“Fuck!” Beth screamed and kicked at the door. She was at Dr Makovsky’s office door with Axel, her nerves severely frayed. They’d gotten to the door in order to fetch the manuscript for the werewolf antidote, only to find out that his office was under lock and key. She should have known. That manic doctor wouldn’t leave his office open, not even if the building was on fire. She’d worked for him for years, she should have known what he would do.
“Fuck fuck fuck!” She swore angrily and hit the metal door. The door wasn’t like any normal door. There was a doorknob in it, but no keyhole, which meant that it was opened or locked through some other means.
Whatever. The door was locked, period.
The hallway in which they stood was eerily empty. All the scientists that worked for Dr Makovsky had used the sacking of the science laboratory as an opportunity to escape, almost as if they’d been waiting for the opportunity. Only the security alarm still blaring and the sounds of battle outside could be heard.
Axel grabbed Beth’s shoulder and pulled her back. He went to the door and peered at the metal doorknob, jiggling it with his hand. “He probably locked it with something else, not a key.” He said, confirming Beth’s thoughts.
“We should have followed Alpha Jacob to rescue Lauren. This was all a waste of our time.” Beth muttered, her head in her hands. They’d met the Alpha werewolf on their way up and had switched roles: he had volunteered to rescue Lauren while they fetched the manuscript.
“Okay, so the door is definitely locked.” Axel said, straightening up and looking at Beth “Change of plans.”
“We go to where Lauren is and help Jacob save her?” Beth suggested “Or we go back to the battle.”
Axel started to say something, then stopped, a frown appearing on his face. Beth heard it, the howling of wolves that had begun from outside.
“What’s that?” He asked, his body stiffening. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Beth murmured in reply.
“I’m not sure but-” Axel stopped, a look of realisation flashing across his face. “Oh, God!”
“Axel, what’s wrong?” She asked worriedly, peering into his face.
“Somebody… something is definitely wrong.” Was all he said. He grabbed Beth by the arm and hauled her along as they ran away from the office door and towards the battle below.
☆
Lia saw it; same as all the other pack members. She was a rogue now, she couldn’t feel the pang of pain and the increasing desire to howl like the rest of the pack, but she saw it. The collective howling of the pack members indicated that something had changed. She was still lying there, in the shadows of the battle as she saw the other werewolves stop fighting and let out howls. She scrabbled forward and stood to her feet, flexing her wounded shoulder.
The gunshot would had healed already, and all that could point to the fact that she was once injured there was a bloody scar. She staggered forward and looked around: the parking lot of the facility was littered with werewolf bodies, that of her former pack and the rabid werewolves alike. It was bloody and horrible and she felt tears well up in her eyes as she identified the faces of some of her fallen comrades.
The rest of the pack that were still alive were badly injured and howling, their snouts raised in the air. Dr Makovsky’s remaining werewolves had disappeared like their master. Lia looked towards the entrance of the facility and saw Beth and Axel running out, their faces identical in worry and shock. They saw her across the parking lot and ran forward with questions in their eyes.
“What happened?” Beth demanded, grabbing her shoulder. “Why are they howling?”
She stopped as she saw the anguish in Lia’s eyes. The younger girl knew that very few things could cause the pack to howl in unison like that, usually either a hunt or-
She shook her head as the thought crossed her mind. No, it couldn’t happen. “I don’t know,” was all she said to Beth though.
Soon enough, her fears were confirmed. What was left of the glass doors of the facility burst open and out came Lauren with her arms around an older woman and behind them, Aidan with a limp thing un his arms.
Lauren and the woman collapsed to the ground immediately they got to the front and Beth rushed to them. Lia did not pay attention to them though. Her eyes were still on Aidan and the thing he was carrying. Her eyes moved from him and scoured the area behind him, expecting a third person.
“Where’s the alpha?” She asked. “Where is Alpha Jacob?”
Almost imperceptibly, Aidan shook his head. The weight of whatever he was carrying seemed to weigh him down and his face was twisted in an ugly cry. The wolves immediately stopped howling and trodded to the boy, forming a circle around him.
Slowly he dropped the body in his hands to the ground and rose up. Lia felt her legs taking her closer to the body, and a distant booming sound hit her ears as she recognised the still face of her former alpha. Still and peaceful in death.
The wolves had begun howling again. Lia heard wails coming from the humans behind her but they sounded distant and out of this world. Her attention was focused on the unmoving body in front of her, and what the sight was doing to her heart.
Her wolf was crying out in pain and yearning to be let out. Lia shed no human tears, only giving free rein to her wolf; she began to change, her form twisting and collapsing till she had changed completely. She pawed the ground and yowled, then raised her snout in the air and joined her pack members, letting out her own howl of pain.