"In the back," Bash grunted through clenched teeth. With a trembling hand he pointed to the side of the house. Alice nodded once and hoisted her friend up to her body and dragged her to the side. Each step was a struggle as Danielle's weight increased. Alice heaved her friend closer to her, holding her steady as they moved.
"Remember that time when you got so wasted at the New Year's Party that I had to carry you like this up the stairs because the elevator was out?" Alice tried to chuckle, but Danielle's body was changing from human to wolf and was becoming too heavy for her to carry. Alice wrapped Danielle's arm over her shoulder, refusing to give up. She kept ongoing putting one foot in front of the other until she reached the side where her eyes widened. There resting on the side of the house was a cage big enough for a moose.
"Why on earth does Bash have this?" she wondered before realizing Bash was a park ranger. It was probably used to transport animals outside of the park. Alice's heart broke as she realized the cage was the only safe place for Danielle at the moment.
"This is so much worse than that," Alice finished as she brought her friend to the side of the house and leaned her up against the siding fumbling with the locks on the cage.
"Bash!" Alice cried out. Bash hobbled over to her. Each step was a burden and Alice could see he too was having a hard time remaining human. The sight of Bash crushed Alice. He was so focused on keeping his human form that it was causing him too much pain. Alice shook her head and dropped her shoulders.
"Go," she said with pity in her voice. She knew Bash was holding on for her, but there was no more time left. The sky was darkening and Bash was losing his fight with the animal inside him.
He gave her an apologetic glance before turning and making a sprint to the safety of the trees. Alice turned to Danielle and huffed.
"Looks like it's just you and me," she said leaning down to unlock the cage door. With a rattle, the door flew open and Alice dragged her friend to the entrance.
"I hope you will forgive me for this," Alice said pushing Danielle's body into the cage and closing it up.
Danielle moaned as Alice began pushing the large cage towards the back door. She knew there was no protection from the others out in the open. With each heave, the cage shifted closer and closer to the porch. Alice's eyes flicked to the tree line and her hopes came crashing down around her.
"I can't do this," Alice panted dropping to the side of the cage.
"What’s going on?" Danielle's voice was weak and distant. Alice turned her head to see her friend dripping with beads of sweat.
"You are going to shift into a wolf tonight," Alice said regretfully.
"But why am I in a cage?" Panic filled Danielle's features and she pushed her fingers through the tiny holes and grabbed the wire bars. With her head still spinning, she shook the wall. The rattling of the metal echoed in her new ears sending new waves of pain coursing through her. As the pain intensified, Danielle’s anger grew into a rage.
“I had no other choice,” Alice explained trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. Alice glanced at the dirty ground and pulled herself together. With a stern face, she raised her eyes back to Danielle.”
“I couldn’t let you shift in front of Derek. You don’t know the consequences of that decision. The cage is the only safe way I know to keep you.” Alice glanced over her shoulder to look up to the canopy. The soft hues of day had given way to the darker purples of twilight. “You were knocked out and the sunlight is fading fast. Please don’t hate me for this.”
"You put me in here?" Danielle hissed shaking the wire frame of the cage with such rage, Alice thought she might be able to snap it off. Alice gasped as Danielle's soft gray eyes shifted into bright yellow before fading back to the gray. Alice scooted away from the cage and stood up.
"I had no choice. I won’t let you be bound to him. You don’t know Derek like I do. He is a monster."
"You are something else you know that? You always think you know what's best for everyone. But you don't," Danielle spat her words out as the animal drew closer to the surface. “I want to be a wolf. I want to be with Derek and I don’t want to see you ever again. Pray this cage keeps me contained,” Danielle glared. “Because if it doesn’t you’ll be the first person I go after.”
"You may not understand this, but I do know what you're going through. And trust me, I am doing you a favor."
"Some favor—let me out," Danielle rocked the cage bending the bars. Alice knew the wire-framed container wouldn't hold a new wolf. She stepped back and shook her head.
"I am going to leave you in here until you shift. It is the last gift I can give you."
"Gift? What gifts have you ever given me? You steal me from my home, you lie to me, you get me caught up in all this. The only person who has shown me any kindness is Derek!"
"Derek isn't who you think he is. He wants to keep you like a pet. He wanted to make sure that you shifted in front of him so that he would own you. I would never want that for you. I love you too much to stand by and watch you turn into someone's slave."
"Oh and keeping me locked up isn't a form of slavery!" Danielle's voice grew deeper and raspier as she spoke. Alice glanced up to the canopy of the trees again. The last remaining hues of the day faded and night melted over the sky.
"I love you Danielle, and maybe one of these days you will forgive me," Alice dropped her head and turned her back on Danielle. She moved around the corner of the house and leaned against the wall. Her heart shattered as Danielle screamed.
"I will kill you for this," Danielle growled. Alice’s mouth dropped and she wrapped her hands around her face. It was flushed with heat and tears pooled in her eyes. The sight of Danielle trapped was more than she had ever bargained for.
“What am I doing?” Alice asked herself as she let the tears spill from her eyes. Danielle kicked and slammed her feet against the cage trying to break free, as the sun dipped below the horizon. Alice wiped away the tears and stood up.
Her ears perked up and she focused on the surrounding area. She held her breath trying to listen for any signs of Bash. Deep in the woods twigs snapped and leaves rustled. She exhaled slowly before pulling air back into her lungs. Her thoughts lingered on him, wondering if he was able to mask Danielle’s scent. But with no sign of him and Danielle rattling and thrashing about her cage, Alice realized it didn’t matter if the pack couldn’t smell her, the noises coming from this homestead would be enough to lure them in. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. There was only one choice left.
Her eyes darted around the homestead searching for the basil that grew wild there. If she could pile enough around Danielle, then maybe the scent wouldn't be so strong. Alice ran about the house plucking the herbs and leaves off the bushes as she ran.
"Let me out," Danielle screamed with each pass Alice made. When Alice was finished masking the scent, she stopped in front of Danielle. The girl had dropped to the floor of the cage in pain. She curled her body up into a small ball. Alice flinched listening to her bones snapping and shifting into her wolf form.
"Don't fight it," Alice said dropping to her knees. "Let the wolf come out. If you fight it, it only makes it worse."
"What do you know?" Danielle growled through clenched teeth as her back arched from the pain before she curled up again in a ball.
"I can give you more tea if that will help, but it won't stop the transformation. It will only make you numb to it."
"No!" Danielle hissed. "This pain is all that is keeping me human. I need to feel every jolt of it."
"You are not human anymore," Alice said with guilt in her eyes. She couldn't bare the sight of her friend in so much pain.
"Please, let me make you some tea." Danielle shook and rattled the cage bending the bars until the wire-framed container no longer resembled a cage, but more a mangled and twisted basket.
Alice rose to her feet and gasped. In the distance a low howl echoed through the trees. She whipped her head around tow
ards the sound.
"Crap," Alice said as Danielle laughed wickedly.
"What's the matter? Afraid of the big bad wolf?"
Alice turned. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled up at the corners. Danielle paused at her friend’s menacing glare. Alice shook her head and smirked. Danielle pulled away from the cage, scooting to the corner. Alice stared at Danielle and her lip twitched. Alice released the wolf hidden within her and flashed her silver eyes before reigning the wolf back in. Danielle’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened with fear.
"I am the big bad wolf," Alice said. Danielle dropped her gaze and froze with fear. She trembled and she shook her head. With the splitting pain from her human body pulling away, she rolled over and curled up into the fetal position. Alice kept her eyes on her friend as Danielle’s hands shimmered and stretched revealing animal paws. Danielle opened her mouth to scream. Alice hissed at her, keeping her wolf voice stern.
"I’m sorry, but you are going to keep quiet," Alice ordered. "Company is coming and I have to prepare."
Chapter 17
Alice stepped back, scanning the tree line for Bash. Her heart raced as thoughts of the pack descending on her crushed her hopes. She knew she was seriously outnumbered and that if the wolves were on her trail, she would have no choice but to fight them. For a split second she wondered if she would be able to make a break for the trees and disappear.
However, leaving Danielle was not an option. She planted her feet into the ground. The thunder of the pack's claws digging into the dirt grew closer, and she wondered what her chances of survival were. Would she have the strength to take on all of them, if they liberated Danielle from her from the cage? Would she turn on her best friend to defend her own life? The thoughts swam in Alice's mind pulling her in all directions. She chewed on her lower lip waiting for the inevitable.
She pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and stood ready for the wolves to descend, bracing herself as the howls grew closer and closer. Each star that appeared in the sky filled her with dread. She couldn't comprehend the number of wolves Derek had turned, but she wondered how many of the townsfolk he had ordered to come out and take back what she had stolen.
The rustle of leaves behind her stole the warmth of her blood. She jumped into the air and spun around ready to attack. Coming out of the trees with its head down and teeth bared was a massive white wolf. Alice stepped back ready for it to spring on her. To Alice's surprise, the wolf lowered its head and whimpered as it crawled to her side.
"Bash?" Alice asked glancing at the soft white fur. The wolf whimpered as it continued to inch its way closer to her. Alice flashed him a tender smile and marveled at his color.
"You're not a red wolf," she said reaching her hand out to stroke the coat of her lover. Bash rested at her feet letting her fingers run through his fur.
"How is it you're not red? I thought the white wolves had been killed off from this area?" Alice's mind raced, trying to figure out what was going on and then she heard Danielle's final cry of pain. The scream bounced off the trees filling the night with terror before fading.
"Wait here," Alice said to Bash and she raced around to the other side of the house. There in the mangled and broken cage, Danielle was no longer human. A russet brown wolf lay whimpering on its side under the broken wires.
"Oh Danielle," Alice said walking carefully towards the creature. "I am so sorry. This was the only way you wouldn't belong to him."
Alice reached for the wires and peeled them back. The wolf jerked up, teeth bared and snipped at the air between Alice's hand and the cage. Alice jerked back before Danielle nicked her with her newly sharp fangs. Alice paused to see a murderous glare in the wolf's eyes.
"You don't understand," Alice said lifting her hands up. "Derek would have stolen your very freedom. He would have kept you prisoner. But now you are free."
Carefully, Alice yanked the bars back freeing the wolf. Danielle jumped to her feet and lunged at Alice. Alice swiped her hand knocking the red wolf away from her. Danielle skidded across the dirt floor and rolled. Before Alice could take her stance, Danielle was on her feet ready to strike again.
"Danielle, I know you are in there. The wolf only has so much power over you. You have to find your human self and take charge or you will never be able to come back." Danielle thrashed her massive head about as if shooing away a bee or bad thought. She pounded the ground before returning her gaze to Alice.
"Don't," Alice warned. Danielle's claws dug into the dirt and she lunged. Before Alice had a chance for her fist to make contact with Danielle's face, the red wolf was knocked back into the trees by a white blur.
"Bash, don't hurt her!" Alice cried out but more howls ripped through the trees and Alice spotted yellow eyes staring at her through the shadows.
"Did you really think you could keep Danielle from me?"
Alice spun around on her heels to find Derek standing next to the blue car. He glanced down at his fingers picking the dirt from his nails before glancing up at her.
"You know, we almost didn't find you here. Seems that little trick with the basil works pretty well. Fortunately, when we realized that was the scent we should be looking for, it led us right to you."
Alice whipped her head around. Everywhere she looked glowing yellow eyes stared at her. She planted her feet into the ground waiting for them to attack.
"Danielle has already shifted, you are too late," Alice said with a sneer of victory. Derek shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
"Doesn't matter, my venom is coursing through her veins. She will do as I say."
"It doesn't work like that. It's not the venom that holds the wolf. It is the transformation from human to the wolf."
Derek's eyes widened as Alice spoke. He glared at her briefly before scanning the surrounding area. Alice curled her hands up into fists waiting for him to give the word for the wolves to attack.
"You're bluffing," Derek hissed taking a step closer.
"Am I? Think about it. How many of these wolves were you there for when they shifted? Three, maybe four? The reason they all follow you is because of their mates. The ones who stayed with them when they changed."
Derek glanced around the pack as it moved in closer. Each ready to strike the moment he said so. Derek smiled at Alice and shook his head.
"Doesn't matter if only one or two attack, you are outnumbered. Now give Danielle to me."
"I don't have her. She escaped."
"What do you mean she escaped?" Derek twitched his head and several wolves turned and raced back into the shadows.
"She shifted without another present. She is a lone wolf now."
"You are lying. You would never let your friend go through something like this and just leave her."
"Actually, I did. It was the only way for me to give her free choice. I could have shifted and she would be bound to me. But I didn't."
"So where is she?" Derek growled stepping closer to Alice ready to strike.
"Out there somewhere. Bash is with her."
"NO!" Derek snapped his head. Alice stepped back as the wolf split through Derek's human form. The wolf let out a long howl throwing his head up into the air. Alice sucked in a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her chest as her wolf clawed to break free.
"Face it," Alice laughed. "You lost."
Derek snipped at the space between them. From the corner of Alice's eyes she noticed the movement in the shadows. Before the wolves broke through the tree line, she shifted into her wolf self.
"If this is how you want to play—then let's play," Alice screamed in her head. The surrounding wolves charged and one by one, she sent them flying through the air as they attacked her.
She panted and huffed, forcing the pack off her flanks and dug her sharp teeth into their hides. She growled and fought as more came piling out of the trees, each ready to die for their alpha.
Alice broke through the pack and raced out into the forest. She knew they would follow. Derek would have given
the order by now. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep up the fight for long. The only way to end this was to take out Derek and to make him yield to her.
"Come and get me," Alice called out in her mind. Although she knew there wasn't a single wolf that could hear her, the idea of taunting them thrilled her. With each mile she put between her and the homestead she knew she might have a chance at winning.
As she pushed herself further into the woods, she could hear the drumming of their paws scraping against the dirt path. She tried to keep up the pace making them work to reach her, but her muscles burned acid with each stride. She had to think of something.
The tree line broke and Alice found herself in a clearing. The open field was lush and green. She raced through the tall grass and flowers as she tried to figure out how to bring Derek to his knees.
"Do you remember this?" a soft gentle voice spoke in her mind. Alice shifted her head to see the glowing silhouette of her father leaning down in the field and plucking a yellow flower from the dirt. Alice tried to shake the memory out of her mind as she raced on. But the more she pushed against the thought, the more it shifted into reality.
"What is it Daddy?"
"Snapdragon. We brought them down from the north. They will protect you from your enemies," her father's voice spoke loud rumbling Alice's bones.
"Why are you telling me this?" Alice screamed in her head trying to concentrate on getting away from the wolves chasing her. "I don't have time for a stroll down memory lane right now," she huffed realizing her pace had slowed.
"Eat it, and you will be protected," her father said as he lifted his head up from the young girl and stared at the wolf racing through the patch of grass. Alice's heart sputtered.
"Do you see me?" she thought as she kept her eyes locked on her father. He nodded before fading like the memory he was. Alice shook her head and pushed herself to go faster.
She glanced over her shoulder to find the pack on her heels. "Oh crap," she thought watching one of the russet wolves spring up into the air. The wolf clamped its jaws down on her right shoulder. Alice yelped in pain, breaking her concentration.
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