Alphas *TO BE RE-WRITTEN*

Chapter 6: Broken

So the next few weeks went by hazily. Michael and I never spoke, and I, surprisingly, did the chores I had to do and spent my spare time in my room. Most of the time I slept, and when we went on runs, I ran alone.

On the 13th of June, I watched out the window as my fellow classmates drove me in their cars that had read "CONGRATS GRADS!" I would've graduated today, but instead, I was sitting inside, dealing with an alpha who grated on my nerves.

Michael came home early, smiling. I stood up from the couch, and was about to head to my room to start yet another round of the silent treatment, when he stepped in front of me, still smiling.

I tried to step around him, but he continued to block my path until I balled my fists, annoyed. "What?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"I have good news," he replied.

"What? That my father died in a car crash?" I asked.

He shook his head, and then handed me a sleek, black folder that read 2012 on the front in silvery caligraphy. I gave him an odd look, took the folder gently, and then gently pulled out a piece of heavy paper and began to read it. My jaw hit the floor, and I looked back up at Michael, wide-eyed.

"This is a...?"

"Diploma, yes," he replied, smiling even more broadly.

"How did I...? How did you...? What the fuck?" I asked, stunned.

For once he didn't snap at me for my choice of words. "I pulled some strings," he replied simply. "Congratualtions."

Before I realized what was happening, or what the hell I was doing, I hugged him and said, to my immense surprise, "Thank you."

He stood there, stunned, but then gently patted my back. "You're welcome. By the way, Daniel and Silver graduated today as well, so we're all going for a run to celebrate," he said. "They wanted you to come too."

I pulled back away from him and took a step back. "Cool. Well then, let's go," I said. I wanted to go for a run so badly. I wanted to try my luck at deer instead of elk. I had built muscle and lost weight with every run we went, and I was proud of myself. I loved feeling so amazing.

Michael smiled. "Hold on a sec," he said, and then walked into the living room and grabbed an empty picture frame he had gotten a few months back. He had taken the folder and diploma from me, and now he was sliding the paper into the frame. "There. When you go back home, you can take this with you. I'm sure your parents will be proud of you... for once."

I couldn't help but smile.

-

The deer bolted away from me and I chased after it, mouth watering, adrenaline pumping, heart pounding. I could run twice as fast now, and I was trying my hand at hunting in unfamiliar territory. It would be good preparation if I ever got lost and needed food on my way back to civilization.

The deer was just a little faster than me, but I was gaining slowly. I snapped at her hind legs, trying to either grab her or make her stumble. She tried to zig-zag away from me, but I kept hot on her tail. She would be mine, and I would have accomplished yet another of my new goals. Eventually she started to just run in a straight line, and I quickly gained on her. I parted my jaws, ready to latch onto her back leg and take her down.

But suddenly, at the last minute, the doe veered left and a very steep hill came into view. I panicked and tried to skid to a stop, but failed and rocketed forward down the hill. There were rocks and small trees and small blackbery bushes that I crashed into without mercy, without the hope of stopping until I reached the bottom.

I heard and felt my bones cracking, breaking, and shattering as I was slammed into every obstacle that rested on the hill. Sticks on the ground broke beneath me and stabbed and tore into my flesh, and I cried out in yelps of pain until I came to a slamming stop at the bottom of the hill on some rocks beside a small stream that trickled obliviously by me.

My whole body stung and ached so bad that my eyes watered, and when I tried to breathe in, I was struck by stabbing pains. I was alone, as usual, and I doubted anyone knew where I was. For a second I felt hopeless, but then I remembered the mental link between wolves.

I tried to open my mind, but unconsciousness was already snaking its dark fingers around my mind. I had to hurry if I wanted anyone to find me. I sent out images of my surroundings to no one in particular, just hoping that somone would hear me. Help me... help... please...

Just as I sent out the image of the hill I had tumbled down, I fell into the depths of blackness. It felt like I was swimming, endlessly, hopelessly, timelessly through the darkness, groping for any source of light that could bring back into consciousness. I needed to wake back up, I needed to somehow get to where someone was, even if every bone in my body was broken.

Suddenly, just as I was beginning to give up hope, faint voices leaked into my mind. Along with the voices came a faint light, and I clawed at it, desperate to make it bigger and be able to hear what was going on. The voics were familiar, definitely, yet I still couldn't make out what they were saying.

Then the voices were louder, and I could make out the words. They were calling my name, like they were searching for me. I wanted to call out, to lure them to where I was, but I couldn't form the words in my mind, or in my still-wolf mouth. All the came out was a breath, and then the darkness tried to grab me once more.

"Ren!" a voice called. It was closer than the rest, and extremely familiar. There was a name, just on the tip of the tongue, but I couldn't remember it. "She's down here!"

The voices drew closer and I felt hands on my neck, gently pressing into my skin.

"Oh my God... Ren, wake up please. Come on," he said again. His name... what was his name?

"How badly is she hurt?" another voice asked. It was almost as deep as the first voice.

"Pretty badly," the first voice replied. M... his name started with an M... Mark? Mike? Something like Mike... what was Mike a nickname for?

"Can we move her?"

"I don't know..." the first voice replied. Michael! It was Michael. My heart leapt at his voice for some reason, but I passed it off as just being happy to be found.

Suddenly, all of the voices were close and all talking at once. I tried to filter out everyone's voice, but it made my head hurt more than it already did. I let out a low whine, desperate for them all to stop talking. All I wanted was pease, and for the pain to stop.

"I'll carry her," Michael said, and then I was gently lifted off the ground. Pain rippe through me and suddenly I was conscious, whimpering loudly with pain. The voices all stopped and when I opened my eyes, I saw blurry faces all watching me. "Move."

People parted and I felt the careful steps of Michael beneath me as he gently made his way back up the hill. I still whimpered quietly, my whole body aching, and I let my head fall against Michael's chest, wincing and yelping with the pain that followed.

"I know it hurts, Ren. But you'll be fine, love. I promise," he whispered gently.

Love... I wanted to smile at that, but I ended up tumbling back down into the darkness of unconsciouness, still feeling the piercing pain that took my whole body. I was broken, weak... and those were two things I really didn't want to be.