Alpha Girl (17 page)

I could hear a loud, buzzing sound nearby. I looked for the source and almost cried out in fear and disgust.

It was a head.
A deer head. Its body was nowhere to be seen. Flies buzzed around the decapitated head, blood and guts soaking the forest floor.

‘Oh god.’ I put a shaking hand to my mouth and wiped my chin. Dry blood flaked away from my face.

What have I done?

I took a few steps backwards before treading on something extremely large, and soft. Someone groaned under my foot.

I yelped and jumped backwards, searching for whatever had made the noise.

There was a man, lying face down on the forest floor, covered in leaves, dirt and twigs. No wonder I hadn’t seen him; he was almost completely camouflaged.

He too was butt naked.

He groaned again and began to get up. I quickly backed away from the stranger, tripping over a fallen branch and landing on my bottom with an ‘Oof!’

Without hesitation, I jumped to my feet and hid behind the closest tree.

My first instinct was to run, but then I thought that this naked stranger might be hurt. Perhaps I had brought him here during my episode; therefore it would be my responsibility to make sure that he had not been harmed.

The stranger got to his feet and staggered slightly, his back to me. He was tall and well built, with a firm buttock. His body was covered from head to toe in soggy leaves and twigs. I felt my face flush with embarrassment; I’d never seen a naked man before.

I watched him try to brush the debris from his arms as I peered out from behind the tree. I edged around the trunk a little bit to get a closer look …

Crack!

I lost my footing and stepped on a twig, which snapped loudly. With a gasp, I concealed myself completely behind the tree as the man turned on the spot, searching for the source of the noise.

‘Hello?’ he said at once. ‘Who’s there?’

His voice was hoarse, as though he’d been yelling all night and lost the use of it.

I took my chances and peered around the tree again.

He would have been unrecognizable for the dirt that smeared his face, but I’d know those emerald eyes anywhere.

It was Mr. Stone.

He hadn’t spotted me, but he’d heard me moving.

‘Who’s there?’ he demanded. ‘Show yourself!’

Shit. What do I do
? I thought to myself.

‘I know you’re there!’ he yelled, advancing on the tree I was hiding behind.

‘Okay,’ I said hoarsely. ‘I’m coming out.’

I stepped out from behind the tree, my long hair covering my breasts, and my hands hiding my womanhood. I tried in vain to conceal the ugly scars that were scattered across my body as a result of the attack I’d suffered as a little girl.

Mr. Stone froze on the spot, like prey. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. His eyes darted from my face, to my exposed body, and back again.

‘
Rose
?’ he breathed, barely able to believe what he was seeing. Realizing that he too was completely naked, he clapped his hands over his genitals to hide them from me.

I nodded, fear inhabiting every inch of my body.

‘
Shit
. I mean … what … how?’ he stammered, unsure of which question to ask first. He was confused, and I knew he’d have a million questions for me.

Dry blood was smeared across his mouth and chest, but Mr. Stone didn’t look hurt. In fact, there wasn’t a scratch on him. Was it the deer’s blood on him, too? Or had I brought him here during my episode? I couldn’t remember.

‘You … you-’ he stared at the scars over my ribs, and the claw marks on my thigh. He looked afraid.

I quickly hid behind the tree again, poking my head out.

‘Stop staring,’ I choked, my voice hoarse.

‘Rose, how did you get here?’ he asked, hurrying over to the tree I was hiding behind. He remained on the opposite side, but leaned around it so he could see my face.

‘I’m sorry Mr. Stone,’ I said, my voice breaking. ‘I had an … an episode. I-I don’t remember what happened. This is all my fault.’

‘Did you … did you follow me here?’ he asked, trying to comprehend the situation.

‘Wh-what?’ I stammered. ‘No … I just … I woke up here.’

‘You’re covered in blood,’ he said. ‘Are you hurt?’

I shook my head. ‘N-No. It’s from the deer.’ I pointed to the decapitated carcass that lay on the ground.

Mr. Stone stared at the animal before snapping his attention back to me. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I said, tears sliding down my cheek. ‘My p-parents weren’t home to restrain me-’

‘Restrain?’ Mr. Stone repeated, looking alarmed. Suddenly, understanding dawned upon his face. ‘My god, Rose.’

My bottom lip trembled as I struggled to keep it together. ‘I didn’t mean for this to happen,’ I said.

  ‘You were attacked by a wild animal when you were a little girl, you said so yourself. You hate the forest.’ He seemed to be talking to himself, rather than me.

I gulped. He was piecing it together. I could hear the cogs turning in his head.

‘Y-you said you get sick often,’ he continued. ‘You were absent from school last month … during … during.’

That’s it. He knew my secret. My parents and I had struggled for years to keep it hidden from the people of Halfway, but because of their carelessness I had escaped and run amok.

I waited for Mr. Stone to say it; that dreaded word I refused to even
think
about. The very phrase made me sick to my stomach.

‘You’re … you’re-’

Mr. Stone’s pupils were dilated.

‘Say it,’ I snapped, tears brimming my eyes.

‘You’re like me,’ he breathed.

‘I … what?’

What he’d said had taken me completely off guard.

‘You’re like me,’ he repeated, a crazed grin spreading across his face. ‘Rose,
it all makes sense now
.’

‘You mean … you’re a-a-’

He nodded fervently. ‘We’re both werewolves, Rose.’

I flinched at the word. ‘Don’t say it,’ I scolded him. ‘I hate that word.’

He didn’t seem to care; Mr. Stone was far too excited. I couldn’t see why; this affliction was nothing to be happy about.

‘Oh, Rose, I’m so relieved,’ he said, letting out a laugh that sounded strangely like the bark of a dog.

‘Why?’ I asked.

He put a hand over his heart. ‘Christ, I thought I’d kidnapped you and brought you here.’

I shook my head. ‘No … Well, I don’t remember, but I suspect I came here myself. It’s happened once before.’

‘Just the once?’ he asked.

I nodded. ‘My parents usually restrain me on the full moon so I can’t escape,’ I said.

Mr. Stone nodded. ‘I tried that once. I bought a cage for myself which I kept in the basement.’ He allowed himself a smile. ‘Can you imagine my friend’s shock when they discovered it? They thought I was keeping hostages down there.’

I couldn’t help but smile. ‘Didn’t the cage work?’

Mr. Stone shook his head. ‘I’ve tried everything, but I always wake up in the forest.’

‘You must be stronger than me,’ I said, ‘to break out of a cage.’

He shrugged. ‘In the end I gave up on trying to control it. Now I come here before the transformation so I am away from the public. My car is parked on a road just north from here.’

I looked around at the density of trees that surrounded us. ‘How do you know where we are?’ I asked.

Mr. Stone pointed at the sun’s position in the sky. ‘I’ve learnt how to navigate. I had to really. I wasn’t given much choice.’

I couldn’t believe it. Mr. Stone was like me; he too carried the same illness that took over my body every month on the full moon. I thought I was alone.

‘My god, Rose. This makes so much sense,’ he was smiling again. ‘The attraction, the smell,
everything
.’

I nodded, my throat dry. ‘I felt a pull towards you,’ I said.

‘Your scent,’ he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. ‘I could smell you from a mile away.’

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. ‘Like a dog?’ I asked. ‘Pardon the pun.’ I hadn’t experienced it to this extent.

‘I’d know exactly where you were in the school. Not all the time; some days the scent was stronger than others.’

‘Really?’

‘Absolutely. Even at that party the other week. I wasn’t going to attend at first, but then I caught this whiff on the air, and I was compelled to go. I knew it was you.’

‘You could smell me that strongly?’ I asked, shocked.

He nodded. ‘It was … torture. You don’t know how hard it was to control myself around you.’

‘You make it sound like you wanted to attack me,’ I said.

‘I almost did,’ he smiled guiltily. ‘I though I must be some kind of sexual predator, preying on school girls.’

The thought of Mr. Stone ravishing me sent chills through my spine and left me light headed. It must have shown, too, because he quickly added; ‘I’d never in a million years touch a student, of course. I love teaching. But with you … it was different. I just wanted to … to-’

Mr. Stone’s face burned scarlet.

‘What?’ I pressed, eager to hear more.

‘I wanted you so badly,’ he finished lamely. ‘I wanted … no,
needed
you.’

That’s all I’d wanted to hear for the past few weeks. The moment he said it my knees felt weak.

‘It was instinct,’ he continued. ‘You hear about dogs that travel for miles when they smell a female on heat; they’ll do anything to get to her. That’s how I felt, and it was driving me crazy.’

‘You’re saying you know when I’m ovulating?’ I asked, trying not to laugh.

He chuckled. ‘That’s one way to put it.’

‘That’s why the kids call me wet dog,’ I said, suddenly scowling. ‘They think I smell like a … a-’

‘Werewolf?’ he provided.

I nodded.

He smiled. ‘The others, they don’t understand. We smell strange to
regular
people.’

The way he referred to normal people made me feel like a freak, but I knew he hadn’t meant it that way.

‘I used to drench myself in cologne to try and mask it, but it never worked,’ he said, resting his forehead on the bark of the tree trunk.

I understood completely; I too had given up on trying to mask the scent of the wolf on me. ‘You smell amazing to me,’ I said softly. ‘I should have known we were the same.’

‘All those times we were confined together in the car, or classroom, I was worried that I’d end up taking advantage of you because of the scent. It was an assault on my senses, and I found it hard to control myself around you.’

‘I wouldn’t have minded,’ I whispered, a smile playing my lips.

He smiled and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. ‘I’m so relieved, Rose. You have no idea the torture I’ve endured these past few months. Here I was thinking I’d lost my mind.’

‘Me too,’ I said through chattering teeth. ‘I’ve always been alone during these times … I’ve had no one to talk to about this for so many years.’ It was
as if a great weight had been lifted from my chest.

‘Shit, you must be freezing,’ Mr. Stone said, his eyes wide. ‘I’m so sorry. Let’s get you out of here before your toes fall off.’

I looked around. ‘How far is your car?’ I asked.

He pursed his lips. ‘A mile or so.’

I blinked. ‘Um … I’m naked.’

‘Right … yeah.’ He seemed to be thinking hard. ‘Uh … why don’t you follow behind me? I promise not to look.’

I nodded fervently.

Mr. Stone got his bearings before setting off and heading in a northerly direction towards his car. Only when he was several paces ahead of me did I emerge from behind the tree, and tiptoed through the forest in his wake.

I was overly alert, hearing every twig crack and bush rustle. I kept Mr. Stone in my sights as he led me through the forest. I couldn’t help but stare at his bottom as he marched ahead of me, thinking how firm it looked. Realizing this, I chuckled.

‘What are you laughing at back there?’ he called over his shoulder. He kept his promise; he didn’t peek.

‘Nothing,’ I called back, my voice still slightly hoarse. ‘Just enjoying the view.’

‘Behave yourself!’ he called back to me.

We walked for half an hour, covering almost a mile. I wasn’t sure how Mr. Stone knew where he was going, but I trusted his judgment.

Soon, the trees began to thin, and I could hear road-noise ahead.

‘We’re close!’ he called. ‘Stay where you are, okay?’ I’ll bring you a blanket to cover yourself with.’

I did as he asked and hid myself amongst some bushes as Mr. Stone walked the last few yards alone. I couldn’t see the clearing, yet I knew it must be close.