The People's Alpha ✔

31: Sidetracked

Kaden was the first to react. "It's them again," he muttered. He let out a cry and shifted almost instantaneously, leaping through the window in a crash of glass and drywall, leaving a gaping hole.

The pack grounds had fallen silent. Baying noises drifted through. They were coming from far away. What the hell was going on? What had Kaden meant by his last words?

Here goes. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. I felt my bones crack. There was pain. Then the momentum of the shifting process overtook my faculites momentarily.

A smorgasbord of conflicting smells assaulted my senses as I adjusted to my new form. I felt the nearby prescence of my (single) packmate, and the faint mind-presence of hundreds of other minds beyond that. Someone was trying to link to me. Brian.

Jim. Where are you?

Kaden's.

Western border. Now. Quickly. Rogues.

Brian's messages were very short. We'd known each other long enough to know that this was serious. 

Are you there?

Guarding pack house. You, border. They need you.

I leapt into the night, breaking into a gallop almost before I hit the ground. I could see a hulking silhouette ahead of me. which I immediately recognised as Kaden. His coat glistened, jet-black in the dappled moonlight. The rumours did not do justice to his wolf form. It was truly impressive.

I ran after him, darting through undergrowth, leaping over gullies and fallen logs, and soon we were galloping neck to neck. We were sprinting as fast as we dared over the uneven ground.

I linked Brian again. How many rogues?

Many. More than we can handle. Probably need backup.

I was nearing the border. The baying had subsided to low growling. I could see the motley crew of the Salmon Creek wolves and Thurgood's gang, standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the hillside, which seemed to be sparkling, as if someone had seeded it with rhinestones. Then I realised that the rhinestones were eyes.

Rogues. As far as the eye could see.

Kaden made his way through the centre of our phalanx like a natural, parting it. The Salmon Creek wolves, sensing their leader in their midst, resumed their baying. I could feel their morale lift through the mind link. It was a good feeling.

He stepped forward. The wolves behind him, me included, tensed. I swore some of the rogues stepped back a bit. I could almost hear them thinking twice about this.

He raised his head and howled. We charged as one.

Thurgood's voice in the mind link. Go. Go. Go. Attack!

Growls filled the air as we charged at each other, two massive entities colliding. Russet wolves, black wolves, white wolves, wolves of every shade and colour ran into each other at high speed in every direction. The sound of rending flesh and spurting blood filled the air.

The next few seconds were an utter pandemonium of flying fur and claws. I could barely tell who was attacking who. Wolves jostled each other for space without thinking. None of us were thinking anymore. The wolf had taken over.

The smell of blood filled the air. I could scarcely tell who was gaining the upper hand. It was impossible to tell who was winning.

I finally gained purchase onto something with my jaws. He fought bravely, but I gained the upper hand and ripped his throat out.