Life After (Post apocalyptic book)

I crept slowly and eased my breathing. I need to be quiet and watch from a distance. The screams and whimpers got louder when I took another two steps.

I used a big old tree as my hiding spot and gave Alice the signal. She nodded and lay bottom down on another tree. She had her crossbow cocked and ready, waiting for my next decision.

I secured my double-bladed sword and flexed my claw and climbed onto the lowest branch, and watched. I inhaled deeply and held my breath.

Humans. Dirty and rotten ones. In the distance, a man was sitting on a falling log and cackling. His men were toying with a human female.

"What do you think boys, should we eat her now or play with her first?"

The ugly fat man who was sitting on the log said while licking his blistered mouth and his rotten teeth sneered at the female.

The woman whimpered and tried to move away, but her hands and legs were tied, so she fell on her ass. The men laughed at her, enjoying her feeble attempts.

"Boss, it has been a while since we were with a woman with full white teeth. We can eat her tonight after." The boss stood and circled the poor female, his eyes eating her up.

"I think you are right even though she is so skinny." He said and palmed her ass and breasts.

Alice made a small sound to get my attention. She made some quick signs and I shook my head no.

She wanted to help the woman now, but we can't there are at least seven men right in front of us and I could smell the stench of another four or five.

I sat straighter and used my hand and signed. 'No, we can't do anything right now. If we were to save her, then we will wait for nightfall that is our best bet.'

She shook her head furiously and I growled silently. Stubborn teenager.

She started to sign quickly. 'We need to do it now. They will rape her.' I glared at her, annoyed.

'These are dark times Al, people have lost their last ounce of their humanity after that plague. We will help her, but as long as we stay safe. I won't risk our safety for a female that I don't know.'

She glared at me from behind her ski mask and faced forward. I sighed. I know this look. It means that she will do something stupid now.

I made a small chirp, and she looked at me again, then I signed. 'Be ready and attentive. They won't do anything now. As you can see, they are preparing for their lunch. We will free her when they are busy eating.'

Her green eyes brightened and I tsked. One day she will be the death of me.

I climbed higher and checked the area. There was no undead close by or any other travelers. I can't say if that was good or bad. I sniffed again and now I could tell where the others are.

They were busy........... I cocked my head to the side.

Are they having sex? I gagged this was disgusting. Not because they were gay, which I doubt, but because they looked ugly and deformed.

Cannibalism can do that to you. Your body won't be healthy feeding on human flesh, especially one full of diseases and goddess knows what else.

I went back to where I originally was and signed to my companion. 'I will go and get rid of these three on the east. After my signal, go and cut the woman loose.' She nodded her head eagerly.

I walked on my tiptoes and stood behind the men. I unsheathed my Tactical Bowie silently and held it between my teeth, then I took off my backpack and sword and hid them behind a bush.

I wrapped my hand around the first one's throat and stabbed him three times in his heart. I lowered him slowly so as not to alert the other two.

They were talking about what they should do with the female and wanted to rape her together.

I snarled and stood behind them; I used the knife in my right hand to slit one's throat and my left claw dug into the other's vocal cords.

I flashed my canines at their slowly dying eyes and went back to the main camp.

I gave Alice the signal, and she went to the woman who screamed, but nothing came out from behind her gag.

Alice worked quickly and efficiently, but luck wasn't on her side. The big ugly man saw her and alerted the others.

I cursed and moved quickly, discarding my knife, and flexed my claws. A man saw me coming from his left and shouted.

"Shifters. We have shifters here. We need the torch."

I took off my ski mask and growled loudly. My muscles expanded and my eyes glowed neon green. I reached the snitch and used my lengthened claws and tore his arms off.

His screams were music to my ears. Even though I don't have a wolf like other shifters, I basked in the smell of blood and the agonized cries.

Someone at my back pushed me forward, making me fall. I turned to see what happened and there was heat licking my front.

"Burn that bitch now. Don't give her the chance to stand up or she will kill us all." The fat man shouted.

Suddenly there was a weight on top of me and I gasped for breath for a few seconds. Alice was on me, shielding my body from the scorching flames.

I groaned. Now I have to find her a new hoodie, and those were hard to find nowadays.

I pushed her and she stood. She used her leg to kick the man in his stomach and I took the chance and ripped his throat off with my teeth.

I spat the rotten flesh and faced the last two.

The big man hid behind his cronies and shouted. "Leave us alone you she-devil. We did nothing to you."

I cackled and circled the frightened men, who cowered away. It is all fun and games unless you become the prey, but I stopped and strained my ears.

When the hissing and crawling noise registered, I cursed and turned to Alice, ignoring the humans.

"We need to hide, now. Crawlers are coming and they are not alone. They have two vampire masters." Alice signed quickly and I growled, this was not the time for argument.

'But what about the human female? We can't leave her here. They will drain her blood then eat her after.'

I punched a tree. She was right and anyway, we can't escape now. They are almost here.

"Ok, bring her to that huge tree. We need to hide our scents, too. These creatures have sensitive noses."

I went for my backpack and rummaged through it to find the Moss Phlox extract. This plant will hide our scent and make us blend with nature.

The human boss charged me and tried to grab my hoodie, but I sidestepped him.

"What are you talking about? And you can't leave us here alone to face whatever is coming. You are a bitch wolf, so you are strong. Protect us."

I ignored him and went to my friend and the human, then dragged them away from here.

The human female was shivering and her teeth chattering. I faced her and shook her body harshly.

"You need to get a hold on yourself if you want to overcome this. These beasts won't be as kind as those filthy human males. So get a grip and focus."

The female breathed a shudder before nodding. Alice took off all her clothes and stood in her underwear and bra and I did the same.

We won't be able to dose them now, they were too near and we don't have much time.

I sprayed my pulse points inside of my wrists, inner elbows, below the belly button, and behind my ear lobes. My knees, then under my armpits and between my legs too.

I had to make sure nothing of my scent would be carried away.

I signed to Alice. 'Come, we need to move. They are a few seconds away now.'

I moved the human in front of me, then climbed first. Alice gave her a little push and I helped her to sit next to me on some dense branch. Alice climbed above us.

I raised my finger to my lips and made a shush sign. She nodded, and we waited.

It didn't take long, and the cries and screams began. Someone ran and stood behind our tree, trying to hide. The clacking noise and hissing followed him.

"No, stay away from me. No, don't come closer." A crawler moved on its eight legs and leisurely eyed the human male.

The creature was ugly with its weird body combination. It was a mix between a human and a spider. His upper half was almost human with a big head and long fangs.

The lower half looked like a huge spider. They were some vampires hunting hounds. Vampires were the only species to tame them so far, and no one knew how.

"No, please don't eat me." The human whimpered, and the creature stopped to look to the right. A slender vampire male came into the view.

"Don't worry little human, he won't eat you unless I tell him so. Come to me, don't be afraid." The vampire said in a sickly sweet tone and the human inched closer to him.

"Yes, that is it. Don't be afraid of me. I just want to taste your blood and if it was good I will spare your life."

The male swallowed and stood before the vampire, shaking, and offered him his neck.

The vampire male chuckled and took his hand instead. He opened his mouth and instead of two sets of fangs, there were rows and rows of sharp teeth.

I shuddered involuntarily. He was a tainted one. A supernatural that was deformed, because of the virus and the poisonous shit the governments had unleashed in the world.

He took small sips of the male blood, then gagged and threw it up. His eyes turned from dark brown to glowing red.

"Ah, you are one of this filth. You eat your own." The male took two steps backward, his eyes were wide open.

The vampire turned and gave his crawler a signal. The crawler advanced on the male.

"No, please don't eat me. I know where I can find you pure ones. Three women, they were here, I swear." The vampire stood and raised his nose.

I gritted my teeth anxiously. If he chose to search the area, he would easily find us. The woman beside me started to tremble again, and her mouth opened, ready to scream when the vampire turned to glare at where we were hiding.

I clamped my hands on her mouth and almost suffocated her.

"Hm. I think you are telling the truth. If I concentrated on it, I can catch their faint smell." He licked his lips and smirked.

"It is so sweet and subtle. A she-wolf, human, and something else I don't know what she is."

The human turned her head towards me and shook her head. I raised my finger to my mouth again and ordered her silently to stay quiet.

The vampire squinted his eyes at the dense foliage, but he couldn't see anything.

"It is here, but faint. They have left a long time ago. Stop wasting my time."

The man screamed and when the crawler attacked him. In seconds he was cut open and his entire stomach was eaten.

These abominations eat only the soft body parts and leave the rest to rote.

The vampire called after his companion and went towards the rest of his group. But not before looking around again, inhaling, and moaning with a shudder.

I paced the small clearing we have found, back and forth angrily. Alice sat watching me while eating a damn Twinkie I had got her last week.

It was a luxury that she didn't deserve at the moment.

I stood in front of her and stomped the ground to get her attention, but the damn girl lowered her head and kept ignoring me.

I raised my arms up and screeched as silently as possible.

"You know what you have done. This entire thing was wrong, Alice. We could have died over there and for what, a human? A human who next time she sees us will try to fucking cut off our heads. We had to leave her all alone again to fend for herself, so all of this was useless."

Alice licked her fingers clean after finishing the damn thing and looked up at me.

'I don't care Alexandria. I can't stand there and watch them rape her. This is fucked up.' She said, clenching her fists.

I growled deeply. "Language little pup. I won't tolerate this disrespect. Don't fucking cuss."

She smirked and cocked her brow, making me growl again.

"I'm an adult. I do the fuck I want, unlike you. Besides, show me some respect. I'm your fucking Alpha."

She whimpered and I hated this, I shouldn't have ordered her in that way, but she needs to listen to me.

I crouched when she offered me her neck and rubbed our cheeks together.

"You are my only family. My pack, Alice. I have been taking care of you for ten years now since that day I have found you drenched in blood and watching the stupid ones eat your parents."

Alice closed her eyes and nodded once and I kissed her cheek and the crook of her neck. There was no need to nibble it. That was enough. I stood up and offered her my hand.

"Now, go and train your breathing. You know you can't hold it more than two minutes and this is unacceptable." The little pup groaned but did as I have commanded her.

I sat on the log and watched her do her exercises. Even though we argue each day, I'm so proud of her.

As I said, it has been ten years since I found her sitting in a puddle of her parent's blood, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream.

She was watching the stupid ones, the human zombies or the infected, eating them.

And since that day, she didn't say a word. I taught her sign language. My mother was one of those Asl teachers and she forced dad and me to learn it.

I think I should send her a pray as a thank you for this.

I was sixteen at the time and Alice was only eight. After taking her with me, I kept her safe and taught her everything my parents had taught me.

To me, Alice was like a little sister, not just a pack member.

I was one of the unlucky shifters who didn't have a wolf. Or bloodline was so dilated that I was only a quarter wolf who can't shift, though I have all the other perks.

The speed, endurance, and strength. I have claws and canines too, so that was a good thing, better than nothing.

But Alice was different. She wasn't human or a shifter. No, she was something else entirely. Something all of us have heard about in old stories, but never thought it was real.

I sighed, then cracked my neck and closed my eyes, trying to get some rest before nightfall.

It felt like I have slept for two minutes most when Alice shook me. She signed quickly.

'A group of humans is coming this way. Two women, one man and four kids.'

I sat straighter and rubbed my eyes and looked around. The night has fallen already.

'Are you sure that they are just humans, no funny business?' I signed and stood stretching my arms and yawned. Alice nodded her head and pointed to the east.

And like she said, the group came walking with uncertain steps, looking around them. They should be scared, no one should move this late at night.

They should have made a camp somewhere. They stopped and huddled together when they saw us.

I raised my hands in a placating gesture to show them that I'm not a threat, but the male pointed an ancient gun at us. I sighed, already tired.

"We mean you no harm, man. You and your family are safe here. Neither I nor my girl will hurt you. You can spend the night in our camp. It is secure."

I said in a low voice and talked as if I was talking with a frightened animal.

The man kept pointing his gun at us and spoke. "You are a shifter. I can see your eyes glowing under the moonlight."

He looked around us skeptically, now afraid that there were more of us.

I nodded my head. There is no good in lying here. He was right; I'm a shifter, sort of.

"Yes, I'm a wolf and my friend here is human, just like you. We can share our camp with you. It is stupid and irresponsible to move this late at night. The other undead supernatural can see at night, unlike the stupid one."

A little girl peeked around the man. She wasn't older than six years. "The stupid ones? You mean the infected human."

She asked with a bright smile, happy with herself for figuring it out. I chuckled. It was very endearing.

"Yes, little pup. You are correct because, unlike shifter zombies, as you call them, human ones are stupid. Even though the supernatural gets infected too, they still keep their strength and powerful senses. Though, they aren't that aware of their surroundings. They are smarter than human zombies."

The girl looked at me with impressed, curious eyes. She walked toward us and stood in front of me. Her mother cried out, calling for her daughter, but the little girl ignored her.

"Then what should we do when we meet one? Run?" I ruffled her hair and her mother gasped. I gave her a small smile to assure her that I mean no harm before talking to the little human pup.

"No, if you ever met an infected shifter no matter what, don't run. Because if you did that you will awaken its primal instinct and it will hunt you down."

The girl looked at me, silently debating her next question. But I kept going.

"You should wait for the last second and cut off their head. That is the only way to kill an infected, right? Humans or shifters." The girl nodded enthusiastically and ran back to her mother.

After an hour or so, the family settled down and the man approached me. "I'm sorry about what I have done, but you know how it is now." I smiled at him behind the ski mask.

"You did nothing wrong. You were protecting your family. But next time please, if you met any shifters just leave, not all of us are kind beings." The man nodded and stared at his family.

"We had to leave the house we were using. There was a group of bikers who were scouring the area for supplies, so we ran. We took nothing with us. It is a blessing that we have two breastfeeding babies."

The man said with a frown on his face.

I pursed my lips and shut up. It wasn't a blessing; it was a curse for so many reasons, but I didn't tell him that.

"Look, we can't stay together for long. This isn't a power in numbers situation as you know, but I will go now and hunt you something to feed your family."

I said, embarrassed for ditching him like that, but it was bound to happen.

The man shook my shoulders gratefully and almost cried. "Thank you so much for your kindness." I extracted myself from his grasp and went to Alice.

'Let's go and check on the traps we have made yesterday. We might find something to eat.' I signed to her, and she scowled at me.

'But we said we will dry the meat. Our supplies are almost at the bottom.' She looked at me with her green eyes, confused.

I signed. 'I know what I have said. But these people need it more than us. We can always hunt whenever we want.'

Ok, it was a lie. Games are so scarce recently even though the entire world has become one big jungle.

After the pandemic and the chaos the world went through, Mother Nature claimed everything. Entire cities turned into green, lush forests, but it was useless.

There were no edible fruits to eat or clean animals to hunt. It was a sick and twisted joke from the gods.

I got my backpack and sword and headed to the first trap we had made and as expected I found nothing.

The second one had a small rabbit. I caught it and cut off his head and skinned it quickly and strapped it to my backpack.

The last trap had a minor problem. It had caught a nice wild boar, but the problem was that my catch was surrounded by a few wolves.

Real ones, not the shifters. The only good thing was that the animal was still alive.

Alice put down her things and signed. 'Let me handle this.' I shook my head no. She smells like a human and they would attack her at the first sight.

'Let me do it. We both have a thing in common.' She huffed and wrapped her arms around her chest, and glared at me.

She always complained that I still treat her like a baby and yes, I do. She is my little pup. I won't let her get hurt.

I walked towards the pack of wolves and growled, gaining their attention. The alpha came in front of me and gave me a growl of his own.

Alice snickered and I knew what she wanted to say, but I rolled my eyes and ignored her.

"Look body, I know the feeling but I really need that boar over there. It was my kill and I have mouths to feed." The wolf stood its ground and snarled at me.

I stretched and let my pheromones seep through the air and snarled back. My canines flashed and my eyes glowed in the dark. I growled at him again.

"Leave, this is my kill, my territory wolf." The wolf whimpered and lowered its body, showing me his belly. His five back mates did the same.

I sighed and went to it and rubbed its belly softly. "Ok, I will give you and your family half of our kill, but on one condition. You come with me and guard our camp."

The wolf whined again, but his tail shook jauntily.

Behind me, Alice laughed like the stupid prat that she was and signed.

'Now we are helping poor wolves too.'

I glared at her and went to the trap. I cracked the boar neck and headed back to our camp.

The women screamed when they saw the wolves trailing behind me and I laughed a little.

"Don't worry, they are harmless. They know who the alpha here is. They won't hurt you."

One of the women, the mother of the little girl, shrieked at me. "Are you out of your mind? These are wild animals. They will eat us in our sleep."

I dropped the dead animal and glared at her.

"I'm a wild animal, too. The only difference is that I can speak and I look just like you." The woman fisted her hands and sneered at me.

"You are hiding behind that mask. You might be one of those savages that will eat us in our sleep too with those damn wolves."

The male came toward her and dragged her away before I can reply.

I took the boar and went to the small lake and gutted then cleaned it, with a sour mood. The alpha wolf sat beside me and whined.

I patted his head and sighed. Humans are crueler than anything in this world and stupid, too.

Just when I was about to leave a scream broke the silence. I ran back to the camp and found a group of the undead attacking the small family.

I searched for Alice and found her with the wolves fighting them in the back.

I snatched my double-bladed sword and separated it into two halves, then advanced on the stupid ones who were trying to get to the two women and kids.

I cut their heads off, then went to the rest.

The alpha wolf beside me herded the ones to my left towards the empty spot to my right. I killed those three and found Alice and the rest of the wolves have killed the remaining ones.

"Are you ok? Did anyone get hurt?" I checked on the pups first then the grownups and sighed in relief when I found minor cuts and some scratches.

Not a big deal. We don't turn from stuff like that, as in movies and series. If you weren't a zombie, then you will never be. Simple like that.

The male human hugged his family and looked back at me.

"Thank you so much, you have saved us."

I nodded, then went back to my kill, rethinking my decision.

I'm as stupid as Alice. We are hopeless.

We left the family in the clearing and moved early in the morning. There was no point in sticking around. If we did, we would be an easy target for all the infected.

Especially the supernatural ones. Our scent would be thick in the air and they would find us easily.

We walked through the dense foliage for half the day, and then Alice groaned. I chuckled and stood, checking our surroundings.

"Ok let's get some rest for now." Alice huffed and dropped where she was standing.

"Drink and rest but be alert." She rolled her eyes but nodded.

I tapped my sword and bowie knife to make sure they were where they should be and made a circle around where we were, to check for the undead, stupid or not.

Fortunately, there was nothing and I relaxed a little and went back to Alice and found her snoozing in the damn open with no care in the world.

I stood in front of her, frustrated, then kicked her legs, making her yelp.

She glared at me while she was on her ass on the ground, and I just shrugged. "I told you to be alert. You would have been eaten by now."

I leaned against a tree and unscrewed my water bottle and took a small sip. I shook the container and tsked we need to find some clean water soon.

'Let's camp here tonight; this place is as good as any.' Alice signed and I sighed. She is a teenager. She was supposed to be more energetic than that.

"Ok princess, I will go and set the traps. Be careful and don't fall asleep while I'm gone." She waved her hand absently and buried her head inside her backpack.

I'm sure she was looking for one of her books. The girl was obsessed with reading.

I checked the perimeter again and set the traps. Then closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, expanding my senses.

I heard a bird cry and an animal, a rodent maybe, digging into the ground.

The air smelled fresh. There was no decaying smell in the air or stench of decomposing bodies.

I strained my ears farther and heard the faint drip of water. I cocked my head to the side. There was no smell of any mass of water nearby and I can't hear it flow.

So where does this dripping noise come from?

I walked to the east but halted abruptly. My footsteps have an echo. How? Unless...... I stomped my feet twice and opened my eyes.

It is hollow here. I crouched, then swept the ground with my hands, knocking on it in the process, and found it. There, under a big bush, there was a steel handle.

I put some strength in my grip and pulled, but it didn't budge. I tried again growling, and this time the hatch opened to a dark hole.

I whistled and seconds later, Alice was standing in front of me, a machete in her hand. I signed.

'I will go down first, be ready for anything. If I didn't come out in two minutes, close that thing and leave.'

I didn't wait for her confirmation. I dropped my backpack and sword and went down the small ladder I had found.

It was dark, cold, and the air was stuffy, but there was no foul smell, so that was a good sign. The small space stretched for nine feet at least before it widened into a big area.

I searched with my eyes for any sign of danger, but there was nothing.

I touched the wall to my left and searched for a light switch. I know it was just wishful thinking. There has been no electricity for over twelve years now, but it was a habit that never died.

And praise the goddess, there was light here.

I checked the small space again and smiled. This was a small bunker suitable for two. Maybe three people most. There were two small cots and two doors.

One looked broader than the other, and it was made out of what looked like steel.

I opened the first door, and it was a small bathroom, then the second and I gasped in surprise.

Right in front of me, there were rows after rows of MREs and a small armory from AR to melee weapons.

I jumped up and down, proud of my finding, and went back to get Alice. I found her climbing down. I waited until she was on her feet and slapped the back of her head.

"I told you to stay for my signal." She winced, then shrugged.

'You were taking so long, I got worried.' I growled and climbed to close the hatch and went back to the open area and found Al excitedly humming while checking an AK-47.

"Hey be careful with that, you might hurt yourself." She rolled her eyes but put the gun on its stand.

'It is unloaded, and the safety is on. It isn't my first time holding a gun.' She said, reaching for the MRE packets and reading them.

I went to the small bathroom and checked the faucet and lo and behold there was running water still. Alice came to see when she heard the sound of water.

'What is this place?' She signed her eyes wide with wonder and excitement. I chuckled.

"I think this place belonged to one of those survivalists, but I guess he wasn't living in this world anymore." Alice hummed and went back to the supply room.

We spent a relatively quiet week enjoying the peaceful life of the bunker. For the first time in many years, we had a roof above our heads.

We usually stay away from big cities or buildings clusters because seventy out of ten times, it would have someone inside or close by.

We used to camp in forests away from people. So being here now was a blessing. I washed my face and cut off my hair shorter.

Long hair wasn't practical. I don't have the time to brush or find some products to take care of it.

It was a suitable solution that Alice hated with vengeance. I pitied her; she had such beautiful red hair that used to glow in the sunlight.

I put on my hoodie and jeans and turned to the teenager who was eating a chocolate bar and reading some old torn book.

"I will go out to cheek the traps and the perimeter. Don't go out without me."

She looked up and nodded, then she threw the moss phlox small spray bottle at me. And she signed.

'You never know what you would find lurking out there.' Then she shrugged and went back to her book.

I smiled. She was right. Being here had made me lazy and reckless. I sprayed myself, then went out.

I cheeked the traps first and for the third day in a row, there was nothing. It was weird; I used to get at least a rat which I would set free. But for three days I got nothing.

I broadened my circle, this time looking for clues for what was really happening, and came out empty-handed.

Actually, the area was quiet. Too quiet for my liking, which meant that there was something that scared the birds and small prey away.

The undead didn't have that effect on them, so this was because of humans or shifters. I think humans weren't a big threat to them, either.

Then this was Shifter's doing. I climbed the tree closest to me to get a better view, and the breath left my lungs.

To our northeast, there was a big camp full of people and shifters. I didn't need to scent them to know their physical appearance was a clear indicator.

I swallowed hard when I saw some familiar faces. Johnson was standing there giving orders to humans, and they scurried away to do his bidding. Is this my last pack? The one that threw me and my family away when I was eight.

I shuddered when I saw the scar my father had given him. It didn't heal properly and now I was certain that it was my old pack, but what were they doing here? It was a long way from their territory.

Johnson barked something and people around gave him a wide berth.

Someone walked with a thick robe and dragged a group of infected behind him, making people cower.

A human who was brave enough shouted at him and he slashed his chest with his claws then ribbed his throat open.

I shudder when the blood splattered everywhere and the row of the infected attacked the poor male human.

They cut him into pieces in seconds and his entrails were what were left.

I gagged when I saw Johnson licking his claws clean and his face contorted into a content smile.

The stupid ones were lined around their camp and everyone else was bustling around doing something. I bit my lips in agitation, we need to leave here.

It wasn't safe anymore. If he knew that I was in his territory, he would kill me.

Technically, I'm the rightful alpha to this pack. I'm a big threat to him. Even though, unlike me, Johnson is a full-blooded wolf.

Suddenly, he raised his nose up and inhaled. I held my breath. My body broke into an uncontainable shudder.

Did he smell me? But that was impossible. I have used the scent masking plant.

I froze on that branch waiting, my body still shaking, and my breath ragged. He kept glaring at the area that I was hiding in and I almost said my last prayer to the goddess.

Someone came and broke the spell. He frowned at him.

The male was holding one of my empty traps; I cursed silently when I saw him give his men the orders to search the area. I climbed down quickly and ran toward the bunker.

Shit, shit, shit, this was not good. I need to get Alice and leave this fucking place.

I heard a twig break to my right and jerked into a stop. Someone was close, and he had caught my scent. I tip-toed and stood behind a tree and slowly unsheathed my bowie knife.

A young wolf walked silently, sniffing the air. I licked my lips and clutched the knife tighter in my hand.

He stopped and flexed his claws as if readying himself for an attack. He turned to his left and ran. I sighed and almost dropped to the ground in relief.

Just when I was about to move again, something caught my hoodie and pulled me backward. I gasped when a hand clamped on my neck.

I twisted my body and kicked them in the chest making them fall, then jumped on his fallen body and held the knife to their throat.

I snarled at the male, who looked at me with wide eyes and inhaled. "Alexandria! Is that you?" I pushed the knife deeper, my eyes flashing green.

"I was going to let you live, but now I'm not sure. Who the fuck are you and how do you know me?"