Chapter 3

Cleo sat, then stood, then sat again. She perceived something to be wrong because Penelope never had a hard time trying to convince Alec from taking a wrong decision.

“This is taking too long! She should've been back by now.” – She turned to Stanton while mentally checking the possibilities of what could have gone wrong. “What if…”

“He has done something to hurt her.” Stanton responded, meeting her gaze.

They both bolted out of the room, but arrived rather too late. Alec was long gone and Penelope laid almost dead on the concrete floor.

“He couldn't have done anything to hurt her, or could he?” —Cleo asked in a shaky voice.

“You needn't worry about that, Alec knows more than to hurt her, so you should help her up first.” Stanton replied, pacing towards the corpse. “So she was bitten.”

“Yes, she was…. By a wolf, I guess.” – Cleo stood beside Stanton just after she'd laid Penelope on the couch.

“I guess love was never meant for us.” —he turned away and perched up on the edge of the couch.

“You know…. Alec shouldn't be out in a time like this.” she warned, pouring herself a glass of water.

She was beginning to feel dehydrated after turning Virginia upside-down searching for Annie, who was later found as a corpse.

“We shouldn't worry about him. He'll do well for himself.” Stanton said, trying to convince her.

“Do well for himself, you say?” Cleo reacted with a slap on the wall that stung her palm. “Have you forgotten so soon? After the death of our parents, he would have wiped out a whole town had it not been for Penelope, who was right on time to stop him. In times like this, although the strongest, Alec remains unstable.”

“Argh!” Penelope groaned, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Are you alright?” Cleo hastened and helped her get a good sitting posture.

“It's nothing I can't survive.” Penelope said, blowing back a tumbling hair off her brow. “Where is he?”

Cleo and Stanton gazed at each other with their tongues glued to the roof of their mouths before Stanton finally replied.

“That's the problem. We don't know.”

“This isn't good. I must search for him, else he'll do something which he'll regret.”

Stanton clasped his hands together and tossed his head downwards, while Cleo became unnaturally quiet.

“Don't tell me you've forgotten who you've got as a brother.” —Penelope shot surprise glances at them. “Very well then, I'll just have to do it myself.”

She staggered a few steps and collapsed on the floor.

“Argh!” she shrilled, rubbing her ankle in excruciating pain.

“You shouldn't do this to yourself!” Cleo hurried towards her and helped her up.

“Then what would you have me do? We're all going to suffer it if he eventually crosses his limits. You should know better as a Cunningham.” – Penelope brushed off Cleo's hand and limped back to the couch.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city.

“Why did you do it?” —Alec stood by the door of the 'Foltor'. A room which happened to be the size of a warehouse and served the purpose of a brothel some years back, but now a hideout for the Almond wolves.

“Enough!” —Eldred thundered with an arm held high.

The fun which had only started within the pack some minutes back had to be brought to a stop following the presence of Alec.

“Well, well … Well.” he said, stepping up to Alec. “Look who came to visit…. A Cunningham.”

“I'll ask again before pulling out your limbs one by one.” Alec said, in a voice as hard as steel. “Why did you do it?”

“Oh! Do you mean Annie? Well, I guess it's even now. If I can't have her, then no one will.” he said, even though he had no hand in her death.

Those words were just to get at him because of their ugly past.

“Yet you claim to have loved her.” Alec said, in a dangerous voice, as a flash of anger lighted his eyes.

Eldred's skin crawled as he met Alec's gaze. It was best to choose his words wisely so as not to end up on the wrong side of his temper, but he wouldn't want to expose how scared he was in front of his pack.

“What are you going to do?” he asked, his words betraying his true feelings.

“What I've always done.” —Alec bolted in and gripped Eldred's neck. “Anything else to say?”

He gave out a low snarl, ready to drive his fangs into Eldred's flesh.

“Look around, Alec, can you take out the lot of us?”

A smile curled up Alec's lips. “I think you underestimate me.” —he whispered, then gazed at the pack who'd begin shape-shifting.

“Very well then, we'll have to settle this some other time.”—he withdrew his arm from around Eldred's neck and receded towards the door.

“Alec!” Eldred roared.

Alec paused, it just felt to him like an object pierced his skin. He gritted his teeth and turned with a neat smile. “What is it?”

“I've got a gift for you.” Eldred said, throwing a bag of blood on the ground.

“What does this mean?” —Alec glanced at the bag of blood on the floor then to Eldred who arched a brow.

“Enjoy your meal.” he said, with a feeling of fulfilment.

“Really?” Alec asked, dark veins emerging below his eyes as he formed his hand into a fist. “Make no mistake, the only reason you still have your head on your neck is because I chose to be kind today.”

He made clear and breezed out.