WILD

Chapter one

My deep rumbling growl filled the air around me, its anger and pain voicing its own thoughts. A deep impregnating sound I hadn't been able to turn off.

"Shit, that was close. Alex where are you? Blue?" Henry panted through our link, his adrenaline pumping through with shaky waves of yellow and white. Turn back and kill them, now! I shook away that demanding voice plaguing my psyche, its grasp almost too consuming to resist. "Two" Alex's calm statement was a reminder of what was happening. Keeping my head focused I pushed through my burning muscles, the ache a testament to what we've endured.

Soft, pliable soil kicked up behind me, my claws and weight too much for it to keep shape below. Thick, dark brown trunks blurred in my peripheral. A dull reminder of where we were.

"Fuck, one" henry growled deeply, as he always did after a kill, two heartbeats thumped through the link, one laced with excitement and adrenaline, the other steady and almost nonexistent. I can only imagine what they were getting from my end.

Turn back!

Kill them! Like they would have with us!

The snarl that echoed through my ears wasn't expected but it seemed to be in control of itself, no matter my fight I couldn't keep it locked inside. Especially with that voice edging me to turn back and finish this. "One" Alex muttered, her breathing laboured.

"Mutt!"

I dug my feet into the soil, small twigs flying up with the spray of earth coating my fur where trails of thick maroon liquid slowly oozed from my wounds, sticking to it like glue. My ears pinned flat as I jerked my whole body to the voice, her smooth as silk tone had been a thing of nightmares for years. Her beauty. a cloak to hide the pure evil vibrating just under its surface, baring my teeth I kicked up the dirt below me, twisting inside at her calm posture.

Lifeless grey eyes swept over me with this strange fascination only she could muster, her dark cargo trousers and wide neck jumper caked with just as much mud and debris that rivalled my own. Her smooth pale skin was still mostly clear but with the exception of dry blood speckled across her cheek. A thin layer splattered within her blonde hair, I stepped forward slowly. her gun raising level with my chest, I almost grinned at her heartbeat picking up. I deeply inhaled the scents that surrounded her.

It wasn't wolf but I couldn't place where I had scented it before, her pale pink lips turned into a smirk, her slightly uneven teeth poked through. "What's wrong? Don't you recognise mute" my growl was deafening, I could faintly make out the shrieking of birds as I lunged forward, I relished watching her smirk quickly slip from her face.

Emma was going to pay with her life! Her gun swung up to meet my body, her scream pierced my ears just as My teeth sank into her shoulder with little effort, the burst of her blood rushing into my open mouth tasted like old copper pennies and her scent. We both fell to the soil with a loud bang, its sound hitting the trees that surrounded us. Slowly fizzling out.

Kill!

Fucking rip her throat out!

Do it, do it, do it, do it!!!

"Emma!" Eric's panicked yells went to the back of my mind as soon as I heard Emma's gargled breaths, fresh blood sputtered from her mouth and onto my fur. "ILL FUCKING KILL YOU MUTT!"
His anger and grief was consuming him, a feeling I felt excited about. His heavy breathing paired well with her body thrashing underneath me, her legs limply kicking out, grazing my stomach with her boots.

You're okay my child

Shelby's voice chipped into my mind with its warmth, her warm coffee eyes that always looked so sad and tired. But had always shown me such love and affection, no matter what she would always smile brightly.

Oh I know it hurts, let me make it better.

Go to sleep blue, it will hurt less in the morning. Phantom musings of my mind, she was dead. Gone.

"ARHHHH" Erica screams mixed with a husky smooth laugh. "Blue, she's dead you can let go" my eyes darted to the brown and white patched wolf to my left, his head lowered, his steps cautious as he got close enough to my side. "Don't loose yourself now" my chest pulsed with my own rapid heartbeat, it's out of control thudum a steady rhythm in my ears.

The sound of heavy thudding had Henry turning his head slightly towards Eric and Alex, curious I dropped Emma's limp corpse, thick streams of blood dripped from my still bared teeth, Alex's focus was solely placed on Eric's face changing colour, his feet kicking out and catching the tree an inch behind him. "Alex?" I could feel Henry's worry pulse through the link for Alex. His mismatched eyes flicking between me and Alex. With Emma still under me I observed the different emotions flashing through Eric's red face, anger, pain, grief, his dark grey eyes welled with tears knowing his fight against Alex now. Was useless she was no longer weak due to the rations of blood they allowed her just to keep her alive, she had gorged herself on every guard we came across. I vibrated with her energy.

"Gah!" Alex remained unmoving despite his thrashing and clawing at her hand clutching his throat in a vice like grip. Her prey was there for the taking and I was all for it. "Henry" her voice didn't give any indication of exertion even with Eric's body levitating mere inches from the ground, his fight slowly evaporating. Henry's large head tilted like a pup awaiting her words. "Take blue and get that gate open, I'll be there shortly" Eric wheezed and choked in deep gulps of oxygen once Alex dropped his useless meat to the ground, I debated ripping out his throat but with one unmoving look from Alex I shook away the thought, this was her demon to slay, just like Emma had been mine.

"You swear?" Henry muttered, his posture becoming unsure. Alex's Nordic blue eyes had almost vanished when they swept over us both, her whites had turned a deep black with just a slightly darker blue taking over her normal eye colour completely, a slight frown ghosting between her eye brows "I swear" she said sternly, her body twitching faintly with each groan and frantic gasp of Eric, his hands digging into the soil in desperation. Perhaps hoping it would swallow him whole before Alex sent him to damnation to be judged.

"Be safe" Alex's mouth stayed shut but her voice still floated through the link, her bloodied lips lifted with a slight smile, a smile that I had come to welcome from Alex. "Likewise old lady" Henry mused turning his body quickly. His stare piercing my form urging me to follow as he sprinted off through the woods. My eyes followed him keenly, the urge to chase my prey crawling its way into my muscles. It's tight coiling ready to explode. I turned shaking my head trying to push down the primal urge to hunt.

His blood rushing through his body had me hanging on by the skin of my teeth.

"Blue" silence rushed into my head with her voice, a small warning in her tone as if she knew what haunted my thoughts. "You can't let that voice win, not now. Not ever do you hear what I'm saying?" She drew my eyes to hers like a magnet, a strange look of understanding flashing within. "Go" she grit turning her back in my direction, her neck craned to monitor Eric's failed attempts at crawling away, long trails where his body rubbed along the ground. Imprinted into the soil. Her words struck something inside me. I've told no one about the voice, how did she know?

Without interfering anymore than I have I kicked up the earth, leaving Alex behind, the trees ensnaring limbs brushed against my coat. I didn't slow even slightly. The need to escape over took everything else.

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