The Bitten Wolf

Chapter 13: The Brick House

   It seemed like my task was simple - find the one who had bitten me and kill them. Saying the words seemed like nothing, but when you actually thought about it...

   Can you live with the guilt? my mind taunted me, Knowing that you have killed someone... innocent? I snarled at my own thoughts.

   "They're not innocent!" I yelled to the surrounding trees, "I could have had a normal life! And they ruined it for me!" I fell to the ground, sobbing. The leaves on the ground were dry and prickly but I didn't have the strength to go on.

   The leaves poked at my skin and somewhere in the back of my mind the fact that I was in human form registered. The larger part of my brain heard the unexpected snap of a twig.

   I jumped up, scanning the forest. I couldn't smell anything unusual and the snapping twig was the only weird thing I heard. I decided to put it aside - I was tired and only overreacting after everything that I had learned today. The main thing I needed right now was rest, preferably in a warm, soft bed and not on the forest floor. Longingly, I thought of the brick house in the middle of the forest. Was it still there? I decided to find out.

   Scenting the air for something familiar that would lead me home I picked up the smell of water - clean, pure, fresh. The river!

   Mindful of Maya's warning, I didn't bother to change into a wolf. What difference did it make if I was walking through the forest in a different form?

   I reached the river after along walk, having fought brambles and sharp needles the entire way. Wearily, I collapsed beside the river, scooping water into my hands and taking a long drink.

   My head snapped up fast when I heard the crackling of dried leaves. Someone was here. Someone was following me.

   Stop overreacting! I chided myself, The leaves are still falling off of the trees! That's where all these sounds are coming from. This time, I wasn't so sure I was overreacting. I spread my senses out, trying to scent something, anything, but I couldn't pick anything up. They had to be downwind of me.

   I spun around, hoping to catch whoever was following me off-guard, but there was no one there. I really was going crazy.

   Thoughts of home drowned those of someone following me, and before I knew it, I was sprinting towards the brick house which was just becoming visible through the trees. I reached the brown fence panting and out of breath. Carefully, I eased the gate open, which squeaked in protest at me. Usually, everyone just jumped over the fence in wolf form and changed in the backyard.

   Closing the old gate quietly behind me, I made my way across the patio and to the back door. I raised my hand to knock, but realized that it wasn't locked. Slowly, I eased the door open, stepping inside. Cold air followed me in and I quickly closed the door. It slammed loudly and I cringed.

   "Matthew?" came a voice from the kitchen. Kiera stepped into the hallway, nearly dropping her coffee cup when she saw me.

   "Hazel?" she whispered in disbelief. I nodded slowly, not sure if this was real myself. In a matter of seconds though, Kiera had her arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back, relieved to see her alive. Maya had been like a mother - Kiera was like an aunt.

   "Come, I'll make you some coffee, Matthew should be back soon." I followed the beta into the kitchen, plopping down into a wooden chair. The last time I sat here I was with Luke. I felt my blood boil at the thought of him. He will pay for what he has done to my pack.

   "Hazel, I can't believe you're actually here!" chirped Kiera, setting down a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, "When none of you came back, Matthew and I thought that you were dead! What exactly happened to all of you?"

   I sighed, "It's a long story. I think we should wait until Matthew gets back."

   As if on cue, we heard the door creaking open and heavy footsteps coming down the hallway.

   "Kiera, has anyone been here..." Matthew trailed off as his eyes landed on me. I jumped out of my chair, throwing myself at him.

   "Your training really paid off," I told him as I wandered back to my seat.

   He winked at me, "Always knew it would." He sat down across from me, Kiera taking a seat beside him.

   "Hazel, where have you been?!" Kiera asked with a worried expression, putting her hand into Matthew's on top of the table.

   I took a sip of coffee, managing to burn my tongue, and launched into my story. I spat Luke's and Aiden's names out like they were poison.

   When I was finished I put my head into my hands, feeling something wet on my cheeks. Matthew and Kiera were silent, probably in shock. I couldn't blame them for it.

   "Maya..." whispered Kiera, tears rolling down her face, "And Henry. We buried Jared a few days ago." She wiped the tears away, smudging her mascara.

   Matthew stayed silent, taking deep breaths. Was he going to faint? Finally, he spoke, his voice a whisper, "The alphas are dead. Jared didn't name a follower."

   He looked up abruptly, meeting my eyes, daring me to lie to his question: "Did Maya?"

   I nodded, "She did. She named me alpha."

   The cup Kiera was holding fell to the floor and exploded into little pieces. Matthew held my gaze, teeth clenched as he hissed, "She tells the truth."

   Then, he threw himself at me. I jumped out of the chair and it clattered to the floor. Quickly, I dodged out of Matthew's way and he hit the wall, leaving a human-sized dent. The kitchen was small and I didn't have much room to manoeuvre, so I did the one thing I knew would stop him.

   I jumped behind Kiera, hoping that she would do something to protect me.

   "Matthew!" snarled Kiera and Matthew stopped dead in his tracks, "Get a hold of yourself! You must respect Maya's dying wish. Or are you no better than your brother?" Matthew visibly flinched at the last word. He sank into a chair and Kiera went to comfort him.

   My voice was weak as I asked, "What made your brother... the way he is?"

   Matthew looked at me, a dull look in his eyes, "I'm sorry Hazel. I just... I don't know what got into me. Power does that to people; that's what it did to Aiden."

   Kiera flinched at the name - did that one name have that impact on everyone?

   With a sigh, Matthew motioned for me to sit. I followed the order though, technically, I was the alpha.

   "There is a tradition in the packs to give a gift to the new alpha," Matthew began, "Here is ours, Hazel. As the new alpha you should know the full history of our pack. Why there is this rivalry between our two packs and why they are so bent on killing us. We have tried to keep this from you for your safety, but it seems that it has only caused us more grief."

   He bowed his head as if in memory of those who had died, then began his story...