ALPHA RAY
Year 2006
(Winter, The U.R.T)
The wind carried him to the gate.
Ray stares at the vortex in the middle of an open field of snow. The crested rat of betrayal continues gnawing his ribcage. The second he shifted back to his human form, he bolted. No hesitation, no goodbyes. Blast his cowardice, he didn't even pause to catch the last sight of her.
There's no turning back now. Even if he changed his mind, he can't tell where the monastery is, where he is. He wouldn't know how to go back.
Ray steps towards the vortex—then he halts.
Snowy!
Ray looks over his shoulder, the stream of moonlight showing him the way back to Kate, her voice echoing in the cold breeze, imploring him to go back, to keep his promise.
"But if Kate sees this." He stares at his hands, terrified and frustrated. "She'll think that I'm a monster. I can't be a monster. I'm not a monster. She can't think of me as a monster."
He inhales deeply, his mind made up. "It's better this way… it's better for her. I'm a wolf so I'm a danger to her. It's better that I leave. They'll tell her. They'll protect her. She'll be fine. We'll be fine."
He throws himself into the vortex.
*****
Year 2006
(Winter, The Howling Five Kingdom)
As soon as he's spit out from the gate, Ray bumps into a 'tree trunk' and lands on a cushion of snow. He's about to be swallowed by the soft shaved ice, when the 'tree' trunk' grabs and lifts him in the air.
"Well, I'll be cursed." Mozzo is smiling but he doesn't look happy that Ray is back. Sensing danger, Ray tries tearing the iron grip off him to escape, but Mozzo is much stronger.
"Let go, Mozzo! I'm going home, let go!"
The bully is slightly surprised. The wimp has never been this bold. He wants to punch that handsome face when laughter sprouts from behind him, snapping him out of the impulse.
"Flamingo's picked up words, Moz!"
"His first words!"
"Our baby has grown up so much in two weeks!"
Hoots of victory explode in the air, then the dawning sky booms with fiery blossoms. Worry and fear sting Ray in his chest, as the mutts dance to the celebratory popping. Even though it feels stupid, he still asks Mozzo, "Did you send that? Who are you fetching?"
Mozzo smacks a friendly one on his back. "Why, the King, o'course! Come on!" With his arm an iron hook around the young prince's neck caging him right where he's wanted, Mozzo shoves and drags the resisting Ray towards the castle. "They'll want to hear all about your adventure, Alpha Ray."
Ray stretches his neck in desperation to keep their cheeks from kissing. "Adventure? You left me there, and I almost died! I'm going to tell everyone that you tried to kill me!" Everyone will know what an evil mutt you are!
"Sure, sure!" The bullies laugh harder with the applauding blossoms that continue booming into the breaking dawn.
*****
The Silver Ring manor (which the half-human Luna still calls 'the castle') has a great hall where the Silver Ring pack congregates. Announcements of emergencies, important updates from across the five packs that have become a kingdom by their sworn allegiance. Alpha Kee, the King of the Howling Five Kingdom, expanded the hall so that members from all the five packs could gather at once when the need arrives.
However, the King eventually found his sentinels a more personal hence effective communication channel, so he had only used the great hall once in his lifetime: the arrival of his firstborn. By the time Ray was born, the King had only used the hall to receive guests, both the invited and uninvited.
Ray has never seen the empty hall bloated with warm bodies, the chatter and noise filling every space and crevice. If Mozzo didn't look like the champion of sling dash, Ray would've been relieved by the presence of all the five packs.
"There he is, the traitor!" cried someone from the crowd, and Ray felt a shudder of fear. Are they talking about me?
"Banish him!"
"Reject him!"
Ray followed their glares and found Mozzo grinning ahead. Mozzo is the traitor? What did he do?
"He's consumed by the dark whims! Kill him!"
Mozzo is consumed?! Ray fears for his life when the werewoman slaps the shoulder of her mate and hisses, "The dark whims have already been killed! Alpha Kee and the others took care of it, and they haven't surfaced for many full moons now!"
But the grower hisses back, "I was in the bushes the other day and heard everything. Someone found a few speckles."
Ray blinks back in horror. His focus foregrounds, and he searches Mozzo's face for signs of being consumed by the darkness, but a force pushes him and he stumbles forward, a crash landing on all fours.
"Here he is, Alpha Rex!" cries Mozzo as Ray groans in pain, rubbing his bruised elbows. Mozzo turns to the crowd like a magician in a great cape. "My mutts and I found him in the human world and dragged him back!"
Ray clumsily scrambles off the floor. "That's not true! I–I met them at the gate—!"
Mozzo laughs. "That's what I said, Ray. We caught you at the gate and brought you back. Do you know how worried we've all been?"
"What—no!" Ray is frantic. "I was at the gate here! In the Howling Five Kingdom. I came home on my own. I came through the gate and bumped into… Mozzo." No one is listening. Everyone's busy shooting their disapproval at him like silver bullets.
"Traitor!"
"Liar! Get rid of him!"
"We don't need a troublemaker!"
"Wretched thing, stop cursing us!"
His head is spinning. He's in a frenzy. Ray waves both hands spewing strings of 'no', begging for just one person to listen. "I'm not the liar—they are! They dragged me to the human world and left me there to die! They tried to kill me—!"
"ENOUGH!" Rex glares at him with umbrage. "Twenty days, Ray! Do you have any idea what we've been through all this time? We scoured the lands looking for you. ALL OF US! Your brothers and sisters, the pack, members of the Howling Five and their Alphas—EVERYONE!"
Guilt freezes his limbs. His mouth goes dry. The looks from his siblings are burning a hole in his face. Frightened, Ray seeks sanctuary from the floor instead. But resentment continues gripping his hands into paled fists. They must know the truth. They'll forgive me when they know the truth. I just need a moment to tell them the truth!
"Ten blasted days," continues Rex, "then another ten for the King and Queen. They've been searching the human world. They're still there as we speak."
More guilt stabs his chest but Ray pushes it aside and tries again. "But Rex, I didn't mean to. They left me there and the snowstorm—."
Rex cuts him off. "Forgive me—forgive us—for not being empathetic, Ray. You better have a good explanation for all the nonsense you've caused, or so Goddess help me, I will personally break your blasted neck!"
Ray jolts back in fear. The image of his head broken from its neck sends him into a scurry. "I—I found the gate! No—I mean, I couldn't find the gate at first! But then I found it! So I came home—."
In two strides, Rex is in front of him. He grabs Ray by his throat and lifts him like a rogue wolf to be staked. "Do you take me for a fool? WE DON'T FIND THE GATE—WE SENSED IT, WE GO TO IT, YOU NINCOMPOOP!"
Ray is too terrified to speak. Rex has never been this angry before, and he's never called him names. Their parents didn't like it. What should he do? More importantly, how can he breathe?