The Fox and the Alpha

Prologue

My fifteenth birthday started out completely normal, except for the fact my mom forgot to buy eggs the day before. And I'm not saying that is completely bizarre, but if you knew my mom, you would say it was.

She sent me down the road to pick some up, the small town we lived in was right by the ocean so the salt sprayed against my skin as I walked. It was a small road, close to the woods on one side and the water on the other. I was gripping the carton when I head a twig snap, my head keeping low as I hurried.

"Hey!" I turned slightly to see a man slurring his words at me, his skin covered in sunspots. I watched as three other men came out from behind him, almost all of them wearing the same sea uniforms that sailors and unloaders wore.

I turned and began to run, their calls littering through the air behind me. It wasn't until I ran into someone smelling like salt and body odor that I panicked.

"You leaving so soon?" I cringed as I tried to back away, my eyes searching for some form of escape.

"Please let me go, I'm only 15." I cried, my breathing became rapid in a matter of seconds.

I heard the group laugh behind me, closer than I wished for. "Awe, look at the baby crying!"

I turned and looked at the group when I felt a kick on my leg, automatically giving out from underneath me. "Please!"

I felt a slap against my cheek, my skin burning as he gripped onto my collar. "Do not speak to me that way human!"

Human?

I felt another punch on my stomach as he ripped into me, my body shutting down as all I could do was lay there and take his hits.

I watched his fist come down on my face when a growl ripped through the air, stopping his hand midway through the air.

"What the.." he looked up as a scream filled the air, the sounds of one crushing and fabric ripping filling up all around me.

He let go of my neck as I fell to the ground, my eyes looking up to see him and one other man run away as fast as they could. I heard the gravel move, a huge fox coming to stand over me.

My heart rate sped up as I took her in, her beauty taking over any fears I had. "Hello." I whispered out to her, my hand reaching up to nuzzle into the side of her face.

Hello.

I jumped as the one word filled my mind, my eyes searching for the source of the word.

It's me, my name is Louise.

I eyed the fox in front of me, her bones popping as she laid down on the floor. "You're, you're talking to me?"

Something like that, the reason I'm here is because those men were thinking such vile things, and your soul is to pure for that.

"Well, thank you," I tried to shift so I could sit up fully, blood seeping from a split lip and the skin of my cheek stung. I hissed as I slid my finger over it, a growl escaping the chest of the fox.

No one will ever hurt you again. I'm growing old, and my spirit must be passed on. I fear I only have moments before it leaves me, but I must pass on the spirit, the last fox spirit.

"So you would die, and I would become a fox for the rest of my life?" I asked cautiously.

No my dear, it is like werewolves, you can shift on command.

"But werewolves aren't real?"

Oh, but they are. Once I let you have my spirit, you will have your own fox that will be able to answer all of your questions. She has been laying dormant inside of me, and she chose you when you left the store an hour ago. Your soul called out to her, as if a piece of the puzzle finding its exact replica.