Chapter 4 C4

Darkness hangs heavy in the sky, though the dim moonlit makes

the snow on the ground sparkle. Pointy and crooked shadows are

cast down from the limbs of the trees above.

My hands are burrowed into my coat pockets as I trudge along one

of the many paths that are well burned into my memory.

I had stormed off and away from the party. I wanted- want- away

from all of them. As I come to a high point in the mountain trail, I

catch sight of the bonfire far below. Like a giant burning ember

among the grey, bleak landscape.

Suddenly my stomach drops.

I temporarily forget all of my woes of dread as I remember what

Aimee had said to me.

"Don't go off into the woods by yourself. Stay near the pack."

As if to go with my immense feeling of regret, my skin prickles

with apprehension. Goosebumps pop up all over my arms, along

with the hairs on the back of my neck rising.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Aimee would kill me if she knew I didn't listen.

That is if this notorious lurking beast doesn't do it first.

I tense up, suddenly getting the feeling that I'm being watched.

Though I know it's only a simple symptom of paranoia. Right?

I shake my head, laughing at myself. I'm acting as ridiculous as

Mya and her group of floozies.

Either way, I turn and start back down the same path I came. The

snow crunches loudly under my feet, almost like static in my ears

that's loud enough to drown out everything else.

As I go back down the path, my mind goes back to reality. Dread

settles in my stomach at the thought of going back to that asswipe

whom his mother mistook for a person and named Nathan.

• • •

When I slip back into the vicinity of the party, I can't help but to

notice the tense atmosphere of the people and their constant

whispering. Or how their eyes are wide and flickering around as

they talk to one another.

"It's true then? They really ran him out?" I overhear a hushed voice

ask as I stop at the refreshments table.

Out of the corner of my eye, a tanned skinned girl, who I know as

Trisha, bobs her head of curls with a nod. "They exiled him," she

says quickly, "I didn't think they'd ever do it. Not after 3 years,

especially."

What the hell is it with everyone whispering about this lately? What

did Aimee say... the Exiled Alpha?

I busy myself to look casual, pouring a drink I don't even want.

"He's probably already looking for another pack to take over. Oh

god, Trish, what if he's out there somewhere in the woods right

now?! What if he smells the bonfire and-"

"Sophia, calm down," Trisha stops the other girl's increasingly

hysterical rambling. "Just... Just don't think about it."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," She agrees, although her voice is

quivering. "Hey. Hey, are you eavesdropping on us?!"

I look up to find a pale redhead staring accusingly at me,

assumedly Sophia. I can't help but to notice the vibrant hot pink

jacket she's wearing, along with a matching headband.

"I know it doesn't take that long to fill a cup," she continues, her

eyes shooting daggers at me. Trisha, on the other hand, smiles

apologetically, as if this sort of thing happens often.

I glance over at her before turning back to the table and picking up

my drink. "You better keep your voice down. He might hear you," I

mock as I start back towards my seat.

I have no idea who " he " is, but if it spites her, then so be it.

What happens next is nothing but a blur. While going back to my

seat, I feel watched yet again. I look up to find Nathan's wide eyes

staring at me. He stands up, his mouth agape and the color

drained from his face. In the same instance that he points behind

me, a bloodcurdling roar shakes the ground, followed by high-

pitched screams.

I whirl around, coming face to face with Sophia, her arm raised in

the air with something grasped in her hand. But that isn't what

catches my attention.

Behind her, leaping out of the shadowy depths of the forest, is a

monster beyond imaginable. An enormous, wolffish creature with

glowing ruby red eyes. Even in midair it looks ten times the size of

a normal wolf, and ten times as terrifying.

I don't even get the chance to panic or even so much as scream.

The last thing I can process is a rock solid object crashing into my

temple, erupting my skull in pain. Simultaneously, my vision

plunges into blackness. Like somebody turned out the lights.

The last thing I saw was that beast coming straight towards me.

My eyelids flicker open, just barely enough to recognize the blurred

blues, blacks, and whites of the night forest. I immediately notice

the burning, sharp pain that's lighting my neck on fire with

discomfort. Like there's canines sinking into my flesh and winning

a tug-of-war match with gravity.

I'm... being carried? Like a fucking wolf pup?

Cold wind blows against my face, cutting right through my clothes

and causing me to shiver.

Blindly I reach my hand out, trying to feel for anything at all. Warm

fur tickles my palm, sending a jolt of electricity through my chest.

I remember what I saw. A giant wolf leaping out of the woods,

roaring louder than any monster ever could.

A sort of drugged, calm fear comes over me. I don't want to face

this thing, whatever the hell it is.

So I close my eyes and let the safety of the darkness seep back in.

I wake up to a pounding ache in the left side of my skull, right

above my temple. My eyes open, which makes the pounding

worse. Out of instinct, my hand reaches up to the source of the

pain. Instead of oozing blood like I'd expected, I'm surprised to

feel the soft gauze of a bandage wrapped securely around my

head.

I roll my head to the side to take in my surroundings. Through the

trees, in the distance, a bright orange flicker stands out against the

night.

The bonfire. I can barely see it through the trees. How did I get out

here so far?

Sitting up, I close eyes close tightly as I wait for the spinning to

stop and the nausea to pass. When I finally open them again, my

heart stalls.