I'm The Alpha's Challenge

43

This was not happening. Tell me this was not happening!

Josh cursed once more, clenching his fists so tightly they turned white.

He ducked to the right, a light enveloping his body. I gasped quietly as my eyes widened. The light disappeared, leaving a very cross black wolf in its place. His ears were pinned to the back of his head, the fur on his back standing as he growled at the bear, showing large fangs.

My wolf.

J.

Josh.

Josh was my wolf. My wolf was Josh. They were the same.

Anger suddenly flared inside me. Why couldn't he tell me that? I had asked him, and he lied to me.

The bear stumbled, surprised by his change in… species, but it didn't faze Josh. He darted to the right, disappearing in the forest for a split second before I saw his eyes peeking out at me. The bear stood, roaring as it looked around for him. It turned in a full circle until its back was to the wolf. Josh took the opportunity, dashing out from the trees, closing his jaws around the bear's hind legs.

It roared in anger, turning and swiping at him with a paw, but Josh easily dodged away from it. He barred his blood-stained teeth as the bear limped towards him, his legs pouring out blood.

I shivered, and I was sure it wasn't because of the cold. Blood. I had never seen so much. Involuntarily, a squeak escaped my lips. The wolf's head snapped towards me, worry swirling in his eyes, momentarily taking his attention off his attacker and onto me.

A moment was that was needed

The grizzly swung its massive paw again, catching Josh in the right shoulder. I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming as the force sent him flying into the tree, yelping.

I expected him to get up.

He didn't get back up.

His head flopped to the side, his eyes barely open. I began to panic, my heart racing. He couldn't be dead, could he? Werewolves were immortal… right? A faint, weak howl sounded from the wolf's muzzle. It was my fault. This couldn't be happening. If only I hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have looked at me, and he would've dodged that blow. Other, stronger howls answered him, and it suddenly dawned on me that his 'family', or pack, could also be wolves.

The bear stopped in its tracks, standing as it looked around for the backup, roaring. A growl came to my ears as a light blur tore through the woods, catching the bear in the stomach. It staggered back a few steps, blood staining its chestnut fur as it roared at nothing. It dropped back down on all fours as a light golden brown wolf jumped back away from it. Soon, six other wolves flanked it. One grayish-blue wolf locked eyes with me and a wave of déjà vu passed over me.

Adam.

He's my—nevermind. I don't want to tell you that.

The wolf was Adam. I knew. Josh's little brother. The one that had talked to me yesterday. I gulped, panic spreading through me again. So they were wolves. All of them. Adam turned back to the bear, snarling. When the bear saw the small pack, it closed its mouth, stepping back. The light wolf leapt, catching its nose in her mouth. The growling suddenly stopped as they all stared at her. It was the same wolf that had come up to me and J, well, Josh, in the middle of the night. The bear was confused as well, swinging its paw lightly to slap her off. She landed on her side, close to Josh, but immediately stood back up, shaking herself off and growling. The bear glanced around the family of wolves, its eyes widening slightly. It knew it wouldn't really stand a chance against all of them. The light wolf jumped at it, barking. It flinched, ultimately turning and running.

"Iya, what the heck was that?" The voice of Josh's father said, a hint of humor hidden in it.

I glanced over in time to see a light cloak the golden wolf, disappearing and leaving a smiling Iya in its place. She laughed, glancing at him. "Levi's been watching a lot of lion documentaries on Animal Planet and forcing me to watch them. They try and suffocate their prey. I thought I'd try it out." She explained. My throat closed up as my heart rate increased. Slowly, I backed away, glancing at Josh. His begging eyes stopped me in my tracks.

Don't be scared. Please. He whined. I stumbled, taking another step back. His eyes flashed back towards his family, growling and barking at them. They turned towards him before all of them turned towards me. I locked eyes with Iya before my hands started shaking and I turned and ran.

There had always been a part of me that didn't believe J. That didn't believe that he was really there. That he might just be a figment of my imagination out of my loneliness. My desperation for someone to talk to, someone to protect me and take care of me. And now that I knew it was real—or I was just plain crazy—there was no doubt left.

Josh and his family were werewolves.

And I was on the verge of locking myself in a padded room with one of those jackets that made you hug yourself.

Suddenly the golden wolf—Iya—stood in front of me, and in the next second, the 'human' Iya was. She held her hands up as in surrender. Something cold hit my hand, and it was then I realized I was crying. I stepped back, shaking my head. "Danny, wait, just let us explain. It's not as bad as it looks. I promise." She said, taking a slow step forward.

I shook my head again. "I'm going crazy." I muttered and her eyes widened. I took a deep breath. "You know, I thought he was dead for a second." My voice cracked at the mere thought of it. "I—I thought I'd never see him again, and it was all my fault. And for a second, I was okay with him lying to me."

"No!" She cut me off and I slowly made eye contact with her, but I knew they were dead. "He wasn't lyin' ta you. None of us were."

I sighed. "I asked him. I asked him if he was my wolf that kept showing up. He said no. He lied to me." I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "Nevermind. He is… he is going to be alright… right?" I asked, my voice breaking.

Okay. Okay. It's okay. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. You're alright. You're alright. Everything's fine.

She waved her hand in the air as if it were nothing. "Yea, yea. He'll be fine. We heal fast. Just a couple a stiches to stop the bleedin' and he'll be fine in a few days." She locked eyes with me. "But he needs ya, Danny. He ain't gonna live with himself if he thinks he hurt ya or scared ya in any way. Please, please come back with me."

I let out a shaky breath, nodding. "Alright," I agreed. "But don't expect me to speak to anyone, alright?" I growled, pointing a finger at her.

Her eyes widened and she nodded. "Of course. C'mon." she said, guiding me back towards the ranch.