The Fallen Alpha

3 | Taken

KIERA

The sun was only a couple of hours away, or maybe less. And that little taste of stolen freedom and solace was all I needed with my sister before we started to walk back to the packhouse. And I knew one hell of a scolding from mom and dad was waiting for us. Maybe not for the birthday girl…but definitely for me.

But when I paused and looked back at the changing color of the sky and lingering darkness of the forest, I would say it was worth it. 

I was so lost in the maze of my mind that I didn’t realize that Ellora was saying something to me. “…can you hear it?” Her voice trailed. 

“Huh?”

“Kiera, I am pretty sure I heard someone whispering,” she said with a heavy conviction in her voice. 

I hurried my steps, trying to catch up with her pace. But before another word got out of me, a fierce pain struck my legs and made me lose my balance. My body crashed against the forest floor and landed with an audible ‘thud.’

“Ah!” I clutched my feet, immediately rolling towards the bark of the tree for support. 

Ellora was beside me in a heartbeat. “Kiera! Are you alright?”

I gritted through the excruciating pain and frantically looked around for the sign of the attackers. “No… It’s…” 

“Oh, fates. You are bleeding.”

It was so much more than a bleeding flesh wound because I have recognized that burn the moment it flared up my skin as if I was put on fire. “Wolf…Wolfsbane,” I managed to croak out and quickly dragged Ellora against the bark of the tree to shield her from any incoming attack. 

I did not know who or why, but we were surely under attack by any of the rival wolf packs of the surrounding territories. Or maybe the rogues. 

“Listen to me, Ellora,” I held her hands and told her earnestly. “You are going to shift, and then you will run. Run as fast as you can. Now go!” 

“What about you?” Her eyes widened in terror. “I am not leaving you alone.”

“Then we will both die,” I warned. “You can save me, dear sister. You need to run back to the packhouse and get help. Can you do that for me?” I asked, hoping to convince her. 

There was no way I could shift to my wolf form, given my injured leg and the wolfsbane in my bloodstream. And even if I manage to, my wolf would be highly compromised. So, sending my sister away was the only thing I could do and hope for the best.

Ellora trembled in the darkness, her eyes frantic as she managed to give me a feeble nod. “Yes, yes…I can.” 

“Good. Go now! Run!” 

Ellora looked at me one last time as the air shimmered around her. She didn’t bother to strip but merely tore out of her clothes and shifted into her wolf form. As soon as she was four-legged, Ellora ran. Part of me was convinced that it was fear that prompted her speed, but I was relieved that she escaped from whatever the hell was coming our way. 

With every passing second, my breathing grew labored. I knew that as long as the wolfsbane-laced arrow was stuck inside my leg, I would continue to bleed, and the poison would spread through my veins. So I reached out and yanked the damn thing out of my flesh and barely managed to bite down my scream. 

Next, I kicked off my shoes and limped my way towards the packhouse in a pathetic attempt to escape. I knew running was not an option I could afford, so I used the trees as a cover and managed not to cry out in pain. Unfortunately, the forest was spread out pretty thick, and even though I chanced a few nervous glances over my shoulders, I wasn’t hopeful of spotting my attackers. 

In all probability, these werewolves or rouges. Either way, I was f****d. 

My breath came in short gasps as heavier steps sounded behind me. They were closing in, and at least three pairs of heavy boots reached my ears. Fear pounded in my veins, a rare phenomenon among the wolves of my clan, but I did not slow down or stop. My legs were killing me with each step, and yet I did not stop. I. Could. Not. Stop.

Out of the blue, a large figure appeared, breaching through the darkness of the jungle, and wrapped its arms around my waist to tackle me down to the ground. 

“Ahh!”

No matter how much I tried to shove him away, it was like pushing a mountain. An impossible task to achieve. But whoever he was, he had no idea that I will not go down without a fight.

I will not back down or give up, no matter what. 

CILLIAN 

“We can get both of them!” Remus, one of the Gammas and the best sniffer in the pack, whispered from the heavy foliage of the bush we were currently hiding. 

“No,” I straightaway declined. “Any one of them will do.” 

Taking two hostages meant war, and while I could easily salivate on the idea, I was not stupid enough to put my pack in danger for nothing. It was all about calculated risk and effective strategy. 

This was why I had my pack enforcers tracking these females for over a week now, and we have been looking for the most lucrative moment to catch either of them. Only then could I make their alpha pay for the audacity he has shown. 

“Yes, Alpha,” Remus mumbled. His eyes were rooted firmly on them like a panther stalking its prey in the jungle. And the second he sensed their movement, he alerted us. “They are going back. This is our chance.”

I simply nodded to my right. “Cole, take a shot,” I ordered. “You know where to hit it, right?”

“I am already on it.”

Females or not, these were still wolves. And you can’t take a savage by surprise in a forest unless you wound her. We could easily outmatch either of them with our considerable strength and skill, but I wanted this done quickly and without bloodshed. 

Cole pulled back his arm, fixing his eyes on his target, and released the arrow. It sliced through the air and hit the mark as the female tripped over the ground. But the sooner she fell, the quicker she took cover. 

“Nice,” I praised mildly, half-impressed and half-surprised. Although, her sudden cry was a given.

“s**t. We need to move quicker,” Cole whispered harshly as we collectively treaded through the rough topography. Even though we had already masked our scents, it was difficult to hide our rolling gait. 

“We have plenty of time,” I assured. “Besides, the wolfsbane will show its magic in a moment. Just give it a minute.” 

As we stalked closer, one step at a time, a howl ripped and pierced through the silence of the forest, and a faint figure of a wolf flashed under the dim moonlight. 

“Now, our little prey is all alone.” Cole smiled.  

“Let’s move, now.” 

The moment we neared the female, I threw caution in the wind and pounced on her. A war cry tore out of her strangling throat as I threw my body to restrict her movements and snugged her waist to pin her down.  

Cole was quick to restraint her feet but not before she kicked, thrashed, and clawed at me to earn her freedom. 

“Goddamn it!” I spat, flipping her over and locking her arms.

And Remus was stupid enough to clamp his hand over her mouth. “f**k,” he cursed, immediately retracting his hand. “The b***h bites.” 

“Of course she does,” I muttered, at the same time binding the wrists behind her back. 

“Let me go, you filthy assholes!” The female, Kiera, screamed her lungs out.

“Shut up, or we will do it for you,” Remus snarled. 

“f**k you!” She raised her chin and spat on his face before he could even react. “f**k the cunt you came out from!”

I would probably admit this only to myself…that I was impressed. Instead of showing fear, there was a furnace of bravery burning within her. Even in the face of danger, she was putting up the bravest front possible. And it was so much unlike any other females I have seen.

“That’s enough!” I roared, making Remus step back. But the female didn’t stop struggling. She kept wriggling her injured legs and arms in order to free herself, and I had a bad feeling that she will bruise herself more than I intend to punish her for it. 

Scowling, I turned to Cole. “Do it now! Before I do something that I will regret it later.”

My brother promptly pulled out the needle and injected her before another curse flew out of her enticing mouth. The fight flew right out of her body as I watched the glow of her hazel eyes dimmed and closed, and she slowly passed out on the forest floor.