The Hunters

Chapter Three - The Fall of the Full Moon Pack

My aching body kept me from sleeping. I felt heavy, but too sore to be still. I kept tossing and turning relentlessly in my bed. My mind constantly wandering to what I was going to do with my life next, now that I had graduated school and met my wolf. Yet, I had not found my mate. Little did I know, fate was going to force me down a path I had no intentions of following.

I sat up in my bed and gazed out my window. I watched the monotone landscape outside completely unmoving. Everything seemed so still as if I was looking at a painting. It didn't seem right. Everything felt wrong. I could even feel Vesper stirring uneasily in my mind.

"River," I mindlinked my best friend. It was an ability that all werewolves in the same pack could do. That is assuming that the other person wasn't blocking them out.

"You are awake too, huh?" I heard her say.

"Yeah, I can't sleep. It looks... wierd outside," I told her.

"I don't see how," she responded. "But my wolf is restless and I'm not sure why," she added.

"Same, and I don't know why either," I was still staring out the window.

"I'm going to go outside and look around," she told me. I wanted to go with her, but I was also afraid of what I may find out there. It was eerie afterall. I was hesitant to volunteer to go with her, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Besides, River was strong. We would be alright.

"I'm coming with you," I announced.

"Fine," she huffed. "Meet me in front of the pack house."

Our mind link ended and I quickly got dressed and rushed outside to meet her.

She was already waiting for me. Standing there tapping her foot impatiently. Though she smiled when she saw me approaching.

"Let's search the tree line first. That way we can see into the forest and still see the buildings and houses," River said. "Normally, we should shift, but I know you haven't shifted yet."

"Well... about that...." I stammered, looking away from her. My gaze down cast, but I could still sense her icy stare on me. "I shifted this morning. I guess technically yesterday morning." It was 2am.

"Alone?" River sounded surprised. Her eyes looked me over multiple times. I nodded stiffly.

"It was the most painful experience of my life. I don't think I can do it again today," I admitted. She seemed to understand.

"I will shift and stick close to you while we search," she told me before stripping her clothes off without hesitation. I watched her shift into her wolf form as I had many times before. Her wolf was a mix of black, gray, and white. Her eyes were an even lighter shade of blue, as pale as the summer skies.

We began to investigate around the pack territory for anything unusual. We found nothing except the eerie stillness. Not an owl or mouse roamed. I think River finally picked up on it. It was like that saying, it's quiet, too quiet. Something had the wildlife spooked.

"What the f**k are you two doing out here?" A harsh voice mindlinked us out of nowhere. I flinched at the power the voice held.

"We couldn't sleep and Alana said she felt like something strange was going on outside," River replied to her father.

"You two shouldn't be out here alone in the middle of the night. Get inside, NOW!" he roared inside of our minds. His form was now visible in the distance. He stood large and proud as an almost solid black wolf with a white patch on his chest.

Her father was always harsh, but this was over the top even for him. We looked at each other, but had no choice but to obey the command of the pack's beta. Our bodies moved despite what we wanted and we began to walk towards the pack house. We knew something strange must have been happening that we weren't told.

However, before we took more than a few steps, the smell of blood entered my nose.

"Alpha Rocco just mindlinked all the warriors. We are needed at the pack house. We are under attack," River growled. I never heard the mindlink since I wasn't a warrior.

Before River and I could do anything, her father had jumped in front of us, blocking our path and baring his teeth into an angry snarl.

"It's too late. Both of you, run. Run fast and run far. Stick together," he commanded.

"But Alpha Rocco said," River interupted, but her father snapped at her.

"I'm your father! Get out of here!" He barked.

We could hear howls in the distance and the smell of blood grew stronger. Fear bubbled up inside of my weary body, but also fear for the life of my friends and family. I wanted to ask what's going on, but there was no time.

"Over here, there are survivors!" A strange voice that was not part of our pack called out. His voice boomed through the distant cries and howls. The large, brown wolf approached us at a full sprint.

River's father whirled his body around to face our attacker. The two of them collided with fangs bared and striking. It was all for nothing, because there were more strange wolves approaching.

River readied herself to attack the on-coming wolves. Her body tensed and fur brisk. She drew her lips back in a vicious snarl. I groaned as I started to shift myself so I could help despite being a terrible fighter. Maybe I would be better in my wolf form. However, yet another strange voice stopped me.

"Don't even try to shift little shewolf," he chuckled. A large man approached us with light brown hair and hazel eyes, along with a group of wolves either snarling or snickering at us. They encircled us completely. Some of them had blood smeared in their fur, but all of them reaked of death.

River's father had held his own until that point. His ebony fur glistened with wet blood in the moonlight. His breaths were labored and his motions had become sluggish until he collapsed on the ground. His blood soaking the earth beneath him. His opponent reached down with his jaws and grabbed him by the throat. River's wolf growled fiercely, wanting so badly to stop him. There was nothing we could do. Absolutely nothing. We were at the mercy of these strange wolves.

Her father's opponent snapped his neck in a second. He was gone forever. The sound of his bones breaking rung in my ears. River's wolf let out a piercing cry. Throwing her head back and wailing tragically. Tears were flowing from my own eyes as I watched in horror.

"Shift," the strange man commanded River. It was apparent he was the Alpha. He had an alpha's aura and ability to command even River's beta wolf. What was even more frightening was how easily he was able to command a wolf from another pack. It meant our alpha was dead. Alpha Rocco was killed. Our entire pack had been wiped out while River and I had been searching outside. We had done nothing to help. Were my parents alive? Was Blaze alive? Anyone?

River shifted back into her human form. She stayed crouched down and used her arms to shield herself from the men's stares. They all were grinning lustfully at her.

"Let's keep these two," one of them suggested, his intense stare looking over both of us. All I could do was cry helplessly. For the death of our pack which had happened so fast and for our uncertain fate.

The wolves that surrounded us were mumbling amongst themselves. Contemplating our fate.

I attempted to mindlink River, but nothing happened. Our mindlink was broken. Our pack was truly gone. Our home was now nothing but emptiness and c*****e. We were still clueless as to why or what really happened between the two packs, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that our families were dead.

"Bring them with us," their alpha commanded.