Run, like a Chicken!!!

Koala

Shifters! Death! Death! Death! Beware!!

Wolf shifters were all over the town, they owned the shops, owned the houses, owned almost everything. And it all made me wonder how large the pack was and how strong the alpha is

My senses were tingling, the warning bells ringing in my ear, I could almost hear my inner conscious screaming Danger!. Sure, I was almost indestructible, but a pack of hungry big wolves with inhuman teeth was enough to kill me.

My stomach growled and I groaned, I needed to find something to eat, I looked around and sighted a bakery.

Baked foods will do.

I walked towards the bakery, opening the door and stopped.

Valeria, Valeria was here.

The unmistakable feeling of terror flowed through me, I had the sudden urge to run back the way I came, the feeling of dread and fear overwhelmed me, to the extent that I had to move very far away from the bakery to be able to breath again.

And then I panicked.

Valeria was stronger, more powerful than she was eight years ago, she was so powerful that she was able to leave so much power behind.

I needed to inform the master.

No, I needed to act on my own. If he knew Valeria was this powerful. He was going to come for her and make her his second. I'll be pushed down from my rank as his second in command, where would that leave me?.

I needed to think, I needed backup, I needed a plan, and most of all,

Valeria Hortensius the third needed to die.

Jerome

I was pissed, I was so mad I couldn't think straight, she left me, me!, Her mate. She doesn't believe in me, she doesn't believe I can keep her safe. I am the Alpha dammit to hell and back!. What will the pack think when they find out she's gone, what would they think of me.

They would laugh at me behind my back, call me weak and see me as a failure. An alpha who couldn't control his mate, an alpha who couldn't protect his mate, and Alpha who's mate had no respect for.

Who was I kidding, Danica never took me for her mate, she never believed me to be her mate.

As soon as I left the room, I was met with my beta who had hid his anger well behind a blank mask.

"Is she really gone?' he asked and I nodded, unable to utter a word.

"Should we look for her?"

"No, she'll come back when she feels it's safe." I spat the sentence in anger and Vincent flinched. I never lost my temper, never shouted at my pack, but look what Danica turned me into.

Vincent sighed, "we've moved the vampire and contacted his coven, they told us to get rid of him."

"His father?"

"Yes, he says he has no use for a useless son."

"What did he mean by that?"

"Apparently he ran away from home because he was threatened to do something he was against when he refused, but they know nothing about how he got here."

"No one should find out Danica ran."

"Understood, I told you, you were too easy on her, you should have claimed her regardless of what she thought, she wouldn't have been able to leave you.”

He did tell me, but he also didn't understand my Dilemma, If I had forcefully claimed Danica as my mate, she would have hated me, and my very presence would have irritated her. What use was having a mate if she hated you to the core.

But now, Danica had gone and broken her promise not to leave me, and that meant I was also free to break my promise.

Danica only listened to reason and instinct and of course her pet rabbits. If she thought you were wrong or she didn't see a good reason, she was going to run.

She was like a chicken, the moment she felt trapped, she ran.

"In the days I've spent with Danica, forcing her would have been the biggest mistake I could make, she's broken her word to stay by running, she'll come back when she feels safe," the last words felt bitter in my mouth,” and when she comes, I wouldn't have to hold back.

"Now what we have to find out is what made her scared enough to run."

"It might have been the vampire, " Vincent suggested.

"You might be right, but the vampire was already in our lands for close to three days, and if you're thinking it might be the vampire biting the girls, you should also remember that it's been happening for close to a week."

When we came down from the stairs Cara was already standing with Octavian by her side.

"Alpha, Beta" he acknowledged us, my eyebrows shot upwards, since when Octavian acknowledged me, I could also see that Vincent and even his mother were shocked.

"Alpha, may I see your mate." He asked.

Whoa, shocker, since when Octavian asks for something, he normally just does what he wants, the Octavian I knew wouldn't have requested, he would have marched up into my room to see my mate.

"Are you dying?Octavian, are you sick?" Leave it to Vincent to ask the question.

"No," Octavian replied in confusion. "I don't feel sick."

Okay now I was totally sure something was wrong with Octavian, the Octavian I knew would have had a perfect come back for Vincent, but he just took it as a question instead of the sarcasm it was supposed to be.

"Well, just tell me what you found about Danica."

Octavian now looked even more confused. " Who's Danica?"

"Wait, are you serious, Danica, as in the Alpha's mate."

"Oh right, yeah um, I found out that she's the last of the Hortensius shifter generation, and she's a Hikrata".

"Meaning?"

"She's a shifter who can change to twelve different animals and also has the power of a witch." Octavian looked at us like we were stupid not to know.

Hikrata's were a shifter myth, they were not born, they were made, who would do that to Danica, she was basically a living weapon, it all suddenly made sense now, the reason she's been running all her life, the reason her family were killed. Anyone who knew Danica would want her for themselves, would want to control her, now wonder she was against our mating, she believes her family died protecting her, she wouldn't want to mate with me and bring trouble to my pack, she believed any one associated with her was going to get killed. Poor Danica, she's ran hee whole life, and the one place she would be able to find solace is the place she believes she shouldn't be.

But who made Danica what she was and why?.

I moved to hug Octavian but stopped when I noticed his hands were trembling and he was sweating heavily. When I took a step forward, he took two steps back.

"Are you okay?" His mother asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I'm just really tired, Excuse me…. Mum, come with me to my room, I want to show you something."

And then he Left…..he ran.

"Is it just me or is Octavian acting weird?" Vincent asked.

"He's probably going through one of his episodes."

Danica

The rabbits won't stop making me feel guilty, they are avoiding me, answering my questions with less enthusiasm, and they refuse to even eat with me.

But I refuse to keep feeling guilty, to keep feeling like I've broken a promise, but would you blame me.

Being made into a Hikrata had its side effects, and I wasn't ready to show that part of myself to Jerome, not to talk of the pack. Some, if not all, would probably call me a freak of nature. And I wasn't ready to face that.

Using the money I stole….took from Jerome, I rented a vacation house, near the moonstone pack, no one would ever think to look for me here.

I took in the room again, and then my eyes went to the mirror. I flinched out of habit, no matter how hard I tried , no matter how many times I tried to tell myself I deserved this, I deserved it for getting my parents killed, I couldn't get over the fact that that reflection was me, couldn't get over the fact that every single trait that made me female was gone.

I was a man, a complete man, with the dick and everything that came with it.

The rabbits might try to convince me Jerome would accept me no matter what I looked like, but I knew the truth. The pack came first. If the pack didn't want me before, what would they do when they see me like this?

My face looked the same but my jaw was sharper, my hair was short, stopping at the back of my neck and fell over my eyes.

Side effects my ass, this other side of me was punishment for my sins, but at least mine came and went. At least it only lasted a week before I'll change back to the normal me.

I closed my eyes as the tears started to fall, And I cried myself to sleep.

★★★

I woke up in a moving car, I could feel my mum's fingers threading through my hair, I could feel dad's hand squeezing mine.

And I remembered the pain I felt, I jolted on my mum's lap, which made dad tighten his fingers in mine harder and mom let out a whimper.

"We have to stop to get food.” Dad said, "I'll go, you stay."

"Be careful Ezra.” mum said as dad pushed the car door open and got out.

We waited and waited and waited, but dad didn't come back. Mum got worried and decided to go check what was holding him up. I begged to follow, to come with, but mom refused, saying I was safer in the car. She got out,but not before making me promise not to come after her. I did promise not to, but with my fingers crossed behind my back.

And I waited, and waited, and waited and waited. I got frustrated sitting in the car with nothing to do, were they in trouble? Did the bad man catch up to them?. So many scenarios ran through my mind until I finally decided to go after them. After all, I wouldn't be breaking a promise if I didn't sincerely make one.

Making my way through the parking lot wasn't that hard when there was a neon sign saying food right in front of me, and dad did say he was going to get food, and mum said she was going to get dad. So the reasonable place to go was to the sign saying food.

My steps faltered when I looked to my left and saw kids my age playing in a park nearby. And I turned heading for the kids. When I got there I noticed the stares I was getting from the kids.

They whispered; her eyes were glowing.

Some ran to their mum; her eyes were glowing mum.

They all looked at me like I was a freak. And that was when I saw mum and dad running towards me with utter terror.

Dad was shouting at me to run, while mum continued to look utterly terrified. I could see them glancing at their backs every now and then as they ran. And I would wonder about what was chasing them and why they were shouting at me when they were the ones that left me in the car.

And right when mum tripped was when I noticed the men in black chasing after them and throwing what looked like thunder bolts at them.

Little ol me. The scared young child who didn't understand what was happening. Watched in absolute horror as a thunderbolt struck dad in the back while he was too busy looking at me and telling me to run.

His body disappeared and where he stepped on last was covered in black dust.

I was frozen in place as I watched on in horror and somewhat fascination as my mother's step faltered when her mind caught up to what had happened to dad. And the hesitation caused her. The thunder bolt strikes right at her head.

It was as if I came to a sudden realization, people were running, and the men with bolts were coming after me next.

I ran, and ran, and ran.