Page 101 of Dark Cravings

I nodded, following him. I couldn't escape the strange but familiar sense that something was wrong. It was a kind of electricity crackling through the air, and it left me feeling wired and nauseous at the same time.

I shifted as a result of that instinct and took off running toward the great gray spires in the distance.

"Eddie!" Castor cried, running after me. I ignored him, because the same instinct that had tipped me off was telling me time was of the essence. It took a lot of energy to stay in this form, so I tried not to take it more often than I had to, especially since I was giving so much blood, but this occasion certainly called for it.

Castor was close on my heels, but when he saw the red smoke billowing from the rooftop chimney, he seemed to understand. The distress signal. It was meant to call every hunter in the area back to the Abbey in the event that it was under attack, and after Madaline’s veiled threat, it was no surprise her visit had been a portent of things to come.

I ran like my life depended on it, knowing the lives of our friends probably did. Castor stopped at the last moment, looking over at me. "Stay out here," he ordered, rushing inside.

I disobeyed the order, obviously, and was kind of insulted he actually thought that would work. Not by a long shot.

I was half-expecting the Abbey to be teeming with hunters from the Order, but when I saw the massive bipedal wolf standing at the end of the hallway, I wasn't sure that was much better.

Castor immediately lunged for the beast, of course, and when his blade made contact with its chest, blood sprayed the halls and the creature let out a furious roar. It lunged for him in turn, and I dove after them both, sinking my jaws into the beast's upper arm and biting down as hard as I could while Castor lopped off its head.

The other alpha’s head rolled onto the floor, making a sticking sound every time the severed base made contact with the tile. No matter how many times I saw something get beheaded before my very eyes, I was never going to get used to it. I decided that was probably a good thing.

Castor looked up at me, his eyes blazing with fury. "I told you to stay outside!"

I stared at him pointedly to make it clear he should have known better since I couldn’t answer verbally in this form, and I wasn’t about to shift back. Judging from the way he set his jaw, I got my point across.

I could tell he wanted to argue further, but we didn't have time. I seized on that fact and ran down the hall. He had no choice but to keep up with me, and the screams from further down the corridor suggested the wolves had found their way into the residential area of the Abbey.

Fortunately, the few that had cornered the young hunters, Claudia included, against the furthest wall of the common area were all regular quadrupedal shifters. But I highly doubted the pack had only sent one alpha after us.

I lunged for the closest one and took it down, tearing into its throat with my fangs. Killing this up close and personal was still far from second nature to me, and I had no idea how to overcome that hang up. Hell, killing beasts with weapons wasn't all that second nature to me yet, either.

I heard the sound of Castor’s blade slicing through thick hide in a flash, another sound I wasn't quite used to. There was a heavy thump as another one of the wolves dropped, and I looked up to find Castor shaking the other off his arm. His uniform was thick enough with its animal hide bracers that I doubted the wolf’s fangs had pierced it. I wasn't sure if he was immune now, but I couldn't help but worry. He flung the other wolf across the room and it hit the wall with a yelp. Before I could act, Castor chopped off its head as well.

He looked up sharply, his eyes meeting mine. “What are the odds you'd actually stay here if I told you to?"

I shook my head, my tail swishing behind me as I turned toward the door.

He sighed, looking over at Claudia and placing a knife in her hand. "Lock the doors and don't let anyone in unless it's me," he ordered.

"Yes, Father," she said, looking down at the blade in her hand.

I ran out into the hall only to hear the sounds of snarling coming from further down the Abbey. There were at least four or five other wolves, and when I rounded the corner, I saw that all of them were alphas. What the hell was this pack made of?

I remembered what Castor had told me about the wolves that had killed his family being in a hunting party. And this time, the hunters were the prey.

Arrow was in the middle of the pack, and just as I came upon the scene, he spun around in place, blood spraying the room as his twin blades sliced all four of the nearest wolves in some form.

He had never taught me how to do that in any of our sessions.

Castor jumped into the fray, and I lunged for the nearest alpha, but rather than attack, it merely sidestepped and stared at me in confusion.

Omega?the alpha snarled in disbelief.These savages make you fight?

I jolted when I realized he was speaking to me telepathically. It had felt like enough of a violation when it had been my sire. I shook my head to try to break whatever link had been forged between us, but it didn't seem to be intentional or preventable on either side.

No one makes me do anything,I snapped.

He scoffed.Feisty pup. You are Aleko’s child.

Aleko. So that was my sire’s name. I wasn't sure what I had expected, really. It seemed strange that he had a name at all. That he wasn't just some ghostly, spectral figure from my nightmares, relegated back to where he'd come from.

I leapt at the alpha, but he dodged again, which was all the more infuriating. Castor and Arrow were still dealing with the other two, but I could see the former looking my way, clearly displeased. He had gone from judging the way I hunted to judging the fact that I was hunting at all, and if I had planned on staying at the Abbey after this, my primary aim would've been proving him wrong.