On the Road with the Alpha

"I think you would like Huntsville village."

The wheels of the carriages moan when they hit the uneven dirt roads that stretch for miles, and I find myself having a hard time listening to Alpha Rhy's talk about the village we are visiting. I know it is a place where the hunter pack lives, and there is a lot of forest space, quietness, and a lake. It sounds like paradise but I can't help but to feel nervous for what the Alpha has planned for me.

I turn my gaze to the woods across the window. We have been traveling for hours and I don't know how long we have until we arrive at Huntsville village. Bored, I watch the trees that whizz by the carriage. The sky is clear today, which means it is going to be sunny for the whole day. I hate it when it rains. It reminded me of the painful memory of the drizzling rain dropping down on the cold winter night when my mother died. It was a sad day for my family– including the village since my mother was the reason why the village didn't collapse during the hard years.

I wiped away the tears pooling in my eyes before they could fall out, and before the Alpha could see me tear up. Behind me, where the Alpha sits on the velvet chairs he reads a book, craning his eyebrow ever so often as if the passage he reads is interesting.

My heart does a flip when his eyes dressed on his stern face meet mine. "What can I do for you Melanie?"

"Nothing." I turn my gaze away from him.

"Are you sure? You were staring at me. Unless you want another teaching session with me." His eyes flicker with delight.

I turn back to the window of the carriage. I still don't understand why he had picked me to go with him on his trip. He could have gone with Lady Julia for all I care. Speaking of her, I really need to know more about her. I open my mouth to ask him of Lady Julia but I remain in my seat. If Lady Julia didn't want to go anymore, then he could have at least taken Ophelia with him– since she makes a great maid and travel companion. And to the fact that she is not a human.

Interest sparks life into my bored eyes when I spot a small orange creature that resembles a rabbit and cat running along with the cart. Their small beady eyes peer up at me as they manage to follow the carriage. I reach my hands down to touch them but the Alpha hands grip my writs.

"Don't." He warns.

"What is it?"

"They may look cute but they are vicious. They will rip your hands to shreds if you get too close to them."

I peer down at the animals running off as if the Alpha's presence was enough to drive them off. "They looked so cute and harmless."

"This is why humans die so easily in this land," says Rhys. "This place isn't made for your kind to thrive. And you humans are too curious for your own good."

"Then why did you bring me here if you knew this place was going to be dangerous."

"Because I never intended for you to leave the palace."

"Then why did you bring me with you on your trip?"

"I thought you might need some fresh air for once since you seemed so stressed."

"You should have stayed in the palace," I say. "For you is the point of my stress."

The Alpha lips things. Though I don't mean to speak to him this way, he knows I am right. Regardless of how I feel about the Alpha, I remain to stare out of nature.

"I'm also here to check on the Hunter pack," he says.

"Of course." I roll my eyes as I turn to the window. I mindlessly watch the scenery of the woods. The book the Alpha is reading crumbles each time he turns the page. If only I knew how to read a full-length book, then I would pass the time.

The carriage began to slow down and I grew happy to know that we are now arriving at Huntsville village. When the carriage fully stopped, a guard posted himself at the front of the door to the carriage. I frown trying to make out space where the guard's large shoulders are covering.

"What's the matter? why did we slow down?" says Alpha Rhys.

"Sorry, Alpha, there is a problem. There is a roadblock."

"Let me see what this problem is." He leaves the carriage and heads out into the woods. I remain in the carriage watching from the windows as Rhys the guards look at the roadblock.

Curiosity and boredom get to me, and I open the door to the carriage. I bite my lower lips looking out in the open and back at the Alpha and the guards that are busy looking at the rest of the wood and stones left randomly in front of the carriage. I wonder why someone or something would leave some debris in the middle of the road.

"Maybe it is an animal," Devin suggests, breaking the silence as we all stand around the debris that has been left in the middle of the road. I furrow my brows, finding it strange indeed. The scattered wreckage appears out of place, as if it was intentionally left here.

I glance at the Alpha, expecting him to share his thoughts or take charge of the situation, but he seems distant, lost in his own contemplation. The weight of his presence lingers as he steps away from the debris, his expression thoughtful.

"Perhaps..." he starts, his voice trailing off, leaving the sentence unfinished. There is a hint of uncertainty in his tone, a rare occurrence for the Alpha who usually exudes confidence and authority.

Grrrr.

What was that? My heart quickens at the blur of black that rushes by the carriage. I look around me, and see hiding by the other side of a carriage is a figure dressed in black. Please tell me this isn't another strange creature in this land.

I freeze my spot and the figure shows its face to me. His purple eyes glimmer, bearing his canines at me. He places his index finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet and I nod along with him in fear for my life.

Looking at this person, he looks like a wolfman but something about him seems different from the other wolf people. The way they look smaller than the Alpha and how he has a deep scar on his face. I follow the wolfman's eyes that are behind me.

I glance back and see another dark figure sitting on the treetops staring down at me. I can't see his face but I do see his dark eyes peering into me. With a raise of his chin, the first wolfman pounces out of the carriage and attacks the guards with a single slash of his claws.

"It's the K–"

I scream as the guard is taken down with one swift move. The blur of black moves like the shadows and the speed of light as it bounds through space, attacking the guard's on sight. The people that are still alive are me, the carriage driver, a few guards, and the Alpha that is turning into his wolf form.

He launches himself to the dark figure and they have a tassel.

Run! The voice in my head says. Run so that you can be free. I agree with the voice in my head, but my legs are stuck on the ground as if I was stuck on quicksand. No matter how much I tell myself to run, I can't.

I fear that another figure is hiding in the trees, waiting to sink his teeth in my neck. Instead, I take refuge in the carriage and watch the Alpha fight the other wolfman to the death. I close my eyes seeing the Alpha's bloody claws rip open the other wolf's neck. In the distance, I hear a howl and the sounds of paws running away.

Once the fight has cleared, I open my eyes and see the Alpha breathing heavily as he stares down at the dead body.

"Search the areas for any more Krae people," he told the other guards. "And send a warning to the other pack members."

"Yes, Alpha." The two remaining guards transform into their wolf form and run deep into the woods where the Alpha's pack members are behind the trail.

"Dammit," Alpha Rhys swears when he nears the carriage. "If I know better, I should have traveled with the others."

"Who was that?"

"Remember the Krae I was telling you about?"

I nod.

"Well, that was them." He lets out a breath. "That was close. They almost got us."

"What do they want from us?"

"They want to kill me."

"Why?"

"Power." That is all he says before entering the carriage.

I still remember where I am. I'm shocked by how they were able to kill a single man with his hand. At least I know trying to kill him isn't an option. Alpha Rhys's ears flick upward when he looks at me.

"What is it? Why are you sitting there like that? Are you hurt?"

"No…"

He narrows at me. "You saw something, didn't you? I can sense it from you."

"It's just that…"

"He tried to kill so I did the same to him."

The carriage starts again and we begin our journey through the forest. "Wait, are we still going to Huntsville?"

Alpha Rhys nods. "A little threat doesn't stop me from spending time with my favorite woman in the world."

"But, wont they try to attack again."

"And my men will be there to slaughter those who try to harm you." Alpha Rhy's rubs my hand, his warmth making my hand also warm. The desire in his eyes seems to be glimmering with something else.

Love.