HEALING ALPHA AUSTIN

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Elance's eyes drooped and she laid down the bulk of manuscripts she held in her hand to the bedside table, snuggling in deeper between the sheets. Being her father's daughter meant being prepared enough to finish off his sentences and perhaps make the same judgements as he would have, only of course without access to his thoughts. That's the only reason she was awake late into the night skimming documents that detailed their family history. A sudden clap of thunder and the howl of the wind had her scampering from underneath the duvet. The lights went out just as her feet hit the ground and Elance stood still for a second, just like she had been taught even as chills spread through her body. Goosebumps broke across every inch of her flesh. Something had gone horribly wrong. She remained rooted to the spot, her eyes adjusting to the darkness as the howling got louder.

This wasn't expected.

Her father, the Alpha of the Crystal Moon Pack had never said anything about strange howls in the middle of the night. It was unnatural for her kind to start a mourning cry without informing the Alpha about the death of the victim, and even then, no one's death was ever accompanied with noise of this sort.

With her teeth chewing on the inside of her cheek, she drew in a deep, slow breath and forced her legs to move to the window, pushing the windows open. It wasn't windy. What had happened had nothing to do with the weather.

The half moon cast silhouettes over the garden, giving the flowers distorted shapes. 'I have to get to Father. I need to get to him,' Elance thought, moving shakily away from the window. The noise had stopped. Just as suddenly as it had begun but the eery silence was not at all reassuring. She inched forward slowly.

Reaching the silver handle of the door which had been put as a precautionary move against the other ungodly creatures that roamed hallways at night, she pulled despite the pounding of her heart. It didn't creak.

She stepped out of the room as quietly as she could muster, letting her ears pick up the night sounds while sniffing deeply. There was no one in the hallway. Still she could not shake off the unease she felt. Today was one of the days she wished for the invisibility of the undead. There was no taking what waited at the end of the corridor even as she moved towards it hesitantly.

Being unprepared meant death and right now, she was unprepared as she could ever be not knowing what roamed their home. Elance leaned on the banister, her fingers wrapped around them tightly and let herself settle. She reached into the depths of her mind, her eyes gleaming in the darkness as she tried to communicate with her Father.

Nothing.

Unblinking, she reached out again with bated breath. Despite being trained all her life in preparation for the worst case scenarios, nothing prepared her for the radio silence she got. The mind link had been broken. She could not reach anyone. Not her father. Not the guards nor Treynor, the maid she had been assigned.

Her teeth chattered. Her eyes darted around the stairway and she wondered if to stay and face whatever it was or find her way out. Guilt clouded her thoughts and she didn't see him approach her stealthily.

"Elance?" He whispered. She froze at the sound of her name at such proximity. Hogwash's blue eyes gleamed lumiscently in the dark. His lips were stretched in a taut smile as he took note of her stance.

"Papa," She croaked, crossing the distance to stand beside him, underneath his shoulders. A wave of relief washed through her as they stood together on the stairs, watching the entrance silently. This was where she belonged and they would fight together to the death, if need be. There was no way she was going to lose another parent. She wouldn't survive the pain. Nor the responsibilities.

Hogwash tutted. His hands stroked the salt and pepper whiskers on his chin and his brows wrinkled, lost in his thoughts. Elance found her voice after what seemed like a lifetime.

"What's going on? There was howling earlier on. Then screeching. There is no one else in sight and the mind link has..."

"...been broken." Her father completed and she stared at him quizzically.

"How did you do that if it had been broken?" Elance tried to make her voice sound as airy as possible. Speaking was always the werewolf's last resort when there was trouble. There was no telling what or who was listening in.

"Common sense, El. Sometimes, it is okay to let your human instincts guide you when you can't trust your mind and today is one of those times. No one is coming to save us today. All of the guards have been put to sleep and I can't quite figure out what spell has been used for this. That could have given us pointers..."

"Your library... Maybe there is a book there that could point us to the truth. I could go get it. I'll be careful." Hogwash glanced over at his daughter. His eyes glowed with an emotion akin to pride. Or tenderness. He didn't doubt her abilities. There was so much he had taught her. There was so much he had not said to her. He still had time to say the words to her but refused to. Even if it was the time, it wasn't the place.

"I just talked about common sense. I'd be crazy to let you walk through those doors. You are going to listen to me and do as I instruct you. I am your father and your Alpha." His tone left no room for questions or suggestions. He was commanding her and there was nothing that could be done about it.

He held her shoulder, turning her around to face him. Without a word, his hands gesticulated wildly, giving her a series of orders in a language she had hated to learn at 8. His actions were a reminder of how much confidence she had in the proud, six foot Alpha beside her.

His jaw was taut and the unbridled energy flowing in his system reflected in his eyes, the flare of his nose and the way he held up his head proudly. Unshaken.

She willed her head to believe that he was. That everything that was happening was just a minor issue he could fix but then never in the history books she had read, it had never been mentioned that it was possible to lull all guards into a deep sleep. Or any of what was happening.

"I am not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me," He said while looking ahead pointedly. She could hear the irregularity of his heart beat. It echoed the thump of her heart and she was sure she could hear hers too. It wasn't anger or pain that caused that rhythm. But fear.

"I know." Elance answered but her voice carried none of the conviction she had felt earlier. She hated herself for flouting the first and most important rule she had been given. Breathe, She berated herself. It wasn't the time to let her mind play games with her. The ring of the doorbell jolted her out of her reverie and she watched on helplessly as her father turned on the flashlight she didn't know he had.

Living on the edge of town, only miles away from town meant that there was a need to blend in with everyone else and they had done this over the years, just like the other packs scattered across America. They had done this successfully until today. The doorbell rang again.

Before anyone could contemplate answering, the iron doors burst open with a single push and hordes of wolf-shaped creatures tumbled over themselves in a rush to get in through the doors. Elance sucked in a deep breath. There was no way she was going to leave him to himself despite the orders she had received. Raising her dress slowly, she unsheathed the silver dagger that was always strapped to her thighs.

"What are you doing?" Hogwash muttered through clenched teeth without taking his eyes off the animals.

"You have to leave..."

"There is no way to. Any sudden movements will have them charging towards us before you have the time to take a swing." She jutted her chin to meet his gaze, forgetting for a split second that they were not alone. Elance realised her mistake a minute too late as one of the oddies leaped from the crowd at the door, heading unmistakably towards her.

She watched in slow motion as a pair of arms and toeless legs fly towards her.

"Ellll, duck!" Hogwash bellowed. His voice echoed in the room and tension tightened the back of her neck. One second she had been on her feet, and the next she was on the ground, her dagger out of her grasp. She didn't have time to recover even as her father stood over her, swiping at the air furiously.

"Elance Hogwash. Get out of here," He screamed again. She moaned in response, her hand rubbing the spot where her head had jammed with the carpeted staircase. It was a stupid thing to do.

And she realised this before her instincts could react to the next flying creature.