! Get him!"

The wolf tilted its head back and howled so loudly that Dan had to clamp his hands over his ears.

The charging vampires faltered, each face stiffening with instinctual fear. Dan felt it, too: an innate dread deep in his gut that screamed at him to flee from this savage predator.

But he couldn't, not when the wolf's huge bulk was crowding him against the crate. Any attempt to slip past it could bring the beast's attention back to him, and that was the last thing he wanted.

One of the vampires gathered his courage and bared his fangs, leaping into the air to attack.

To Dan's shock, the wolf didn't move or bat an eye. Just when it seemed the vampire would pounce on it and claw its face-off, another black blur shot out of nowhere and tackled the vamp midair, sending both of them sprawling on the floor.

The remaining vampires turned in horror as wolf after wolf barreled through the hallway entrance, pouncing on vampires left and right. The room was instantly a furious battleground, full of screams and growls and sprays of blood.

The black wolf turned back to Dan. He choked on his breath as those fierce amber eyes found him again. He shook his head, scrambling against the crate in another futile attempt to escape. "No, no, please!"

The wolf stepped toward him, and that was all he could bear.

He sobbed once and slumped to the side, falling into darkness.