Third Person
The triplets darted through the castle in their wolf forms trying to pick up Chasity’s scent or find a way to go down. They returned to the dining room with the huge dining table where they had first smelled Chasity. Calix noticed something. There was a huge printed rug between the dining table and the fireplace. The print was a fox opening its jaws to reveal many beautiful women inside looking forlorn. Calix gripped the edge of the rug with his teeth and pulled. His brothers helped him move the rug. There was a trap door underneath!
Chasity’s POV
The snake that had sprung at the Deidre lookalike pierced her neck with its fangs. Deidre shrieked and tried to remove it but the snake was latched onto her neck. The snake become limp but still clung to the supermodel. Deidre lay still, crumpled on the ground for a few seconds before her body started to twitch. The snake fell off of her neck and turned to dust. Deidre’s entire form began to glow an ethereal silvery white. I gasped. The other snakes approached me tentatively. I scrambled away from them just in case though they seemed friendly. The glowing Deidre opened her mouth and her eyes. I covered my mouth in shock. Her eyes were stark white, rolled back in her head and out of her mouth coalesced a silvery shimmering white smoke that formed the shape of the white fox. It was not solid though, merely spirit. The essence of the fox. It shrieked as it zoomed away rushing out of sight. The whole place began to quake. Oh no!
Third Person
The three wolves ran through a maze like underground mansion searching for their mate. They came across two wounded girls. Alex shifted so he could talk to them.
“What happened?” He asked the girls. “Do you girls know our mate, Chasity?!”
Alex’s eyes were wide pleading with the girls. The girls both blushed averting their eyes from Alex’s naked form.
One girl was cradling the more injured one in her arms. The gravely injured one pointed a trembling finger in the direction Chasity had presumably went. The girl holding her badly hurt friend spoke.
“She’s in Madame’s bedroom. Go out into the hallway and up the stairs. Please help us!” Begged the girl.
“We will,” promised Alex.
He shifted and ran with his brothers through a long hallway with no window and very few doors. The walls were shaking. Dust was falling from the ceiling. They did not have much time. They found the flight of stairs and ascended them.
Chasity’s POV
Deidre was stirring. I recoiled. I wasn’t sure of the way out of here. I decided to make a run for it. I darted towards the door but tripped falling over. I looked back. Deidre was grasping my ankle.
“Don’t be scared,” said Deidre, her voice sounding different.
I yanked her ankle away.
“Don’t leave me and your parents please!” Begged Deidre.
I gasped. The fox spirit had fled the body after the snake bit it!
“Are you…” I began.
“The real Deidre! Yes!” Breathed Deidre. “I was trapped in that moon snake’s body and Deidre used mine to become famous. Your parents are in the other two snakes. We have to hurry!”
I gasped. My eyes filled with tears. I scooped up the two snakes who slithered onto a shoulder each.
“What do I do? Where are their bodies?” I asked, desperate.
“Here! They work here. Two of Deidre’s loyal sycophants took the bodies!” Explained the real Deidre.
“Lead me to them!” I demanded.
“You have to help me! I haven’t walked as a human in years!” Cried Deidre.
I let her swing an arm over me. I hoisted her up. She leant heavily on me. I barely made it to the door. The roof started to crumble. I hoped whoever was in my parents bodies had the sense to evacuate. What about June? And April? We were never gonna make it like this! Just as I neared the door, it burst open!
“Alphas!” I screamed. They literally knocked me over, all three of them pouncing on me and licking my face. I giggled.
“We need to get out of here!” I yelled over the sound of concrete breaking.
Felix growled at Deidre. Alex was ready to strike. Calix snarled.
“NO!” I yelled. “This is the real Deidre Binx! These snakes are my parents! There’s no time to explain. Please we have to get my parents bodies and go!”
I knew I probably sounded delusional but to my surprise, my alphas looked like they completely believed me. Felix was sniffing my tummy. He was smelling the pup.
Deidre was placed on Alex’s back and I was on Felix’s back. Calix led the way. We ran into an older werewolf and two other men who were all panting.
“Chasity!” Cried the older werewolf with tears in his eyes. Huh.
Calix whimpered impatiently.
Calix led us through the shaking underground mansion back to the dining room where April lay gravely injured in June’s arms.
“No!” I screamed. “April! June!”
I dismounted Felix and ran to them. “We’ll help you get out of here!” April and June were hoisted onto Felix’s back. I joined Deidre on Alex’s back.
“We have to get my parents’ bodies!”
“I know where they are,” mumbled April, her voice weakening. “Their bodies are inhabited by distant relatives of Deidre. They live down here and help her run the school.”
“Mr and Mrs Chalet!” Exclaimed June.
We ran in the direction indicted by April.
“What about all the other girls?!” I exclaimed. “What about Maurice and Dante?!”
Felix growled in response to the name Dante. He was so jealous for everything! He didn’t even know Dante!
“Dante’s missing. He hasn’t been back for a few hours,” said June. “Maurice isn’t here right now. The other girls all fled as soon as they saw us heading back to the dining room to confront Madame!”
“Are they all Foxes?” I asked.
“Yes! But they don’t necessarily want to be snatchers. They’re not all bad! Trust me,” said June. “Madame gave us food and shelter. Many of us come from nothing and actually do want to break into modelling. Madame scouted almost all of us herself, handpicking us, looking for the vulnerable.”
April was quiet, her head lulling. I was worried about her. She had fought Madame on my behalf to save my pup. I owed her. She had honour.
We made it to an office of sorts. There was a desk under which two people crouched with their arms flung over their heads, sheltering from the falling dust and crumbling roof. I gasped.
“Mom! Dad!” I shrieked in spite of myself. The snakes hissed and my so-called parents growled at me, recoiling from me and the hissing snakes. My triplets snarled at them. Of course, these were imposters. My parents’ minds were still in the snakes.
“Chasity! Let the snakes bite them!” Instructed the nervous, twitching werewolf accompanying my alphas. Who were these three people with my alphas? I listened to him anyway.
“Hurry, Chasity!” Exclaimed the older werewolf.
“I called for backup while we were on the way,” said the youngest of the three men I didn’t know. He was still older than my alphas though.
I looked at the snakes and my parents. I didn’t know which was which. I guessed. I threw the bigger snake at my father’s body and the smaller one at my mother’s body. The snakes latched onto their throats and my parents’ imposters screamed trying to pull the snakes off of them. Eventually they fell over and the snakes turned to dust. Black smoke unfurled from the mouth of my father until a black smoky fox darted through the air, disappearing. The fox spirit emanating from my mother was grey. It zoomed away with a shriek. My parents moaned, getting unsteadily to their feet. The nervous werewolf helped my Dad and the older one cradled my Mom.
“Mom! Dad!” I screamed. I flung myself at them. My Dad caught me in shaky arms.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Said my Mom looking at the older werewolf.
He was my grandfather! Where had he been all this time?
My Mom embraced her father as I embraced mine. I hugged my Mom tightly and my Grandpa.
“This is beautiful!” Said the young werewolf. “But let’s go!”
We scrambled out of there, barely making it to the stairs. We ascended a staircase that led to a dining room. I recognised the room. I had been laying on that dining table tied up. My first bedroom during the ordeal was nearby and my new location was right underground. I had thought those people had taken me far away.
We rushed out of the house. There was an ambulance waiting. They had been called by one of the men I didn’t know. They took April, June and Deidre. My parents claimed they were fine. I would make them get check-ups later. We watched as the castle fell through the earth as the underground caved in. Dust filled the air. I began to cough. My alphas shifted and quickly put on cloaks. I ran to them. Felix snatched me up.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight ever again!” He murmured against my ear.
Warmth engulfed me. Calix hugged me tightly. “Chasity I’ll never wink at anyone who isn’t you! I’ll join winkers anonymous!” I grumbled at him. “I missed you, Goddess!” Said the youngest alpha kissing my face over and over again. Alex enveloped me in his arms. “Luna, I was so scared I’d never see you again!” He whispered. Alex! Scared? I nuzzled him and then the other two complained until they were both nuzzled. The triplets and my mother introduced me properly to my grandfather. He cupped my face in his hands. “I have a room filled with presents for you, literally!” He said. I laughed.
The young guy was the P. I., Danny, hired to assist with my missing person’s case. I thanked him and he smiled. The nervous guy was named Dexter. My Dad introduced him as his old best friend. I clung to my father. I couldn’t believe he was real. I started to cry and my father held me tightly and rubbed my back. My mother patted my head. I had missed out on so much with them. On the bright side, all the time as snakes meant they had maintained sobriety without any choice really for nine years. They said they knew they could keep it up. I told them I was proud of them.
“We’re proud of you Chasity, our brave strong girl,” said my Mom.
A stray tear slid down my cheek. I felt so loved, like the longest nightmare was over.
“I’m pregnant,” I said to everyone though I was certain my triplets seemed to know already.
My father looked horrified. “You were a little girl the last time I saw you,” he mumbled.
I blushed. “I’m eighteen now Dad! And the Alpha Triplets are my mates!”
The triplets tried to hug my father but he glared at them. It was their turn to have a difficult in-law. My mother hugged the triplets.
“Your mother must have shit bricks when she found out my daughter was fated to you three!” Exclaimed my Mom.
“Mom!” I said indignantly. I forgot how outspoken and honestly a bit crude she could be.
“As if it’s not the truth,” she said. I sighed. She’s been a snake for nine years. I wasn’t about to complain too much regarding her frankness.
“Let’s go home!” I told everybody.
It’s not over. I have more (pleasant) surprises. Love Joanna J.