Wolves // Liam Dunbar

Prologue

The street is ahead dark and almost barren, save the occasional late night driver passing by on their way to nowhere. Among these is a little van, the wolves inside fast asleep. Their alpha, dark eyed behind the wheel, thinks they're near their journey's end. After a few days on the road, they're all exhausted. Even their leader is dozing as she drives along. The rare streetlight taunts as they pass, daring her to fall asleep. To think that in just a few miles and they would reach their new home safely. Sadly, the life of a pack isn't so simple.

One sister is napping on her eldest brother's lap in the back. A few miles before, the van hit a pothole and she was jolted from her dream. Ever since, she couldn't fall back asleep. Instead she closes her eyes and waits for the ride to be over.

Her three brothers are sound asleep still. They've had to drive a lot more than she has and it shows in the circles beneath their eyes. The youngest brother falls off the seat, doing nothing to wake him, but giving their alpha the jolt she needed.

She turns around to make sure her brother is okay and sees he is unharmed, eyes still shut, soft smile playing across his lips. She wonders briefly what he is dreaming of. Her stomach growls. Perhaps it's food. When she finally turns her eyes back to the road she has to swerve. A figure, standing in the middle of the pavement, is unfazed by the car spinning out of his way, almost toppling into a ditch.

The pack startles awake with a series of screams as they spin around the man. The van makes it safely to the side, all unharmed. For now.

Everyone is waking up now, silently waiting for the thing to make the first move. Whatever it is in the road turns to face them. Their engine chooses that moment to go out, leaving them in darkness.

Slowly, the wolf in the road brandishes his claws.

A quiet command from the alpha sends the pack to their fighting positions. They all slowly climb out of the car, prepared for combat. Everyone besides the alpha morphs. The wolf in the road smirks at their readiness to battle.

Then lights up his claws that blaze blue like electricity.

The alpha takes a deep breath before approaching his hulking silhouette.

"Where's Scott McCall?" He demands.

"Don't know a Scott." The alpha calmly replies. She steadies her nerves and studies the other wolf's stance, calculating his first move.

"Where is Scott McCall!?" He asks again, angrier this time, and swings his arm to scratch her.

She bends backwards to avoid his attack, and the rest of the pack springs forward. Claws clash against claws. Fangs bite at flesh. A full on fight erupts in the middle of the dark road. And somehow, through it all, the wolf is unharmed in their ferocity. That is, until the girl springs forward in an attempt to shield her brother from the electric talons. She slices her claws down the wolf's chest and he howls in pain. But his anger only fuels his strength. He swipes his arm in a large arc, sending her flying into her pack and knocking them to the ground. Before they can regain their full balance, the stray wolf strides over to the fallen girl. Her claws drip faintly with his blood. As he approaches she struggles to jump up and get another hit on him, but he easily dodges it and clamps a hand around her neck. His grip tightens, cutting off her breath as she kicks out, trying get away. He lifts her off the ground and turns to the rest of the pack.

Her vision starts to get fuzzy as she is forced to look at her family, all staring at her in fear.

"Where is Scott McCall?" He asks for the third and final time.

"We don't know," The alpha yells desperately. A silent exchange begins between the three brothers, but is interrupted by their sisters' agonized cries.

They can only watch as their sister, hanging by the beast's fist, is torn through by electric talons. The sound of burning skin fills the night as they watch the wolf dig deeper and deeper into her chest.

She screams in pain, and they all swear the sound will never truly leave their ears.

The light goes out behind her eyes, and she slumps, lifeless in her killer's hand.

The last thing she hears is her alpha's yells as she is forced to watch her sister die in front of her.

"Casey!"