Chapter 5

Elkrina's POV

I balled my fist and tapped gently on the door which looked miniature to me, our palace door was thrice its size. A young girl about my age and height opened. Her long greasy hair was packed to form a bun. Her oval-shaped jaw was balanced by high cheekbones and eyelids, and her eyes were large and languid, frisking around restlessly.

"My mum isn't around, she left to buy groceries and medicine." She said nonchalantly, swinging the door close.

A sharp, overpowering scent wafted my nostrils as she talked, my pupils dilated and it didn't take me long to realize, that was the scent of an alpha. I let out a gasp which recoiled me as I almost stumbled. How could that be? How is that even impossible since she isn't one of our kind? Determined to satisfy my curiosity, I knocked at the door once more, this time briskly.

"I just told you…"

"I'm here for you," I said, cutting her off ."I'm your friend from across the street and I came to see you."

Her large eyes scrutinized me from head to toe and I could tell she wasn't convinced.

"I don't remember having any friends from the neighborhood." She said as her once bright face turned bleak.

"Would you do me the honors of letting me in?" I feigned a smile.

She opened the door wider and stepped aside to let me in. I walked in slowly peering around with a judgmental look.

"Your palace is quite strange," I said, still looking around.

"Palace?" She mumbled, looking confused.

"Where is the rest room?" I asked. "I need to use it."

She pointed upwards towards the stairs, still confused as her eyes popped. I brisked up the stairs, It creaked as my feet stomped against it, ours at Dothraki made no such disturbing sounds. Its surface shone with a reflective greasy effect like it was painted with polish, our palace stairs were pure concrete and didn't shine. I noticed something squealing and squeaking, and immediately, I realized it was Suki, I finally found her.

I took quick steps toward the direction of the sound, and it struck me like a cannon to notice something was impeding my movement. I hadn't realized it earlier, but the platform heels the girl I shape-shifted into had on were aching my feet, impeding my movement as such. I pulled them off and tossed them to a corner as I rushed to the room Suki's squeals emanated from.

The door handle wasn't budging as I jiggled it, it must be locked. I glanced over my shoulder to see if the girl was coming up, but luckily for me she wasn't. I yanked hard on the handle and forcefully pushed the door open, breaking the handle as such. My feet splattered on the polished floor as I stormed in. I peered around only to see Suki restricted in a strange-looking cage. The latch chinked as I unlatched. I pulled Suki out and cradled her to my chest.

I heard heavy footsteps. The girl banged her foot against the floor as she flounced in, looking furious.

"Why do you have Carrie?" She forced words from her gritted teeth.

"Listen to me," I said. "Do not claim ownership for things that are not yours. She is my lady's pet creature, and my lady sent me here to bring it back to her, unharmed and well."

"You took me for a fool, right?" Her voice dark with rage. "The moment you stepped foot into this house, I knew you were trouble. I perceived your scent, and it was very, very different."

I couched, dropping Suki on the bed beside me. I sprung up and swallowed hard when I saw her eyes turn pitch black like the depths of an endless abyss. Before I could even say another word, she lunge at me very quickly, thudding me with a powerful blow that sent me slamming against the wall. I changed back to my normal beta self and staggered up, wiping the strip of blood that dripped to my chin.

She looked as surprised as I was as she stared at her arms, gasping with amusement, her large eyes gleaming like that of a teenage werewolf that finally unleashed his innate being. She glared at me when I rose, her eyes still pitch black. I heard her claws hone as she zoomed to slash me, but I was able to counter. I gripped her right arm and smacked her ferociously to the floor as the building shook, but she got up as if nothing happened.

I bit my lower lip in rage and launched like a bull in a rodeo, firing straight to her mid only to see myself smashing against the window which cracked but didn't break. She was so fast like the wind, I hadn't seen her coming. Although I knew I was the most skillful and experienced fighter in my pack, she was strong – Alpha strong and it will be useless to keep fighting to my detriment.

"Please!! Stop," I begged. "I beg of you. You're an Alpha hybrid, how is that even possible in humans?"

She restrained, lowering her raised arm which should have landed straight on my face. She shifted her glance from me in rue, and I watched as her pitch black eyes turned flammy red, and to her normal eye colour of brown.

"And what's that? Alpha hybrid?" She asked.

"Believe me when I say l am as confused as you are," I said, tottering myself up as my back scraped against the window, shattering it as such.

"Don't worry about the window," she assured me as I pulled a wry face at her. "My parents will have a handyman fix it."

I clutched my painful stomach as I trudged to her, heaving a sigh of huge relief when I saw Suki unharmed and well, chirping about the quilts.

"Will you be alright?" She asked.

"Yes," I said. " We werewolves heal easily."

"Listen to me girl," I said, muffling the groans of pain and clasping her fingers gently.

"My name is Ariana," she said as her gaze sharpened.

"Ariana, I need you to come with me to my realm. My lady and pack need to know of this." I said, clasping her fingers tightly as my lips lifted to a faint smile.

"Do I have to?" She said, peering around her once pristine room which has been turned into a battleground disaster.

"Yes," I said. "You must come with me. We need to figure out what kind of wolf you are and how it happened."

She let out a huff of breath as she freed her fingers from my clasp. She raised her right forefinger and I saw something like a strap of flaky sheet wrapped around it.

"What is that?" I asked as my eyebrows creased to form a deep furrow.

"Carrie bit me early this morning," she said, letting down her hand only to raise it again as she pointed at Suki who she kept referring to Carrie. "Ever since then, I've had this strange feeling, like something new has been born inside me."

I stood transfixed, staring in bewilderment when my head thumped like it did when I arrived on Earth and I heard my lady's voice echo from within. I excused myself and sat beside the wall, very close to the dresser with my legs folded and eyes closed. From Ariana's heavy breathing, I could tell she was terrified and curious. I was also tensed and flustered, but I had to concentrate to hear my Alpha queen.

"Elkrina! Elkrina," my lady called out. "Have you found Suki?"

"Yes, my lady," I said. "But we have a very urgent matter at hand now."

"And what is it?"

I hesitated and shook my head slightly before divulging.

"Suki bit her," I said. "And now she's an Alpha, almost as powerful as you, my lady."

I sensed an awkward stillness as we communicated psychically. My lady seemed troubled, I could feel it but she was an expert at being emotionless, always suppressing her feelings and sinking them deep inside.

"Bring her to me at once," she commanded, cutting off the connection.

I got up and rushed back to Ariana, her large eyes were almost teary, laced with trickles of feint red veins. Her eyes were more prominent than other facial features and had a way of enchanting and communicating, sending clear messages across to the onlooker. It puzzled me to think of her crying at a time like this.

"You seriously need to come with me."

"I will," she said, trying hard to suppress the tears from pouring out. "But only on one condition."