Chapter 7: Chapter 7

After Austin’s request to Élancé, she decided to do something about it. Austin was right about the things he had said. But there was one thing he hadn’t put into consideration: What if the crystal moon pack were still alive?

Élancé knew having hopes that her pack would still be alive was a long shot but it was a chance she was willing to take. Austin had said there is no alpha without a pack, but if Élancé’s pack were still alive, then she would have more options to wager with. She tried hard not to get filled with hope, but she could feel her home calling out to her.

Élancé turned to her father. He was still unconscious. Perhaps his age was the reason his recovery was getting slower. She slipped her hand into his and caressed the top of his hand with her thumb.

“This is not over,” She whispered to her unconscious father. Part of her wished Austin was on the other side of the door, listening to her stone cold resolve. For some reason, she wanted Austin to know she hadn’t given up. “I’ll be back,” she added. Then for the first time since that day, Élancé left her father’s side. She knew it was risky leaving the alpha of the crystal moon pack alone and unprotected but she was sure things would be worse for both of them if they had no men to call their own.

When Élancé got to the door, she caught Austin’s intoxicating scent—a whiff of it—by the doorknob. Quickly, she tamed whatever form of desire was planning to come awake in her. She couldn’t think of Austin that way. Not after what he had asked her to do.

When Élancé got to the main entrance of the building, she found two men standing guard at the door and a few others around the compound. They looked more alert when they noticed her presence, but they didn’t come towards her or try to stop her. Élancé climbed down the four stairs slowly, half expecting the men to react. But none of them did. She walked to the truck and got in, twisted the key in the ignition and revved the engine. Through the windshield, Élancé could make out Austin’s silhouette through a window. She revved the engine even more until he came to the window and spread the curtains apart. Élancé held his gaze for some seconds before driving out of the compound and off to her pack.

The whole ride, Élancé was stuck between praying that her men would be alive and steeling her nerve to find a lot of dead bodies lying around the place. Élancé didn’t take it easy on the truck. She sped on rocky terrain, trying to kill the suspense that was raging inside her. Not long after leaving the Dark moon pack—some thirty minutes after—she was at the gates of her mansion. Élancé peered through the fenced gates of the mansion and was caught by surprising relief when she didn’t find any dead body outside. Quickly, she sped into the compound and came to a halt at the entrance into the building.

Élancé could barely contain her excitement as she flung the doors of the truck open and ran into the main room.

“Élancé!” the head of the guards stood as he saw her run into the room.

The other men stood along with the head of the guards, the look of surprise obvious on their faces.

“Where have you been? You had us all worried. You should have at least told one of us if you were going out at night.” the head guard spoke.

“I—” Élancé tried to speak but she wasn’t exactly sure what to say. She walked closer to the head of the guards who seemed to be genuinely worried about her and her father. Then she turned around and took a good look at the men before her. They all looked like they didn’t remember what had transpired the night before.

“Élancé?” One of the guards asked with concern in his voice.

“You…really don’t know? You don’t remember?” Élancé turned around as she asked, taking in the look on all their faces. “What the hell did they do to you?”

“Élancé, what are you talking about?” the head guard walked closer to her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. “Where’s the alpha?”

“He’s unconscious,” Élancé said, and the group all reacted like there was a stake piercing through their ribcage. “We were attacked by oddies...last night. Somehow they managed to put you all to sleep. I thought I was coming to meet a mass grave…but I am very glad to see you all.”

There were murmurs from the group, but the head of the guard kept his composure. He knew the importance of staying calm, especially when they were still trying to figure out what the hell had happened.

“The alpha—” He wanted to ask again, but Élancé cut him off.

“Safe,” she said. “He’s with the Dark moon pack. After the attack, we had no choice but to seek protection elsewhere. He took a hit and was gravely injured.”

Élancé could feel the aura of the men surrounding her. They believed they had failed their pack. They felt they had let themselves fall asleep and that they had left their alpha unprotected. Élancé knew what this was doing to her men on the inside and decided she was going to stop the cancer from growing any further. She needed her men, and she needed them at their best.

“Hey!” Élancé called out, and they turned to meet her. “None of this was your fault. You hear me? There’s something else at play here. I don’t know what it is exactly but I suspect your memories have been tampered with. And we all know the group capable of something like this.” she waited for a moment before adding: “I smell witchcraft.”

Élancé walked past the head of the guards, feeling the energy in the room intensify. She needed to get some supplies upstairs but first—

“We are going to find out who is responsible for this. But first, we have to get our alpha.”

As Élancé climbed up the stairs, she felt the collective rage coming from the men. Good, she thought. She needed them angry. The first thing she was going to find was a book of oddies and their relationships with witches. She knew oddies weren’t the type to attack in groups, and they especially would not attack the second most powerful werewolf pack in the state.

As Élancé frantically flipped through the library searching for the book, she threw books all over the place.

“Why us?” Élancé whispered to herself as she searched. She couldn’t quite find a reason why only her pack was attacked. She knew her father had enemies, but so what? Every other alpha had some enemy somewhere. She found it strange that oddies attacked in group, because in all her studies, she had found no instance when oddies attacked other people. And if as she presumed, they were under the influence of a witch, what witch? And why?

“Fuck this,” Élancé said with a frustrated undertone. She was sick of searching for what she already knew. She needed to go get her father and fast. She walked out of the mini library and headed down the staircase where she found her men waiting and ready for her instructions.

“Here’s how this is going to play,” Élancé started. “I need information on the oddies, so two of your most covert operatives are going to find out anything there is to know. Follow the scent. Its faint but it’s there. Another group is going with me and the last—”

“Élancé, are you alright?” one of the men asked.

Élancé caught the scent once again. The scent she had caught the night before. That’s not possible, she told herself in her head. They wouldn’t attack again. It’s not even dark yet!

Still, she was sure of the scent. Oddies.

“They’re here,” Élancé whispered, struggling to believe the words herself, but before she could explain to her men, the front doors bust wide open and the strange looking creatures were there once again.

The men all drew out their weapons but they were no match for the oddies. Élancé watched her men fall to the floor, unconscious. One by one, they lost control of their limbs, like their legs belonged to someone else who commanded them to be useless. The scene was almost like the night before, only this time, the oddies weren’t leaving Élancé’s men to their fate. They were finishing the job by slashing the unconscious bodies and biting them wide open.

The scene was filled with so much gore that it left Élancé unable to move. She couldn’t believe that she had come all the way back home only to watch her men die. She tried to move her legs, but she was stuck. Her bones were rigid and her joints were stiff. Pain was curdling at the back of her throat, but her body still wouldn’t move. And so she watched every bit of it, unable to take her eyes off. Yet unable to do anything about it.

When the oddies were about done with her men, they turned to Élancé who was by that time, too shaken by the loss of her men to move. The biggest oddie rushed to Élancé and wrapped its thick hand around her neck. It squeezed tightly, robbing Élancé of breath. Still, Élancé wouldn’t move. She just kept staring at the horrific scene before her, even when she was about to lose consciousness.

The oddie tightened its grip, threatening to crush Élancé’s neck. At that moment, Élancé realized she needed to stay alive. She needed to avenge her men. Most of all, she needed to get back to her father. She grabbed the oddie’s arm and tried to free herself but it was surprisingly strong. Élancé felt her neck start to hurt from under the pressure. But just before it was about to snap, she caught a familiar scent at the door.

Austin.

With werewolf speed, he zoomed to Élancé and slammed the oddie into goo. Then he turned around and stood in front of Élancé.

At the sight of Austin, the oddies reclined and quickly escaped.

Élancé felt lightheaded after Austin saved her from the attack. She had been choked for so long, her consciousness was wading, slipping from her. Élancé felt her knees weaken and as they bucked, the last thing she saw was a familiar back in front of her.