The Mad Alpha

Chapter 5 - The Shift

October 3, 2015. Grimstone Asylum Grounds, Northern Pack Lands.

My paws hit the hard ground with heavy beats, pounding against the grass with an exhilarating intensity. Lapping in deep inhales, my senses become heightened, sharp, for the first time in a while. The shift was easy, my wolf was welcoming me after I had abandoned her for weeks.

I sprinted through the vast greens, the line of trees blurring as I shot through.

This...

It felt right, it felt liberating.

There were many other wolves around me—from the asylum, but none of them were dangerous or threatening. The bigger, black wolves stood by the borders of the asylum grounds, guarding the area, ensuring that no one would escape or leave from here while on their watch.

We were given an hour of the shift. I wanted to use it well and explore as much of the grounds as I could. So far, it wasn't limited or restricted anywhere.

As I ran, I could feel my strength building with every second that passed.

Nothing was stopping me now. I was in my own state of bliss. This was what I had been missing, and it filled me with a sense of clarity like no other. My thoughts had started to clear.

Not even once I thought of Hollow Point, running there and getting chased by that wolf who I later killed on the same night.

Thoughts of Dom began ebbing away.

More time passed and I slowed down by the border of a small pond where I caught sight of several ducks. I neared and the ducks splashed away, terrified.

It's the fur.

I looked around the asylum grounds, and now, finally, it didn't feel like an asylum.

That was until a familiar scent hit me. I moved my gaze up and the sound of pounding paws grew louder.

When I looked behind, there was no one there and when I looked ahead, there was no one there either. But I could smell him.

Dom Sterling.

I could smell his rogue scent. I could feel his presence.

He was near me.

Paralyzing terror gripped my bones.

The stench continued to fill my senses and my heart beat fast, I scrambled backward, moving back.

This cannot be happening.

I reminded myself over and over again that he was dead. But how could I smell him then? How could I feel him?

With racing breaths, I darted back, desperate to get away, and just then, I caught his eyes. His wolf stood behind the tree, but I saw him clear as day.

No.

Without wasting any second, I dug my nails into the ground and propelled forward at a maddening speed. I couldn't look back or slow down. This couldn't be real.

My heart raced as I ran for as long as I could.

The man I killed was here—he was here, in the asylum. I knew it. I knew that he was stalking me.

Everything slowed down around me as terror and dread seeped into my body. It made its way into my bloodstream. I pushed further and harder, going as fast as I could.

"Fallon, are you doing alright?" Dr. Victoria asked as I neared the building.

I halted near her and shifted back. I quickly grabbed my clothes from the bench and shuffled into them, my hands shaky and my breath still unstable. Dr. Victoria was alert, now, noticing something was off.