Brother Wolf

Ch 14 Aftermath

With a sudden leap, the man sprang at me, his weight knocking me down. I twisted my body and swung my arms, grabbing him as we fell, getting him in a decent hold. A shot rang out when he leapt, but I couldn't tell if it found its mark. His burst of strength surprised me as he twisted his body, breaking my hold. I heard movement in the field as people changed positions. I had to trust everyone would do what they were supposed to do.

The man's head was suddenly wolf enough for fangs to be coming at my face. My heart raced as I formed my own fang-filled snout; I didn't have time for anything else. Fur was shoved into my face instead of the fangs that had been coming at me. His hands reached up in that same moment, wrenching my jaw open more. It was a move I didn't expect. My fangs caught in the folds of his throat. His fist slammed up into my jaw as he moved downward, forcing my teeth to puncture his flesh. He pushed away from me, falling heavily on the other side of me. Cherokee and Arctic quickly pinned him with his face in the ground.

Even as I changed my head back to human, I was spitting out the mouthful of fur and flesh his push away from me had left in my mouth. The smell of blood filled the air. "Turn him over," I said urgently. My hands sought the man's neck, where blood was gushing out.

"Damn," hissed Cherokee, ripping his t-shirt off to help staunch the flow.

"Get Doc over here," I yelled over my shoulder at Mac, squelching the panic that tried to surge in me.

I heard Mac giving orders, keeping everyone back.

Below me, the man's hand slid up my arm.

"Brother, why?" I asked in despair. His grasping my jaw and forcing me to bite him in such a manner left me stunned.

The man smiled through his still slightly wolfish features, even as he tried to push my hand away with his weakening strength. His eyes flickered toward Maximus. "Yours now," he gasped out. "Strong. You keep safe until..."

His arm fell, and his breath wheezed. I could see the life fading from him. I glanced at Maximus, motioning with my head, before turning back to the man.

"Yes, my Brother. I will keep him safe and help him become strong in his own right. Be at peace, my brother." I leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I need you to be a man right now if you can. Find the strength to die as a man. When you cross the river, then you can run free as a wolf."

Maximus dropped to his knees next to me as the man's body shuddered. "Alpha?"

It was an odd grimace that crossed the man's face as his features struggled to become human. Somehow his hand found Maximus's. "Sssuu," was all he managed to get out.

"Alpha," the teen cried frantically, tugging on the hand that was now limp. Maximus looked over at me, trying his hardest to deny the truth before us. I shook my head, withdrawing my hand from the man's neck.

"What was his name?" I asked gently.

"Name? He's Alpha, He's... Alpha, wake up, I command it," Maximus said desperately. His free hand reached for the man's bloody shoulder.

I grabbed his reaching hand, bringing it to my chest.

"It's because they shot him, right? He's sleeping?" Maximus asked, his voice breaking.

"Maximus, he is beyond sleep."

The teen shook his head as I pulled him to me. For a moment, he didn't resist. Suddenly he pulled away, rising to stand over his fallen leader. "You... he shouldn't have tried to fight you. He wouldn't listen. It's because I'm weak. I'm not a good alpha. He wouldn't obey me."

I stood to make room for Doc, wiping the blood from around my mouth before I did. All Doc could do at this point was to confirm what we already knew. Even if Doc had been right beside us, there was nothing he could have done.