10 -The Book, The Library, and the Alpha

"A rebellion?" I sputtered.  "Me?  Seriously?  I'm, like, five feet tall and can barely lift a gallon of milk.  How am I supposed to overthrow, like, the entire werewolf kingdom?"

"Hey, you never know.  They say even the smallest pebble can cause a landslide."

I groaned, defeated.  There was no arguing with this guy! He clearly had a talent for pushing my buttons.  Turning back to Tyler, who seemed to be suppressing a smile at my exchange with Granur, I decided to just get on with it.

Leaning closer to Tyler, I lowered my voice. "Actually, it's about where you found me...

"Found you, what?"

"I'm asking you where you found me that day, duh!"

Tyler furrowed his brow, concentrating for a moment.  "Right, right," he said finally.  "We found you passed out by the waterfall, deep in our territory. Why'd you ask?"

My voice dropped to a whisper. "Tyler, listen carefully. Aurora came to me in a dream last night. She said someone from this world, like, summoned me here. That's why I'm stuck." I shivered a little, the cold stone floor seeping through my clothes. "She also said to be super careful and avoid getting caught by, well, whoever summoned me here."

Tyler's eyes narrowed, his whole demeanor shifting.  "Summoned you?  Who exactly? Did she say?"

"The only thing I remember is… her saying something about my death being, like, his rebirth?"

Tyler swore under his breath, a low growl rumbling in his chest after I said that.  He stood up and started pacing, while his chains around his ankle clinked faintly.

"Alright, listen up," he stopped in front of me.  His tone was serious, and I couldn't help but shrink back a little.  "Don't even think about leaving the pack house, okay?  If something goes down, I won't be able to get to you in time."

I gulped, fear prickling at my skin. "Y-you're scaring me with that voice. Am I just, like, a sacrifice or something? Am I going to die? Sh*t! I can't die being beautiful!"

"Hey, don't worry, we'll find a way to get you back home." he sat back down next to me and tapped my shoulder gently.  "So, how's the royal treatment?  Comfy bed, three-course meals, the whole deal?"

I perked up a bit at the change of subject.  "Oh, my room is amazing!  Seriously, it's like living in a giant, sparkly jewelry box.  And guess what?  They were totally planning to kill you last night!"  I blurted that out before I could stop myself.

Tyler barked out a laugh, the sound echoing in the damp basement.  "Planning to kill me?  Now that's a good one.  Although, not entirely surprising.  Being the Beta and all, you know?"  He explained, a hint of pride in his voice, "Since the Alpha is gone, that kinda makes me next in line to lead the pack.  Easier to take over if they get rid of both leaders."

"But wouldn't it be easier if you just… joined their pack?"

He ruffled my hair playfully.  "Not that simple.  See, I'm from the Lofindor pack.  We came from the southwest and swore to be allies with the Fenrivia pack.  Apparently, they're like mortal enemies with these Ravencrest pack.  That's why they attacked our pack and killed the Alpha."

The name Fenrivia sent a shiver down my spine.  I scrunched up my nose, trying to place it.  "Fenrivia…" I mumbled.  "Wait, where have I heard that before?  It sounds familiar, but I can't remember…"  Ugh, my brain was mush! No doubt.

We spent the rest of our time chatting about the differences between our worlds, Tyler patiently explaining things while Granur loomed outside the cell, probably eavesdropping on our entire conversation. I even told Tyler my real name. I consider him my friend now. So what?

***

"HEY, Granur," I called out, interrupting his mid-apple munching session.

He was laying up in a tree behind the pack house, happily chomping away on a giant red apple like a monkey. Through the leaves, the afternoon sun was dappling making the whole scene look like something out of a storybook! Well, except for the grumpy guard werewolf in the tree.

"Library?" I asked, tilting my head.  "Do you guys have one here? You know, books..."

Granur swallowed his bite of apple and peered down at me from his leafy perch.  "Yeah, in the back of the pack house.  Why?"

"Woah! Can we go check it out after dinner?" I practically bounced in my seat.  "Maybe there's a book or something that can help me figure out how to get back home."  The dream about Aurora last night had left me with a case of the major jitters.  The sooner I found a way back to my own world, the better!

Granur swung down from the tree and landed with a soft thud in front of me.  "Uh, no can do, pipsqueak," he rumbled.  "Library's off-limits to anyone who isn't, like, super high up in the pack hierarchy.  There's a town library, but it's a pretty long walk from here."

I scrunched up my nose.  The last thing I needed right now was a long walk through unfamiliar territory, especially after my dream about Aurora.  "But I promised Tyler I wouldn't leave the pack house," I argued.  "Besides, shouldn't everyone have access to books?  Isn't that like, a right or something?"  Come on, even grumpy werewolves should believe in the power of knowledge!

Granur just shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line.  "Look," he sighed, "if you really want to go to the library, you can try asking Gideon."

"Gideon? Who the hell is he? An angel?"

"The Alpha.  If he says yeah, then I'll take you there."

So, his name is Gideon? Ugh! Why did things have to be so complicated? The thought of talking to the intimidating Alpha made me cringe! But I really need to see the libray now.

"So?" Granur raised his eyebrow at me.

"Fine! I'll go asked that grumpy Alpha. Ugh! It's just a book, a library." I rolled my eyes and started walking away from Granur. "As if I'm gonna stole the whole library!"