Free Story #20 - Endangered (Chapter 3)

For a few more moments, the graveyard remained silent. Campbell looked at the two of us with confusion in his stare.

"What are you two doing?" he eventually asked.

Neither of us spoke. He sighed and sat on the wall.

"I've never seen you two act this way, what is going on?"

Doug looked at his former alpha.

"Why are you here? We can settle this ourselves?" he snapped.

"If you could, I wouldn't be here" Campbell replied.

So Campbell was here to be our supernatural Jeremy Kyle, an odd choice to be sure but it was certainly better than having a real councillor.

"But why you?" I asked.

"Because I am the reason for all this" he answered.

That was the cold hard truth, he was the reason we were fighting like this. And it was my fault. More things to add to the pile of guilt that was already as high as Everest.

Campbell cleared his throat.

"So, what is wrong?" he asked again.

Doug answered first, his voice seemed to be clouded with anger and pent up frustration.

"Taylor doesn't care that you died. He has done nothing but try and avoid mentioning you at all times. After you helped him so much. I only came out here because I felt he was finally showing sorrow but he punched me in the face. I got so angry I attacked him"

I spun to my boyfriend with my mouth wide open.

"I don't care? I don't care! You really think that?"

"Why not, it's the truth" he spat.

I raised my hand and slapped his face.

"How can you think that? I admired Campbell more than any other werewolf I know apart from you"

"Then why did you treat it as if it didn't happen?"

"You really want to know?" I yelled.

After no reply, I continued. As the conversation drew on, my composure faltered.

"I feel guilty about Campbell's death all right? If it hadn't been for me, you and Shadow, he would still be alive! And my dad is dead too, he might have been an insane bastard but he was still my dad. The only reason I didn't show how I felt is because I wanted to stay strong for you, to make sure that you wouldn't be hurt by my mistakes!"

That hit Doug hard. He was speechless for a long time. As he looked at me, tears fell from my eyes and landed on the cold hard soil that had been trampled to form a path.

Finally, Doug's voice croaked out, he had begun to cry as well.

"You were only staying strong for me?" he asked.

I nodded. He dropped his head in shame.

"You must think I'm really selfish" he said after a moment.

For a moment, I stayed silent.

"Of course not" I replied.

He looked at me with his glistening eyes, then fell to the floor, sobbing harder than I had ever seen him. The sight of this caused my tears to flow freely. Carefully, I walked forward and placed my arms around him. He closed his arms around my torso I did so.

And then, for the first time since Campbell's death, I truly cried. The other times had been to release the pain of the emotional strain but now, it was being released as true unfiltered emotion.

"I thought that you needed more than I did. That I didn't deserve to be pitied" I said through the sobs.

Doug's tongue brushed my ear to soothe me.

"Of course not, I love you and if you ever need me, I'm there" he replied.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be so stubborn" I blubbed.

"But then you wouldn't be the man I love" he said reassuringly.

I laughed faintly then licked his ear as he had done to mine.

"Can you ever forgive me for trying to hurt you?" he asked.

"Only if you can forgive me for being so naïve" I answered.

We drew for a closer hug, then joined our lips together. Afterwards, we drew apart and wiped each others tears from each other's face.

Getting to our feet, we turned to face Campbell.

"Thank you" I said.

"I didn't do anything. I just helped" Campbell said, feigning modesty.

"Are you leaving?" Doug asked him.

"Unfortunately yes, I only had one chance to come back and this was it"

After a moment, another portal of light appeared. Campbell walked up to it and turned back.

"Tell Jenna and Stephen I love them" he said.

"Of course" I replied.

With a smile, he walked into the light and vanished. As did the light.

Me and Doug looked at each other again. Then we joined in a massive hug once more. When it was finished, we smiled at each other.

"I'm so sorry" I repeated.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry too" Doug answered.

"You're forgiven" I said with a smile.

"So are you" he echoed the words with the same smile.

We kissed once again and this time, we showed each other how we really felt. But just as we pulled apart and were about to walk back to the church, something awful happened.

One of the stained glass windows of the church blasted into a million pieces. But it wasn't due to a stone or a misplaced note on the organ, it was due to a body. A dead body. Without thinking, I ran toward the church. Doug followed closely behind but before we could see who it was, Shadow burst from the church, followed by Jenna, Stephen, and Kari.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked.

Although the faces had been stricken by grief a few minutes ago, they were now the faces of people ready for action, or at least avoidance.

"The other pack, without Campbell, they've gone AWOL" Jenna replied. Her voice was strained, like when you have choked after drinking water the wrong way.

"But why?" I asked.

"Now they've mourned their alpha, they need a new one. And they all want the title"

"But I thought only people who have earned the title could be alpha"

"No, the titled ones are most respected, because the position can't be won unless conceded. Now the pack doesn't have one, it's free for all"

"Can they become titled?" I asked.

"Yes, if they kill the delta wolf"

That was something I hadn't been aware of. Only an alpha could create a delta I assumed, but if a delta was killed, that would mean they had won the authority. It made sense, just about.

Without me noticing, Doug had gone to check who the body was. It was just a straggling beta but still it was worrying. The pack would tear themselves apart until one of them killed the delta.

"So as long as the reverend stays alive, they'll continue to fight?" I asked.

Jenna nodded.

"We have to get him out of there now" Doug said to Jenna.

That sounded like a good plan. But before anyone could move, another window broke and a body flew through after the falling glass. This time, the body landed metres from us. And to our horror, it was headless. And, it was the reverend.

An explosion of bright light shone in the church.

"Looks like we have a new alpha in town" Kari said carefully.

"But who is it?" Stephen asked.

We didn't have to wait long to find out. The back doors of the church had blown shut in the wind but within seconds, they had burst open to reveal a man carrying the head of the headless corpse.

And to everyone's disgust, including my own, the man was Lucas.