The wolf within her

IVY

No one knew what was going on yet.

Students were grumbling about the amount of time we were wasting and others were still sleeping peacefully. Talia and I ran up to where the driver was and tried to speak with him. Reaching his seat, we quickly realised that there was no talking to this man.

He was jerking his head every which way and mumbling something about dying before GTA 6.

This is who has  been steering us for the last 4 hours??!" She pointed a finger in his direction. "His hands haven't even left the wheel!"

She was right. His grip was so strong on the steering wheel, it would be easier to detach it from the dashboard than to pry his fingers off.

I looked toward the end of the bus and saw that people were starting to take notice of the wolves. Their shadows slid across the bus windows in pieces, warped and disjointed, projected on the glass. 

The earth stood still, the grass darkened in various spots, flattened and bruised. The trees bent forward without wind, and nature held its breath as if waiting for a downpour.

A few girls had picked up their phones and were now recording the animals. 

"I'm gonna get so many views from this," One of them said. "Hey, move you're in my shot!" She elbowed the boy directly in front of the window.

The particular wolf she was filming must have been unimpressed with TikTok because it let out a low, grating snarl. 

The girl dropped her phone the moment she caught a glimpse of the look in its eyes. Shaking and now terrified, she lowered herself down to her seat and sat still.

The wolves began to circle the bus, snarling and growling as they toyed with their next meal. They seemed to revel in our agitation, and I wondered what would finally make them act.

"Can someone just...shoo them away? I don't see why we have stop our trip because of some rabid dogs." 

That did it.

Thunder roared and the bus began the shake. The wolves played a beat on the metal, hitting and denting the surface of the bus. People cried out and edged toward the other side of the vehicle, but that only served to make it unstable, almost toppling us over as the wolves pushed. 

"Everyone, stay calm!" Collins raised his voice and stepped in the center of the throng. 

"They're just animals; they sense our fear. We just need to assert our dominance." 

The pack howled as one, lifting their snouts to the sky like he's just said the most hilarious thing. Collins could figure that out too, because he narrowed his eyes and squared his shoulders in challenge.

Then he did something Townsend-worthy. He turned his back to us and roared at the wolves. 

We all reared back, startled and even the beasts paused. Then all at once they began the roar back in anger.

Collins moved  even closer toward the window , probably wanting to attempt the stupid stunt again, when one of them locked eyes with him and jumped forward,

Glass shattered everywhere.

Before we knew it, he was screaming. With jaws clamped around his wrist, he tried pulling and yanking it out but the wolf held on. It wasn't until he punched it's snout with his free hand that the whimpered and let him go.

He dropped to the floor and crawled his way toward the rest of us.

"Collins, are you okay?" I asked assesing the wound on his hand.

Blood poured in rivulets down his wrist, soking into his shirt and pants. The bite marks formed crescent shaped bruises around his arm, forming a weird sort of bracelet as he twisted it. It was like he didn't even hear me, he just looked around as if he'd been called by a ghost.

"I'm going to puke," Townsend announced before he began to retch on the bus floor. I couldn't even bring myself to be disgusted, because at that moment, we heard a different crash.

One of them had broken in through the rear window.

People were everywhere at once, scattering from the bus like frightened birds, their screams echoing across the empty field. They realized they couldn't outrun the wolves and settledfor crying out and screeching.

 One wolf almost tore Townsend's arm off when he tried to shoo it away with a beer bottle.

"Gah!" He jumped, landing back towards the bus before remembering that there was one in there and rushed to his feet.

In the chaos, I realized that Talia was no longer next to me. A different kind of fear gripped me that instant. I darted my eyes around the scramble of students looking for her and coming up empty.  My stomach churned, but I couldn't move.

"Talia! Tal-" My voice broke from screaming tearfully.

The wolves didn't rush. They circled us.  I gulped when I realized who they were closing in on.

The boy from the bus.

The one I'd barely registered that morning.

I took a closer look at him. His face jostled a memory from years ago, when my dad had just become Alpha. Powerful wolf families gathered in our house to celebrate him; I remember being told to stay in my room so that no one would see me. I was so amazed at the prospect of being around tons of wolves, hoping for the chance to see one transform. 

Peeking from the slit in my door hinges, my gaze landed on a young boy a little older than me. When all the other kids were rushing forward with their parents, he stayed behind his mother. I didn't understand why at the time, but  now, as he cowered beneath the creatures' gaze, I finally did.

A weak wolf hidden among humans. 

And I realized then that other wolves couldn't stand the sight of those inferior to them.

The biggest wolf in the pack stepped forward, as if wanting to take the first bite.

My body reacted before my mind.  I moved to shield him.

The wolf's gaze shifted.

To me.

A low growl vibrated under the soles of my feet. The wind died, carrying the scent of wet earth and fur.  It took its time approaching me, the other wolves studying me as if wondering how stupid I was to be a distraction from their Alpha's prey.  Panic was a living, breathing monster in me. 

I was going to die, and I knew it.

My hands clenched at my sides without thinking, my fingers pressing into the fabric of my jeans. Every instinct screamed at me to run but I stood firm, something inside me holding me in place.

It stalked in my direction, moving slowly, taking its time to assess me.

Time seemed to stretch. The air turned electric. The other students' cries seemed distant, muffled, as though the atmosphere had stilled. 

I wondered how much longer I would need to be brave, when a now familiar compelling force began pushing me to lift up my eyes. I hestitated until I heard someone scream; instantly, my eyes caught the Alpha's, forcing his gaze away from whoever had made that sound.

It stiffened, tilting its head as if considering me.

Maintaing eye contact, I took a step forward. The action carried an instinctive command, a warning.

Its hackles rose, teeth bared, confusion flashing across its gaze. It took one slow step after another, as if  fighting against something  invisible that forced it to obey.

Slowly and unwillingly, it lowered its head.

The rest of the pack noticed their Alpha's stance and began to follow suit.

One by one, the other wolves froze, then lowered their heads in deference.