The Beta's Daughter novel Chapter 5

It’s a rogue, I mindlinked to Rosa. I held my ground, feeling my wolf urging me to shift. Get in the truck quickly.

I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I let my wolf come forward and I shifted, feeling my face elongate into a snout and my legs shoot backwards, lengthening and widening. My hands and feet became paws, and my whole body sprouted fur. I growled, keeping my eyes on the rogue.

It seemed startled and took a timid step backwards. I immediately filled the space, looking down at it.

It was smaller than me, with mousy brown-grey fur that looked tattered, covered in bite and claw marks. It’s eyes seemed to harden, and it howled loudly, the sound being drawn up into the night.

It pounced. Suddenly I felt the lash of its claws against my neck, scraping down towards my chest. I growled in fury, ignoring the pain as I jumped at it.

I latched my jaws around it’s leg, and heard a satisfying snap as I incapacitated it. It hobbled back, circling me. I attacked again, swiping out with my claws towards it’s eyes.

I scratched through one, and it shut it, the cut weeping. I stalked forwards once more as it began to retreat, and it quickly sunk it’s teeth into my leg. I howled miserably.

Suddenly, a creamy coloured wolf leapt from behind me and charged. The rogue backed up and disappeared into the bushes, taken by the darkness once more.

I shifted back, feeling tears pricking at my eyes. My throat, chest, and arm throbbed; I could feel my pulse pounding as blood left my body.

With my eyes half-closed, I felt Rosa shift back and grab me around my waist. She half-carried and half-dragged me to my car, and then yanked her jumper off over her head and pressed it to my arm. I held a feeble hand up to my neck, trying to hold as much of my blood in my body as I could.

She saw what I was doing and quickly pulled my sweatshirt off, spinning it around itself so that it became one long, thick line that she could use as a bandage. She wrapped it around my neck so tight that I felt as though I couldn’t breath, and I clawed at it, my eyes struggling to meet hers.

“I’m sorry, Ari,” she breathed heavily. “It’s got to be tight. You have to stay awake for me, okay? I need you to help me find the way home.”

Together we pushed my aching body into the passenger’s seat, and she clambered in behind the steering wheel. She turned the key and pulled out onto the track slowly, as though afraid of shaking me.

“You have to tell me the way, Ari.” I nodded.

Black spots pulsed behind my eyelids, blocking out large portions of my vision. Each time we came to a turning I struggled to remember the way, but I managed to croak out left, right, or straight each time.

When we got closer to the reserve Rosa seemed to know the way, and I let my eyelids droop. She shook me from time to time to check I was still awake, and I’d peel my eyes open blearily for a second to reassure her. I just wanted to sleep.

After what felt like an eternity we pulled into the reserve. Rosa ran round to my side and opened the door, and dragged me out of the truck. I let my head loll on her shoulder as we walked slowly together.

I assumed she was taking me to the pack hospital, but I wasn’t aware enough to watch where we were going.

I stumbled and fell, feeling the cool evening grass press against the bare skin of my arms, legs, and cheek. The black spots surrounded me, and I surrendered myself to them gratefully.

I awoke to the sound of hushed chatter, and the feeling of a warm hand wrapped around mine. I blinked my eyes open slowly, expecting the burst of bright light that assaulted them. I squinted, trying to see who was sat next to me.

“She’s awake!” Jacob said. I relaxed, and gave his hand a feeble squeeze. I pulled myself up into a sitting position, letting my body flop against his.

My parents were stood beside him, their faces worried as they checked me over. I felt at my arm and neck, touching thick bandages there.

“Hey, sweetie. You scared us,” my mum said, her voice wobbly. She smiled at me though, and I smiled back.

“Sorry,” I croaked, shocked by the sound of my own voice. I coughed, and then tried to speak again. “Where’s Rosa?”

“She had to leave, sweetheart,” my dad cooed softly. “Her family were worried about her. What happened?” He took a seat on the bed, and I frowned.

“We drove to a nice spot, just up the hill from the res. I wanted to show her my truck,” I smiled weakly. “We were just chatting when we heard something. It was a rogue. I went to investigate, and, well.” I gestured at my bandages.

I shut my eyes briefly, wanting to enjoy the comforting warmth of Jacob’s side against mine. He brought his hand up to my cheek, and I leant into it, soothed.

“A rogue? So close to the res?” My dad asked, his eyes flashing angrily.

“We were quite far up,” I admitted quietly. My dad sighed. “I mean – I wasn’t expecting to see any rogues there. It wasn’t that far.”

“Too close for comfort,” my mum said, the usual melodic softness gone from her voice. Her eyes were steely. “We must keep an eye on this. It isn’t the first time a rogue has been sighted near the pack lands.”

I nodded. There were no patterns to the sightings, but I knew Alpha Kele was becoming concerned. “I can tell you exactly where it was, or take you there, if it helps.”

My dad nodded slowly, deep in thought. “If you can show us on a map we can plot it alongside the others. I’ll talk to Kele.” He stood abruptly, but then looked down at me, his eyes soft. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. I’ll be fine, dad. Go.” I smiled. He nodded, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the top of my head. My mum took his place on the bed after he’d left.

“Rosa isn’t hurt, is she?” I asked, my voice quivering. I knew she’d leapt at the rogue, and I didn’t think she’d been hurt, but I’d been debilitated and couldn’t be sure. I felt Jacob shift beside me, and he moved his hand back down to meet mine, rubbing circles across my knuckles with delicate fingers.

“She’s completely fine, honey,” my mum said tenderly. “Thanks to you, it seems. She said you told her to stay in the truck.”

“I just thought that if there were more, maybe, she’d have a chance to get away.”

“You’d make a fine Luna,” Jacob said, his voice sounding impressed even as he stopped tracing circles into my hand, opting instead to grab it with both of his and squeeze tightly.

“I’m glad she didn’t listen to you,” my mum said, the beginnings of a smile breaking out across her face, though her eyes betrayed her concern.

“As if she ever would,” I laughed. “I do feel a lot better. I don’t have to stay in here, do I?”

“I’ll fetch the doctor,” my mum said. Her eyes met mine, and she flicked them towards Jacob. One of her eyebrows raised slightly, and then she pursed her lips and turned away.

“How are you feeling? Like, actually feeling. Don’t downplay it.” Jacob tried to look serious, but his plump lips quirked at the edges and almost broke into a smile.

“I really do feel loads better now. Promise.”

“Yeah, but loads better than death is still pretty bad.”

I rolled my eyes. “I was never going to die, Jake.” I decided to quickly change the subject. My arm and neck throbbed still, but it was bearable, and I no longer felt as though I was about to pass out. “What happened to my sweater?”

“Oh,” he said, pulling away from me. He felt around under his chair, and pulled out both mine and Rosa’s jumpers.

“You might want to wash it before you wear it. There’s a lot of… blood.” He paused, looking though he was about to cry. “I’ve been so worried about you, Ari. You wouldn’t wake up.” He gulped.

“I’m fine now,” I murmured, pulling him back towards me. “See? Talking and everything.”

He laughed quietly; his eyes still brimming with unshed tears. I pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, and then leant my forehead against his temple. His skin felt damp, and I brought my fingers up to trace the planes of his cheeks, wiping away the spots of moisture.

His skin pulled as he smiled; I could feel it move beneath my fingertips. I let my hands move down, drawing the tip of my index finger along his lips. His mouth parted, and he kissed my finger delicately.

“You were so white,” he whispered. “Under your skin. You looked so pale.”

I pulled back to look at him properly, and his eyes were distant; staring at something that I couldn’t see.

“You’d collapsed on the ground,” he breathed, his voice barely audible. “Rosa mindlinked me, and I ran. I didn’t know what to expect, she just said she needed my help, and that you were hurt. I panicked,” he said, his voice breaking. Hearing him so sad made tears spring to my own eyes, but he kept talking as though he was in a trance.

“I tried to get you to sit up, to move, anything.” He clutched at me, clambering clumsily onto the bed and holding me in both arms, pulling me gently against his chest.

“I had to pick you up from the ground, Ari,” he choked. “I carried you here. Rosa could’ve done it, but she was too upset. I’ve never seen her like that. I had to be the one to do it. I told your parents. And you still wouldn’t wake up.”

I felt a tear drop onto my head, and I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could. My bandaged arm stung, and I hissed through my teeth. He moved as if to break free, but I used my good arm to cling on tighter.