ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Three

Chapter Notes: Caleb's POV

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- 'I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones. . .' -

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     There was nothing akin to the feeling of the wind as you passed it by. Nothing like the sound of the earth beneath your feet as it roared in praise. Nothing like the burning touch of the red once it consumed your entire being from within, nor the gentle caress of the blue as it wrapped itself around you like a cocoon until you were ready to break free to embrace the flames.

     There was no other feeling like freedom.

     To run without limits, without thoughts and without boundaries. To forget who you were to embrace what you were; to forget what you had to do and doing what you wanted. I was almost positive that there was no greater feeling than the power of the four, in perfect balance, as it flowed freely through my veins.

     Until now.

     My wolf had never been so angered, wild and determined as it had in the moment we felt that our mate was in trouble. Just as quickly as the feeling washed over us, I had given into my nature without hesitation and urged my wolf to track her down and dispose of anything and everything that dared to threaten her. Protecting her was the single most important thought on our mind. The range of feelings—despair and anguish, infuriation and terror, desperation and panic—sparked by the unknown status of our mate and created by the coupling of urgency and chaos birthed a thrill like no other. A thrill that offered a whole lot more than freedom ever had.

     The roars of the earth chanted me on as I raced into the forest behind her neighbourhood, and the wind, which held her scent, led me straight to her location. The darkness of the night did not deter my race towards her; the light of the moon was all I would ever need along any dark path. Still in human form, I discarded my clothes along the way, not at all concerned where they landed.

     Now! My wolf commanded and I obeyed.

     I felt him push his way to the surface and welcomed the flames as they consumed my entire being within. I had long ago become desensitized to the pain of shifting; the pain had become more of a high. On all fours, I had managed to locate Ava-Rain within seconds. She was laying in the grass with a wolf hovered over her unconscious body and ready to move in for the kill. I charged towards them and knocked the wolf off of her seconds before its teeth were able to sink into her neck. The unexpected blow had sent it back little more than ten feet. I positioned myself in front of Ava-Rain and snarled, letting it be known that she was not to be touched. The wolf quickly recovered and got back on its feet, teeth barred and crouched backwards, ready to pounce. Its tail thrashed around violently as it stood in a defensive stance. It was clear that it had no intention of standing down and it was a challenge that I was willing and ready to take on. It had already dared to touch what was mine, and for that, death was the penalty to pay. The ultimate sentence.

     The wolf made the first move and lunged at me. I met it half way as we collided in the air then fell to the ground. It charged at me repeatedly, and each time I was able to thwart his attempts while maintaining a relatively close distance between Ava-Rain and myself. It was not long before the other wolf's energy began to decrease. It was getting frustrated and lashing out rather than fighting. It was allowing its anger to consume it, and as a result, its mistakes kept piling on. It didn't take very long to realize that the wolf was nothing more than a pup, probably a rogue or a T&D.

     Every wolf under the moon was a son or daughter of Luna. Enemy or foe, we all bled the same blood. Killing another wolf was not something to be proud of and certainly not something to be praised. But a threat was still a threat. I had no choice but to kill it. If it had not been Ava-Rain, then it could have easily been someone else, someone who would not have been as lucky. Once I managed to outmaneuver it and gain the upper hand, within the blink of an eye, I sunk my teeth into the pup's neck and tore out its throat. The blood that filled my mouth was hardly a taste of victory. The lifeless body that laid beneath me was not a trophy. Death was not a celebration.