That was not a situation Shade wanted to be put in. It wouldn’t be good for him, or his Pack. They hadn’t had a death by challenge for centuries and he didn’t want to be the first Alpha to have that title. However, he also knew that this thing going on inside him would explode with dire consequences if the situation arose.
“Get your ass out of bed,” he grumbled, hauling himself up and toward his shower. He planned on getting to the bottom of things before the day was out.
One way or another he’d find out whether he was fit to continue as Alpha of his beloved Pack. If what ailed him was something serious, something that there was no cure for, then he’d be forced to think of who he would hand over leadership to.
“Fuck!” he cursed as steaming hot water cascaded down over him. The mere thought of relinquishing his power to someone else causing a torrent of emotions to rampage through him.
Anger was first, quickly followed with sadness and despair. “Not happening.” He tried to convince himself as he had the fastest shower of his life, eager to get started on his quest for a solution.
Once dressed he grabbed whatever was in the fridge, ramming it down his throat to quench the rapidly growing hunger, determined he would not allow it to side track him again. He didn’t even taste what he ate, nothing staying in his mouth long enough. Shade was disgusted with himself as he checked the fridge to find it devoid of food. Damn. He was certain it had been replenished only the previous day.
This was completely out of control. He was completely out of control and it had to stop. Now. Today. If not the consequences would be too much for him to bear.
Shade stormed out. He’d get those discs from Lana and he would not stop until he had an answer. If it took him all day, all week, he would sit his ass down at his desk and refuse to move until he found something, anything that would help. As he made his way through the camp, his camp, for once he hated how successful the Pack was, because it meant Lana’s cabin was further than he wished. His feet stomping over the ground as he fought to stay on-track, his beast pawing angrily inside his head as it fought for release.
The hunger gnawing inside grew so great Shade’s hand flew to his belly, a soft groan escaping as pain lanced through him. “Shit,” he cursed, his feet swerving and heading straight for the forest. Cutting between cabins and swerving around anything that stood in his path, he soon found himself at the end of the trees. He was already tearing at his clothes, ripping them from his body as fast as he could. “One kill, that’s all I need,” he muttered to himself.
Shock ran through him as he heard his own words; he sounded like a junkie.
Looking at the ground he gritted his teeth, attempting to force himself to dress and continue to the Healer’s cabin, but his skin started to ripple of its own volition. His control over himself and his beast deserting him in the face of this unnatural hunger that had invaded him, body and soul.
Shade was Alpha so his transformations were always fast, quicker than most, but this time it was almost instantaneous and left him breathless. His beast’s head low as he panted with the disturbingly rapid change. It only took mere moments before pain pierced once more in his guts, sending him on the hunt for something, anything to assuage the hunger that ate them up inside.
Massive paws ran over the ground, the area known to the Wolf so well that he would never fall foul to the many pitfalls. No hole would trip them, no root would slow them down, and no damn thing would stop them as the scent of prey entered his snout. His beast slowed, sniffing the air, and changing trajectory to hone in on the lone deer that had wandered too close to the starving Wolf. The deer was his only focus as he sped through the forest, ducking to avoid low hanging branches, and weaving in and out of the trees, both large and small.
His Wolf sped up, knowing the area well enough to expect the large stream that was just ahead, he needed the momentum to propel himself up and over the wide tributary. His paws digging deep for purchase a moment before he launched himself up and over the water, landing softly and taking off again. The scent of his prey was much stronger now. It was close and he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into the animal and devour as much of it as he could. Maybe then he’d get on his way and get to the bottom of what was going on with him and this damn hunger.
But that was for later. Now all he could focus on was prey, prey, prey.
His beast slowed, slinking down to the ground to scent where the deer was located. It was nearby, his senses seeking the beast, nose and ears working overtime to find its exact position. A rustle of leaves underfoot was all that was required, his beast moving with stealth to find the small deer grazing lazily mere feet away through some bushes. His powerful hind legs propelled his Wolf forward . . . and the deer didn’t stand a chance as powerful jaws locked around its throat, crushing it quickly. As blood erupted inside his mouth, covering his face and chest he released the animal and roared with triumph before commencing to feast on his prize.
In a haze of blood and gore, the animal didn’t last long,
