These next two chpts will give a slight inkling as to what kind of troubles Max and Liz will need to get through before they can be together, but no worries I promise they will have their happy ending.
thnxs again for all your comments they keep this humble writer working hard to finish this story...
Chapter 13
Every muscle in her body throbbed, cursing with angry protest as she tried to push herself back up to her feet. The blood caked on her snout was already beginning to chip and fall and she could barely stand without whimpering from the slash at her right hind quarter, but despite the pain she growled with furious persistence. ‘Come on Bitch’ she snarled baring her blood tipped fangs, eagerly awaiting the oncoming battle.
A flash of gray fur, the sound of flesh being torn savagely, the horrid cries of a beaten animal, and the victorious howl that followed, all these things happened within moments and in the end the midnight tinted wolf stood valiantly bathed in the pale moonlight.
She let her eyes roam over the spoils of battle, 4 wolves laid beaten with their tails securely placed between their legs, at her feet. With a low growl, she issued her final warning, ‘Come near me and mine and my mercy will not save your hides again, go before my generosity runs out!’ The bitches around her whimpered their understanding and took off into the forest’s shadowy reprieve. Only a handful stayed at the side of their Alpha, loyally awaiting her next move, a cinnamon sprinkled she wolf approached cautiously, and gently nudged her. She gave a low yap of concern, and nuzzled her neck.
The show of familiarity was easily welcomed and after letting her senses pick up the scattering females, she allowed herself to relax. With all the adrenaline gone from her system, her tired body sagged and she fell to the ground panting.
‘Liz are you sure your okay?’ Ava asked her eyes barely able to hide the obvious concern for her best friends well being.
‘I’m okay…just a little worn out, is all’ Liz replied with a toothy wolven grin.
Ava mentally snorted, ‘I bet, do you realize you just took on 4 dominant bitches at one time, I mean damn girl remind me never to get on your bad side…’ Even Liz couldn’t help but feel her pride swell, she figured that she’d have to defend her claim on Max, especially since he’d never really accepted her as his mate, but she never figured all four main candidates would attack all at once.
Flashback…
She could hear the packs restlessness throughout the mental pathways, and as she walked out of Cedar High’s concrete archways, she could feel the challenging stares of formidable bitches issuing their demands.
Before she could get a word out, an unlikely opponent stepped into her path, “So, I hear you’re the skank that’s been hanging all over Max Evans?” Liz stared wide eyed and speechless at the human’s audacity, “Excuse me who the hell are you, and how exactly is that any of your business?” she asked still reeling from the shock of her presence.
Tessa smiled smugly, eyeing up her competition with little to no interest, “I’m Tess I just transferred to this inbred-filled poor excuse for a high school, and about the only decent male in all of Cedar Falls is Max, so don’t get to comfy, cause he’ll definitely be mine.” Not even bothering to wait for a response, Tess flipped her hair back over her shoulder arrogantly and strode off.
She’d been so distracted with the little ungulates, weak attempt at intimidation that she barely had time to dodge the lengthening claws of none other than the head pack whore, Selena Cassadine, as she attempted to slap her face. Grabbing her hand mid slap, Liz held tight as a growl escaped her lips, “What the Fuck?!” Yet from her right another attacker lunged and this time with her preoccupation and shock Liz was unable to escape the flying fist that collided squarely with her face, sending both her and Selena tumbling to the ground. Liz tried to shake herself out of the stupor and stared up at a pair of familiar dark sienna eyes, “I knew you bitches were to cowardly to take me on one at a time can’t say I’m surprised, but this needs to be continued at a more appropriate location…” Liz stood up shaking the dirt of her clothes, easily spotting two more female rivals circling from her left, ‘Shit…Aves, I need you to gather whatever girls I still have loyal to me among the pack and meet me by the lake ASAP’ Liz silently issued her order to her beta and continued to address her competition, “…we will resume this in an hour by the lake, I will take all four of you bitches on, but remember this, after this fight, win or lose this will be over and done with understood?”
The 4 stand in semi circle formation around her, their eyes flashing with menace, and all four nod at once, and so the battle is on, only one will remain standing in the end, and she will ascend as alpha female to the young pack and as such get first dibs on any dominant male with in the pack. Liz just had to make sure she was the victor of this war, ‘one hour…’
End Flashback….
Liz was suddenly pulled from her thoughts by a familiar scent, her ears perked and she stood straighter taking in a deep breath. A low rumble escaped her throat and she turned an anxious eye towards the forest opening to her left. Moments later a large pale white wolf appeared, his amber eyes glowing gold with concern. ‘Liz?’ He called out cautiously and fought the urge to run to her side, he waited for her next move, his eyes never once leaving her form.
Once the shock had faded, Liz was careful to remain hidden by the shadows cast by the forest, she didn’t want to explain exactly what had transpired a few minutes earlier and was thankful for the black coverage of her fur, ‘Max…?’ she gently whispered. When he remained rooted in place she understood, he was allowing her to take the lead and was instantly grateful for his patience. She turned to her beta and silently relayed her orders, within seconds Ava was a blur of cinnamon fur racing through the foliage.
Though it was nearly unbearable to remain passive as Liz only inched her way forward, he fought to remain motionless. He could still smell the lingering remnants of blood on the wind, and though he’d been too late in his arrival to catch sight of the quarrel, the scent of battle weighed heavily in the air.
Her right leg was badly injured and each step was pure torture, yet she bit back the whimper that threatened to escape passed her lips, and continued forward. Already her wolven blood was allowing her to heal at a rapid pace and by this time tomorrow she’d be back in top form. Yet she was hesitant to allow her mate to see her weakness, and hid shamelessly behind her wolf.
‘Max what are you doing here?’ she asked her eyes bold and unmoving as they stared him down.
This time it was her turn to remain still as Max circled her, his eyes taking in every inch of her body, never once flinching even when he licked the wounds on her muzzle. She allowed this intimate contact, and eagerly nuzzled his neck in return.
When he was satisfied that she was still in one piece, his concern and fear for her safety were replaced by anger and confusion, ‘What the hell is going on Liz?!’ his growl was low and rumbled in the silence of the night.
Flinching only slightly at the fire in his tone, she refused to back down, he maybe the greater of the two in strength, but her instincts as Alpha Female were pushing for dominance. ‘I needed to retain my claims…’ she answered with a snarl of her own setting a slow burn to ignite behind her emerald, eyes.
Max let out a warning growl, his wolf pushing for her submission, ‘Claims to what?’ even though he asked the answer was obvious. He circled her again nipping at her leg, pushing her further into the light, ‘How long has this been going on?’
She could feel his power, it radiated off him like heat, singeing her fur with the force of his anger, ‘I did what I had to, it’s the way of the pack, you’d know that if you were raised wolf…’ she bit out, unwilling to submit, she needed his understanding, if not they would continue this act, going back and forth till either she was knocked off her position as Alpha or he was killed.
‘This is ridiculous, I decide who I’m with, not some hierarchy of power.’ Max snarled, disgusted by the whole twisted power struggle.
‘THIS IS WHO WE ARE!’ Liz snapped, her voice booming through their link, causing her fur to bristle by his comment and his complete lack of comprehension. ‘You are not human Max, we are bound by our animal nature and if you can’t see that we are both as good as dead.’ She stood her ground even as Max growled in response.
The two wolves faced off, both intent on seeing their point across, neither would back down, the blood that flowed in their veins would not allow them to. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Max knew things were getting out of hand, but he seemed impudent to stop his instinct to dominate.
In an effort to try and appease the situation, Liz pulled back, she wasn’t stupid enough to believe she could win this battle, and though it pained her to admit it, she knew Max really wasn’t to blame for his lack of knowledge. He was raised human, raised to despise his other nature, so she couldn’t blame him for his beliefs.
‘I can’t do this with you Max, I can’t fight the pack and fight you at the same time, I wont survie it.’ She whimpered as she stumbled away, exhaustion finally overtaking her, she had no more fight left.
Sensing her pain Max padded over to her, gently licking her nose, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t want to upset you…’ Laying down at her side, he simply allowed the silence to envelope them, he knew they had things to talk about, but right now he was just content to lie with her.
For tonight, she would find her peace cuddled at his side, her breath and heartbeat easily finding it’s match in his, the two soon fell into a trancelike sleep. Liz allowing his spirit to weave through her, speeding her already exhilarated healing abilities, by morning she’d be as good as new. Well, at least her body would be as good as new, her emotions and mental state were a completely different subject.
Chapter 14
She tossed and turned, the sweat soaking through her cloths and causing her hair to stick to her skin. In her sleep she whimpered, pushing her sheets off her over heated body, another bout of cramps tore through her causing her to cry out in the darkness. Flinging up she gasped for breath, her eyes scanning the room, easily picking up the details around her. Though she couldn’t see them, she knew her eyes were glowing silver, she needed to escape, and at the moment her open window was her main choice for a getaway route. Pushing herself up on shaky legs she stumbled over to the window, and breathed in a lung full of night air. Her heartbeat finally steadying, she could feel the pressure in her temples lessen, and her muscles relaxed slightly.
The howl in the distance startled her, when she glanced out into the darkness; she could see the forest opening from her perch and longed to lose herself in its welcoming embrace. Stepping away from window, she began to pace, so far she’d awoken from the dreams every night for the past week, always at the same time 2:45 am, and always feeling like her blood was boiling in her veins. She hated not having someone to confide in, but this was not a problem she could go to her mother with, how could she understand, this was not a human aliment.
Picking up her sketchbook she allowed her mind to blank out and let her fingers relieve her tension. As fingers danced over the clean white sheet, leaving well planned trails of coal in their wake, this was becoming her nightly ritual. She’d already filled two sketch pads, and was quickly on her way to filling her third.
When she glanced down at her drawing, she wasn’t surprised to find a pair of familiar eyes staring back at her. The wolf she knew like the back of her hand, was never far from her thoughts lately, every drawing was of her.
‘I think I’m going nuts…’ she silently mused shaking her head miserably.
Glancing at the bedside clock she furrowed her brow, it was only 4 in the morning and she was restless. Hearing the soft click to her right, her ears picked up the quiet sounds of her mother leaving her room. ‘What the hell?’
Weightlessly she tipped toed to her door and peeked out, she sniffed the air and easily picked up a new familiar scent. Her curiosity was now definitely aroused, why, was her mother having late night visits with her uncle. Sneaking out she stealthily maneuvered her way to the stairs and knelt, expanding her senses she allowed her wolfen blood to pull forward and improve her hearing.
“Thank you for meeting me Vincent, I know it is a little unorthodox considering the time, but I don’t know how to help her?” Amy’s frazzled voice drifted up.
“I’m glad to help, I already told you to call me whatever the time, I was just surprised to hear
from you is all.” Vincent assured and carefully stepped further into the room.
From her spot at the top of the stairs Maria eased her way down a few steps careful not to alert the adults of her presence.
“I know this is a trying time for both of you, but perhaps Maria would feel more comfortable to talking to you, in her eyes I’m still just a stranger.”
Amy shook her head, “I love my daughter Vincent, but this is uncharted territory for me, and I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
Vincent let his eyes roam over the redhead before him, she looked tired, the dark circles under her eyes gave her face a much older appearance and he longed to see her as she once was. “I will help as best I can, and right now I think maybe we should call down our little eves dropper….Maria you can come down, I’m sure it’s getting rather difficult to hear from all the way up there.”
The yelp that followed the string of curses, and the loud thud announced her arrival, “Um…what’s going on?” she asked warily still unsure as to what this little meeting was in regards too.
“Sweetie I know what’s going on with you, and I really think that Vincent can help you?” Amy nervously explained keeping her eyes away from her daughter’s gaze.
“Mom, I’m fine alright just a little restless but it’s no big deal...”
“Maria I know this is a very confusing time for you, but you need to know that you’re not alone, not anymore…” Vincent interrupted his heart went out to the young girl; he could easily pick up the final stages of the change hanging heavily over her scent. He watched her eyes flare briefly
and felt a knew sense of fear, there’d only been one recorded case of mestizo successful change and even that was still a mystery to the pack, what if her blood was not strong enough to make it through the change. “…please don’t pull away from us, not now.”
Unsure how to answer, Maria simply nodded, her pulse racing with insecurity, “I don’t know what’s happening, I can’t sleep, and I feel like my skin is suffocating me, I just want it to stop, please can’t you make it stop…” She whimpered her eyes misting with unshed tears.
“Oh baby…” Amy threw her arms around her daughter, she hated feeling so damn useless, but at this moment she had nothing to offer, nothing she could do or say to make her baby’s pain go away.
Though he’d gone through the change himself and watched numerous others in his life do the same, it never seemed to get any easier. They’d somehow managed to avoid the high mortality rates that other packs suffered; it seemed to be a credited to the smaller pregnancy numbers. While other pack females were still carrying litters of 4 or more pups, females in his pack were carrying two at most and that was still a rarity. Riverdog claimed the fewer offspring the stronger the pup was and the less chance of the spirit being spread to thin. But a half breed was still uncharted territory, “Maria I promise that the pain will soon be over, but you have to stop fighting the change or it will tear you apart.”
She knew he was right, that the more she tried to deny her instincts the worse the pain got, but how could she give in. She hated the fact that she was a beast, that unlike her mother she was wild and dangerous and not completely human. It made her feel alien, the instinct to run was suddenly roaring through her, and before she could deny it she bolted out of her mother’s arms and out the front door.
“MARIA?!” Amy cried out but it was already too late, she was gone. She turned defeated and exhausted only to find a sad smile on Vincent’s face.
“She’ll be fine Amy, Sean will keep an eye on her, she just needs to come to terms with her nature, and right now unfortunately there is nothing you can do to help her.”
Run…Run…Run…
The words echoed in her mind, forcing her legs to beat faster against the pavement. She wasn’t aware of what direction she was headed, only that she needed to get away, so when she watched the forest opening spreading out before her she slowed cautiously. All around her she could feel others, watching her, waiting to see what she did.
Run…Run…Run…
Her eyes burning with silver fire she glanced around, the call was the strongest it’d ever been, but still she found her fears weighing her down. With tentative steps she creped closer to the forest’s entrance, if she took the final steps her decision would be made, she’d leave behind her human life forever. Glancing over her shoulder she looked back at the life she was about to leave behind, and her heart ached. Yet even with her doubts still lingering she took the final steps forward and entered the shadowy arms of her new life.
The howls rang out filling the night with their melodic cries, another child of the wild was stepping back into the fold, and they were rejoicing her home coming.
