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113 | HALF THE WORLD AWAY
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Alpha Ares 114 | EVERY ROLL OF THE DICE
Wherever we went, I heard the terrifying beat of paws following us. They trailed into my dreams, too, as I dipped in and out of consciousness. At some point I’d been repositioned, and I was now slumped forward over someone’s wolven back. I couldn’t even open my eyes for long enough to look at the colour of the fur on the back that carried me. Somehow, the dreams were worse than the nightmarish reality I currently existed in. They were swirling, inky darkness and endless, icy cold; they were the chains around my legs and the feel of water swallowing my head whole. My lungs were pulsing with cold water, and every breath I took brought me closer to death. Then I would jolt awake – only to remember where this torturous journey was taking us. If we even survived it. To Nazte. To the man that had done that to me. Mercilessly, I was plunged back into the hazy horror of my memories, and the circle began all over again. Sometimes, the memories I was plagued by changed. I saw Ares, slumped li
Alpha Ares 115 | A SPLINTERED ARMY
I looked down at my leg, the burn in it seeming to grow as I gave it my full attention, trepidation making my chest feel tight. Infected? No – it couldn’t be. I was a werewolf, after all; a slash of claws like that should have already begun to heal, even if it had not yet healed entirely. “Infected?” I repeated, my voice sounding too quiet, and strangely tinny, to my own ears. “How can it be infected already?”My leg was stuck out straight. Red stained what was left of my trousers, and tattered slips of fabric fell limply to the wooden slats of the floor. The claw marks cut deep, and their edges were raw and dark and angry and swollen. It still burned, even hours after I’d been clawed; by now, it would usually feel like a dull throb, if anything at all. I winced and dragged myself into a better seated position, pulling my knee up slowly so that I could inspect the injury.Peeling back the makeshift bandages, I wrinkled my nose. It smelt rotten.“That bloody wolfsbane,” muttered Nana
Alpha Ares 116 | SNOWFALL
I winced as the medic tapped on my freshly bound leg. Medic Olia was a middle-aged woman with hair just starting to grey at her temples, which made her look distinguished and wise rather than old. I’d expected to be treated by the same medic that had seen me before, but Cendres had told me that Winterpaw trained up a lot more of their wolves as medics, due to the harsh nature of their territory’s climate, as he’d guided my family and I to the medical centre. I’d been glad of the change as she’d looked me over, the fire warming one side of my face, snow falling outside and piling up on the windowsill.But, even though she’d been nothing but nice to me – shockingly, considering how I’d been treated by Winterpaw Warrior wolves in the past – I’d remained stiff as a log the whole time she’d been looking at my cuts. Her visage had blurred every time she’d bent over me, her face becoming youthful and enthusiastic – her face becoming Flora’s.“The poultice should draw out the infection,” she
Alpha Ares 117 | THAT FIRST RUMBLE OF THUNDER
I settled myself in my usual seat around the large table. It felt wrong to be in a meeting in Winterpaw without Ares, but I tightened my core and held myself tall. The heat of the fire warmed my body, but until he awoke my heart and soul would remain frozen over within.A candle had almost burned down to its stub, slightly off the centre of the dented table. The white sky outside was as yet unchanging, casting the grey room in an eerie shade of pale winter’s light.Cendres cleared his throat. “I guess I should begin.” He shifted uncomfortably; I’d never seen him looking so ill at ease. He tucked a lock of long, light brown hair behind his ear – only to slide it back out again straight away and repeat the cycle. His bold, blunt features were creased with doubt as he said, “We should start with introductions. This is something of an unusual gathering, but I would like to thank you all for coming at such short notice.”I nodded. Everything in my life felt like a whirlwind now. “Indeed,”
Alpha Ares 118 | HANS AND HANNA
The days dragged on. If my life had been a whirlwind before, now it became the stagnant water of a green pond. The more time I spent back in Winterpaw, the more bizarre the normality of it all began to feel. There was an undercurrent of unease that cut through every too-normal conversation, that was present every time a wolf called me Luna or ducked their head in respect when I passed.I fell into a routine of malaise: I woke to the knock of the medic, who checked on Ares, who was still yet to wake, and then checked my leg, which was healing well. I trained as best I could, sitting on an upturned bucket and exercising my arms with a sword, wishing Ares would wake all the while. I watched my dad integrate with the Winterpaw Warrior Wolves, and watched my mum keep her distance from them, a scowl permanently fixed on her mouth. I dug the tip of my sword into the snow with a sigh. Across from me, Nana Baspy folded her arms.“We’re training for a battle,” I muttered, my gaze sliding over
Alpha Ares 119 | WE NEED TO TALK
“Yes,” I snarled, turning on him, “we do need to talk, Cendres.” My mouth flapped uselessly as my anger overwhelmed me. The flickering torchlight became dancing flames shooting from my palms, aimed at him and ready to burn. “I – I – I can’t believe you,” I spat, after a too-long pause. “You were there. And Nazte is missing! Stars, I–”He smiled ruefully at me as he interrupted. “I know. Everything you’re about to say, I’m pretty sure I can guess. Look – let’s go upstairs, yeah? We can talk there.” He held my gaze, his pale blue eyes unusually serious, unnaturally sombre, and something in his expression gave me pause. Slowly, I nodded.“Fine.” “Follow me.”We walked in terse silence. I listened to the steady thrum of my heartbeat and the slap of our boot soles against the stone floor and the ever-present pulse of water in my right ear. It calmed me; even if I had nothing and nobody else to trust, I had myself. I was no longer torn between loyalties. I knew where I stood and what was r
Alpha Ares 120 | THE SWORD IN THE SNOW
I tripped over my own feet I moved so fast. I surged ahead of both Cendres and Medic Olia, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that I couldn’t hear myself think. Not that it mattered – there was only one thought drumming through me, a name beating out a rhythm in perfect time with my heart.The ice was finally starting to thaw around my soul. Ares was awake.“I’ve been looking all over for the two of you,” said Medic Olia breathlessly, her arms pumping furiously at her sides. “I’ve had Omegas and the other medics rushing from the training grounds to the dining hall to the meeting rooms. Trying your room was a last ditch attempt, Beta Cendres – and one I wish I’d resorted to earlier. But you are so rarely there nowadays, and as for Luna Haile, well – her being with you was a stroke of luck, I suppose.”He waved a hand. “You’ve found us now. That’s all that matters.”I nodded along, only half listening. My head and heart were pounding; anticipation swelled in my belly, making my mo
Alpha Ares 121 | AVALANCHE
I ran to the window. My palms stuck to the icy sill.Wolves marched into Winterpaw’s central territory. They surrounded the mountains and filled the valleys. I squinted down at them; my breath felt too thin in my lungs, my head too light on my shoulders.It couldn’t be – no, not already – it was too soon…The armies couldn’t be here. Could they?But the pit in my stomach told me that I knew they could. Every day I’d spent here I’d been waiting: waiting for Ares, waiting for them. And in the space of half an hour I’d finally been granted both.I chewed on the inside of my cheek, leaning closer to the window. Outside, the wolves lined up in neat rows. There were less of them than I’d expected – definitely in the tens, not the hundreds – and some of them looked familiar. No, not just some – all of them did. I could pick out patterns in fur and the curl of a lip from years of living and training and fighting alongside them.“Haile?” Ares rasped. The bed groaned beneath his weight as he sh
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