Zain had missed the thrill of a good hunt. Given the toll of deaths that had plagued his pack, hunting activities and night runs in general had been banned for a while. Tonight, things were changing. With the moon peaking in the night sky and the wind on his back, he crouched low on his wide round paws, silently trailing a herd of deer. The rest of his hunting pack were in their different positions.
The pack had been trailing the herd over a few miles, scoping out the terrain. The weather was great tonight as well.
Zain smelt blood. One of the deer was injured. The strategy was simple; trail the herd to a dry riverbed, spook them with the element of surprise. Rodney being the scariest looking werewolf was to skip in front of the herd around the riverbed and growl.
Lucy and Olga, whose wolves were super light on their paws, were to isolate the injured deer, as well as any other deer that stumbled on the dry stones, ambush them to prevent escape. Zain, Harvey and two other slower but aggressive males will finally take down the catch, putting it out of its misery with a clean bite to the neck or suffocation.
It sounded easy enough if they all worked as a team. As a plan B in case of any surprises, Zain's instruction was that the hunt will be called off. He didn't want anyone getting injured or killed unnecessarily especially with the presence of juvenile wolves who were mostly there to observe and learn.
They were about three miles away from the ambush point when Rodney made an observation over the pack link.
"Alpha Zain, I think the deer in the middle will be an easier prey. It's old and slightly slower than the injured one."
"No. It might be old but it's very experienced. It must be prepared for a possible attack. The injured deer is younger and its injury is still fresh. Stick to the plan."
"But alpha Zain…"
The sound of a twig snapping under foot cuts through the night air, startling the herd. Zain cussed in his head for his amateur mistake owing to Rodney's stubbornness and waited until the herd resumed walking. However, they veered towards a wide, open ground to ease their escape in case of a sudden attack.
"They're going off track, alpha." Harvey noted.
"We're only two miles away from the ambush point. We can still take them. Lucy and Olga should circle around and prowl on the open ground to dissuade the herd from moving in that direction." Rodney suggested.
"No." Zain countered. "It's too dangerous. It's a fucking open ground. They can easily run in different directions rather than retreating to take the narrow riverbed. Let's abort."
"No alpha, we can't just abort. This is our first hunt in a while. We can't return empty-handed. The herd is right within our grasp. We can surely take them. A little risk can't hurt. We are the fall ridge pack. This is our turf."
Zain ground his teeth at the insubordination. "RODNEY, NOT ANOTHER WORD FROM YOU…" He trailed off when he heard Rodney's terrifying growl. The herd panicked and dispersed in different directions. Chaos ensued. Some of the deer charged towards two juvenile werewolves hiding behind a tree, scaring them into flight.
"ABORT! ABORT! Everyone, go save Mani and Ted!!" Zain screamed over the pack link while dashing after the deer. "Come on, Ark. We can go faster than this. Come on! We can't lose them. They're just boys."
"I'm doing my best, Zain. If I could go any faster, I would have."
Zain looked around. Where the hell was Rodney?
"RODNEY? RODNEY, I NEED YOU! HAS ANYONE SEEN RODNEY?"
"A bull skipped towards the riverbed. He went after it." Lucy replied.
"HE WHAT???"
"Calm down, Zain. Let's deal with that later. Focus." Ark told him. A few betas overtook him. While he watched them racing ahead, he overheard the bloodcurdling whines of Mani and Ted rip the night air. Before he could react, the jarring sound of a cracking jaw followed. The scent of blood filled his nose. He rushed as fast as he could and finally arrived.
He found Harvey gutting one of the deer. Beside them, the rest of his betas stood, surrounding the lifeless, jawless corpse of Mani in wolf form. Ted, who had transformed to his human form, had a deep gash in his side and whimpered weakly. His breathing was short and labored. He was only twelve.
When Zain saw the very things he had wanted to avoid, he felt deeply pained. The pack was already losing members to human hunters, the lawless pack and other hazards of the forest. Why did he have to lose more under his watch?
Against the better judgment of his council, he had lifted the ban on hunting and brought his pack out tonight. He had promised no one would be harmed. His council elders will definitely find a way to fault his leadership and ability to protect them based on these casualties.
"Ark, can we absorb some of Ted's pain? He could die before he gets to the healer." He asked his wolf.
"It'll take a toll on me, set us back on strength. Are you up for it?"
Zain inhaled, then shifted partially to his human form. This was going to hurt but he couldn't lose Ted, not like this. When he laid hands on Ted's trembling body, he got stopped.
"No, alpha. It'll only make you weaker. I don't think I can fully heal from this. I can feel my essence slipping away."
"Shut up, Ted and let me concentrate."
But Ted didn't budge. "I w-won't make it. I can feel it. The moon goddess awaits me." His drooping eyes fixated on his alpha's. "I hold no grudge. I am h-happy I got to go on a h-hunt with you. Now, d-don't let my d-death be in v-vain. Free me, alpha. End my life and absorb my essence."
Zain's eyebrow quirked up in shock at the young lad's suggestion. "No, Ted…"
"I beg you. It will be my h-honor to die at y-your hand than as a coward at the h-hands of a deer. Take my powers so you can be stronger and faster after I am gone. It will help you till you can undo the curse on Ark."
Zain bit back on his emotions.
"Hurry alpha. It's almost my t-time."
"Do it, alpha." The other betas encouraged him. "It's his wish. Grant him an honorable death."
Zain winced with pain as he ripped Ted's heart out of his chest in one swift move. It was fast and hopefully, Ted didn't feel more pain. Ted's powers snaked up Zain's claws and surged inside him, causing the alpha to vibrate convulsively till he transformed fully into his wolf. He let out a deep howl into the night as his powers heightened. His red eyes glowed brighter than usual. He flexed his muscles and felt an unusual upsurge of strength and so much more. The tales were true. He felt intensely more powerful than he did five minutes ago.
"Ark?" he called with his wolf link.
"I feel a lot stronger, Zain. It's amazing."
Zain could tell even by how strong Ark's voice sounded.
At a small sound behind them, everyone turned towards a clearing. Rodney emerged with bloody paws and fangs. He took one look at Zain and noted an obvious improvement in size. Then he looked at the dead wolves and shook his head.
"Casualties."
Zain let out another powerful howl, forcing everyone to shift back to their human selves. The males only had pants on their waists which had ripped at the hems after their shifts. The females covered their nipples with their long hairs while their genitals were covered by hunting shorts.
Zain approached Rodney. "WHAT THE FUCK DID I SAY ABOUT PLAN B? ON WHOSE ORDERS DID YOU ABANDON YOUR PACK, RODNEY?"
Rodney squared his shoulders. Though he was noticeably bigger and stronger than his alpha in his wolf form, the reverse was the case in human form. Zain towered four inches over him with massive shoulders, a broad chest and a ripped body. He was every bit as sexy as he was intimidating.
"I'm sorry alpha for taking off but look on the bright side. We have a dead bull, and two dead deer. It's food for a whole week, obviating the need to visit the human city for food which we know is far more dangerous to our kind. I wouldn't have varied the hunting strategy if I wasn't sure it would be a success."
"A success?" Zain snapped. He pointed at the corpses. "Is that what you call a success?"
"I'll call that an accident which is common during a hunt in these parts…" The rest of his words died in his throat as Zain punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose and jaw simultaneously. Rodney keeled over, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.
"This is MY pack and MY rules will not be disobeyed! I don't care if you used to be an alpha in your former pack before a fire gutted your pack house and killed your members. You came to my tuff and swore your allegiance to me! You are just a beta here and if you EVER disobey me again, I will kill you with my bare hands."
He shot him a fiery look that matched his dangerous build.
"Harvey!"
"Yes, alpha." Harvey replied, stepping to the front.
"Take this fool back to the house and ensure he is kept in solitary confinement until I determine where his loyalties lie."
Rodney picked himself up, bowed his head at Zain before letting Harvey lead the way in their wolf forms. After burying the corpses, Zain asked to be left alone so his pack members returned home. However, Zain soon sensed some security betas lurking five miles away from him in case he needed protection.
He sank to the ground and buried his face in his hands. Alone, he felt overwhelmed. The night had been a disaster with the loss of Manni and Ted. But beyond his sadness, Zain felt a deep sense of guilt not because he had failed to control one of his beta or because he couldn't save Ted. Rather, he felt guilty for lusting over the power he absorbed from Ted and wishing he had done the same with Mani before the chap died.
He had always known about his ability as an alpha to absorb the powers of other creatures by killing them but he had never really done it. In fact, it was terrible to think of boosting his strength like that so he didn't consider it when devising strategies to aid his wolf until the curse could be broken. Now that he had been exposed and tasted such power, he worried that he wouldn't be able to get enough of it or control himself. Even as he tried to forget, a new fire burned in his blood.
He shifted and raced across the forest. He was much faster than before. He felt stronger. He leapt across high rocks and rend through steel with his sharp claws. He had almost forgotten how intoxicating an alpha's strength could be.
For years, he had been mocked as the weakest alpha in the werewolf community. People gossiped that his weak wolf was as a result of him being a half-blood. Alphas were mostly immune to curses and spells but his own wolf had been bound by witchcraft. Ridiculous.
Rumors flew everywhere that the moon goddess probably didn't approve of him and that was why he was so unfortunate with his birth and his cursed wolf. That was why his reign was beset with a ton of challenges like his betas dying like flies.
He constantly got voted down on the alpha popularity board during the annual werewolf galas. As he savored his new found strength, agility and power, Zain dared to think how fast he could bounce back and help his wolf overcome its weakness with more beta kills. Surely, it would be better for his betas to die while empowering their alpha than to lose their lives for nothing.
"No, Zain, the moon goddess will show us a better way. You can't think like that."
Zain shifted back to his human self and feathered his hands through his thick mane of dark hair. He cussed under his breath.
"I'm sorry, Ark. I didn't mean to but I am tired of their taunts. I am frustrated. They don't believe in me as their leader. Every day, I keep losing my grip on my own pack because of our weaknesses. When is it going to end?"
"Soon. Nyla's alive. She will help us."
"I don't know if she will be so willing after I betrayed her. What if she never forgives me? She must hate me and blame me for everything that happened to her that night." He spoke out loud.
"No, she doesn't."
He looked up and found Isla donning a red ankle length gown that billowed in the breeze. Zain got up on his feet.
"What?"
Isla went closer. "The goddess is definitely on your side, alpha. I met with my sister as promised."
"You met Nyla?" His eyes bulged hopefully.
She smiled. "Like I said, the goddess is on your side. Nyla has lost all her memories, including the fact that she's a werewolf-witch hybrid. She didn't even recognize me. She doesn't remember that night or even your name. You have been given a clean slate to rewrite your story."
"What? How's that possible? How did she lose all her memories?"
Nyla didn't even remember his name or their past relationship? As much as he wanted her forgiveness and help, he wasn't very happy that he had become an unfamiliar face to her.
Isla cupped his chin. "Focus, Zain. Do you know what this means? You can do a memory transference and insert the specific memories you want her to remember about you two. With the ugly parts gone, she'll be willing to come home with you."
Another dangerous taste of power? Zain wasn't prepared to take that on. He edged backwards.
"What are you saying, Isla? Why would I do that? What happens when her memory returns and she realizes I messed with her head? What then?"
"She won't. You'll only be inserting your happy memories inside her head, not fake ones. When her memory returns, yours will match the rest. You have nothing to worry about."
But Zain was already worried over Isla's insistence on foul play. He scanned the area, searching for Nyla.
"Where's Nyla. Why didn't she come with you? You're her sister. Couldn't you convince her yourself?"
Isla frowned and looked down. "About that, there's something I need to tell you." She drew in a sharp breath and told him what had happened at the restroom. Zain was in shock. Of all the things that had happened that night, Nyla being a wraith took the cake.
"What do you mean some other soul, a wraith for that matter, resides in Nyla's body? Wraiths are a myth, Isla!"
"Apparently, they're not. I saw it, alpha. There's no memory of Nyla in her head but that of six different HUMANS. That translates as six REBIRTHS. Anything over two is a wraith! That woman isn't my sister. That is why I can't sense her. That soul has no idea who Nyla was and what powers my sister had."
"And Nyla? What about her soul? Is it alive?"
Isla hoped it wasn't. "I have no idea."
Zain paced restlessly. An annoying ache was thrumming at the base of his skull. This was all too much for him to take in. He wanted the real Nyla, not just her husk.
"So, the Nyla we want to bring back to the pack house is a wraith? A HUMAN wraith? Why then should we bother to bring her back? She can't be of any use to me and Ark anyway. I won't put my people in harms way by bringing a mysterious human soul into our house."
"NO, YOU HAVE TO." Isla all but panicked as she latched onto him again. She took calming breaths and tried to reason with him. "She looks exactly like Nyla. Right now, you and I are the only ones who know she isn't Nyla. If you let her go, she'll fall into the wrong hands of werewolves jostling for my sister. You remember how much she's desired across our community. You need to get her to come home, alpha Zain, because beyond looking like Nyla, I think Nyla's magic still resides in that body."
"What?"
"Yes. I was attacked when I didn't stop reading her mind. Her eyes changed as well as her voice. I swear it felt like Nyla was in there. Nyla's powers are still in that body even though a different soul now occupies it. We can't let someone else get a hold of that kind of power. If we can win that soul to our side, we can help her access it and use it for our aims, like freeing Ark. Think about it."
"Sleep on it, Zain. If she's right, you can forget all about your guilt over what happened to Ted and your lust for more power. I can get stronger in a more honorable way." Ark told him.
Zain nodded in agreement with Ark's reasoning and smiled at Isla.
"I think it's time I reunite my crazy ex-Luna."