The Pack

Prologue

It was dark under the canopy of trees, their leaves blocking out most of the light from the moon that shone directly above, and there was a chill in the air that came with the start of Autumn. Taylor ran through the trees, stumbling on a root and dropping to her knees when the momentum cost her her balance. There was a howl from behind her that sounded too close and it drove her to her feet as she darted further ahead. The wolf had already bitten her, but they're didn't seem to be any other wolves, of which she was thankful for. She didn't know if she'd make it through this encounter, she was lost in the woods, her panic making it impossible for her to try and think logically about how to get out to a road. The bite on her shoulder was seeping blood still, leaving her torn shirt sticking to her and it burned. She didn't know why it was so painful, she knew that the adrenaline in her body should be numbing her pain, as it was for the twisted ankle she'd managed to give herself in her attempt to escape, but it wasn't easing the pain from the bite.

Taylor wanted to pause for a second to catch her breath but she knew she couldn't risk it. The wolf would be able to smell her blood, and she needed to get away from it or it would kill her. Of that she was certain. It looked thin, and hungry and she had no intentions of being its meal. Her lungs burned from being pushed so far and her chest felt tight but she couldn't slow down, a thought that was forced back into her thoughts when she heard another howl. Taylor had just ran into a clearing and froze when she saw a wolf in the clearing. It wasn't the same wolf that was chasing her though and this one didn't seem to have the same hunger about it, but she still tried to slowing back up, her heart racing so much that she felt it pounding in her ears.

The wolf that was chasing her jumped into the clearing and snarled, baring bloody teeth at Taylor before running at her. Taylor only had a second to react and turned to face the wolf, raising her left arm in front of her face as the wolf attacked. The creature bit down and then pulled away with a whimper. It tore the sleeve of Taylor's shirt, exposing the steel prosthetic arm that she had used to help defend herself. The force of the wolf's weight forced Taylor back a few steps, and she took a moment to get her balance again, vaguely aware of the snap of a branch behind her and the sound of running footsteps.

The second wolf was in front of her suddenly, but it wasn't interested in her. It stood with its back to her, a low growl escaping from it aimed at the other wolf, who snarled back. Taylor took another step back and yelped in fright with her back hit something solid. She spun around too fast and stumbled back, a pair of hands on her hands stopping her from falling as she slowly took in the man that stood behind her. Distantly, Taylor couldn't help but take in that he was attractive. Tall and muscled, his eyes a dark and warm brown and his shaggy, bed head style hair also brown, but lighter than that of his eyes. He was dressed in jeans, a black top that showed the hints of muscles beneath and boots. More practical for a walk through the woods than her oil stained shorts and now torn shirt.

"Whoa there." He said, helping her regain her balance. His voice was smooth, and she was brought out of her stunned state when he spoke. "You're safe now." He took a step back when he was sure that she wouldn't fall over.

Taylor stared at him dumbly, glancing back at the wolves behind her, the tan one was still not interested in her, it was almost as though it was defending her from the other, smaller grey one. She turned her attention back to the man and didn't know what to say, suddenly she felt weak and exhausted. Her body ached all over and she hated how her mind was responding to it all. "Who are you? Is that wolf yours?" She asked, gesturing to the tan wolf behind her. The man gave her a small smile.

"Something like that." He muttered, looking over her shoulder as the wolves attacked each other. He look her arm gently and pulled her away from them a little, he didn't want her to get hurt by accident just by being too close to the fighting. His gaze catching the bite on her shoulder and he cursed silently. That would become a problem. He also noticed the metal prosthetic and gave it a curious look before bringing his gaze back up to her face. "I'm Mason." He told her gently, his hand still on her arm. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his hand. "What happened? Did it bite you?" He asked her, gesturing to her shoulder.

Taylor watched him look at her arm and tried her best to hid the prosthetic behind her back. She normally wore long sleeves to try and hide it from people. She wasn't ashamed by it, it was her own work and she was proud of it, but it was a body image issue for her. She did only have one arm and she was still trying to build her confidence and body image back up since losing it. She also tended to hide it because it caused people to ask questions. Questions that she didn't want to answer, knew that she couldn't answer without letting knowledge of her past slip, which would only cause problems.

"Taylor." She said simply, looking behind her to see the wolves fighting, but the tan one seemed to be doing more damage. It seemed like the wolf was trying to chase the other off, rather than actually fighting the one that attacked her. She looked back at Mason. "It came out of nowhere, bit my shoulder. I managed to get it off and kicked it. Seemed to stun it long enough for me to run." She explained. When she mentioned the bite, her mind wandered back to it and it reminded her that it was burning in pain. It felt infected, but it couldn't be. Not so soon after getting it. "Who're you? What's with the pet wolf?" She snapped it slightly, not meaning to but her pain and fear was too distracting to keep the harshness out of her voice.

Mason frowned. Definitely a bite. Shit. He didn't know how the others would react but he needed to take her away from there. He had to get her some place safe. He was relieved when the other wolf ran off. "He's not my pet. He's family. Call him Aidan." Mason told her. He didn't know how to begin explaining what was going on to the girl, but he wanted her to come willingly. He wanted her to trust him. "I can explain, but its going to sound crazy." He paused, waiting for her nod that encouraged him to continue. He sighed. "We're werewolves. Me, Aidan and that one that bit you." He didn't know how to expect her to react but he heard her laugh he frowned.

"You're right. That is crazy." Taylor said, unable to stop laughing. He was a lunatic, and she hoped that he was joking. If he seriously believed this, she thought she would rather take her chances with the wolf if he was that insane. "Its not even a full moon."

Mason sighed. He didn't know how to get her to understand that he was telling her the truth and that she was in immediate danger. He could only think of one way, but it would terrify her no doubt. "That's a myth. This isn't like the movies. Humans made up that myth so they could feel like they had more control over us." Mason said. "We're not all like her. We have a pack. It keeps us sane, she didn't. That was a lone wolf that attacked you, they don't normally live as long as she has."

"Oh wow. You actually believe this nonsense, don't you?" Taylor laughed, shaking her head. "Just my luck. I would be rescued by some wackjob and his pet." She muttered to herself, walking away a bit and then pacing, running her hand through her hair. "This is insane. I need to get out of here. I need to get to a hospital and I need to get home." She was rambling quietly to herself but Mason had no issue in hearing her. All of his senses were stronger than that of a human ever since he was turned. Mason watched her pace and sighed, moving to her.

"Look, I know this is hard to believe, but I need you to trust me. You're not safe here and I want to help you. You've been bitten, so the next few days are going to be rough but I want to be there with you to try and make it a bit easier." Mason said to her softly, taking her right arm gently to stop her pacing. She just stared at him like he had two heads, incredulous. She opened her mouth to answer him but stopped herself, pressing the cool metal of her left hand to her head. She felt faint all of a sudden. Just as the thought slipped into her mind, the darkness claimed her.

Mason caught her as she passed out, sighing to himself. He'd wanted to avoid this, but he needed to get her to the pack. He wrapped her flesh arm around his neck and scooped her up easily. Aidan whined quietly and Mason smiled at him sadly. She was going to be pissed when she woke up, but he wanted her to trust him desperately. Sighing again, Mason headed back home, Aidan trotting along next to him.