Chapter 41

SOMA:

“Mark, I have to go now,” I announce, getting up from the training mat set up outside the main quarters.

A sudden odd feeling just took over me. Really strange to me I just say because I have never felt that way before. Feels more like a thorn in my heart and I can’t seem to explain how it came to be.

“Where to?” Mark’s voice gets to my hearing, bringing about a further confusion in me. Can’t even say how much bother I am going through at the moment.

“I don’t know,” I say, and with already somewhat conviction of what I have in mind, add, “My room, maybe,”

“Are you okay?” he asks as I begin to take a move say from the location to head into the building to freshen up from the sweaty skin of mine.

I should respond to Mark’s question but I do not see the reason for such so I choose to ignore him as I eventually get into the building at a questionable pace.

From inside the building, the odd feeling was worse that it has me feeling like something was going on without me knowing. But I know that such cannot be possible. I own myself so I should definitely know everything that goes on within me.

Straight, I am in my room, where after shutting the door close, I start to have a rethink once more. And I did not have to rethink things too much because it finally hits me like a bomb about what could most likely be wrong.

Immediately I go into the bathroom for a quick shower which doesn’t last up to the normal time I usually spend when I decide to take a bath.

Out of the bathroom, I do not even take time to use a lotion. Didn’t even think about how rough my hair would be if I were to take it outside that way. The only thing I do that is different on my body was to go for the first set of clothes that comes into sight when I open the closet — a track pants and a shirt.

I feel a lot paranoid now, so to help myself, I shake my head vigorously, hoping it would be of assistance. I then grab my car keys on the cabinet side and make a little adjustment to my hair by packing it in a way that would easily let strands through, before stepping out of the bedroom.

Just right outside the building, I come in contact with Mark again who is still in his training wear. He looks all sweaty, still, which means he continued with the exercise routine we both were having together until the sudden feeling overwhelmed me.

“What’s with the rush, Soma? Where are you running off to?” he quizzes as I increase the pace in my legs to get me to one of the automobiles parked right in front of the building.

“The Dark Moon pack!” I tell him just as I pass by him, a little bothered about how impromptu everything is going for me. Still, I have to be there.

“What business do you have in their pack?”

“I don’t know,” I yell in response, “but I’m treating it as urgent so I have to be there now!”

The more frustrating thing about this whole issue is that Mark wasn’t done with his questioning. “Aren’t you going with any of the warriors?”

For the first time since I felt the feeling that made me all confused, I decide to be calm. And that lasts for a brief moment as I say to Mark while igniting the vehicle that is at the point of taking me to where I need to be, “No!” I then add, “Take care of the pack for me... again.”

“Be safe!” was the last thing I hear from Mark before taking a turn with the vehicle and then driving away from the spot.

I’m not much of a decent driver, and I know that already. And that is the reason it feels weird for me anytime I’m behind the wheel. As I already was in a rush to get to the rival pack that has been more like a brother pack over the weeks, I cannot risk it that someone else should drive the car for me in place. Would only make me all bothered throughout the ride.

I was out of the territory ten to fifteen minutes late and was now driving a little recklessly to the Dark Moon pack. I am so lucky that I am not on the highway of the human territory with the rate at which I am going. If it had been the human territory, I would have either crashed into another car now or worse still cause an accident due to my recklessness.

The highways of the werewolf territory were always so lonely in so many ways. It was hard to see more than a car on the road on a daily basis. Mostly it would be a car swaying through the highway and then another much later. But a situation where a cat and another were moving at the same time was rare. Extremely rare.

The reason for this is that it is not mostly used. Not that it doesn’t want to be used, but most of those in the territory prefer traveling about in their wolf form. Mostly because it gives them a different type of feeling when they are in such form. I cannot agree less with them except that you would never find me in such a situation. I embrace modern technology more than anything else.

Pretty much later, let’s say about an hour or so, I finally arrive at the Dark Moon’s territorial base, which means I was close to the main entrance leading into the pack. I can see the entrance from a distance away already even though it was mostly blocked by woods as it would require a turn to get to the place.

The eerie feeling is back. Much worse this time around. But I try to shrug it off of me for the time being. At least into I get off this car to ensure I could look into it much better.

I think the feeling gets better explained when I finally get to the entrance leading into the pack. I notice there were more guards stationed there than usual and I cannot help but wonder what is going on there.

My car gets flagged off by one of the guards who then steps to the side of my automobile, gesturing for me to wound down the glass which I comply with immediately.

“Identify yourself!” the guard orders me that it has me stunned for a while. Stunned that I almost gave myself gaping at him.

“What do you mean I should identify myself? Don’t you know who I am anymore?” I have to ask, still surprised about the request made to me. It all feels like I am being caught up in an unexpected situation.

“I know who you are. But I will still need you to confirm your identity to me,”

I sigh, seeing that there is no way around there. If I need to get into that pack in time, it would be best if I cooperate with them. Especially without prior knowledge of why this is happening in the first place. So, I say, “I am Soma Walters, Alpha of the Blood Crescent pack. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

The guard looks briefly through my car and then stands upright to look at his comrades before squatting again to look into my vehicle. “Oh, yes, there is something else,” he tells me, a little cold voiced which is starting to piss me off. “Where are your guards, Alpha Soma? How could you come here without them? Are you sure you do not have a motive in mind?”

“Have you gone insane? I mean, are you even listening to yourself? How dare you talk to me that way?”

I’m so irritated now that more minutes here might result in me doing something I might end up regretting, and that is why I didn’t hit the guard right in the face for making the dumbest statement ever to me.

“I’m sorry, Alpha Soma. I'm only following protocols here,”

“What damned protocol would have you talk to me in that manner?”

“I am at fault here and so I apologize,” he says, his voice a little shaky now after seeing how terrifying I could be. “But there was an attack on our pack earlier today which led to the deaths of some of our men. That is why we have to be extra careful before letting anyone in at the moment,”

Did I just hear him say an attack took place in their pack? An attack that led to the deaths of warriors? That is a disaster in its own way.

“H– How did that happen?” I have to ask, already getting seriously worried about Luis’ safety.

“We do not know yet. But we are already looking into it. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Alpha Soma,”

I feel a little messed up in the head now. Unconsciously I start to run a hand through my hair because I still cannot process the whole thing yet. Is that the reason the odd feeling kicked in? I just hope it’s nothing worse than what I feel at the moment.

“So, can I go in now?” I demand, but he declines immediately.

“I’m sorry, but we won’t be permitting your entrance into the pack at the moment. Perhaps if you could wait for a little longer,”

I take a quick scan of the entrance’s premises and it doesn’t look good to me. Does he even know what he is saying by telling me to wait? “Wait where? There’s nowhere around here that I can use as a means to wait. Nothing at all,”

“I know,” he says, “but give us a little more time to sort—”

“Let her in!”

And we both look in the direction of where the stern authoritative voice comes from to see Leonard standing by the entrance with his hands behind his back.