A Touch of Lunacy

I rushed into the forest. The elders had delayed for hours. They'd meant to keep me from her. I understood. I had returned a stranger that they viewed as unstable. I snorted and looked at her tracks through the earth. She'd ran quickly, breaking twigs and tossing up the earth and leaves. I ignored the pang of guilt. I wasn't sure I was right. She'd hate me. Joe had told me to let her be. I had started to think he was right, but I saw the way he watches her. There aren't that many females left in the pack. He wanted her for himself. A part of me raged and wanted to rip his throat out. She was mine!

I slowed as I came to the stream. I scooped up some water and splashed my face. Joe could do better for her then I could. I hadn't been able to keep Melanie safe. I wouldn't be able to keep Katherine safe. I'd stolen her life from her. She would hate me. I should just... No. Katherine was stronger than Melanie had been. Guilt rushed through me. Poor Melanie. I am sure her last thoughts were that she'd failed to protect our unborn child. And here I was. Judy was right. I had never been worthy of Melanie. I wasn't fit to be anyone's mate. I wasn't fit to lead the pack.

I shoved the thoughts aside. Joe did not want to be leader. He never had wanted it. I had to stop this self doubt. Judy was angry at me for Melanie's death. The Nightwalkers were to blame. It wasn't my fault. I had done my best for the pack.

I remembered the countless women I had tried to make my mate. Guilt washed over me again. The pack needs an alpha female. None of them had even made it alive through the fevers. I should have let them go. I should have never done any of it. It had caused nothing but trouble for the pack and Joe...

I looked up as I realized that I'd been following her scent across the river. Her scent just stopped. I sniffed the ground and looked at the plants and ground. Every sign of her just stopped. I looked on the trees for any sign of her climbing them, but nothing. Groaning, I realized the she'd doubled back. She was good. I turned on my heel and ran back to the river, thoughts of giving up swept aside with the need of the chase.

I stopped to catch my breath. My lungs burned for more air. There was a stabbing pain in my side that wouldn't let up. I leaned against a tree, closing my eyes and trying to focus solely on breathing. My ears priced at a sound. I jumped to attention. Two men were standing not ten feet away. They looked confused to see me. I frowned slightly. There was something off about them. God, they were as pale as the moon, their hair almost white. The sense of unease grew. They were whispering something. I couldn't make it out, but I thought I heard them say wolf. I would have recognized them if they were from the house. A single word whispered in my mind. "Nightwalkers," the whisper said.

"Hello," I said. I hope I sounded calm. "I've been lost in the woods. Could you please help me? I'm sure everyone is worried." I stepped towards them, my arms open slightly to them. Every bone in my body screamed to run away, but I fought to remain calm. I could almost hear the blood rushing through me. "Please. Why won't you say anything?" They were just staring at me. Panic was starting to rush in.

"Wolf," the taller one said. I screwed my face in confusion. I hoped I wasn't over the top.

"What do you mean, wolf? Please, I need your help. I have no idea where I am and these woods are so frightening at night. When you said wolf, did you mean there are wolves here? Please, you can't leave me here to get ripped apart by animals!" I stepped closer to them. They were relaxing a little. They were either believing me, or wanted me to believe that they believed me. Fear was almost choking me. I found myself actually wishing Donovan would show up to save me from them. Trade two monsters that would gladly see me dead for one monster that wants me alive... It seemed like a good trade. Damn. But I had tried throwing him off my tracks. What if it worked? I breathed slowly, willing myself to b calm. If I surprised them, I could take them. No big deal. I just had to surprise them.

I blinked and they were suddenly gone. I froze. Daniel and Joe had said they were fast. I spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of their paleness. There was nothing but the thick woods all around me. Panic tried to creep up. I forced myself to breathe past it. Suddenly my feet were out from under me and a hand at the back of my head help my face meet the hard ground. Stars danced in my head. One of them yanked my hair up.

"Stupid wolf. You stink of fur and musk. Think to fool us?" A pale hand flashed for an instant before my sight went black. My head would have whipped to the side, painfully tugging the hair caught in their grip. "Out for a moonlit walk, perhaps? Those stupid animals are letting their precious females roam loose? We are going to enjoy ripping your limbs out of their sockets. But first..."

A flash of steel was the only warning as a dagger drove into my arm, straight into the bone. The scream ripped out of my throat just as the blade was tugged free. They chuckled. "What a beautiful scream. I'm going to enjoy hearing it again." I screamed as the dagger drove into my other arm.

I was running before what the sounds meant registered in my mind. Katherine was out there and something was making her scream. Rage ripped through me and I called my beast. It gladly rose to the surface and I guided the transformation, retaining human like hands and a mostly humanoid figure. The fur sprouted out over my body as I ran through the underbrush, each scream spurring me faster.

I had a single second of satisfaction before his companion slapped me across the face. The Nightwalker I had just stabbed in the thigh did not look the least bit happy. He grimaced slightly as he pulled the dagger out of his flesh. I breathed through the pain, trying to figure out anything I could do to get out of this situation. I could almost feel death standing by, watching to see how many he'd be collecting tonight. I was beginning to doubt my chance of getting out of here alive, but I could at least take one of them with me, if not the both. I thought of the pack, of the many that had lost mothers, daughters, sisters, and children to these things. Yeah... I would take one of them with me at least.

As fast as I was running, I felt as thought I wouldn't get there in time. I hadn't been there in time when I found Melanie. I wouldn't be there in time for Katherine. Story of my life; never being on time for those that need me. I pushed myself faster. I told myself it was just around the next corner; just a little further. I heard her scream again and I froze. She was so close. I could hear others breathing. My hackles rose. It had to be Nightwalkers. Not this time. They wouldn't take someone this time. I leapt through the brush.

I sagged in the arms of the Nightwalker that was making me stand. The other one was cutting my clothes off, not at all being careful if he cut me along the way. I gasped in pain as he stabbed his dagger into my hip. "If you're not going to stand up, we can start hacking away your useless less." I shuddered at the thought. My mind was still desperately searching for any idea, but as soon as something started forming, some new pain would drive everything from my mind. I wasn't accepting this. I was not going to die here, not like this. God, they were fast. There had to be some way to use that to my advantage, somehow use it against them. Pain flashed through me as the blade ripped through my thigh.

A roar deafened me. I saw a huge wolf thing jump through the brush and tackle the man with the dagger. I saw the blade fall on the ground, a single beam of moonlight shining lighting it as bright as day. The one holding me let me go in surprise. As I fell down, I grabbed the dagger. My body ached to lie down. It had to be Donovan. He wouldn't let them kill me. I could just lay down and rest now. But the dagger lay in my hand and the brute behind me was in my reach. I moved before my mind had fully decided to act. The dagger sliced through his ankle. Time slowed down. I could hear him scream as he fell. His eyes met mine as I drove the dagger into his throat and ripped through the soft flesh.

I could hear Donovan and the other Nightwalker fighting. I looked at the man bleeding to death beside me. He looked at me with startled eyes. I started shaking. Distantly I wondered if this was shock. I just killed him. Sure, he'd meant to kill me. But, I had never taken a life before. Beating someone in defense was one thing. But killing?

My breathing quickened. I couldn't get enough air. God, I felt terribly hot. I need more air. I was gasping, swallowing the air as fast as I could. I saw yellow eyes before me. I tried to focus on them, tried to calm down but I couldn't. The edges of my vision started to blacken. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on breathing. In and out. Slowly. I felt warm fur against my cheek and felt a weight on my shoulder. I reached forward and grabbed fistfuls of fur and started crying uncontrollably. The wolf's snout urged me onto his back.

Straddling his back, I realized he was about as big as a horse. My breathing was calming down. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to his back, burying my face into his fur. I breathed in his musk and found it strangely comforting. I felt him moving slowly through the woods and felt safe.

Donovan wished he could rip those Nightwalkers apart, but Katherine was shaking. She needed a doctor badly. Her bleeding had slowed, but he had no idea how much she had lost before he got there. He was glad that she hadn't tried to run from him. He knew this look could be frightening. She just accepted it, though. Donovan sighed to himself and moved as quickly as he could without jostling her.