Apex Predator

~FOUR~

My eyes widened with excitement as I watched the last patrol coming through our camp's gate. It was led by my brother, his gray fur disheveled from whatever altercation they got in. The rest of the wolves followed, their heads down in exhaustion except Silas. The sky had already grown pitch black. The only bit of light was from the porch light at our mansion and the moon. I snatched up and gray hoodie and sweat pants, slipping them on before softly opening my bedroom door and sneaking out. I chose the easiest outfit to get on and off considering I wasn't going to have much need for them when I shift. The mansion seemed deadly quiet, and I cringed with every quick step I took, panicking over the random creaks. It was an old house, so obviously it's going to be a bit creaky, but I was trying to keep the noise silent. My dad's hearing was immaculate, even when he's asleep, which is good if we ever get ambushed, but right this second it was an absolute pain in my ass. I had made my way from my room to the top of the stairs, hesitating as my parent's room were right at the top, so it was easier access for my dad to get wherever he needed to go in the midst of an emergency. I bit my bottom lip and squeezed an eye shut as I took one step down the stairs, my stomach dropping as it creaked again, this time louder. I let out a loud curse in my head and took another step, it was quieter, but still not silent.

My hand gripped the rail and I took a deep breath before rushing down the rest of the stairs, wincing at every bit of noise until finally I reached the bottom. I paused and looked up, waiting for my dad to bust through his doors at any second. The silence continued and a sigh of relief fell from my lips before this time I heard the front doors handle start to jiggle.

I let out a small squeak and rushed over to hide under the stairs, squeezing into the space we usually used as storage. The small room was filled with boxes and cobwebs and a shiver racked through my entire body at the thought of all the spiders, before my eyes peaked out of a crack through the stairs. My brother opened the door and walked in, his friend Ash was close behind him and they were laughing at something that happened on patrol, "I swear, he looked like he was going to cry a little." Ash laughed, smacking Silas in the back of the shoulder.

My older brother returned his laugh and shook his head, "If only they'd learn their lesson."

He must've fought a member of another clan on his adventure. He had a small cut on his arm, which I only assumed was much worse when it happened because of our advanced healing. The skin around blue eyes were dark with dirt and other grime and he had a busted lip. Normally that was expected whenever he came back, but it still made me nervous. Dad didn't care if he hurt himself, but I woulds be utterly lost without him. "I guess a little ass whooping is the price to pay for trespassing." The other wolf chuckled. He also had a few cuts and scrapes, but nothing major.

Silas smiled before he stopped in his tracks, lifting his head to sniff the area for a second. His nose flared and he raised an eyebrow, "Do you smell that?"

Ash raised an eyebrow right back at him and took a big whiff, shrugging, "What exactly am I smelling?"

"Astrid." My older brother looked around suspiciously, and my insides did flips as his eyes landed on the stairs,

Ash shook his head and started walking towards the kitchen, "She probably came down not too long ago to get food. I remember you saying that she hadn't eaten anything all day." his voice started fading.

"It smells so strong though..." He trailed off, looking around some more before scratching the back of his neck and following Ash, his footsteps sounding farther and farther away.

I was still able to hear them talking, thank God, and I used that to my advantage. Sneaking back out from under the stairs, my eyes trained on the hallway the just disappeared down, "Like I said, maybe she did it super recently. There would be no other reason for her to be down here."