Opening the bottle I take a small sniff and immediately cough as it burns my nostrils.
Wolfsbane.
Made of pure silver and toxic petals from the rare foxglove flower, it is most commonly known as Dead Man's Bells. My wolf growls as I look inside to see the thick purple liquid sloshing from side to side. Why the hell would my father lead me here?
The Oasis lies beyond the 'X'
His words echo in my mind as I try to make sense of it. Am I meant to drink it?
My wolf growls at the idea. Drinking it will of course kill me... Or will it? Aren't I considered immortal now?
With a deep inhale, the dank dusty air fills my lungs as I bring the cold bottle to my lips. Squeezing my eyes shut, I take a quick gulp. My throat constricts and my stomach clenches into a tight knot. The liquid burns me from the inside out, and I hunch forward as my body tries desperately to expel the wolfsbane. With unsteady hands, I roughly place the bottle on a small wooden table as I stumble backward onto the wall and slide down. The loud pain-filled whimpering of my wolf as the poison attacks us from the inside out makes me instantly regret my decision.
A cool tingling sensation replaces the burn. It spreads through my bloodstream in tiny pulses. The sensation gets stronger until my entire body is pulsing. On the last pulse, I am catapulted from my body and a horrifying sense of weightlessness takes over. A short strangled grunt escapes my lips as I hover a few inches from the ground in front of my lifeless body slumped against the wall.
Did I just die? Again?
For someone who is supposed to be immortal I have died more times while being undead than I have when I was alive. How ridiculous is that?
Examining my translucent self, I can't shake the disbelief from my system. I'm a ghost. A real live (well not really) ghost. Out of all the things that have happened in my life, this is by far the most bizarre. I am pulled from my reverie by a soft shimmering golden light emanating from the wall behind me. The delighted laughter of children spills into the room. Now, any sane undead creature would back away from the peaceful yet creepy laughter seeing as how every horror movie ever made indicates that sound is never a good sign.
Despite my better judgment, my feet pull me towards the laughter as warmth welcomes me. I tentatively step through, half expecting to slam into the wall. Sighing in relief when I find myself on the other side, my eyes widen at the sight before me. The village previously devoid of any living creature is now teeming with life. I stand in the middle of the town square feeling the air get knocked out of my lungs as I stare at the restored houses and shops. The children play on the previously shattered swing sets and I am awestricken. The moment my feet touch the ground my ghostly self is gone and I am back to normal. The sun illuminates the clear blue skies and everyone goes about their day with smiles so bright they rival the sun. Feeling disoriented as to how I ended up in the town square I begin to make my way back to the packhouse.
"What is this place?" I whisper to myself as I walk further into the village. My eyes watering as I see all the children racing and playing tag.
"Now Now little John, that was not nice!" reprimanded a familiar voice. Her brown hair is tied into a messy bun as she places her hands on her hips and scowls at the little boy. The breath leaves my lungs and I choke back a sob. Her head looks over at the sound and her arms fall limp at her sides, eyes widening in shock as she sees me.
"Alora?" She whispers in astonishment. I nod my head and she immediately breaks into a run. I wrap my arms around her as she slams into me and I pull her tight.
"Nora," I choke out "Oh my goddess."
"I've been so worried about you!" She sniffles, pulling back to grab a hold of my face as she examines me. "D-did you die?" She whispers.
I hold up two fingers and give her a small smile "Twice."
Shaking her head she pulls me in for another hug and my tense body relaxes. I look up and see the children looking at me in shock. One of them whispers to the other and they point. Ignoring them, I look around the area in disbelief.
"How is this possible? I don't understand."
She nods in understanding and grabs my hand pulling me along while shooing the children out of the way.
"This is the Oasis." She begins as we walk down the familiar sidewalk "Remember back when we were kids, how dad used to go on all those trips? Sometimes for weeks at a time?"
"Yeah." I nod "Each time he came home he seemed more and more desperate."
"It's because he was trying to find the Oasis."
"And what exactly is this place?" I ask as I look at the clear blue sky.
"I honestly wish I knew but dad says 'the less you know the better.'" She quotes as we approach the packhouse. I look at it in amazement as it stands proud in its cream colored glory.
"Wait." I stop "Dad's here?"
She nods.
"And mom?" I whisper.
She smiles and pulls me along "We're all here."
"Everyone?"
She nods "Anyone who belongs to Ember Pack."
"I don't understand. This place feels... weird. I can't explain it."
"I know. Half of the time I feel like I'm being watched." She says in a hushed tone.
"Have you talked to dad about it?"
"He just says the same thing he always does 'the less you know the better.' He's so secretive all the time. Every day is the same. He tries to pretend like everything is fine but I can tell he's worried about something. I think he's worried about you. He seldom leaves his office; you'd think he's under house arrest. You need to talk to him. Maybe now that you're here we can be a family again."
I squeeze her hand and plaster a smile on my face for her benefit. "Nothing would make me happier."
She beams and pulls me in for a hug as guilt seeps into my core. How do I tell her that I'm immortal now? That I'm a freak of nature who can't be killed? That I've become a monster just like the ones who murdered them?
"I need to go see dad." I state and she pulls away, stepping aside to push the small gate open.
"Good luck." She smiles as I walk past her and go inside. Almost gasping in shock at how normal everything now looks. The floors are waxed and glistening with the warm glow of the bright sun as it seeps in through the giant windows. I see a few pack members stop to gawk at me.
I stop and feel my heart stutter in my chest as I see her fixing a vase of flowers with a few members of the pack. Her red hair with slight grey streaks is combed into a neat sideways braid. She smiles warmly at the flowers and I notice they are white roses, my favorite.
"Mom..." I whisper and in an instant the vase falls to the ground shattering into a million pieces as she gapes at me. Disbelief clear on her face.
"Oh my baby!" She exclaims as she rushes over and yanks me into her arms. "My sweet girl."
I close my eyes and hug her back, feeling my chest lighten as I smell her familiar scent. "I missed you so much." I whisper hearing my voice crack.
She pulls back to cradle my face in her soft hands. Her blue eyes glistened with tears as she wiped away mine. "I have missed you every second, sweetheart."
Realizing that my walls are about to come crumbling down, I take a small step backward. Clearing my throat I square my shoulders and her smile falters a bit. "You're all grown up." She says with a trembling lip as she stares at me with tearful adoration.
"Three years of running a pack will do that to you." I retort and clear my throat again. Feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, I force my walls back up with great effort. An emotional alpha is a weak alpha.
"He's upstairs in his office." She says in understanding as she squeezes my shoulders. "You look so much like your father. The weight of the world on your shoulders. I just hope that you remember to slow down once in a while."
I look at her one more time before nodding and taking a deep breath. "And I will... when my pack is not in danger."
She gives me a knowing look and I force a tight smile before walking away.
As I climb up the wooden steps my heart pounds in a rhythm so uneven that it makes my chest tighten. The last time I saw him was moments before his life ended forever. Recalling his strong painful howl that night makes my eyes water and I angrily wipe away the stray tear. By the time I reach his office door my chest has tightened to the point of pain.
Raising my hand, I rap confidently on the door and feel goosebumps arise at the sound of his strong commanding voice. "Come in."
I'd almost forgotten how powerful his presence could be. Taking a moment to gather myself I take a deep breath and place my hand on the wooden doorknob.
Turning the knob I open the door to see him sitting in his brown desk. His reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose as he studies the notebook in front of him with pure intensity. I glance at the office and see the picture of us placed front and center in the book shelf, shining and dust free. Crossing my arms I lean against the doorframe. Watching as he focuses on his work and has yet to look up, much like he did when he was alive. His dark brown hair combed back to highlight the bright grey hairs atop his head. Neither of my parents seem to have aged at all in the past three years, and how could they? They are dead after all.
I try to remember how happy I used to be in this village but I can't. All this place brings me is horrible memories from that tragic night. Looking at my father now the only feelings that are present are hurt and anger. Hurt because he's not alive anymore. Anger because he pushed me away, ordered me to run when he very well knew that I would be left without a pack. I would be alone, a rogue. If it hadn't been for Nick and the others surviving who knows where I'd be.
Deciding to break away his concentration before I become too upset, I clear my throat and watch as his face morphs from focused and mildly irritated to shocked.
"Alora." He says with wide eyes. A myriad of emotions dance across his face before finally settling on shock.
~A/N~
Missing the days where we could go to the bar and socialize. I miss everything!! I need to meet new people and travel 😩😩😩 how am I supposed to find my mate in this pandemic!?