Chapter 2: One: The Attack

Elijah ↑

[the narrator/lead character, clearly female. stop asking.]

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The Attack

"Elijah!" Someone yelled my name for what felt like the millionth time. I rolled to my other side and covered my face.

The yelling didn't stop, "Elijah dammit. Please get up, we have to go!"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I sit up and begin, "I'm up, I'm up. Although I don't get why, it's a Saturday." I mutter, wiping my eyes clean.

I know I get my days mixed up all the time but I am sure of that. I most definitely have no business being up this early. I hated wasting my day to sleep but I hate waking up early just as much.

Monday to Friday I have training both for myself and as a coach for the beginner warriors. It's a lot of work but I love it, I love feeling like I have something to do within my Pack.

"That's great and all bu –" My fraternal twin sister lets out a frightened scream, she runs to my closet and begins throwing my clothing into a backpack.

I try to get out of my bed when suddenly the house begins to shake. That's when I know something is really wrong because we have no natural disasters in South Africa. So whatever is going on cannot be good and suddenly, I can feel it in my gut. Well, I feel something in my gut but it could be hunger too. Who really knows. Just as I get my sneakers on my window shatters and a body flies in. I scream this time.

Staring at the body on my bedroom floor I yell, "Oh my god, what the heck?" He smells different and I don't recognise him so I know for a fact he isn't a member of my Pack.

"We're at war." My sister says, throwing the now super full backpack on her back. I hope she has food somewhere in there.

War?

"What?" I splutter and at the same time, the body groaned.

The man stood, "I advise you two leave. Someone will come after me."

"Who are you?" I step forward. He's in my house and he's telling me I should leave? The nerve.

Paying no mind to the foreigner my sister continues on, "Here's your stuff." She hands me another bag.

Finally, I realise the roars and screams coming from the outside, with the window now broken I can hear them crystal clear. The groans, the bones snapping it's all so vivid. We're really at war, I put the backpack on but my mind doesn't seem to be fully functional.

"We need to go." Elisha tugs on my arm.

Just as we reach the door to my room another man walks in, through the sliding door that led to my balcony. His smell was similar to the jerk who was on my floor, they're most definitely from the same pack. Weirdly though, the new guy, his smell is almost intoxicating. I actually like it but before I can even get a look at his face my sister starts running. She was holding onto me so I had to follow her lead. She was going so fast though, I have never had to run this quick, meaning she was definitely almost going at full speed.

We had left the house now running toward the carnage, looking straight ahead, I think I would prefer to go back inside. It was brutal, my pack and the other were dying. Blood was being splattered everywhere, wolves and humans alike growling and fighting no one was backing down. It was serious.

"We just need to find Mom and Dad." Elisha said as we ducked a wolf flying over us, we were in the heart of the battle now.

"Find them? In this carnage?" I stand up straight, "We should help." I attempted to remove the backpack so I could shift.

It would be difficult to try and fight and make sure Elisha was okay since she isn't a warrior but I would have to do it. Sitting this out would be disgraceful.

"Are you out of your mind?" Elisha yelled, "They'll kill you!"

This brings a scowl onto my face, "What the hell do you want me to do? Stay in the house? Look for Mom and Dad who are fighting, helping our pack!" I yell, almost offended that she thinks I could not hold my own out here.

"Listen to me, Elijah." She held my head steady, "We are going to look for Mom and Dad. Not help." She said with a stern no-bullshit-taking tone.

She continued running as I trailed behind her. We dodged people and wolves as we went but I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. By that man, the one who walked into my room looking like a god. I can't shake the feeling that I needed to see his face. I turned my head and there he was in front of my house, staring at me.

"Elisha, Elisha that guy from the room. He's staring!" She ran quicker, we disappeared into the woods.

I knew where we were going. I could run here in my sleep and still know where I was going. My parents always told us to come here if we were in danger, this was a hiding spot, a place my parents most certainly would not be. The little she-wolf lied to me, she was playing big freaking sister.

Elisha was an hour and twenty minutes older than me. She was also taller. It was like her own little secret to keep me safe. She acted as though she was a few years older than me never mind an hour, so realising where we were does not shock nor surprise me. It's a very Elisha like thing to do.

Our parents are Nicole and Themba Vilakazi they're the warriors of our pack, the North Pack, it's not a scary name, I know. We're not really meant to be. We never fight with others, no matter how ruthless the other pack tries to be, we always find a way to avoid war and rather talk everything through.

Peace treaties are our way of resolving everything. Which is why I have not the slightest clue as to why we're at war right now. Our pack has the strongest fighters, arguably the best – I should state that could just my bias – so it isn't that we cannot fight, we just choose not to and nine times out of ten other packs wouldn't dare try. So why would any –

Unless it was the Howlers. They just went around fighting packs for no reason whatsoever, their Alpha was an unforgiving imbecile who clearly had nothing better to do with his time. I mean, going around targeting packs just for the fun of it? Only a psychotic monster would do such a thing.

"Are you going to climb or not?" Elisha tapped the tree house floor, waiting rather impatiently for me to start climbing.

"Yeah, sorry." I tightened the backpack and started my climb but stopped just as I had finally lifted myself off the ground.

I could smell that he was here, the wind practically slapped me with his scent. My mind was saying go, climb these steps and don't look back but a bigger part of me, my wolf, was telling me to stay. Get back down and look this man straight on and find out what it is he wants.

"Elisha, stay up there." I said to her.

"What?" The fear was so audible, "Elijah –"

I didn't have the time or patience for her big sister act so I didn't wait for her to complete her sentence.

"This once, please just listen to me. I know what I'm doing, lock the door." I stepped down.

Why was he here, who was he and why was he clearly so interested in us? I just needed my answers.

"I know you're here. I can smell you. Leave my sister and me alone. I don't even know who you are."

I spoke as clearly as I could, my stance ready in case he had other ideas.

"Why that's a shame. I must not be as terrifying as I'd like to think."

My eyes roll, "Well obviously."

Either way, how would I know? I haven't gotten a good look at him. He was standing right at the end of the tree line, the tall trees with their wide branches giving him the shield I so desperately wished they wouldn't.

"Is this your pack?" He questioned me, his voice as smooth as velvet.

"Yes." I squint my eyes, trying to figure out just who this man is.

His build is lean and firm, his arms a decently muscled, legs more or less in proportion with the rest of him. I could tell he carried himself with pride.

He continued his questions, "Born and raised?"

"Yes. Why is this important?" I was getting impatient, I just wanted to know what he wanted.

He didn't respond, maybe he was mind linking someone.

I think he shrugs, "Just."

"Just?" I scoffed, "Who are you, what's your name?" I take two steps forward.

"Alexander Russo."

I gasped and immediately started taking cautionary steps backwards. My back hitting the bark of the tree holding our tree house. Both panic and the flight-or-fight response rushing throughout me. Believe you me, I do not want to fight this monster but if he pounces I will.

"W-Why –" I quickly gather myself, exhaling I try again, "Are you going to kill us?" I ask the one question I've been asking myself since Elisha shut the door.

"I won't kill you or your sister. I called off the attack."

My brows immediately creased, "What?" I was confused.

He's Alexander Russo, the Alpha of the Howlers, merciless killing is his thing, what he's infamously known for.

"I'll see you later, Eli." He turned to walk away.

Shaking my head I say, "Later? Why would I see you later? You kill people!" I slapped my hand over my mouth. If I don't watch my damn mouth, I'll get myself killed.

He let out a deep throaty laugh, "I won't kill you." He shouted over his shoulder.

The further away he got the louder my wolf was, she was yelling at me, telling me to go after him.

'Go after him, quickly.'

'What? No! I do not want to aggravate that man.'

'Please! I think –' she paused for a moment before whispering, 'I think he's our mate''

That couldn't be right.

So, I laughed. I threw my head back and laughed.

'Yeah, sure.'

I shut her off so I could no longer hear her whining. Alexander Russo my mate, how laughable. Shaking my head at the wild thought, I walked back to the bottom of the tree house so I could fetch my sister. The faster we get out of her, the faster I can put this nightmare behind me.

"Elisha, you can come down now."

She was down in a heartbeat, "Are you okay? Alexander Russo. What did he want?"

"I don't actually know."

* * *

Surprisingly, I haven't seen Alexander since even though it had been a few days, like five but who's counting, since his attack but that isn't why I've been keeping track of how many days it had been. I only knew because oddly enough, I actually want to see him. Added to that, my wolf just won't shut up about him. She is so incredibly sure that he could be our mate, a day does not go by without her constant nagging. My answer remains the same: it's an absurd notion, I'm not nineteen yet, I'm not able to tell something like that yet.

Besides I, on the other hand, think my boyfriend of three years, Ezekiel, is my mate. I love him quite a lot. My father has told me countless times how reckless it is to be in a relationship before my Mate Year. I've had earfuls of that chat from quite a lot of people. My mother acts like it doesn't bother her but I know the truth, she sides with my father and the many others.

Zeke and I are happy though and I know that's all that really matters. Once I turn nineteen we'll prove them all wrong, even my wolf because her judgement is a little bit clouded by a certain muscly Alpha.

She is so clouded by him that sometimes at ungodly hours of the morning she will wake me up, telling me that she can sense him. Every time I try to scout him out by going to my window or even once my balcony, I don't see anything. And that truly irritates me because it takes me a while to fall back asleep.

Sadly tonight is one of those nights.

'Wake up, wake up. He's here.'

'You say that every night. Shut up.' I snap.

'No. I usually say I sense him but now I know he's here. Get up.' She says.

Sighing, I sit up and switch on my bedside lamp which only illuminates a small portion of my room, just enough for me to see my bed and the way to my bathroom. In the corner of my room near my sliding door, I see a silhouette. The light doesn't get that far so it's a bit of a struggle to make out the figure, especially whilst groggy. His scent lets me know it's him though.

"Alexander?" I still sound uncertain because, what exactly is he doing in the corner of my bedroom, watching me in pitch darkness?

"Hi." He greets, sounding uncertain too and... embarrassed?

I rub my eyes so as to see better, kick out the last bit of tired, "What are you doing here?"

He doesn't move from his spot, "Do you think I'm going to kill you?"

"Are you?" I counter.

His response is quick, "No," I let out a relieved sigh.

His eyes flicker for a second, "Was someone here?"

I nod, "Yeah."

My best friend, Nicholas, had just left we have been friends for most of our lives, any memory I have of my childhood will include Nic. He is a major part of my life, whereas my sister had tendencies in lacking in her sibling role he never lacked in his. He meant the world to me.

They flicker again, "Male?"

"Excuse me, why are you here?" This man, breaking in here to ask me questions in my own home. That reminds me, "Your pack mate broke my window."

"It looks intact to me." He spares it a glance before shrugging.

Seeing as he ignored my question, I ask him the one that has been bugging and costing me my sleep. "Have you been watching me?" I point at him.

He chuckles and I can't help but smile, "Yes."

"Well stop." I say, "You're confusing my wolf."

He smirks, "Is that so?"

It's the closest thing I've seen to a smile and I must admit, he almost looked – no, Elijah. I scolded myself quickly ridding myself of any positive thoughts concerning this wolf.

I narrow my eyes, "Don't smirk at me, it's annoying, stop stalking me. You don't even have reason to be here."

"I'll see you later, Eli."

Those are the same last words he spoke to me the day of the attack.

"No," I say firmly, "No, you will not. And it's Elijah."

His shoulders bounce, "I like Eli."

"I really don't care Alexander. Leave and don't come back." I lay back down and turn off the light. He's said twice now that he won't kill me and oddly enough, I trust that he won't.

Before exiting out the sliding door he says, "Not scared that I'll kill you?"

"If you really wanted to, you would've by now." I mutter.

He laughs and it's the best sound I've ever heard.

"See you, Eli." I simply roll my eyes in response even though he can't tell.

—

a/n

The fact about the natural disasters is no longer completely true but anyway, let's keep pretending global warming and climate change aren't real. Also keeping it because it's an og part of the story.