Lost Alpha (5 page)

“I want my daddy!” Lyric screamed, breaking into tears. Lily quickly grabbed her and pulled her in close, trying to be the strong one. Janie crawled over, hugging the other girls.

“That’s what they do,” Angie said, answering the question and ignoring the girls. “They find women to foster their children and then they kill them off when they reach adolescence.”

“I thought Silas had three kids and a wife,” Paige asked, trying to understand.

“Amy?” She’s a real piece of work,” Angie said, snorting. “All three of their boys are grown, but she’s just as evil as the rats. She’s part of the family, one of the only women ever allowed in.”

Paige shook her head and threw her hands up. “Forget it, none of this is important. We have to escape!”

“How?” Angie asked. “He locked the door, it’s wood on top of steel, we can’t break it down.”

“Jesus Christ,” Paige said, looking around the room. The room was completely bare, not a piece of furniture in it. There were two large windows on one side of the room set back in a window box. They had a metal frame with a metal crisscross pattern running through them. Paige ran to them, hoping to find a way through, unfortunately they were welded shut.

“Fuck,” she said, slapping the window.

She looked around the room, trying to find anything that would allow her to bust out. There was a wall cabinet next to the window, probably designed to be used as a linen cabinet. She looked it up and down, trying to find something to use to break the window. She opened the doors at the top of the cabinet, finding nothing inside. As she looked at the door and the screws that held it into the cabinet, an idea entered her mind.

“What are you doing?” Angie asked.

“Getting help,” Paige said, pulling and ripping on the cabinet door. She put her hands on top of it and jumped, trying to hang off of it. This was the first time in her life her weight had benefited her as the screws creaked and groaned before finally ripping out of the cabinet. She tumbled to the ground, holding the door in her hand.

“What are you going to do with that?” Angie asked.

Paige looked over at her, wishing she would just sit back and watch. The poor woman looked traumatized, her hair was a mess and she had rings under her eyes. All three little girls looked scared as they huddled together watching her.

Paige felt like screaming and crying and kicking the wall in frustration, but she had to be the strong one right now because nobody else would.

I’ve been the strong one my whole life,
she thought.
Mom and dad ran away because they couldn’t handle this lifestyle anymore. Billy’s a complete mess after his wife left him. I’m the only one that takes care of my shit and goes to work.I’m the alpha female of the Bowshot pack god dammit!

She puffed her chest out, taking a deep breath, feeling as strong as ever after her mental pep talk. With all her might she slammed the corner of the hard wood door into the glass pane of the window. She did it several times, chipping away at the door. Fortunately the glass was old and weak and it began to spider crack as she beat away at it. After several minutes of hard beating one of the windows shattered and glass fell harmlessly into the window box.

She climbed into the box, avoiding the glass and looked out the window. She could see the front of the house where she had parked. There was a stretch limousine parked directly in front of the house. Her eyes grew wide as she realized there was a dead man slumped across the hood. Beside him on the ground was another man: dead with blood running out onto the ground behind him.

She didn’t recognize either man, meaning they were probably killed by her wolves.

“Travis!” she called from the window. “Travis!”

She sat in silence for several moments, meaning he was probably gone. Just as she started to pull away from the window she heard a whistle from down below. She pressed her face into the crisscrossed bars and looked down at the ground. Travis was standing below with a ragged looking wolf beside him. She knew he didn’t want to talk, he was afraid to alert the Lockharts to his presence.

“We’re on the second floor,” she called. “I’m with the girls and another prisoner!”

Travis nodded and started to walk away. He stopped and looked back up at her, his eyes narrowing. He appeared to be mouthing words at her, but she could barely make them out in the darkness.

“I can’t tell what you’re saying,” she called. “Say something.”

He looked back and forth, like he was trying to make sure nobody else was around. Finally he faintly called out, “How many are there?”

“Five of us,” she called back.

He shook his head no and pointed to the dead man on the ground. As Paige looked at him she realized he had brown fur sprouted up on his body, like he was transforming into a werecreature. Realization dawned on her and she understood now, he was a wererat.

“There are twelve rats,” she called. “Well eleven now.”

Travis nodded his understanding. Just as he started to walk away she heard voices just outside the door.

“Don’t kill my granddaughter,” William said. “She’s going to be a valuable member of this family.”

“I’m sure I’ll have no need for the girl,” a well-to-do voice said. “The two adult women should fill me up just fine.”

She spun back around and screamed. “Hurry up! They’re coming into the room! They’re coming to get us!”

Travis appeared, his face looking frantic. He shook his head, unsure of what to do. Paige racked her brain, trying to figure out what she should do. If he barged in, the rats would gang up on him, murdering him with no problems. She was about to become Victor Dance’s dinner if he didn’t do something though.

”It’s hopeless,” Angie cried. “They can’t save us.”

Paige looked around the room, not seeing anything that they could use to defend themselves from the vampire. She couldn’t break the door apart and make a cross, it would take too long. They were as good as drained by the monster.

She looked to the three little girls, all huddled together in fright. Lyric was crying softly while Lily was trying to put on a brave face; the tears streaming down her face betrayed her. Her eyes traveled to Janie who was holding something in her hand, stroking it for comfort.

Paige’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the object she was holding: the moon rock.

“Holy shit!” Paige yelled as she heard the door start to unlock. “Janie give me that!”

She rushed forward, yanking the moon rock out of the little girl’s hands.

“That’s mine!” she protested.

“Trust me,” Paige said. “You just saved our lives.”

She ran back to the window, pressing her face into the bars and looking down at Travis. She heard the door swinging open behind them.

“Get away from there!” William called out.

“Eat this!” she yelled to Travis, dropping the rock out of the window.

She could feel William’s hands wrapping around her shoulders, but she fought, trying to shrug him off. Finally he grabbed her by the hair, yanking her away from the window.

“Trust me, Travis!” she called out. “Eat that!”

She was slung off the window box to the ground. As she was pulled away she grabbed a piece of the glass in her hand.

“That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make you stupid bitch!” William said, leaning over into her face.

“Fuck you!” Paige screamed, swinging up with the shard of glass.

William’s eyes went wide and he tried to speak, but no words came out. Blood began to gurgle in his throat and flow out of his mouth as he grabbed at the side of his throat where Paige had driven the shard of glass into.

The little girls all screamed at the sight of blood, all probably witnessing their first murder.

“What a fool,” she heard from the doorway. She turned to see a tall, older gentleman standing the doorway. His face was finely weathered and his eyes were like cold steel. He was wearing a long black peacoat with a stunning suit underneath.

At any other time Paige would find him to be an incredibly attractive silver fox, but right now he just caused her heart to recoil in fear. His icy stare could freeze even the hottest flame; he was everything you would expect a vampire to be.

She started to back up, trying to get away from him as William slumped to the ground clutching at his throat. The noises he made as death approached were pathetic, just like his life.

Victor stepped into the room, opening his mouth to reveal two pearl white fangs. He didn’t speak; he just kept advancing on them.

“I’ll save you for the main course, brave girl,” he said to Paige. Without another word he turned and yanked Angie off the ground, pulling her in close. “The blood of the meek is always a good appetizer.”

A loud crashing sound reverberated through the house, making Victor stop in his tracks. He dropped Angie and turned to the door, looking down the hallway. The vampire’s entire body tensed up as a titanic roar exploded through the house.

“Oh god he’s in lunar form!” they heard someone yell from downstairs.

“Everybody shift!” another voice screamed.

“Son of a bitch!” the vampire said, walking out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Paige smiled and looked at the little girls. “Uncle Travis is here to save us.”

Chapter 8

Travis stared at the rock that he held in his hand. He could feel power radiating off of it, pulsing through his body. There was something about this rock, something supernatural.

Dario looked up at him and whined, while Travis considered putting it in his mouth. He looked back up at the window, hearing Paige scream.

His eyes grew wide and a fury unlike the one he had previously felt coursed through his body. The rock went down smooth, easy to swallow like a pill. He stood in place; waiting for whatever effect she had intended to take hold. Then, as like a bomb exploding, he felt power radiate through his body. He began to change, his body growing and twisting as hair sprouted all over. He was
shifting
, but not into wolf form. In several short seconds Travis stood in front of the house, a seven foot tall abominable twist of man and wolf; he had reached lunar form.

He let out a great roar that shook the house, most definitely alerting all within to their impending doom. Dario growled and barked his approval before following Travis as he stomped for the front door. It only took one blow from his mighty hand to splinter the giant front door into several thousand pieces. Travis’ strength was immense, like nothing else on Earth.

“What the hell?” a surprised person said from just inside the front door. The surprised rat was tall and skinny, not much of a challenge. He began to shift into lunar form, turning into a half rat/half man creature. Travis was on him quickly, clamping down on his head with steel jaws. The rat’s head popped like a watermelon due to the pressure clamped on it.

He became aware there was screaming all around him and another rat came flying forward, holding a machete in one hand. He easily swatted it aside, breaking the rat’s arm in the process. The wounded creature fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Travis quickly snuffed out his screams when he jumped on the creature, ripping and tearing with two gigantic, clawed hands.

In lunar form, Travis’ vision was blurring and the world appeared a ghostly red to him. It was hard to control the power contained in this form as the animal inside tried to completely dominate Travis. All he wanted to do was feast on the soft entrails that had fallen out of the destroyed rat below him.

A loud scream from upstairs brought him back to reality. He turned just as something flew by his face, nearly catching him in the eye. He looked to one side of the foyer he stood in to find a woman standing in the doorway with a gun in hand.

“Go back to hell!” she screamed.

Before she could pull the trigger again a brown blur slammed into her, taking her to the ground. Screams of terror and pain rose from the blur of activity on the floor as Dario ripped and tore at her human body.

“Amy!” someone screamed from the top of the stairs. Two more rats stood above him on the stairwell’s landing, both shifting into lunar form. Travis rushed up the stairs, a mighty roar escaping his lips. He grabbed both rats by the chest, lifting them off the ground as he continued his run. With the might of ten men he slammed them into the wall, cracking the plaster and studs in the process. He heard a loud crack as they hit the wall, both of their spines severing from the impact as his claws dug into their chests.

He dropped both and began stalking up the stairs, looking for his alpha mate. He heard another rat cry out from below and turned to see Dario wrestling another to the ground by the throat. The rats were proving to be no challenge at all for the two wolves: he would not be denied his rescue.

One more rat appeared at the entrance to the hallway, an older rat shuffling towards Travis. He snarled as the weak thing reached him, slapping at him with pathetic old claws. He grabbed the creature by the throat, lifting him off the ground and hurling him backwards, down the stairs. He heard the rat let out its last breath as it crumpled in a broken heap at the base of the stairs.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” he heard from behind. Travis spun around to see three rats, in human form, trying to make their escape out the door. They were young men, not ready for the hardships of a shifter war. Dario turned and growled, leaping at one and catching him by the ankle. The other two continued to run as Dario yanked the young man back into the foyer. He tried to kick at the large wolf, but Dario deftly dodged the kick and lunged for the boy’s throat, ending his resistance quickly.

Travis felt satisfaction at the death of the rats, they were going to pay for the death of his pack, but he wasn’t done. Paige screamed one more time from somewhere inside the house, down one of the long hallways that lay before him.

He walked forward swinging his arms to the side and destroying the walls with his clawed hands. He stopped at the end of the hallway, with a choice to go left or right. If he went right he would end up at the front of the house. His brain was becoming more primitive the longer he stayed in lunar form, but he reasoned his received the rock at the front of the house so right was the way to go.