Adjusting - 12. Chapter 11 - Attack

The next twenty minutes were a blur of rushed movement, screaming babies, and worried adults. Wolves who were too weak to fight crowded into the large basement of the pack house with the children; calming the pups and keeping them distracted from what was happening above.

I didn't want to be shoved into the basement like some pup who couldn't fight.

I was stronger than that.

Immediately after telling me what happened, Brian had done just that--shoved me downstairs with the pups and the wolves who were unable to defend the pack.

"Let me out!" I shouted as I pounded on the locked door at the top of the stairs.

"He's not coming back until the rogues are gone," an elderly woman in the back of the room said. "It's got only keyholes on both sides for a reason: to keep the enemies out and the mischievous pups in."

I fought down the urge to glare back at old wolf and took in a deep breath to calm down. I had to think of a way to get out of this room. The pack needed all of the help it could get.

After a moment of thought, a stroke of brilliance overcame me and I went over to one of the mothers with her hair up in a ponytail.

"Do you have a bobby-pin on you?" I asked her.

She gave me a wary look before nodding and pulling one out of her hair. I thanked her before going back up to the landing with the basement door. It took a few minutes, but I was determined. I eventually heard a little click and slowly opened the door. I mentally cheered and threw the bobby-pin back to the woman I borrowed it from. Resting my hand on the knob, I suddenly worried for the children and other I was leaving behind with a now unlocked door.

Chewing on my lip, I quickly went back downstairs and sighed in relief when I found a few sturdy wooden chairs. I grabbed one and hauled it to the door after telling a skinny pre-teen boy to follow me.

"When I leave the basement, I want you to lean the chair back on two legs and shove the top of it under the doorknob. Understand?"

The boy nodded, his eyes alight with self-importance at having something to do. I gave him a quick smile before turning away from him and slipping out the door silently. I heard a soft thud against the door after it quietly shut, letting me know that the pup had done what he was told.

I quickly doubled checked the hinges on the door to make sure that it was supposed to open toward the stairs before tip-toeing through the main floor. The entire house was empty; the silence emanating from every vacant room forming an awful sense of foreboding within me. I hastily made my way to the front door, eager to leave the eerie house. Once outside, I shifted into my wolf form and snuck toward the back yard. I could hear horrible noises that made my stomach churn—grief-stricken howls, desperate whimpers and cracking bones being only a few.

When I made it to the back yard, a quick glance around had me rapidly diving into a nearby bush. I lay down on my stomach and shut my eyes tightly to regain my bearings, steadily counting to ten before opening my eyes again.

I peered out of the bush and almost gagged, barely suppressing the urge and covering my snout with my front paws.

Wolves were everywhere. The stench of blood lay heavily in the air as the wounded bled out on the ground, many of them wearing an additional pelt. Around them were snarling, growling, brawling wolves, fighting to either protect the pack or destroy it.

After a moment of looking around, I realized that Alex was nowhere to be seen. Brain and Alpha John were in the thick of the action, both fighting off two rogues at once. Maria was near the patio door, warning off anyone who might try to sneak inside and get to the weak. Even the Betas were easy to find in the battle, both wrestling separate wolves to the ground and forcing them to surrender, usually with their teeth.

But where was Alex?

I took in a deep steeling breath and readied my body before shooting out of the bush and into the struggle. Weaving in and out of the battling wolves, I sprinted toward the forest as fast as my legs could carry me. Luckily, the fray provided cover for me, and I was able to quickly make it to the other side of the enormous yard without being caught.

Once under the cover of trees, I slowed down and made my way into the shadows. I knew that even though I was out of the heat of the battle, I was still in danger.

Only when I knew I was temporarily safe did I begin trying to find Alex’s scent.

I didn’t let down my guard, hunkering down anytime a wolf ran past either in pursuit or while being pursued. I played it safe and kept in the darkness as I sought Alex out.

I quickly forgot how long I had been searching as I attempted to track Alex’s scent. It could’ve been a couple of minutes or hours when I finally latched on to his unique fragrance. After checking it a few times to be sure I was right, I raced off as quietly as I could, hoping to find Alex as fast as possible, praying that he was safe.

While I ran, memories from my past as a rogue began flitting through my mind. The constant fear, the constant hunger, the constant pain, the constant running. It seemed as though I was back to my old self. As the memories came faster and faster, my speed seemed to rapidly increase until I was panting heavily. It was as though I was trying to outrun my past, no matter how impossible that might be.

A few minutes of this top-speed sprinting had me completely exhausted, and I had to take a break at a small stream. I lay in the grass for a moment, and when I caught my breath I lapped up a good amount of water before setting out again, cursing my weakness toward my past.

This time, I was sure to keep my head blank of all thoughts except find Alex.

A few miles later, I was close to a clearing. His scent had gradually increased in strength to the point that I knew he couldn’t be more than fifty yards away. I hastily slowed down and snuck to the edge of the clearing, the small amount of light trickling through the trees from the half-moon and stars above barely lightly my path.

Just as I was able to make out many figures in the clearing, I felt a sharp pain radiate through the base of my skull. As I fell to the soft, grassy floor, my bleary eyes made out the person who had hit me. He was holding a large rock in one hand, his other resting on his hip. I spotted his wide, insane smile before his entire face registered, creating great confusion and fear within me. It was then that the darkness swirled around my eyes, shoving me into unconsciousness before I could whisper the name that lay on my lips.