Alpha Xander: His Contracted Luna

Shawn bashed the sled into the thick bushed. He led the way as the others marched behind. Joni slacked off at the end of the line with the lot carrying the chest of locks and chains. Ruben, right next to Shawn cautioned with a halt. He heard a critter squealing.

“Why the wait?” Polo grunted behind him. “You want to take a piss already?” he teased.

Shawn turns around to face Ruben. He was clearly disturbed by the abrupt fall short in their march. Ruben had the keenest sense of hearing in the Deltas. He heard a metal snap.

“There are booby traps” Ruben raised a brow at Shawn.

“What?” Shawn gripped the sled of his hammer with tenacity.

“I know what I heard,” Ruben said convincingly. “This whole area had been marked as a hunting ground.”

“You think the betas set us up for this?” Polo grimaced.

“Aw shit,” a delta next to Polo smacked a palm to his face. “The mudslides and now this all of a sudden.”

The rest of the Deltas began to sound wary. The murmur started to tick off Shawn. A vein popped at his neck.

“Shut up Deltas!” Shawn struck the hammer at a tree. “In just a little time we will strap ourselves to the trees with these,” he picked up chains from Polo and tossed them back to him. “And get this over with. I don’t see what this yapping is all about.”

The leaves of the northern red oak tree fell slowly to their faces. Their eyes gleamed up at the extended shaky branches of the trees. Shawn’s voice called them back to order.

“Whether the betas had to do with it or not, it doesn’t stop us from marching forward,” Shawn lowered his hand. “A little booby trap doesn’t scare us. We are bloody Deltas goddammit.”

“We do have to get going Shawn,” Ruben looked up at the dark sky where the moon was bright and secluded away from the stars.

The Deltas continued walking. Joni picked up the pace from behind. He struggled to get past the Deltas next to Polo. They all wore tank tops and were eager to let anyone move ahead of them. He got shouldered into the shrubs.

In the splinter of the moment. Joni yelled in agony. His right arm got caught in a trap. Ruben rushed to his aid. The others didn’t dare reach out to help him. Polo scared them away with grim stares.

“Keep moving Deltas,” Polo ordered. “As for you… don’t hold anyone back. The moon curse ain’t waiting on you,” Polo huffed. “Shit, that’s bad. You know what… just bite on this,” Ruben raised a piece of wood to Joni. “I know you are gonna heal soon-that’s a lie,” he shook his head. “It’s gonna take a long time if I don’t set that arm straight,” his face crinkled looking at the torn ragged wound.

Joni’s breaths quickened. He took the piece of wood in his teeth and bit hard on it. Ruben carefully took out the sharp metal clamped on Joni’s arm.

“It hurts like hell man,” Joni raised his head slowly from the grass.

They were the only two deltas left at the spot.

“Your blood is shiny in the dark,” Ruben held a palm under Joni’s arm and the other above his wrist.

“Come on man, just put it back,” Joni grinned his teeth.

“Here goes nothing.”

Ruben gripped under Joni’s arm tight and tweaked the wrist upright.

Crack.

The piece of wood fell out of Joni’s mouth alongside a drool of saliva. The young delta was exempted from the pain. His mouth was wide open for a brief moment.

“Well look at that.”

Ruben smirked.

The tissues were forming and the torn skin was closing in.

“Yeah-yeah, thanks, man.”

Joni thumbed the edge of his lips.

“You healed quite alright.”

Ruben patted his back and raised him to his feet.

“Thanks. Really. You are not like the others.”

Joni’s eyes gleamed emerald eyes gleamed. He extended an arm to Ruben.

“Who says I am any better.”

Ruben chuckled pulling Joni from the grass with a shake of hands.

They picked up the trail and walked onto the path Shawn paved.

“Other than you…” Joni tilted his beanie to the side. “I don’t think I have really talked to anyone among the Deltas. Talk less of helping me.”

“Count yourself, man,” Ruben brushed a leaf off Joni’s shirt. “I am one of the very few.”

“So who else is there?” Joni glanced with curiosity in his eyes. “I need to be sure of every good-hearted delta in the Alpha pack,” he fisted palm.

“Slow down there buddy,” Ruben pocketed his shorts and slouched in his stride. “What do you want to do? Plan a coup or something?” he teased.

“No-no I uh… I was just asking,” Joni palmed his neck.

“Eve.”

“Huh?”

“One of the deltas with a good heart.”

“I don’t think I… wait, wait, the girl with the-

Ruben nodded. “Red scarf, yeah.”

Joni plucked at the strands of hair under his chin. “I don’t really see her around much.”

Ruben sighed. “She’s not here right now. Apparently, she enjoys the company of the betas.”

“We can do that?”

“Do what?”

“Join the Betas if we want?”

“No. I don’t know what Faye… Luna sure has a plan for her.”

“There’s a lot going on in the pack we don’t know.”

“Right back at you,” Ruben agreed.

“There are some who are hard on the outside. They are not the same on the inside.”

“Who do you have in mind?”

“Shawn. He is not a bad dude he just-

Ruben’s face was stern. He inched forward to Joni.

“Yeah, you see him riling up the others. They are happy and all that, but you all don’t know Shawn. Trust me. Polo, on the other hand, is an easy nut to crack but there’s more to those two that no one is aware of.”

Joni was the dear optimist when it came down to opposing the true identity of his higher-ups. He wondered if truly there was a darker side to Shawn.

He is a brute but no way in hell does he have an ulterior motive, Joni pondered.

A delta swung down from a branch in front of them, “About time you guys showed up.”

They ignored him and walked along to join the others. Polo was distributing the locks. Joni left Ruben’s side to approach the tall-headed Delta.

“For your hands and feet beanie,” Polo pushed the locks against his chest.

“Telling me that was enough,” Joni wheezed. “Which tree do I get?” Joni glared at the tree with fewer red leaves, where some deltas casually sat on the grass having a chat.

“Wherever the heck you please,” Polo snorted.

“Good to know man,” Joni nodded with a smile.

Joni’s locks dangled in his palms. He felt hesitant and dropped the locks to his feet when Polo randomly pulled him close by the arm.

“Make sure your locks are tight beanie,’ he warned narrowing his eyes into Joni’s. “If you don’t… it will set you loose and you will-you will be a lost wolf when you break free.”

“Yeah… bet,” Joni chuckled nervously.

“Don’t say I never told ya,” Polo gleaned.

“I totally understand,” Joni walked away slowly, giving Polo a thumbs up.

He sat with the other deltas. And suddenly, an awkward silence fell before them.

“So what’s up?” Joni

Ruben branched out to meet Shawn, nailing the chains on the tree bark with his sled. They were now close to the other Deltas. Shawn, Polo, and the others were dispersed by the trees. Where the northern red was en masse. They had begun strapping the restraints to their hands and feet. Unlike the Betas they didn’t pair up. They didn’t tie themselves around the sides of the tree.

The locks were all connected to a chain around a tree.

***

It had begun. They were covered by the shadow of the full moon. Shawn clipped on locks and sat next to Ruben.

“You look calm for your first turning,” Shawn squinted.

“It’s actually not my first,” Ruben rolled his sleeves.

“Word in the pack… you haven’t fully turned,” Shawn strained his neck. “What are you doing? I can’t see anything, it’s dark as shit.”

Pointing at his forearm, “If you will lean closer and feel it-there are scars like stars on here.”

Shawn scooted over to Ruben and ran his fingers across his forearm. The hardened portion of his skin was dark and clotted with a black tattoo of a feather, “I can see it now… and feel it too.”

“You have good sight,” Ruben covered his forearm.

“The black feathers of a raven are only dignified in the ratchet claw,” tendrils of dark veins snaked around his neck. “Where did you get these Ruben?” Shawn stiffened.

This was a matter to be addressed upon first light.

Ruben fell against the ground and contorted.

Shawn felt the aching from his jaws. His teeth protruded as well as the hairs from his cheeks buffed.

The rest of the delta werewolves have started to break out of their human form. Their locks rattled. Their chain was still strong and firm on the tree barks. They groaned painfully as their limbs tended to reshape into their inner animosity. Their eyes glistened in different shades of green.

Their howling was in unison as the wolves eastwards of the lake at the pine trees.