The Beast of Fox Hill

Twenty Four

I groaned with a dull ache to my head and a strange stomach ache along with a chest full of anxiety. I urge my eyes to open and my eye lids peel themselves apart. I glance around and when I realize I have no idea where I am, I try to sit up quickly. A rush of dizziness hits me and I have to hold my head as if that will help my equilibrium. 

I look around and notice I am on a bed, one that certainly does not belong to me. It is a king size bed with black sheets and a charcoal gray comforter over it. The room is fairly plain, not much to it honestly. The walls are white and the carpet is a mixture of gray, black and white. There is a dark wood dresser in the corner and what I assume is a closet door. The whole room smells of men's cologne, a deep woodsy musk with a slight minty sweetness. 

Suddenly, the door creaks open and I yelp at the startling noise that contrasted with the silence. Axel's head peeks in and when he sees I am awake, he gives a sigh of relief and he steps in, closing the door behind him. Temporarily, I forget what happened in the forest, but the memories flash through my mind and I scoot back until my back is against the wall. 

"Hey, easy," he says gently. 

"What are you?" I ask as my heart begins to race as I remember the monstrous wolf that Cassander turned into. 

"We are werewolves," he says softly, his face telling me he is not joking and if he was, I would probably not believe it after what I had seen. There was no going back now. 

"How..?" I manage to whisper out, shaking my head as I try to comprehend what was going on. 

"We were born werewolves. Our parents are werewolves and they made more werewolves," he says with a shrug. I swallow hard, trying to calm my nerves somehow. Then, a thought dawns on me. 

"What color are your wolf's eyes?" I ask, curiously thinking. 

"Yellow. Why?" he asks, as if he sees the gears turning. 

"Why are Cassander's red?" I question. 

"Cassander is the alpha of the Fox Hill Pack," he explains. "I am not from around here, and I have another alpha who is like my boss of sorts. I am from a pack called the Black Water Pack, from the town of Black Water obviously," he states. 

"That is near my mother, right?" I ask and he gives me a nod.

"I like my alone time, and I chose to move to the edge of the pack territory, which took me to the apartment," he says. 

"When you found out I knew Cassander, you told me to stay away from him. Why?" I ask, thinking back on the past. 

"I know his family history, and his own. He is one of the strongest alphas around. He and his family have a history of being ruthless rulers and I did not know what you meant to him at the time. I was only looking out for your safety," he explains and I give a light nod before going quiet, thinking of what he meant when he referred to what I meant to Cassander. 

A moment later, the door creaks open once again. This time, the tall, muscular frame of Cassander takes up the doorway. His eyes land on me for a minute, and then he makes eye contact with Axel. Axel nods, before walking away from the side of the bed where he was standing and around Cassander as he walks into the room. Axel gives one last glance at me before nodding as if to say it is going to be alright, and I give him a small smile before he leaves my sight.

Cassander slowly closes the door and slowly makes his way to the bed. He softly sits at the edge, making sure he does not get to close as he can tell I am not curled up with my back to the wall for no reason. I am sure he can tell I am on edge, and I am grateful for him keeping his distance.