The Alpha's Beta

Chapter 13

I woke up in a pitch-black room. I knew Lucas was here with me, but I don't know where 'here' is.

"Raven?" A voice said. It sounded really close to me. 

"Lucas?" 

"No, it's Noah. Remember?" Noah grabbed my arm and pulled me somewhere - the door, maybe?

"Yeah, but where's Lucas? And what are you doing here?"

"Nikolas and I have come to rescue you." Suddenly, we were in blinding bright lights. We ran down the hallways with doors, finally coming to a stop after awhile. Noah pointed to the unmarked door in front of us. "That's our way out. Come on, let's go."

"We have to wait for Lucas. Nick is getting him, right?" 

"Yeah, they're meeting us out there. Come on, " Noah insisted, tugging my arm. 

"Or are we? Is that really how we're going to do this?" Nick came from a different hall, Lucas in tow. 

"Raven? Are you okay?" Lucas' voice shook.

"Yeah, why? Are you okay?" 

"Aside from being almost killed by this guy, yeah. Do you know these people?"

"Of course she knows us. I'm Noah Crest, Beta of the Storm Pack. Long name, I know. And that is Nikolas Rane, Alpha of our Pack."

"Noah was one of my friends here. And Nick pretended to be a stray dog. For some reason." Then something sunk in. "Wait, you said Nick almost killed you?!"

"Yeah, but it's fine. He knows who I am now." Lucas responded quickly.

"Yes, I do. You are the little Eagle training Raven, aren't you?" 

"Uh, yeah."

"Has anyone told you what that means, dear Raven?"

"No. Why would it mean anything?" I had no idea where this conversation was headed.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Don't worry, you won't ever have to find out." Something silver flashed in Nikolas' hand, and it was coming closer to Lucas.

I couldn't let that happen. My other sides were fighting to come free to protect him. He is my Flock. 

Someone finally succeeded in bursting free from the cage that was my mind. She didn't hesitate at all, just launched herself at the Alpha. 

Nikolas dropped the knife as he was bowled over and attacked with teeth and claws. I didn't want to kill anybody, and told her so. She smacked him upside the head, knocking him unconscious.

She spun around at the touch of another human, ready to fight. But it was just Raven's Flock member. She looked beyond him and saw the other human unconscious, too. 

"Will you Shift back? Will you let Raven back out?" The Flock member asked. She complied, ready to go back to sleep.

I blinked my eyes, getting used to being in control again. "Lucas! You're all right!" I hugged him. When I pulled back, he looked surprised. So was I, if I was being honest. I don't know why I hugged someone I barely know at all.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked, tentatively.

"No, only that Nikolas was going to kill you. After that, blurriness and then now. What did happen," I wondered, looking at the two boys. Nick had long scars down his arms and bite marks on his hands. Did I do that? 

"You Shifted."

"Into what?" I prompted, since he didn't go on.

Lucas hesitated for a second. "A Fox. So, that's your third Animal. As far as I know, that is a very first in Shifter history." 

"Wow. So, I'm some sort of Super-Shifter? Cool." 

I tried to reach out to my Fox, the one who saved Lucas. Uh, thanks. Whoever you are.

I am Nyla. You do not need to thank me. I only saved him because he is important to you. The Fox had a velvety voice, but kind of sounded like a, well, fox. Sneaky, yet serious and sly. 

"...mention it to the scientists." I heard Lucas say as I tuned back in to the outside world. 

"What?" 

"You didn't hear anything I said, did you?" I shook my head. Lucas sighed. "Well, what's your Fox's name?"

"Her name is Nyla."

"Okay. At least she isn't hiding. They tend to do that sometimes. Just slip into the very deep parts of your mind and stay there." Lucas said. "Anyways, I was telling you that the simulation cut out, so the scientists didn't see any of it past Nikolas showing up with me. So, we don't need to mention this incident to them."

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Because Vulpines are very rare. They appear once, maybe twice,  in every ten thousand Shifters. And they's want to study you. To see why you're so rare."

"Wait, there's that many of us? " 

"We're scattered all over the world." 

"Oh. Quick question. How do we get out of here? Like, out of the simulation?"

"That's easy. We just go to the Lab here, and take the serum to bring us back to the real world."

"I assume the Lab is where the Pod thingies are?" Lucas made an affirmative noise. "And what serum?"

"It's a shot, taken in the arm." My face paled. 

"It's okay. Let's get going, though, before they wonder what's taking us so long." We started walking down a hall, Lucas leading at first, since he knew where to go. Then I walked next to him. "It doesn't hurt, really."

"I know it will. Everyone always says that, but they're always lying." I fake-glared at him. "What did you mean, back there, the 'simulation cut out?' And how do you know?"

"I mean that the scientists' view of what's going on has ceased. It happens sometimes, this being relatively new tech and all. And I know it cut out because I felt it. I'm the leader of this sim, so I'm sort of connected to it. I'm able to tell when the footage cuts off, and I have to be the last one out, to shut it down."

"But the scientists started it." I said, confused.

"Yeah, but they can't end it from outside the sim. They can start it because no one is in it to get it started themselves." Lucas explained. "And, we're here."

"Great." I told him, sarcastically.

He ignored it. "Right over here." 

There were two shots with purple liquid in them, just sitting innocently on the table. There were chairs on either side of the table. 

Lucas told me to sit, so I did, holding out my left arm. He disinfected it, flicked the shot, - I looked the other way - and put it in my arm. 

The world turned fuzzy.

One thing I heard before getting put back into reality, was Lucas telling me to "Be careful. Remember what I told you."

Then the blackness came back.

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I just changed the Pack name, since I realize it conflicts in future chapters.