Maid for the Alpha

Chapter 37 (part three - last part)

An unexpected sound escaped his lungs as delightful images of a dying Rogue flitted through his mind. The warning he hadn't wanted to give was released. It vibrated from the depths of his spirit, a long, lone howl. Its fathomless, haunting, piercing tone pulsed beneath his paws, echoed through the air and trembled in the trees – traveling for miles and miles. And not only did every person, creature and being hear the chilling call, but they felt it – right down to their core, reaching a soul-deep, primal part of their anima.

And they all responded.

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Ethan's grip on the steering wheel tightened in response to the foreboding shiver that rippled through his body just before the sound reached their ears.

"What was that?" Daniella asked, "It felt like my spine was squeezed in a vice grip, but sounded like a...like a..." the word hung on the tip of her tongue but wouldn't come out.

"Like a wolf howl," Ethan finished for her.

Their eyes snapped to each other as a simultaneous, "Shit!" escaped their lips.

They needed to find Leland – fast.

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Vanessa needed revenge. It was that dark desire that drove her thoughts to madness, even as the distant, eerie howl resonated in her ears and crawled beneath her skin. The plots she was building to take down the rich bastard that caused her social blackout, were too important to allow some mysterious sound to distract her.

No matter where you are, she thought to herself as she studied the New York night sky through her bedroom window, I will find you Leland Moore, and I will ruin you!

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"Oh my God! Did you hear that? More importantly, did you get that on tape?" Sarah Shelton asked her camera man. When he shook his head, the word "Fuck!" escaped her mouth. I'm ruined!

Then she noticed that his hands were shaking as much as hers were, his face was slightly paled with a glazed gleam in his eyes, and she wondered if he felt the same uncanny chill run down his back as well. If he felt it, she wondered, did all of New York feel it too?

"OH!" She exclaimed as the sudden realization hit her. This is it! The big one. Turning to her camera man she said, "We have to find this mystery creature first! Our careers depend on it!"

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The phone rang, interrupting Collin's train of thought. Looking at the caller ID he smiled. His career was about to get a boost. "Elder Kaalpanja," he answered, "to what do I owe this honor, Sir?" He knew what the call was about.

"Embree! What the hell is happening in your Region?!" came the enraged reply. "You care to explain how a fucking werewolf got caught on video?!"

Normally, being yelled at by an Elder would put the Regent Alpha in a foul, groveling mood. Instead, he could barely contain his glee. After a heartbeat, he answered with all the seriousness and gravity he could muster, "It's the Rogue, Sir. He's on the run. And we've finally identified him... it's... Leland Moore."

Silence. It was the first time Collin had ever known the Elder to be rendered speechless.

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No one said a word, nor uttered a sound. Even Madam Corauni was speechless before the Rogue's steely glare. And then they all heard it – the long, lone, haunting howl of a powerful werewolf. It rumbled within the ground, echoed in the air, and sent ripples of Alpha energy to grip their spines in a cold clamp, rendering them momentarily motionless.

After several heartbeats, Dennis made the first move. Raising his hand, he intended to use his psychic talents to throw the beast aside, but somehow the Rogue was faster – his anger fueled him as he lunged forward in one, smooth, swift movement. The only warning was a muffled snarl as Dennis's hand disappeared within the mangled maw of the battered beast. The Romani's screams echoed in the small room as he was tossed to the side like a broken toy. The sickening crack of his fragile skull against concrete loosed a battle cry from Madam Corauni, but she was still too weak. Her attempt to subdue the crazed werewolf were met with four sharp claws embedded deep within her bowels. Her silent scream was stifled by the sickening, sucking sound released by the tortuously slow removal of his paw from her abdomen.

Biting back a scream of her own, it was all Liz could do to not freak out. Her whole body tensed in anticipation as once again she was faced with death. Over and over again her life had hung in the balance – had even dipped a bit too far into the darkness before somehow coming back to the conscious world. And all of this happened in the span of a few days. It was enough to break even the strongest of wills – had almost broke Liz. Almost.

But a deeply embedded fury uncoiled itself from within her – as if waking from a long slumber, and reared up in angry response – ready to face the monster.

Once again, Beast and beauty stood before each other with death prowling in the shadows. Only this time, a power Liz did not understand vibrated from within her core, while rage burned away her fears. She felt like the boy in her vision, who stood before this very werewolf and, fueled by the loss of his family, gave the beast his tell-tale scar – except Liz wanted to do more than scar the Rogue. She wanted to finish what she apparently started – and tear him limb from limb!

His snarling mutilated face no longer scared her. His single burgundy eye – that burned with hatred, no longer sent chills down her spine. And his size no longer loomed over her in ominous oppression. She only saw a desperate, dilapidated dog that was at the end of a very long rope. His extinction was near. She could feel it.

But the Rogue was not one to give up so easily. He managed to kill two powerful Romani in his battered condition after all. He was confident he would live to see another day. The golden glint in her eyes and the swarm of energy building around her did nothing to quell his resolve. He had one move left. And he was determined to be victorious.

Building his own alpha energy – yeah, alpha energy – he bolstered his constitution, jolting every inch of his damaged body with the last of his strength. Electrified blood pumped through his veins. Waves of energy rolled off his body like a tidal wave, crashing into Liz's paranormal storm.

Strangely, he found this so...exciting. It had been a very long time since he had met someone as fierce as Liz. Yet while she possessed a psychic power beyond anything he'd ever seen, she lacked the experience to wield it. She had gotten lucky before. She wouldn't get lucky again. He imagined every way in which he could slaughter her, how her blood would taste in his mouth, and the way the life would drain from those pretty golden eyes!

And while she watched him with calculating eyes, waiting for him to make his next move, he showed her a version of himself that no one else had ever seen before.

Yet it was not his slow, deliberate movements that shocked her, nor the way his muscles tensed and his claws clenched, as he crouched like the predator he was. Not even the menacing snarl beneath enraged glowing eyes took her by surprise, nor the subtle movements an animal makes before attacking. All this she expected from a psychotic werewolf.

But there was nothing that could have ever prepared her for what he did next.

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Again, thank you all for reading.  Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share.

:-)  ~Nikki Hudak~