(Discontinued)Wolves Peak (Book 2 of the Wolf's Creek Trilogy)

Chapter 1: And so the Drama Returns...

Chapter 1:

And so the drama returns…

            Mark held the infant close to his body as he moved to the car and strapped the tiny being into the car seat in the back before entering the driver’s side and pulled away from the Smith family home. A.J watched as the cabin door closed and, after a moment or two, the two teens that’d left the infant on the front porch jumped down from the tree and began running away.

            “Wait!” she called after them as she took off in pursuit of them. They were fast so fast she found herself having trouble catching up to them. But she was getting closer, so close her fair fingers skimmed the strands of the woman’s hair as it flew freely in the breeze behind her as she ran. Her hand lashed out quickly to grab hold of the woman’s shoulder—

            “Artemis…”

            Her hand froze and feet dug deep in the Earth at the sound of her name, allowing the couple to escape from her as she stood there, huffing and puffing, as she reached out her senses into the dark forest around her.

            “Artemis….”

            It called her once more. This time she couldn’t miss the pain in it’s voice as it called to her, pleaded to her for help she wasn’t sure she could offer to whoever was calling her. Slowly she turned around, feeling the presence of something behind her, and stood there staring in horror at a large, bloodied, wolf who snarled at her as it crouched down low before launching itself at her with a ferocious growl…

~*~

            A scream ripped its way through her as A.J jerked her body to the side quickly, as if to avoid the wolf that was launching itself towards her but only succeeding in rolling off the couch in her living room and landing on Marrok who lay sound asleep beside her. He squealed in fright and pain as he crawled out from under his mistress to stand besides her shaking as if trying to shake away the fright and pain from his body. She laid there on the floor, gazing up at the ceiling above her, her breaths coming in sharp and quickly as perspiration formed on her forehead.

            “Yo Art y’alright?!” Albert called from the kitchen where he sat fighting goblins and elves online.

            She swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Ye…yeah, Al,” she called back, slowly sitting from her spot on the floor. “Just another dream’s all.” Her brother did not respond, knowing his sister was prone to strange dreams, and slipped the large headphones back onto his ears. Her hands darted up to her face, rubbing across her eyes as if to erase the image of the injured wolf form her mind but sadly the image remained.

            “Artemis, are you alright?” Marrok asked, his own pain forgotten as he licked his mistress’s face in concern.

            She nodded, gently pushing the wolf away as she climbed to her feet. “I’m good…Just a bad dream.” Marrok did not further voice his concerns as he watched his mistress turned her eyes to the clock above the fire place and swore. She’d napped for too long and was going to be late. Quickly she jumped up from the floor and ran up the stairs to her room as the sun began its trek from the sky.

            It was June third and it was the end of the school year and the day after her brother had graduated from Wolf’s Creek high school. That day was one filled with boring speeches, her mother’s tears of joy and sadness her eldest son had graduated high school and would be leaving her soon. To be honest A.J never thought Paul would graduate with all the detentions under his belt and the number of F’s he received in his classes. Then again being the mate to the daughter of the most influential man in the town had its advantages. A.J wouldn’t be surprised to find out Charles Alaric had put in a word to the principle and the school district in favor of Paul graduating on time.