Mated to the Alpha Twins by Jane Doe
Chapter 44
Thalia’s frantic voice spurred something within me, and I took off in a desperate sprint. My feet slapped against the sidewalk, the sound bouncing off buildings and echoing down the barren street.
‘They’re werewolves.’ Thalia hissed, ‘You need to run faster.’
I veered across the street and down the sidewalk, my breaths emerging in short pants. My legs were already beginning to burn, and I thanked the heaven’s I removed the boot from my foot days ago. My foot had been completely healed, a perk of being half-werewolf, I suppose. My lungs screamed in my chest, making me want to scream. While my speed and strength were heightened, my werewolf side did not affect my horrible stamina.
‘Don’t look behind you.’ Thalia hissed as I started to turn my head.
A ragged scream tore through my throat as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. A hand clamped over my mouth, muffling the scream before it had the chance to ricochet off the buildings. The shops lining the street were absent of light, the signs on the doors flipped to ‘closed’.
There was no one out here to help me.
‘Come on, Aurora! Fight back!’ Thalia hissed, ‘Kick them, bite them! Do something!’
I used all of the energy I had to thrash my legs, as Thalia goaded me on. A sick sense of satisfaction ran through me as my leg connected with something hard, following the grunt of a male. One of the men stood in front of me, and I could make out some of the features on his face. A wide mouth with chipped teeth, shaggy hair that grazed his eyebrows, and a look of blazing anger in his eyes.
The man holding me tightened his grip, his hand slipping as I continued trying to squirm from his grasp. I clamped my teeth down on the meaty part of his hand, biting down until the disgusting taste of blood filled my mouth.
A breathless gr0@n left my lips as the man holding me finally let go. My head hit the concrete with a sickening crack, and stars danced in my eyes. With fear and adrenaline coursing through my veins, I scrambled into a sitting position.
“I don’t have money, but you can take my wallet.” I stammered, the words spewing from my mouth like vomit.
“We don’t want your money, darling.” The man with the wide mouth and shaggy hair cooed, as though I were a startled cat. “Our boss sent us to find you.”
‘Alec and Kade wouldn’t send someone to get us.’ Thalia murmured, ‘They’d come and get us themselves. Someone else sent these men.’
‘Garrett?’ I asked, my eyes flitting between the three looming figures.
‘I don’t think so.’ Thalia paused, ‘These wolves, they smell–wrong.’
I scrambled backwards as one of the men reached for me, grimacing as small rocks and shards of glassdug into my skin.
‘Do you feel that?’ Thalia hissed.
‘I’m not feeling anything other than terror right now.’ I snapped, thrashing as one of the men lifted me to my feet.
“Are you going to behave?” One of the men asked, his voice was soft considering the situation we were in. “We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if you f0rce our hand.”
‘Alec and Kade, their close.’ Thalia whispered.
I ignored the sudden rush of excitement that coursed through me, blaming it on Thalia when I knew she wasn’t the source. Every hair on my body seemed to stand as I heard their name echo in my mind. The bliss I felt was short-lived, followed by the most horrendous pain.
‘We need to shift, Aurora.’ Thalia whispered; sympathy laced in her harsh tone. ‘This is going to hurt, but you’ll survive.’
‘I thought we needed Alec and Kade to shift?’ I stammered.
‘Their close enough for you not to d*ie during the process.’ Thalia responded, ‘Brace yourself.’
I hadn’t a clue what she meant, or how to brace myself for what was coming. Nearly a second later, a searing pain shot up my spine. Liquid fire coursed through my veins, seeping into my muscles and bones. A sickening crack echoed throughout the street, followed by a wail of pure agony. Everything seemed to detach as my body was consumed in flames. I no longer knew where we were, or what we were doing here in the first place. The three men faded from mind, their voices a slurred jumble in my ears.
‘sh*t, sh*t!’
‘He said she couldn’t shift yet.’
‘Not without the two Alphas.’
‘sh*t, they have to be close by. Her wolf wouldn’t let her shift without them.’
“Inject her with the wolfsbane.’
‘It won’t work–not when she’s just shifted.’
‘It’ll work in a couple hours. Just do it!’
My lungs were numb, expelling oxygen as though it were poison. Crack after sickening crack sounded, followed by something soft brushing against my skin. I felt my legs give out from under me, vaguely hearing Thalia’s soft voice filling my head.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry.’ She hissed gently, ‘It’s almost done. Stay conscious, Aurora. You need to stay awake.’
I could feel myself sliding into the dark, hands grasping for something–anything, to keep me from falling. My hands grasped something firm as the image of Alec and Kade came to mind. The pain in my bones dulled, and when I opened my eyes, everything had changed.
I was on the ground, staring up into the faces of my captors. It seems little time had passed, as they were approaching me slowly, cautiously. Their hands were raised, their eyes bulging from their heads as they looked at me.
A snarl rang out in the night, and I whimpered as I realized the sound had come from me. I ran my tongue over my teeth, noting how strange everything felt. My mouth felt wider–longer, my teeth sharp and jagged.
I stood from the ground, nearly toppling over as I caught a glimpse of fur.
‘You did it.’ Thalia breathed, beaming with pride. ‘We shifted Aurora. Look at us.’
Thalia was right, we had shifted. Fur the color of pure snow coated my body, reflecting the moonlight beautifully. I gazed down at my paws, noting how large they looked. I wished I had hands, to run my fingers through the soft fur on my body.
“She’s–she’s white.” One of the men scoffed, glancing at the other with an incredulous expression.
‘Why’d he say it like that?’ I grimaced, ‘Is something wrong with me?’
‘I’ll explain later.’ Thalia responded, ‘For now, we need to get the hell out of here.’
‘What about Alec and Kade?’ I found myself asking, wincing at the intensity of the pull I felt towards them.
‘Now that we’ve shifted–they’ll find us.’ Thalia rea*s*sured me. ‘Now, let me take the reins. I’ll get us away from these idiots.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Trust me, Aurora.’ Thalia replied, her tone soft. ‘I’ve known you your entire life. You can trust me above anyone else. Well, beside Alec and Kade.’
Letting Thalia take control was easier than I expected. It felt like pulling a car over and stepping into the passenger seat. I watched through Thalia’s eyes as she barreled through the three men, snapping at their limbs as she plowed through the narrow space between buildings.
We leaped over a chain-link fence, barreling through bushes and shrubs as Thalia led us into the woods. My eyes were wide as I looked at our surroundings. We maneuvered past trees and over rocks, kicking up dirt behind us.
‘Will they follow us?’ I asked, marveling at the strength of my new legs.
‘They’ll try.’ Thalia nodded, ‘They won’t get far. We’re fast.’
‘We are?’ I asked, as I hadn’t seen the speed a normal wolf runs at.
‘We are.’ Thalia replied, chuckling at the awe in my voice.
Everything felt different out here, alone with Thalia in the forest. I could feel her instincts merge into my own, as we finally worked as one.
Her speed became my own, and soon I was aiding her, laughing breathlessly as the wind brushed through our fur. The feeling was completely liberating, and soon I had forgotten why we were running in the first place.
We barreled through a small stream, and I couldn’t hold back my joyous laugh as water sprayed all around us. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this open and free, relishing in the little things I often overlooked.
‘That’ll help disperse our scent.’ Thalia nodded, ‘Sooner or later, they’ll pick up on it again.’
Minutes faded into hours, and exhaustion began setting in our bones. I could tell Thalia was tiring, as we began slowing down. Trees no longer whizzed by in blurs of color and smell. I now had time to appreciate each tree, the pattern of its leaves and the rich bark that protected it.
Far ahead smoke scattered into the sky, dispersing through the air and mixing with the clouds. A dull ache began to set in our bones, and I winced as the feeling became stronger.
‘Oh, hell.’ Thalia gr0@ned, picking up her pace.
‘What?’ I asked, my voice cracking as the pain began to grow. ‘What’s happening?’
‘They injected us with wolfsbane.’ Thalia hissed, a gr0@n of pain coming from our lips. ‘This was your first shift, so it takes longer to kick in. I won’t last much longer like this–neither will you.’
‘Get to the smoke.’ I hissed, biting back the scream that pushed itself towards my lips. ‘There could be a house.’
I gave Thalia all of the strength I had left, propelling us forward with a garbled scream. Branches whipped across our fur, mud splattering in every direction as we stumbled forward.
A cry of pure relief left my lips as we emerged from the forest line at the top of a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill sat a farmhouse, the windows lit and the chimney spewing heavy smoke.
Black spots danced across my vision as our limbs felt like lead. The ground tilted and rolled, our eyes shutting as pain encompassed our body.
I f0rced my eyes open, gr0@ning at how heavy they felt. The green of the earth bled into the blackspots in my vision, but through the haze I could make out something. My fingers ached as they twitched, and I noticed the fur had left my body. A warm breeze caressed my bare skin, but I hadn’t the strength to care.
Thalia and I had made it to the bottom of the hill, tumbling down as we faded in and out of consciousness. Mud coated my bare skin, drying in itchy patches.
Hovering an inch away from my eyes, was the face of an old woman. The sight jolted me, and I struggled to move away from her. Before I slipped into the darkness, I noticed the gentle smile on her soft face.