The Last Royal

Chapter one

Blood.
It was everywhere.
The stench of it made me wrinkle my snout in horror.
A low whine sounded from my throat as I glanced about the ground littered with the bodies of my pack, my family, my friends.
I could hear the screams, the howls of pain and anguish of the children being pelted with silver. The smell of their burning flesh and fur.
We would all die. It was why they had come. The time for negotiation had passed. We were guilty only of being born and ruling fairly but with an iron claw.
I smelled one of them coming towards me, no fear, just sly pleasure at the pain they caused. It was only them I realized that I could no longer hear my pack mates, nor see them moving or struggling or fighting. They were dead, and I was alive. And I intended to stay that way.

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I woke with a yelp and jumped to my feet, shaking my dirty white fur to rid it from dirt and leaves from laying on the ground, then pawing my nose with a sad whine to get rid of the smell of blood and death that lingered after the dream.
I glanced around to make sure I was still alone. Alone was better. Alone was safe now.
I had found shelter in a hollow tree somewhere in the forrest range of...I wasn't sure where I was anymore, the state lines all blurred together, as did the days. I needed to keep moving, I had rested for two days and could still not smell the rogues that I knew were trying to track me, but I needed to move if I wanted to stay alive.
It had been days, maybe weeks since I had shifted in to human form, my senses were better as a wolf, and I needed them.
I lifted my snout to the air and sniffed, my ears cocked to the front catching the sound of a bubbling stream not far away. Good. Water meant hydration, maybe even food. And I could get clean, because quite frankly I stank. Even for a wolf.
Trotting in the direction of the sound I kept my ears and eyes alert and my steps quiet. Once I arrived relief washed through me. The stream was protected on each side by a large rock quarry, which meant the only vulnerable spot was the entrance which I could keep my eyes on. But that also meant there was only one escape route...
I positioned myself at a corner, which would allow me to bolt at a moments notice but also watch the remaining uncovered brush for any threats.
With a sigh I lowered my head to drink, taking a moment to observe my reflection in the flowing water. My once snowy white fur was now caked with mud and the dusty brown color of dried blood, my gray eyes shone brightly while staring back at me intently "what now little wolf?" I frowned internally at myself, I had been alone too long and was starting to actually have conversations with my sub-conscious. I was not a small wolf, but I was not huge either, I was muscular and well built with a bushy tail and dainty paws that held dangerous claws. My black snout and darkly lined eyes stood out from the stark white of my fur, well, at least they did when I was clean. Clean. Right. Get to it Leah you don't have all day.
I snorted and began lapping up the cool water till I had my fill, then proceeded to groom myself by plunging in to the cold water with a sharp yelp then jumping back out to rub my fur clean against the large rocks before rinsing off one last time. After shaking the excess water off my now white coat I licked my nose and snorted, sitting back on my haunches and glancing around.
The sound of a breaking twig caught my attention and I lowered myself to the ground, sniffing the air. I did not smell wolf, but I did smell...oh!
My mouth began to water and my stomach gave a loud growl as I caught the scent of a deer. It walked slowly in to the clearing, one tentative foot in front of the other. It was a male, not old but not too young either, I never liked killing young animals. I lay quietly, miraculously blending in to the light gray and white stones that lined the stream. The buck looked around once more, his tail twitching slightly as he lowered his head to drink. I knew this would be my chance and without a second thought I pounced, my front claws digging in to his side so fiercely that I felt the delicate skin slit like butter under my paws, warm blood poured over my legs as my mouth found his neck and with one swift bite I felt the animal go limp as the taste of warm, metallic blood flowed over my tongue. Setting him down gently on the stones I licked my snout and began with my meal, gorging myself until I could not possible eat any more. Only then did I clean myself once more and set on my way. I had come northwest from my old packs home and all I knew was that at some point I would cross the border in to Canada. I didn't have much of a plan as to what I would do after that...I knew large packs may welcome me but the fear of running in to rogues was what kept me in hiding. My bloodline would enrich any pack, giving it instant prestige, but it would also put a target on them since I was...am the only Aldridge left.

My family has an interesting history, you see. We are considered royalty. Alphas, Luna's, Seers, Warriors. We had always excelled in at least one important task, carried important titles because, well because we were direct descendants of the first werewolf. Our kind has existed for thousands of years, and it started with two wolves blessed by the moon Goddess herself with the power to transform in to a human shape, enhancing our strength and speed, along with all of our senses. We were given this gift to help the Goddess protect our world from the demons that had been unleashed, cursed to walk the earth for eternity and feed on the blood of the living. You would know them as vampires.

But now I was on my own, the family wealth and name was intact, but I was on the run. Because my bloodline was sacred and it had to survive. But that was nearly impossible since I had not found my mate. And. Ugh.
My head began to ache with the onslaught of thoughts coursing through my brain so I attempted to clear my mind and let my wolf instincts take over. Preservation of the bloodline was something I would worry about at a later date. Or maybe never.  With a loud huff I set out at a canter heading north. After what seemed like hours I began smelling traces of humans and perhaps a small town, I was beginning to feel hungry again but knew it would be a good idea to feed my human form...if I could find clothes. Thankfully I had a small pouch my mother had made me to carry important documents and money in while in wolf form, it was securely attached to my left hind leg and in it I carried a substantial amount of dollars and my human ID along with a couple of pictures of my pack and family and my important papers, wolf pedigree and human birth certificate.

My delicate ears picked up on the sound of cars on a road near by and I approached cautiously, peering out of a small clearing at a small 2 lane highway. A sign to my left read "Lynden 5 km" and another larger sign a bit further read "Canada-USA border" I sighed in relief. Lynden was a small town, I doubted the rogues would look for me here first. I took one last glance at the road before retreating back in to the bushes and following the sounds from the cars towards town. Luckily I stumbled across a small ranch of sorts with laundry hanging on the line, it was a couple of sizes too big but it would do for now. Making sure there was no one around, I reached up and nipped a pair of black sweat pants and a large red t-shirt. No panties...oh well.
As I ran for the outskirts of town carrying the clothes in my mouth I couldn't help but grow excited at the prospect of seeing actual people and maybe having a conversation. After months of running and hiding I needed a bit of interaction. I'd go stir crazy and end up having imaginary friends if I kept this up much longer. "You've got me you know, I keep you company even if you don't like it much" I scowled and shook my furry head "Shut up" I thought to myself.

As soon as I saw the town I found a hidden place to shift and did so quickly,  she-wolves had the ability to shift much more quickly than males, it was almost instant and held no pain at all. Once in human form I hurried in to the clothes I had stolen and took the small pouch from my leg before setting out to look for a clothing shop. I was not going to wander around with no panties on for ever.  

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Aloha!!
So, what do you guys think so far!? Slow start I know, don't worry, it builds!
Where can you see our Leah going? What adventures will she have on her journey? Will she get caught? Why were they after her in the first place? Will the Aldridge line survive?

Thoughts! Ideas! I love them!
Thank you all for reading and don't forget to vote and comment!

Till next time!

Xoxo
BB