Howling Fury (Book 1) (Being Edited)

Chapter 7

Marks POV

I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my body as I run. My pack surrounds me and I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of freedom and belonging . A large stag crashes through the under-brush ahead of us. Its fear clings to the air which only energises my more primal nature. The poor beast has no chance of getting away alive. My pack has me flanked on either side and more are up ahead to block its escape route. If the stag gets too far ahead my pack members will simple lure it back to me so I can make the kill.

My pack won't dare take the kill if I'm on the hunt. It's an act of respect allowing your alpha to kill the prey. The only one who ever dares take the kill is Ester. That has as much to do with me as it does her. I allow her to get away with murder because she's special to me. My heart clenches at the mere thought of her. She isn't with us tonight for this hunt, meaning she is off gallivanting around the city doing god knows what. She has a particular fondness for hunting down and killing those who dare murder humans. It's not so much the fact that some choose to kill humans that angers her but rather the fact that they dare do it on what she sees as her territory. She isn't an idiot though. She knows the high councils rules and takes great pleasure in skipping precariously close to the boundaries of the rules. No matter how many times I tell her not to she ignores me. No doubt she'll be the death of me.

She is very territorial, her wolf being the most dominant part of her personality. Don't get me wrong, she has the greatest respect for my authority but she does like to test the limits of my willpower; like a child does with a parent. Guilt pulls at me. What if she's hurt and I'm too stubborn to go and look for her? I have warned her repeatedly that her actions will have consequences but I know for a fact that the second she is in trouble I will go running.

"Alpha, the kill is yours," I hear Lucas murmur in my head. In front of me the stag rears, leaving its throat exposed. I spot my chance and I launch myself at the proud beast. Blood fills my mouth and for a brief moment I allow my wolf free reign. But only for a moment.

I quickly push my wolf back down and release the stag. A howl of pure victory echoes around the woods, then silence. "Do we have permission to feast alpha?" Dominic, my beta asks. I snort softly and dip my head slowly.

"Of course. The pack is free to eat with me. How many times do I have to tell you this?" Usually an alpha eats first but I prefer to eat with my pack beside me.

I must take the kill though. If another member of my pack took the kill, I would be unable to control my wolf and it would attack. Ester seems to be the only one which my wolf tolerates. It's no secret to anyone in the pack why she is so special to me. The only one who doesn't seem to realise is Ester herself and I can't help but think it adorable. Not that I'll ever tell her that.

A sickening sensation fills the pit of my stomach as I think of her. At first I believe it to just be guilt about Ester not being here until the rest of the pack speak up, seeming to react to the feeling. "Mark. Are you ok?" I don't like my pack calling me alpha constantly, it gets very annoying.

I can't answer, instead choosing to concentrate on Ester. When my mind touches hers I know she is in the school somewhere but I can't pinpoint her exact location. I can sense confusion. I can sense pain. She is hurt and barely conscious. Before I can stop myself I let out a roar and I take off, sprinting in the direction of the school. In the direction of  my Ester.

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I'm running as fast as I am able, screaming her name in my head. No answer. My mind goes into a panic as she fails to reply and worst case scenarios start to wheel through my mind. What if she's hurt too badly for any of us to help her? What if she can't heal? What if she is....?

I shake my head, expelling those thoughts from my mind. No. I will not think like that.

Finally I reach the end of the woods. I skid to an abrupt halt as the smell of blood and.... something else reaches my nose. Something worse than the blood. The stench causes my hackles to raise and I growl softly.

I creep towards the school slowly, my eyes scanning the area for any immediate danger. Instead they come to rest on something on the ground and I take a deep breath. Blood. Ester's blood.

I growl. More blood litters the ground and forms a path in the direction of the front doors. There is a lot of it. So much that my worry for Ester grows. Whatever this stench is, it must be inside her body because every drop of blood reeks of it.  What if it's poison? Without further thought I race into the building to find her.