THE CALMING WATER

VALERIE Suddenly, the sound of waves enter my hearing. I turn and run towards the sea nearby. I jump through the rocks covering the shore and dive into the water in wolf form. When I enter the water, I shift and begin to go skinny dipping in the water. I am freaking nude in the water, but the it feels safe since it's warm. I continue to swim like I know how to, even though I have never swam before. The further I swim from the shore, deep into the water, the more I begin to realise the water calms me. I feel my body being energised. I feel myself getting stronger. It's like the water is giving its energy to me! As I swim, I let each and every single happy moment I had spent with Zelia enter my mind. I remember everything she had told me, up until the moment she stabbed herself. Why did she do that? I draw in a breath as I break the surface of the water and let out a scream of anguish. She was more than family to me. I continue to scream out again and again until I can't scream any longer. I swim to a nearby rock, jutting out of the water far from the shore and sit on it with my knees propped up. My breathing is still harsh and loud. I close my eyes and let the tears flow with my sobs. "Alpha?" I hear someone calling. "Alpha? Alpha." I ignore the calls until I feel someone touching my shoulders. I jerk away immediately and growl at the person. I open my eyes and look at them. It is the same lady from the dungeon. Oscar's mom and the pack's Luna. "Alpha, you have to come urgently," she says. She's wearing a simple dress, which is now completely wet, but it is better than the one she was wearing while she was in the dungeon. "Go away," I say and growl. "It's Evie," she says, avoiding my gaze. "Evie? What happened to her?" I ask while standing up and holding her shoulders. I am naked but I don't care. "Some wolf bit her hind leg and she is taking too much time to recover. You need to help her Alpha," she pleads. Of course I'll save her. She is all that I have left, now that Zelia is gone. 'You have to protect Evie.' That's what Zelia told me before she left me. "Where is she?" I growl at the Luna. "In the house. I've someone getting you a dress," she says, pointing towards the shore. I jump into the water again and swim towards the shore. I move at a speed much faster than before, a speed that is faster than humanly possible. I at the shore within no time! The guy who was in the dungeon with the Luna gives me a shirt as I come onto the shore, avoiding my gaze. I yank the shirt from his hands and pulled it over my head. I don't know which direction the house is and he seems to notice it too. He points ahead of him and I immediately start running towards the house. As soon as I enter the house, I noticed Evie lying on the floor with her head on her mom's lap. Her breathing is slower than it should be. She looks at me and tears start flowing from her eyes. I run to her and push everyone close to her away, and no one protests. I attentively touch the leg that is badly injured and she cries out in pain. No...not her. I've lost Zelia but I won't lose her. Never! My whole body starts to shake again from my rage. I close my eyes and grit my teeth. I feel my blood begin to warm and flow fast through my body. The heat starts from my heart and I feel it spreading all the way from my shoulders down my arms and into my palms, until the energy spreads out from my fingertips. My hold on Evie's legs tighten and I feel the energy pass into her. Opening my eyes, I notice the wound healing over, some flesh covering it up. All the injuries, scratch marks and everything else she had sustained are slowly healing. She looks clean and energised. Slowly, she gets onto her feet and she hugs me tightly, crying out all her pain. It is the same way Zelia had hugged me the first day I met them on the beach. "Is she okay?" Nathan asks, turning to me. He's the same man who was with their Luna, Veronica, in the dungeon with everyone else. He's twenty years old, and he's about to be the Pack's third-in-command. After Evie wakes up, Zelia's funeral is organised to take place straight away, along with the funeral of everyone else that have lost their life fighting for the Pack. The rogue wolves' bodies are burnt along with whatever is left of Archie's body without any ceremony. Nathan and Oscar take care of it all. ***** It's ten in the morning now, and a day has passed. I have just woken up and I'm looking for the kitchen when I meet Nathan standing near the kitchen doorway. I nodded at him in greeting. "Do you need anything Alpha?" Nathan asks. It is then that I realise that Veronica had called me Alpha earlier on the beach, and now Nathan is too. What has gotten into them? "Alpha?" I ask him in shock. "Who's your Alpha?" "It's you my dear, you are the Alpha." Veronica says, walking into the kitchen. Oscar and Ivan including other members of the pack follow right behind her. "I'm The Alpha?" I question her in shock. I'm sure the frown is clearly evident on my face. How can I be the Alpha? I only shifted into my wolf for the first time yesterday, and now I'm the Alpha? "Yes." She smiles and nods at me. "I'm not your Alpha! How can I be? Okay, maybe my wolf is different from everyone else's, but that doesn't give me an Alpha title. I'm not even an Alpha's child!" I say. "Whether we like it or not, Archie was our Alpha because he killed my mate." Veronica sniffs a little and I notice she is now crying. "The title was passed to Archie after my mate's death, not only because he was next in line, but also because he was able to overthrow an Alpha, even though it was done cunningly!" "But... I cannot- I was..." I am interrupted by Oscar before I can continue. "Yes, you can," Oscar says. "You killed Archie who was our Alpha," he says sordidly. "No, I'm not." I shake my head a few times. "I know I killed Archie but that cannot make me an Alpha. If you are next in line and an Alpha's son, then you can be the Alpha!" He smiles warmly at me. "Maybe I'm next in line, but it was you who was capable of overthrowing Archie." "I could never have done that without your help and I'm not even a member of your pack," I say, my tone defensive. Ivan speaks for the first time. "You were linked to the Pack as soon as you killed Archie." I am beyond shocked. Can a link to a Pack happen like that? "Yes a link can happen like that," Ivan replies while smiling sheepishly. How can he hear my thoughts? "You left your mind open," he answers grinning widely now. I'm new to this. I don't know how all of these function, and instead these people are hovering over me with all these stuff. When Ivan lowers his gaze I know that he is able to read my thoughts for sure. "What if I don't want to be an Alpha?" I ask Oscar again. The expressions they all give in return, makes me to regret what I have just said. I lower my gaze and look at the floor in regret. I don't want to hurt them. They have already been hurt bad enough. I mutter a sorry to them while still looking at the ground. "We know that this is difficult for you, but our Pack needs you. Not only because you're a white wolf, but because for the first time in months, our Pack feels safe, and it was only possible because of you," Veronica says with a tender smile. "You were human when you broke the window and entered the dungeon, but still you brought light into that dark room," Nathan says. "I know you have lots of unanswered questions and you will be able to find those answers," Veronica says taking my hands in hers tenderly. "We all know you were created by the Moon Goddess herself. Give us a chance to serve you in return for the protection you have given us!" I freeze when I hear the word 'protection'. Six months ago, I wanted protection, something I never found in my old Pack, and it was given to me by Zelia. 'Please protect my Pack from them.' Those were Zelia's last words to me. I look up at all their hopeful eyes. I can't find it in my heart to refuse them, but can't see a future of me leading them either. I need to clear my mind and have no doubts if I want to help them. I need to think straight and I can't do it here, standing in the kitchen. I turn around and jump through the window. I start running to the only place that will make me feel safe, using my new found speed!