4 - Alpha's Prisoner

I squeezed my eyes shut as a sickening crunch echoed through the air. The black wolf had sunk its teeth into Tyler's shoulder, eliciting a pained cry. Another sickening thud followed as the wolf flung him aside. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I couldn't watch this brutal fight, couldn't stand by as everyone else just watched.

A guttural growl ripped through the air. The black wolf launched itself at Tyler again, and my heart stuttered to a stop. Without a second thought, I flung open the door and bolted towards the fallen Beta.

"Stop it!" I screamed, my voice ragged with fear. I reached Tyler and threw my arms around his battered form, shielding him from the black wolf's attack. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the blow that never came.

A chorus of warning growls erupted around me, but the enormous wolf held back. Slowly, tentatively, I peeked up. "He can't fight back anymore, please don't hurt him!" I begged, my voice thick with tears. The wolf's stare felt like a laser, judging whether to listen or rip Tyler to shreds.

Then, to my utter relief, it stepped back! Like, way back. It wasn't going to attack!

"Thank you…" I whispered, my voice shaky. Tears still streamed down my face, but at least Tyler wasn't going to be wolf kibble, right?

The black wolf tilted its head towards the sky, which was turning a pretty shade of gold by now. Then, it let out a howl that sounded like a victory cry! Suddenly, other wolves – some still transformed, some back in human form – joined in the howling. It was like a giant furry cheerleading squad celebrating their win.

I couldn't help but steal another glance at the big black wolf. Its fur, like midnight under the moonlight, shimmered in the sunlight. It was kind of… beautiful? Maybe it noticed me staring because it turned its head again, and our eyes met once more. My heart did a little flip-flop. This wolf had to be the Alpha, the leader of the pack. It took a step closer, making my breath hitch, but then it just… walked past us. Like, totally ignored us and kept going.

Weird. But hey, at least it wasn't trying to eat Tyler anymore!

***

"Tyler!" I scrambled over to him, relief washing over me as he stirred.

He was pale, a nasty gash marring his chest. Luckily, the wolves – well, some of them – had agreed to let me patch him up enough to stop the bleeding. Once I finished bandaging the wound, they slipped a strange metal collar around his neck, a glint of silver in the metal. It felt cold and foreboding.

"What's going on?" he rasped, blinking away confusion as consciousness fully returned. He winced as he tried to sit up, his whole body protesting.

"We're in, like, a horseless carriage with a cage, and I think we're heading to their werewolf HQ," I explained, gesturing to the werewolves chilling by the door, looking like grumpy bouncers.

His face darkened. "Great," he muttered, his voice weak. Sadness and anger flickered in his eyes – his pack, their losses must be heavy.

"Only fifteen of your pack made it, including us two," I said carefully. "Six escaped, so that leaves nine of us here."

He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was hurting. Makes sense, losing a bunch of pack-mates, some of them probably his best friends. I felt bad for him.

"Maybe I should have let them…" he started, voice trailing off.

"Whoa, hold on! "What about the others? They need you, hey! You're, like, their leader now, right? Besides, you haven't even met your mate yet! You can't be a widower before you even get married, that's just bad luck."

A wolf-guard outside the carriage suddenly burst out laughing. "Dang! She got you there!"

I blinked. "Wait, are you part of this conversation, mister wolf-man?" I shot back, surprised. My question only made him laugh harder.

Ignoring my sarcasm, he turned back to Tyler with a toothy grin. "Looks like you didn't teach your omegas respect in your pack, Tyler."

"Whoa whoa whoa," I held up my hands, feeling a bit flustered. "First of all, I'm not an omega, or a werewolf, or anything like that! I'm just… me."

The wolf-guard stopped laughing and eyed me up and down, a weird smile playing on his lips. "Not a werewolf? Interesting..."

Tyler tensed beside me, clearly not a fan of this guy's tone, but he didn't say anything.

I decided silence was the best option too. Instead, I turned my gaze to the sky, where the first streaks of dawn were starting to peek through. Ugh, a whole new day of being stuck in this metal box on wheels. Looking out the window, all I saw were endless trees. No landmarks, no signs, nothing that would give me a clue where we were.

A big sigh escaped my lips. New pack, new world, same old me – clueless and stuck. Days had blurred together since... well, since whenever it was I ended up here. How did I even get dragged into this whole werewolf mess? And where, in the world, was here? What happened after the plane crash? Everything felt like a giant fuzzy fog.

A shiver ran down my spine. Could it be that I wasn't even awake? Maybe the plane crash messed me up so bad I was in a coma, and this whole werewolf adventure was just a crazy dream? But nah, it felt way too real for a dream. Every detail, every scratch on my arm, the way the sun warmed my face – it was all so vivid.

Another sigh escaped my lips. My eyelids were getting heavy. We'd been bouncing around in this metal box for like, five hours straight. Even with the cushy seats, I was exhausted. Maybe some sleep would help clear my head. Besides, these werewolves probably wouldn't just kill us outright, right? At least I hoped not.

Feeling drained, I leaned my head against Tyler's shoulder. Weirdly enough, having him close by made me feel a little safer. Just as I was about to drift off, something in the carriage behind us caught my eye. It was packed with random stuff, but one backpack stood out.

"Hey, Tyler," I mumbled, pointing at the bag. "Is that, like, my backpack?"

He glanced back and gave a small nod. "Yeah, I saw it next to you when I found you passed out in the woods."

"Then why wouldn't you give it back?"

He smirked. "Have you ever met a captive who gets to keep their stuff? Besides, the guards might have ideas about what fun things to steal from it."

Okay, fair enough. But that backpack held all my important things! Maybe even something that could help me get back to, you know, actual Earth. Not werewolf world.