Chapter 4

Eclipse

/The house!/ I internally squealed, Shimmer not saying anything at all, she had shut me out. She didn’t do it out of fear this time, she did it so that when he comes, I don’t hear her scream and whimper in pain and submission. I scratched at the door frantically like a wild animal, but my nails were too small, and the doors are made to prevent this.

With everything I could muster, with all the will I think I ever had, I tried to change back into a human form now so I could open the door. It didn’t even have to be good, I just needed hands with working fingers. I had been human formed my whole life, but I had never thought about how to place and rearrange an entire muscle group, complete with turning stubby toes to fingers.

That’s something I would have learned if I’d have shifted on time in middle or even high school. I would have learned all I needed on how to be a wolf, but with my parents being Omegas… and everyone else thinking that I would be too, no one ever bothered to take the time to show me….

It was just as painful to try to turn back. I managed to get my right hand into an almost clawed hybrid monstrosity…. A thumb looked right, and my index finger was enough I had hoped. I moved the carpet, hearing roars in the distance, losing my concentration to terror again.

I fumbled with the keys, every jingle a death sentence. He will not like that I ran and did not come out, he sounded more frustrated and enraged. I just hope he doesn’t do what he says in front of the pack. He can do what he wants, and no one would stop him from killing me.

There was silence in the house for what felt like an eternity. The clock in the kitchen mocked me with each tick. Each one he grew angrier, and each tock I grew more afraid. All the while my bones were revealing my location. And I was still so confused as to what I had done to be punished with such a fate? Was I not supposed to be there?

Never in my life did I ever feel the need to tremble under my sheet, like a child afraid of the terrors of the night. Not like this. not in my parents’ home. Never, never in my life have I ever prayed this hard for anything other than by the time he finds me, because he will find me, that he had changed his mind…...

“Eclipse?” said my mother’s worried voice, jarring me from the thoughts of my demise. Maybe she already knew, I thought to just myself…. “Mama….” I said really shaky, still terrified in my room naked, under the covers like a child and a little ashamed of myself...

“Dear Lady, what happened? I smell blood.” Dad said concerned, gingerly picking up my foot. I didn’t even feel that my pinky tow was bleeding a little. There were just a few raw scratches on my feet from having fresh paws on rocky earth in torrential rain. That he could smell that meant that everyone else could too…

“Dad, I made the Alpha mad and he’s looking for me.” I shook with every word.

“He’s out there howling for You?!” He asked surprised. He patted my back, trying to console me. Honestly, I don’t think there was anything that he could have said, but it was a little comforting that he was trying.

BEAT BEAT BEAT

“OPEN THE DOOR” he snarled.

The door kicked in like it was being hit by a train. “Where is she?! Now!” He growled asserting his dominance. How did he find me?! I hid under the covers, afraid of what he would do if no one answered. Afraid he would carry out what he said to me, thinking I didn’t hear. Aggressive, irrational, and dominant for something that he didn’t know he had until I first shifted.

My father and mother went into the living room to try to console him, “KNEEL” he commanded in an authoritative growl. I could hear them whispering ‘Alpha Kaiden’. There was no help for me now. I could hear him vividly. He smelled the air deeply, walking slowly to the back of the house where the rooms were. My room was in the middle.

“I can’t believe I found you.” A sinister chuckle immitted from his body… I didn’t hear shoes, it sounded like bare feet. He was naked. /Goodbye Shimmer/ I said to her, knowing what was going to happen next. He was going to rip me to shreds like I’d heard… She said nothing. I closed my eyes and I tried to reason with him. Maybe that could work?

“I…” I didn’t know what to say… what do you say to an Alpha?

He said nothing, though I could hear his steps. He took very slow ones like a confident wolf when his prey is trapped…. And I was trapped, as bad as I could ever be. If I ran now, he would probably kill my parents too; at least with him fixated on me …. They could escape.

“Alpha Kaiden, I’m sorry, I don’t know what I did but I didn’t mean to.” I begged. I tried to sound as submissive as possible, but it only made him chuckle to himself, as if he were planning what to do with me. He took another step, he was so close, and I held to the covers, they wouldn’t stop him, but they were comforting. They gave me warm memories of my life here. How my life was.

He ripped the sheets off me, I backed away and pulled my knees up to my chest. I begged more with a submissive whine, and he didn’t say anything. I wasn’t looking at him like you’re supposed to; I looked at his feet, trying not to see too much and make him angrier. Honestly, I think we were past that, but I was naked, and so was he. I gulped.

He picked me up, and his smell hit me. It was the single most addictive thing I have ever inhaled. It smelled like the deep woods and power. You could taste it. He tasted like power. That was the only way I could explain it, and it made me shudder. I had never been around someone so strong.

My entire life I’d done my best to avoid this man…

He stood there, holding me gently for a moment and smelled my hair, growling as he did so. I was in strong arms, though I didn’t quite understand his mood. My entire afternoon, I had been trying to stay away from him… but now that he had me, I wasn’t sure about what was to happen next.

/Mate?/ Shimmer asked questioningly.

/He must be, I’m not dead yet./ I told her

“I meant it when I said I wouldn’t hurt you, you know.” He said quietly. “I’m taking you home.” He said as if he were trying to be gentle, but there was no compromise to his statement.

He slowly walked, holding me gently, and I made no protest, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t know what I wanted… but I didn’t know what to make of this… our people were different from others. We were ruled by our Alpha and Luna… meaning no one would really question him.

It was also tradition to leave with the dominant mate… something I never thought would happen, yet I couldn’t deny I was in his arms…

My parents shared mind links to each other rapidly as he walked past them. Since I was looking down, I could see their eyes flashing to the murky silver of their wolves…. It was a special way wolves can communicate, but I could tell whatever they were arguing about, mom had the last word….

“…. We will pack her things, Alpha.” Said my mother, bowing as she did so.

“I’ll send a Warrior to pick them up.” He said without stopping his stride. Once outside I was silently mortified… everyone I knew was outside and being nosy! He pressed me to his chest, shielding my body as much as he could, snarling as he did so.

He didn’t say anything more for a while... He just carried me. I hadn’t yet looked at him, but honestly that was the least of my worries. I’m still naked! He’s still naked, and everyone is talking about how big his-

“You’re too small, you should eat more.” He mumbled. I leaned into his chest and didn’t say anything. I will continue to stay submissive, so that he isn’t turning all that aggression on me. He’s been growling the whole way, shooting death glares, I can feel him tense up and his muscles turn in the direction of the wolves looking.

I hear running towards us. His body tenses with a deep overpowering growl, I don’t know what to do, because all I know is from what I hear and see, and everyone is terrified. So, I guess at least, I wasn’t alone. “Avert your eyes and stand down!” He snarled. I found myself doing it too.

“Sigh” said the voice disappointedly. “I brought a sheet to cover the Luna.” I glanced to see that this man was almost the same height as Alpha, meaning he too was of a high rank… His hair was black, draping a little past his shoulders, and his golden honey eyes nearly glowed in the light. That was common with wolves, though I didn’t catch his wolf’s eye color….