Page 82 of Dark Cravings
I found myself backing up, trying to figure out my next move, all the while straining to keep these alien impulses at bay. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Arrow moving slightly, so I knew he was still alive. For now. Maybe not much longer, though, if I didn't figure something out.
There you are…
I jolted at the sound of the masculine voice that wasn't coming from any physical source. I wasn't even sure how I knew that, or that it belonged to the creature standing in front of me, but I did. I knew it the same way I knew who and what he was.
What a surprise. To think I'd find you among hunters,he continued in a voice that was surprisingly smooth. It filled me with disgust, and something else that I didn't even want to acknowledge.
The voice made me shudder, and it was all I could do to keep my paws planted in the earth rather than running. To him, from him, I wasn't sure. Neither was an option.
It's you, I replied in my thoughts, not even sure he would be able to hear me.You're the one who did this to me. The one who made me kill my family.
Am I?he challenged, taking another step forward.Or did I merely unleash what was already within you?
So he could hear me. That came with plenty of unsettling implications on its own.
I’m pretty sure I wasn't a cannibalistic, homicidal beast before,I snarled.
He just chuckled. A menacing sound, if ever there was one. Menacing, melodic, I wasn't sure I knew the difference anymore.
I remember the taste of your blood. So pure. So innocent. I knew that night you were going to be something special. I’ll admit, I didn't think you would end up being an omega.
I had backed up to the point where my rear left paw hit the gnarled root of a tree trunk.Omega?I echoed.What the hell is that?
Come here, and I'll be happy to show you,he answered.
The invitation was harder to resist than I wanted to admit. I hated the monstrous thing in front of me, and yet, I couldn't deny that he held some power over me, however implicit. It filled me with dread and sickness, as well as fresh betrayal because this thing, of all creatures, shouldn't have been capable of stirring anything other than hatred and disgust within me.
And I still felt plenty of those things in abundance, but there was room for far more contradictory impulses as well. Impulses that proved I was every bit as sick and twisted as my creator.
Before I could respond, something came up from behind the alpha and I realized it was Arrow sailing overhead. He brought both blades down into the beast’s shoulder blade, ramming them into his muscle right down to the hilt.
"Get the fuck away from him, you freak," Arrow snarled.
I watched in dismay as Arrow looked back at me, skidding to a halt a few yards away. He had successfully redirected the alpha's attention, and I lunged while I still had the presence of mind to do so. I sank my fangs into the other shifter’s throat and shook my head to tear the wound open as much as I could. His hide was so thick, my fangs could barely even break through the skin.
The beast snarled and reached to grab me by the scruff, flinging me across the clearing. He could easily have snapped my neck, and I wasn't sure what to make of the fact that he hadn't.
He had already turned back to Arrow, swiping out at the hunter with his massive claws. He missed, but only by a narrow margin, coming much too close for comfort.
If nothing else, hitting my head on the way down had given me a much needed jolt of clarity. It was getting easier to resist whatever the hell the effect he had on me could even be called. Compulsion? Maybe, but it didn't seem intentional. Not entirely, at any rate.
I already regretted shifting, since it was pretty fucking clear that I was outclassed by most regular alphas, let alone my sire. The fact that he was actually giving Arrow a run for his money was proof enough that his nature was the reason mine was so anomalous.
As Arrow continued to strike out at the alpha werewolf, all the while dodging the swipes of his claws, I realized with some trepidation that they seemed equally matched. Just as I was planning on shifting back into my human form and making a run for the weapons I had dropped during my shift, another familiar scent cut through the jumble of sensory overload, the blood of my sire included.
Before I could fully process what was happening, another figure swooped into the fray, taking the wolf down with a blinding flash of silver.
Castor!
Even though I doubted he could understand me in this form, he looked up for a split second as if he’d heard me call his name, his cold eyes sharp with familiar concern. Or maybe it was anger. It was always hard to tell with him.
I gasped sharply, watching as the alpha grabbed at him, but he dodged easily, rolling into a crouch on the beast’s other side. The interruption gave Arrow the opportunity to take out his gun, and he fired a few rounds into the beast’s massive chest. The silver bullets each hit their mark, and blood sprayed everywhere, but the beast didn't go down. He just snarled as the shells hit the ground and turned on them both.
I decided to shift back into my human form, because I was now absolutely sure the shotgun would be more effective than my fangs. There was also a part of me that was afraid I was more vulnerable to the influence of those strange instincts as a wolf. If I could hear my sire telepathically, there was no telling what other bizarre effects our bond was having on me. For all I knew, I was just as vulnerable as a human, but it was worth a shot.
The moment I returned to my human form, I made a dash for my shotgun. I could just barely see it in the grass, the silver barrel glinting in the moonlight. I was too far away to make any real use of it, so I ran closer only to find that Arrow and Castor were both still holding the beast off. The fact that it took two of them was more than a bit unsettling.
What the hell was this thing?
