Heart of the Alpha

by Mia Rose

  “How do you know it works, and what is it?” the girl yelled again as other members of the pack muttered.

  “I've tried it on myself. I had a silver burn. It took nearly three days to heal. The second time…” Maria started to say as she looked at her watch, “has taken three hours, but this was a small burn.”

  “How long for a big wound to heal?” the member of the pack asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I just want us all to take these supplements in a double dose, for now. We will order them and provide them free of charge. I can get them here tomorrow. So, when we are back from the forest, I'll hand them out.”

  “Do we have to take them?” another man’s voice yelled.

  “If you want to go weeks with a hole in you that burns like hell, no you don’t. If you want to heal with no infection spreading, then yes, you do.”

  “Okay, that’s all I wanted to hear.”

  “Is there anything else?” Declan asked, waiting.

  A voice from the back of the pack yelled that Declan knew was Dustin. “What happens if we lose the battle?”

  Declan raised his clenched fist in the air and screamed. “NO DEFEAT, NO DISHONOR!”

  The pack cheered and said the words again, but this time, in unison, “NO DEFEAT, NO DISHONOR!”

  “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”

  Chapter 19

  Setbacks

  “You can still be young at heart, no matter how old you are.”

  Garrett made his way downstairs. He had met Abigail’s needs, and she'd been more than receptive and welcoming on both, playful occasions. Garrett now had a smile on his face that would’ve shown anyone what he’d been up to, right up until the early hours of the morning.

  His bare feet stepped onto the cold tiled floor of the kitchen as he switched on the coffee machine. As he waited for the pot to fill, he stood and looked from the window. The clear window was the first sign the rain had stopped. Garrett looked at the puddles that had formed on the natural stone pavers that rounded the edge of the pool. If the sun shone, they’d be dry a little after lunch, and Cripple Creek would be engulfed in a cloud full of evaporating rainwater. It’d be hot and sticky until dusk, and then it would be back to normal.

  Garrett poured his coffee and reached into the refrigerator for the cream. He loved his coffee with cream (more than milk). And strong, yet creamy with lashings of sugar which he knew he should cut back on to get rid of his belly podge. He stirred his coffee as he heard the phone ring in the study. He picked up his cup and walked from the cold tiled floor to the cooler, wooden floor that led to his study. He picked up the phone and listened.

  “Hello Garrett,” he heard through the earpiece.

  “Pete, is that you? You sound somewhat uptight.” He sighed. “Hang on, I’m going to put you onto speaker.” Garrett pushed the speaker button and placed the receiver back into the cradle.

  “I was trying to call you last night,” Pete said, with a bit of tension in his voice. “You must’ve been out, or busy.”

  I was busy alright, with Abigail.

  “What did you want?” he asked with a grin on his face, like a kid who had just stolen his first candy bar without getting caught. “What’s so important?”

  “Gunpowder, it’s all wet from the rain. The warehouse we’ve been using sprung a leak, and it dripped onto the crates,” Peter said, sounding really pissed.

  “What, the whole fucking batch is gone?” Garrett yelled. “Please tell me you’ve already made some ammo.” Garret heard Peter huff through the speaker. He knew the answer wasn’t going to be the very best one he’d ever heard.

  “Not that many, we had to smelt the silver and coat all the bullets. So, we did, and then it started raining. When we got there yesterday, it was all flooded,” he replied. “I’m fucked if I know where to get that much powder from.”

  “I don’t think you’ll find enough. Do you know how many rounds you have?” Garrett asked as he watched Abigail walk past the study door and wink at him. He heard Peter shuffle some pieces of paper around before he spoke.

  “Less than a hundred.”

  “Peter, don’t give me less than hundred, as an answer. Give me an actual fucking figure.”

  Peter’s voice sighed as he started to answer. “Seventy-five exactly,” he replied. “And forty of these are for handguns.”

  “FUCK! Peter. That screws us no end. With rifle rounds I have here that gives us a total of ninety-five,” Garrett yelled into the speaker as spittle flew across his desk. “How many hunters do we have ready?”

  Papers shuffled at Peter’s end of the call. Garrett heard him mutter as he counted to himself. Forty-seven, and with Abigail, um, and you and me, we have fifty who are ready and in the region,” he replied. “If we take ones who are outside the state we have another sixty who can be here in two weeks.” Garrett rested his head in his hands and shook his head.

  “I thought you had been recruiting while I had been off the scene,” Garrett mumbled into the speaker. “We had more than that before.”

  “We tried to recruit, a lot of the drives we’ve been on, they have laughed at us and don’t believe in werewolves. Even with the photos, they think they have been edited or added onto.”

  “Well, we can’t wait for two weeks hoping that the others will arrive. And as for the powder, any large quantity and we’ll have to go through the proper channels. Ever since these terrorist threats have risen, raw materials have been much harder to find,” he explained. “There’s no use for it. You’re going to have to focus on those spears I showed you.”

  “Send me the details, and I'll have the guys making them. I'll get them to coat both ends with silver, so it’s like a double-edged sword, so to speak,” Peter added as a final note.

  “Just make plenty of them, and get them to coat some hunting knives with silver as a precaution.”

  “I’ll give you a call later, or in the morning,” Peter said as Garrett’s finger hit the end call button.

  Garrett picked up his coffee which had now gone cold. He hated cold coffee. He stood up from his desk and picked up his cup and walked back down the wooden floor, and again he stepped onto the coldness of the kitchen tiles.

  “Abigail. What an absolute motherfucker,” he said as he poured his “almost perfect” cup of coffee down the drain. He looked into the dark cup and could see the ring of cream that had settled inside it. He turned on the hot water and rinsed his cup, his middle finger dislodged the cream while the water carried it into the drain.

  “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “It’s that dick, Peter. He’s just told me all the gunpowder has gotten wet. We can’t use it, and we can’t dry it out. Four crates are totally fucking ruined.”

  “Oh, my! What are we going to do then, Garrett? If they don’t have powder, half of the hunters will be using regular ammo.”

  “I've given him my design for those silver-tipped spears. If we can’t get them before that, we’ll have to resort to close, quarters combat. We might be lucky, Peter mentioned the rock outcrop not far from Vista View,” he explained. “Our backs are gonna be protected, so it’s just a case of what’s in it from all of us.”

  “I hope you’re right Garrett. I would hate to see all this planning go down the drain and that we can’t get Noelle back safe,” Abigail said. “Do you Garrett, do you think our daughter will be safe?” Garrett nodded as he started to make himself another “perfect cup” of coffee. This time he walked to the silver tray that sat on the oak side table and picked up the bottle of whiskey.

  “Just a livener, no need to worry,” he said as he poured a measure into the hot steaming cup of creamy coffee he'd repoured for himself. Abigail slid her cup across the kitchen counter as Garrett started to fasten the cap on the bottle.

  “Don’t be shy with the whiskey, we can all do with a livener.”

  “Abigail, you dirty dog, you!”

  “What did you think of my heckling
last night?” Kelvin asked Declan.

  Declan had thought the easiest way to get the pack on his side wasn’t to get them to agree, he had taken the reverse psychology approach and got the pack to disagree among themselves. It had worked like a charm and Suzy standing up was the icing on the cake. He couldn’t have planned that any better if he tried.

  Maria had sent for twenty-two bottles of each supplement, and had a courier service to deliver them to the Towers, the very same day. She had rallied another group of the pack to go to the forest, and this time, a special member would be included. Noelle would tag along and have some wolf training. Maria would take her under her wing and Kelvin would be there as a backup.

  “You’d better get going, you two. Maria will be waiting,” Declan said to Noelle and Kelvin. “I’m going to get Dustin and head to the house from above where you will be. Take your cell in case of any problems, and watch for the hunters.”

  “You mean my parents?” Noelle asked.

  “No, I mean any hunters. Your parents won’t go out on a whim. Your dad will go armed to the teeth to be certain of victory, I can tell he doesn’t believe in half chances.”

  “Pretty much like yourself?” Kelvin added as he pulled the zipper up on his jacket.

  “I think everyone knows everyone a little too well, these days. Where has all the damn secrecy gone?” Declan smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.

  “Social media; wolves just love to use Facebook as much as any humans do,” Kelvin remarked. “Not that you’d say you were a werewolf while using social media, that would be a bit stupid.”

  Noelle and Kelvin walked to the door as Declan followed. Noelle stopped and turned to run to Declan. She stood on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him hard on his cheek.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “You never know, I might never see you again. I am human, after all,” she said with a giggle. Noelle followed Kelvin from the apartment as Dustin pushed his hand flat against the door and stopped it from closing.

  “She seems happy?” said Dustin, with a smile.

  Declan looked up from tying his boots. “That’s the effect I have on women,” he replied with a grin. He stamped his feet and grabbed ahold of his jacket. “Are you ready then, old man?”

  “Lead the way, Casanova!” Dustin watched as Declan locked the door and placed the key on the top of the door frame.

  The car started, and Declan pulled out of the parking lot. The street’s damp and dry patches had begun to appear where vehicles had driven. He headed out of town and glanced at the biker club before they hit the long road toward Declan's old home.

  Dustin looked out of the window as trees flashed past in a blur. He turned his head to Declan as he thought of Gabriel's surprise visit with information. Dustin had seen that Gabriel still felt like a wolf and acted like a wolf, even though he was now, in fact, human.

  “Have you decided what to do with Gabriel?” he asked Declan.

  He could easily give Gabriel the number for Judy, and maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to see the witch. That choice wasn’t Declan’s to make. He had earned his right to visit her, and it was Martha who paved the way for him to do that. If he'd not sat and talked to her as she’d passed away, the right to visit Marina wouldn’t have been granted.

  Declan had been lucky, and they had chosen him for a reason. He was thankful and more than grateful for their help. Declan had no idea what he would’ve done if he'd remained human. A job in the Towers would have become just that, a job. Fixing the plumbing and collecting rent, it was a dead-end job, even if you owned the place.

  “Gabriel’s position as a human isn’t my responsibility,” he finally answered. “I’m not going to make it easy for him. I made a promise to Judy that I’d never say anything about our trip to the glades, and you’ve known me long enough to know that I won’t break a promise.”

  Dustin returned his head back to look at the forest on his side of the vehicle. He was excited. This would be his first run with his inner wolf since he'd fully recovered. He couldn’t wait to feel his human body fall from his dominant wolf. He’d breathe deep, and howl with his head held toward the sky. And he’d run, yes, he’d run like the wind. Declan by his side like father and son, even though Declan wasn’t his son, but he’d be proud if he were.

  Dustin closed his eyes and smiled as the miles clocked up on the odometer. He pictured himself with the wind in his fur and the mud under his paws. If he was lucky, he could catch some prey and feed on the blood that pumped from a dying heart. He looked forward to the warm saltiness of the blood. It would fill a need as it trickled down the back of his throat. Dustin licked his lips with excitement and anticipation.

  “I’m hungry,” he said as he saw they were about to enter the forest. The road started to twist and climb up the side of the hill. Sunlight was blocked, and the temperature cooled as they approached ever nearer to the track that led to Declan's old home.

  “Why did you live out all this way in the forest?” Dustin asked.

  “Mom’s choice. She liked to be at one with nature. Dad didn’t give a hoot because the bar wasn’t far from the next town.”

  Declan thought back to when he was a kid. He wasn’t entirely sure why his mom had chosen that area for his dad to build the house in. She did like nature, but to live in the middle of nowhere was extreme, to say the least.

  Declan slowed the car as he looked for the partially covered sign. He stopped and turned. The vehicle pointed downhill as they saw the deep gouges that had been washed into the earth by the deluge of rain that had only just fallen.

  “Watch for the ruts,” Dustin yelled as he leaned forward and fixed his eyes on the track.

  “Relax, I have driven up and down here more times than you would know,” Declan replied as they approached the final corner.

  “All the years I’ve known you…” Dustin started to say as the house came into view. “Why have you never lived here? The house is solid, it only needs a clean and a good lick of paint, and then it’s good to go.”

  “There’s only one answer for that,” Declan replied. “It’s because it’s a family home, even if my family wasn’t ideal. I don’t have a family, so there’s no need to live here.”

  “No family yet, you should say.” Dustin slapped Declan on the shoulder. “I can see you now, a dad running around with little cubs in the grass.”

  “I think Noelle was right, or maybe it has something to do with this place, but you keep trying to pair us up,” Declan replied. “Anyway, Noelle is human, it wouldn’t be cubs, they would be children.

  Dustin exhaled and readied his hand on the door handle. The tires of Declan's car sank into the shallow mud before they made the familiar crush of the gravel that surrounded the house.

  “Noelle might not be human forever,” Declan said. “And she has been a wolf once, and if she was bitten again, well, I think she could die.”

  “What gave you the idea she could die? Noelle wasn’t turned, she was born that way. The only way she would die is if the wound wasn’t enough to turn her.”

  Declan turned the key in the ignition. The motor fell completely silent. He opened the door, and the rain-freshened air filled the car. He breathed in and closed his eyes.

  “I can’t see that happening anytime soon. The pack has been told to keep their distance, and I’m not going to bite her to turn her. Not that I know of. Unless it’s in my sleep!”

  Declan chuckled and stepped out of the car. He checked the house and watched as Dustin walked to the edge of the meadow. His head turned to Declan, and a grin appeared on his face that turned into a snarl. Dustin's face contorted and morphed as he called on his inner wolf. He kicked at the gravel with his rear legs and flexed his muscled shoulders. Declan could hear the sinewy creaks in Dustin's neck.

  Dustin lowered himself as he started to run through the long grass. His fur dampened as the grass and flowers brushed up the sides of his muzzle. He ran to the edge of t
he tree line and stopped. He stood and looked over the tall grass toward Declan.

  “Come on, what are you waiting for?”

  “You can still be young at heart, no matter how old you are.”

  Chapter 20

  Rag Doll

  “Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make.”

  Noelle stepped out of the car and walked to the edge of the Vista View ravine. She looked down the hundred or so feet to the first ledge that a person would hit if they fell. She looked past where they would bounce to the steep slope where a person (who had bounced) would hit. Then, they’d roll and roll, and their arms and legs would flail around like a rag doll’s would do. Then, after that, they'd settle right at the bottom where the river could be seen, from where Noelle stood.

  “Not much chance of surviving a fall down there, is there?” She looked to Maria who gripped the yellow and black handrail and peered over the edge. Maria shook her head and stepped back. Her hand vanished into her jacket pocket, and she pulled out her cell phone. She saw the signal was weak but handed it to Noelle anyway.

  “What’s that for?” Noelle asked.

  “Declan told me to give you my phone when we arrived, he wants to speak to you,” she replied.

  Noelle called Declan. It rung a few times, and he answered. “Noelle, hey. Call your parents and tell them we’ll be in the forest on Monday afternoon. Say we are rock climbing not far from Vista View,” she heard his voice say into her ear.

  “Why is it a few days away?” she asked.

  “The weekend would have too many people around, your dad would know that, and he wouldn’t spring his surprise attack on busy days,” Declan explained.

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Noelle asked as she walked back to the edge of the ravine. As she listened to Declan, she thought her life had been like falling down there. She had fallen for Declan in a big way, and he was her ravine, and there was no escaping from his clutches. They were meant to be.