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  CONQUEST OF THE ALPHA

  (A Paranormal Vampire Werewolf Tale)

  by Jessica Caspian

  Copyright 2014 A Pyramid Moon Romance

  All Rights Reserved

  Get updates on all of Jessica Caspian’s latest

  by visiting www.pyramidmoon.com

  JULIA

  The raging snowstorm picked up speed, the wind howling and the snow swirling around everything in its path. The roads were impassable, and Julia could barely see the hand in front of her face. Most were hunkered down to weather the storm, but Julia was a lone figure moving cautiously in the snow. Her feet made their own path, and with each step the snow covered over the tracks that she just made

  She had just left a party that was starting to make her feel uncomfortable; as there was one guy that was a little too handsy for her liking, and the only way to get away was to leave the party. At first Julia thought she had made the right decision, with the snow barely starting and a few errant flakes falling to the ground. To her it was actually quite beautiful, and she had taken every opportunity to enjoy nature, whether it was in spring, summer, fall or even winter. The seasons made her feel like she was a tiny dot on the canvas of a beautiful painting.

  She thought that she could make the relatively short journey back to her dorm room, as it was only about 15 minutes walking, and she believed mistakenly that she could make it before the full brunt of human nature came down on her head. At least she was prepared for the elements, wearing a blue parka that was now zipped up almost to the point that she couldn’t see where she was going. It wasn’t just that it was snowing, but it was a combination of that and the biting cold that made her trek even more perilous than it had to be.

  Julia was feeling the effect of the cold in her lungs, and no doubt would have to take an inhaler puff when she got back to the dorm. Having asthma was her cross to bear, but Julia had lived with it since she was a small child and was now used to the inhaler being part of her daily life. Unfortunately, she had neglected to bring it with her, and now she was regretting that decision.

  AWOOOOOOOOOOO

  The sound stopped her in her tracks. She looked around in vain to see if she could ascertain where the ungodly howl had came from. It was virtually impossible to find the source, and at first she thought it was just her imagination running wild. As a child, she had the ability to lose herself in the stories that she was reading, becoming the character and living their life, as if it were her own.

  AWOOOOOOOOOOOO

  This time it sounded like it was getting closer, and despite the driving wind pushing her back, she persevered and gave it everything she could to move forward. Julia had walked this route before, but this time it was different and she was starting to feel like her sense of direction was off. A sense of panic gripped her tightly around the throat, and all she wanted to do was get back into her comfy bed where she was safe from the elements and from whatever was making that noise.

  Hearing the snow crunch underneath her feet, she thought she saw something in her peripheral vision. She made a glance back quickly, only to see that there was nothing there but the swirling mass of snow. There were no street lamps, and all she could do was follow whatever was left of the road. There had to be some sign of life- a car going by, or even a house that had its lights on that might be able to give her some assistance. The panic that she had felt before was now doubling in strength and intensity, and she looked down to see that her hands were not just shaking from the cold, but also from fear that she couldn’t shake.

  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

  Julia raised her head slowly, stopping all movement and now looking into the eyes of something huge and white. The piercing yellow of its eyes caught her attention, but she really couldn’t make out any other features with the snow still blinding her. Julia was now feeling very stupid for leaving the party, even though she felt it was the only way to get away from the man that wasn’t taking no for an answer.

  It looked to her like it was some kind of big white dog, and she began to take a step backwards, only to have those same yellow eyes moving ever closer. This dog was now stalking her, no doubt hungry from being out in the cold and was now looking at his one and only meal. “Good doggy…don’t hurt…me.” It was the only thing that she could think to do, hoping that her calm demeanor would be enough to make the dog think that she wasn’t any kind of threat.

  Julia tried to move to the other side of the road, kicking through one snowdrift after another, until finally standing on the sidewalk. She had her hands on her knees, looking at the ground, but then she got this funny feeling that she wasn’t alone. Once again, the white mass with the yellow eyes was again staring at her. This was no coincidence, and this dog had taken a deep interest in her, so her only course of action was to backtrack the same way she came. Julia would rather fight off the jock with less than subtle intentions than to have to fight off a wild animal.

  Foolishly, she turned her back on the yellow eyes, and began to run through the snow as fast as her little legs to carry her. Her asthma condition was starting to make her breathe shallowly, and the fire in her lungs was a dead giveaway that she would never make it back to the frat party. In normal circumstances, she would stop and give herself breathing room to get her breath back, but this was less than normal circumstances. Pushing herself past her endurance, her legs burning and the sound of the animal keeping pace, she was beginning to see that this was a fruitless endeavor, but wasn’t going to stop until the very end. They would most likely find her body on the other side of the road, torn to bits by whatever this dog was, and her life would not end with a bang but end with a whimper.

  Something grabbed her by the collar, pulling at the fabric of her jacket and making an awful ripping sound. Falling onto the ground, she was suddenly dragged into the woods, hearing this snarling sound, and then a very real pain that radiated from her neck all the way down her spine

  Julia grabbed onto a branch, but the dog was too powerful and the branch broke easily in her hands. She was only trying to stop the dog from dragging her further into the snow covered woods, but now she had a weapon at her disposal. Reaching back, she struck at the thing on her back, hearing it snarling, and taking the blows like it meant nothing. The only thing she knew was that her survival was at stake, and she had no intention of going down without a fight.

  The snow was now covered with her blood, and then there was this moment of silence, followed by yet another painful reminder of the dog’s dominance on her neck. It felt different, but still made her slap her hands back with no energy whatsoever, and the lack of blood slowly diminishing her capacity to fight back.

  Feeling her legs buckle from underneath her, she fell into the snow face first, the cold being the only thing that stopped her from going into an unconscious state. Finding herself crawling on her hands and knees towards the road, she turned on her back and saw a man grappling with the dog… or maybe it was a wolf. The man turned towards her, and it was then that she thought his face looked contorted or distorted, as if his features had morphed into something terrifying.

  She felt faint and dizzy with everything around her getting out of focus. Her eyes closed and she finally couldn’t go on any longer, unable to stand or breathe or even move another inch. Everything was still, and then there was a bright light that announced that it was her time to move on from this earthly plane.

  An angel of mercy came forward, kneeling on the ground at her side and touching her back soothingly “You don’t look so good, and it’s lucky that I came along when I did. We have to get you to a hospital, because you are losing a lot of blood and will probably need a transfusion of some kind.” Her body felt like it was floating, and she thought for sure that h
er next stop was the pearly gates. She would welcome the peace and tranquility, and had accepted her fate.

  “Miss…can…you…hear me.” A sound of a man talking to her made her eyes flutter open, and immediately being blinded by the lights of the hospital room. “Ah, there you are, and you are in the hospital for what looks to be an animal attack. I have cleaned the wound, but by the time your good Samaritan showed up the blood had already stopped. I can’t explain it, but it doesn’t look like the bite penetrated the skin too deeply. I have given you a couple of stitches, but I would like to keep you overnight for observation. Just rest and I’ll be back later to check up on you. As it is, I would say that you were a very lucky girl, and looks like you’re going to make a full recovery.” Julia could only stare at him, thinking just how close she came to her last breath, and wondering who it was that had came to her aid when she needed them the most.

  “Thanks…Doc.” He smiled, making her feel special, even though she was probably just one of many patients that he had seen during the night. This was not the time or place to fall for the doctor, because it would only lead to heartache and confusion in the end. The trap of the nightingale syndrome had been spoken of in some kind of talk show and she had taken heed.

  Her dreams were dark and disturbing, reliving that painful moment of complete vulnerability, and the dog that was now making her submit to his will.

  Julia woke up in a cold sweat, the hospital smock sticking to her like a second skin. Throwing back the sheets, she bolted straight up and jumped out of bed. Going over to the window, she placed both hands on the cold pane, looking at herself in the reflection, and wondering just how long it would’ve taken for her to succumb to the elements. There was a small part of her that was a little disappointed, as she had hoped to see her grandmother, who had passed away five years ago. Julia always imagined that her grandmother was looking down from above, watching over her and keeping her safe.

  “Looks like somebody is feeling better, and I feel kind of useless. After all, you came in here a bloody mess, but it turned out to be just superficial wounds. I am releasing you, and you can get dressed and leave anytime. I would like you to take these pills to ward off any kind of infection, and if you have any pain at all, I want you to come back and see me again.”

  “Doctor… I don’t even know your name, and all I can do is thank you for everything you’ve done.” Julia didn’t even turn away from the window, seeing him in the reflection go out the door, leaving her alone to find her clothes and leave this ugly part of her life behind her. She took out her clothes from the closet, looked at the collar of her jacket to see that the material was ripped and the stuffing was falling out. It was also marred with her own blood and what looked like the animals fur.

  According to hospital procedure, she had to be wheeled out to the exit, where she found Amber her roommate waiting for her and walking back and forth nervously. “I came as soon as I could, and I can’t believe that you put me down as your emergency contact. I never knew that we were that close, or maybe I just didn’t take the time to get to know you. I’m sorry that we made you come to the party, and this probably wouldn’t have happened if you had stayed home and studied like you wanted to. Anyway, at least it wasn’t too serious, but I can’t imagine what kind of emotional trauma that you went through out there.”

  “I’m fine Amber, and it is nothing to get upset about. The only reason why you are on my emergency contact list is because I don’t know anybody else around here. I grew up in foster homes for most of my life, and I really didn’t consider any of them family, and I was grateful to get out of there when I was 18.”

  “I didn’t know any of that, and just goes to show you that you never know what somebody is going through. I’m going to make it my mission to get to know you better, because after all we are roommates and I think that should mean something.” Amber was concerned for Julia, but she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she was her choice for an emergency contact. Making her go to that party was a grave error, and she just wasn’t prepared to deal with the boys staring at her and most likely undressing her with their eyes. “Let’s get you out of here, because between you and me… I hate hospitals.” The only reason why she had convinced Julia to come to the party in the first place was because she just couldn’t believe somebody with that figure and obvious good looks would shelter herself behind closed doors.

  Julia could second that opinion about the hospital, and the smell of the place was almost like death itself was coming down the hallway. The only one good point was the handsome young doctor, and she had to admit that she would’ve been very happy to jump his bones. The very thought made her begin to wonder about the possibilities, touching his skin and using her eyes at first to travel up and down his body.

  “It wasn’t all bad, but I would like to get back to the dorm and my regular routine.” Julia was using the mirror in Amber’s blue Volvo to put on her makeup to make herself a little bit more presentable. Her neck was bandaged, and she could see the small red stains that indicated the damage that was done.

  “Speaking of which, I saw this on your dresser and thought that you might need it.” Amber pulled out Julia’s inhaler, reaching over and putting it into her hand, before getting behind the wheel and moving away from the one place that scared her more than anything.

  Julia looked down at the blue cylinder, and had gotten so caught up in what was going on that she hadn’t even thought about it. It should’ve been second nature to take a puff in the morning, but she was now taking deep breaths without any difficulty at all. Thinking that maybe the Dr. or the nurses had given her something in her IV, she chalked it up to one day of freedom, before having to return to that blue cylinder once again in the morning.

  They were driving back to college, and Julia was looking out the window with her long black hair flowing over her shoulders in the breeze. After the snowstorm last night, they were now in the middle of warmer temperatures and it was a far cry from what she had seen only a few hours ago. The roads were now cleared, and the pavement was now wet with the snow visibly melting. She didn’t even have her glasses on, and yet she still could see everything as clear as day. Reaching into her purse, Julia grabbed onto her glasses and put them on, only to see that looking through them was making her eyes hurt and everything looking like it was blurred.

  Running her hands through her hair, and even though she had just been through quite the ordeal, she was actually feeling pretty damn good. In fact, she had never felt better in her life, and it was the first time that she could say that and actually mean it.

  They arrived back at campus, and she looked at her watch to see that her first class was in less than 20 minutes. It didn’t appear that she was going to miss anything, and that was fortuitous considering that it was finals week and every grade counted.

  Walking along the path, she could feel the breeze, and smell the preparation of sloppy Joes in the cafeteria, not to mention an overpowering smell of men’s cologne. It was then that she felt a displacement in the air, heard a whistle and turned in time to snatch a thrown football, just before it was going to crash into Amber’s head.

  “So sorry…it got away from me. Good reflexes! We could use somebody like you on the team.” The jock with the blond hair and customary jacket with the college colors on it turned around and went back to his friends with the ball firmly clasped in his hands.

  “That was amazing, Julia, and how exactly did you know that that ball was coming? I’m not complaining, but neither one of us were in the position of seeing it as it sailed through the air.”

  “I guess I just got lucky.” Julia was feeling something, but what it was she didn’t know, only that she felt like she could run for miles and leap over tall buildings in a single bound. It was like this energy was running through her veins, something foreign, and it was giving her the agility and reflexes of a panther.

  They got to the elevator, and Julia didn’t want anything to do with the e
nclosed space, suddenly feeling a little claustrophobic for the first time in her life. She needed the open air, freedom to move without restriction, and had an instinctive need to take the stairs. “I’ll see you later, Amber, but I think I’m going to take the stairs.” She didn’t even give Amber time to respond, crashing into the door and bounding up the stairs three at a time.

  Her entire body was alive, and before long she was leaping from one landing to the other with ease. When she finally made it to the sixth floor, she came out feeling fine and not out of breath at all. She couldn’t explain it, nor did she want to, because right now she was beyond anything that she had ever been before. This was something different, and she wasn’t going to allow anything to jeopardize what she now had.

  Julia no longer needed her glasses, and her sudden realization that she probably didn’t need her inhaler anymore made her smile. Passing by a window, she stopped and momentarily got lost in thought, looking out the window at the hills and having this pull inside of herself to go out there and enjoy nature. She wanted nothing more than to skip class and run naked in the woods, her hair flying behind her and effortlessly moving without a care in the world.

  Her skin was like a newborn baby, no blemishes and the mole underneath her nose was magically gone. It was as if she was starting a new, with this newfound respect for life and for everything in it. She sensed something was amiss, but she didn’t want to give it any kind of voice, in case all of this would disappear with a blink of an eye.

  Sitting in class, Julia was feeling bored, drumming her pencil on the desk, with this intense need to run making it virtually impossible to sit still. There had to be a reason for all of this, but for right now she was enjoying being a normal girl. No longer would she be a slave to her health concerns, always thinking twice before doing something, and never just dancing to her own beat.