A Taste of You

5. Elvia

There was a menacing growl that threatened to resonate throughout my throat, but I waited; waited until the the voice in my head returned and whispered the dark fantasies that had been opened from a book stored into the deepest shelf in my mind.

Now, it hissed.

But instead of pouncing, a howl came from the room next to me. I shifted my body over, growling at Blondey who had warned the members about the voices that told me to attack.

In seconds, a large burgundy wolf was in front of me. His head was ducked low, growling and waiting for me to make a false move so that he'd latch on to my throat and snap it. His ears were set back, tail moving back and forth in a taunting rhythm.  

If you don't stand down, I'm gonna be forced to kill you. 

We circled around the room; dancing to the deafening song of growls and claws against tiles.

Who said you'd succeed? I challenged, feeling myself grin.

Wolves weren't meant to disrespect their higher ranks. They were meant to bow, listen, and follow through with their orders.

But where was the justice to the starving wolves - the ones that made sure that higher ranks always had food to eat? Why did the pack prefer to conquer lands; triumph in war when the real war happened within their own? A fight between life and death that many of my kind were forced to confront; placed right at the front line.

Claws itching, fangs throbbing and mind burning, I lunged.

I felt weightless at first. My body was the wind and everything below was insignificant; I could destroy homes as easy as I could rip the petals from a delicate flower sitting in fields of green; oblivious to it's beauty amongst the weeds that stole from it.

Then, there were teeth sinking into the side of my ribs. I whimpered in pain, letting myself be consumed by the dark that promised to take me out of this alive if I gave into its thirst.

It was like watching a movie. The screen was vivid, bright, but I could see the flashes of red that dirtied my mouth, my legs and pretty soon, the floor.

All the girls had shifted by the time I had sunken my teeth in the remaining pack members - they had been too shocked at my swift moments to shift into their wolf forms. 

Any distraction was a fatal distraction.

The girls were howling and whimpering; a wolf among a chicken coop. How fitting.

And to think one of you weak mutts would have been a Luna. My Luna.

I turned my head, noticing the camera that would be broadcasting everything soon. With a quick head bump, I had knocked it over; letting it shatter into pieces against one of the girl's door. 

I didn't waste anymore time; I darted out the building, leaving many of the pack members confused before the ringing in my head began.

Don't let any wolf out of the building. It's an order - no wolf out of the building!

The fear that wanted to push through my veins became gasoline - fueling me to run faster and harder into the forest. Everything that had happened these past few hours were unfamiliar; I was a simply sitting back while the voice in my head took control. But this - this was mine.

The forest was mine, the twigs that dug into my paws, and the leaves that brushed against my fur were mine.

I had read about roller-coasters once. The suspense on the way up, the drops that sent your heart up your throat, and the shots of adrenaline that coursed through every twist and turn of nerves that both paralyzed and made you aware of all the feelings rushing in at the same time - it made me realize that I was on a roller coaster. 

I had been going up for twenty years of my life, wondering at what point in life I'd finally see the view, and it wasn't until now that I was finally turning, hearing the clicks of the metal frames; it was threatening and exciting.

I had never seen the forest like this before. Usually it was just the scent of wood and the colors green and brown and black. But now, it was hues upon hues; shades upon shades. And the smell - god the smell. 

There was more than just wood - there was sap, there was ash and dirt. There was the smell of musk and fish and even chlorine that made out to be the river.

The voices of the pack members had quieted down, but soon after, I had begun picking up on another scent. 

I was running so fast that I began loosing myself in thoughts of mine, processing everything that had occured.

What was going to happen to my family? This whole thing was supposed to be for them and I had ruined it. I had ruined their chance at survival.

There was a low whimper that pushed out of me before the voice returned, Don't be weak now. You'll find a land to conquer and you'll fight to take them out of that pathetic pack. Strength, it said. We jut need strength. 

How would we do that? The Alpha would alert all the other Alphas.

They've been at war with one another, Jamie. It was strange to hear me call me by my own name. Except she sounded more fierce, determined. 

I am determined. You have to fight to become ruler, and then your family won't ever have to worry about a damn thing. There will be plenty of meat to feast on. 

That sounded good enough for Jamie. She didn't know what Mind Jamie had in store, but she trusted her own self more than she could ever trust anyone else, even Nathan.

Nathan. What would he think about her now?

Who cares, her mind said. He'll find his mate and forget you even existed. So start forgetting about him. If he brings you no power he has no right to you. 

I frowned at her statement. Nathan had been -

Oh for the love of god, my mind drawled out dryly, effectively cutting my thought off. Do me a favor and step out, leave the running and thinking to me. I'll show you how it's done. 

I rolled my eyes, not sure if I liked this, but then realized that I would have no other choice. 

Oh and, it began. My name's Elvia.

At the mention of her name I felt my body start to burn again, but this time it felt almost refreshing. There was a tug at the corner of my mind that felt almost familiar.

I followed it through the dark clouds, letting my vision become smaller and smaller until the forest became nothing but a small spec in the distance.

A/N: Please vote if you're enjoying this story so far, it's super encouraging! Thank you (: