I finished work early today. As I was driving home I was on the call with Ray.
"I'm looking at the pasta shelf. How many packs do we need?" He asked.
"I think 4 should be enough. We also need parsley and Parmesan."
"Okay, got it."
"How soon will you be back?" I asked. I had to start cooking soon.
No answer followed so I asked again, hearing a static noise.
"20" Was the only word I made out.
"Ray, I'm losing the signal. I'll call you when I'm at the house." I said and hung up.
We didn't usually have bad reception, but we were living in the middle of the woods and things could happen.
I parked my car and tried to call him repeatedly while walking to the house.
The smell of blood alerted me and I stopped at the door. It was faint, but it was there. I tried to call again, but it still didn't go through.
The house was too quiet. If there were intruders, I could not pick up their scent and that bothered me. I quietly moved further in to the house and followed the smell of blood.
I rounded the last corner and saw the living room. Alexander was standing in the middle of it with his back turned to me. He was looking at the body that was bleeding on the ground. I couldn't see the body clearly. It probably was the intruder.
"Alexander" I called him in a soft voice.
He slowly turned around. The only thing I saw was his eyes before he lunged at me. They were blood red.
In mid-air he seamlessly transformed to his wolf form, and I barely avoided his claws that were going for my throat.
I stepped out of the doorway and ran to the kitchen.
There was a crashing sound as the brown wolf knocked over a table with a flower vase on it. I kept running and slammed the kitchen door closed.
There was no lock on the door, and I didn't think I could hold it for long.
It was quiet behind the door and I moved furniture to block the entryway. I reached for my phone, but it was no longer in my pocket.
"Alexander, what's happening?" I asked through the door still trying to reason with him.
He answered with a growl and there was another thump outside the door.
"Alexander, please calm down." Another thump followed. I saw the furniture move a little and pushed it back in to place.
Something was wrong with Alexander, but if I stayed and continued talking, I would end up dead. I hoped Ray would realize something was wrong. Sooner or later someone would come back home, but that would take time.
I looked around and saw the only exit - the window above the sink.
I opened it. Before leaving I grabbed a knife. I had to warn them.
I carved out "Alex went mad" on one of the cabinets, dropped the knife and jumped out the window.
I too changed in to my wolf form. I was quicker in it. I had reached the first trees when I heard the kitchen door break.
I was fast and I knew the forest well. If it had been someone else, I would have out run them, but it wasn't. It was my Alpha. The one who took me in and trained me. The one who should be protecting me, not attacking.
I heard him behind me. When he was close enough to lunge at me I took a sharp left. He slammed in to a tree and I kept running.
He growled louder and was back on his feet and lunged at me again. This time he slammed in to me and we were rolling on the ground. I felt his claw digging in to my side. I turned my head and bit his paw. He loosened his grip and I slipped out of his grasp.
We both got on our feet and circled around each other. We were bigger than wolves in general, but up close he looked even more threatening.
I was able to pivot and duck to avoid multiple attacks and eventually was on the run again.
He was quickly advancing, and I was done running. I slowed my pace and when he was close enough, I twisted around and cut his belly. Blood gushed out and he staggered back. I was on top of him in seconds. My claws were at his throat. One cut and it would be done.
But what if he could be saved? What if this was just a moment of madness and it would pass? Thoughts rushed through my head and I hesitated.
The next moment I was flying.
I hit my head on the way down and the world began to get darker. I tried to get up as I watched the brown wolf advancing towards me.
I have to get up. My legs were trembling, but I was almost, almost …
It was too late. I saw him raising his paw and instinctively closed my eyes. I hoped it would be quick.
I heard a crashing sound, but nothing happened.
I opened my eyes again and the last thing I saw was a white wolf. "Ray," I taught before everything went black.
Someone was violently shaking me. I opened my eyes and Cora's seafoam green hair slowly came in to focus.
"You are awake!" She sounded relived.
"What's happening?"
"You should tell me." She answered and helped me to sit up. "What happened?"
"Where is everyone else?" I asked in stead of answering. The fog in my head was slowly dispersing and I could think clearer.
"I don't know. I just found you. I didn't know what to do." Tears were starting to form in her eyes
"It's okay, I'm awake." I tried to calm her down, but I still needed to know the situation. "Who did you arrive with?"
" Zi and Mark"
"Where are they" I wanted to comfort her, but I wanted everyone else safe too.
"They saw your message in the kitchen and took off to the woods. I found you and stayed here." She gestured as she talked.
"Didn't Ray call you?"
"No" She shook her head in between sobs.
"Why didn't he ..." I didn't finish the question because I saw a white wolf lying in a pile of blood in the distance. "Is he…" I couldn't finish that too.
"He's dead" Cora answered following my eyes "What's happening, Melanie? I'm scared."
"It's going to be okay." I said smoothing her hair.