Werewolf Rider (Rewritten)

By: Aubrie1234

Staying with the Pleasures wasn't working out, so he left. They seemed to understand his reasons, because he didn't notice any reports about him going missing. He returned to Britain, to Chelsea, but awful memories assaulted him everywhere he went. And yet there was no other place Alex Rider would call home.

After faking his age and earning some money, he slowly progressed from sleeping in the park to renting an apartment, but it wasn't the same. Nothing could replace his old house, but he was trying to make the best of it. Not that he was doing well in that department, but still.

To his surprise, MI6 had left him alone. He hadn't seen or heard from them since he arrived, but he never stopped looking. His spy instincts wouldn't let him, not after Cairo. The thought of the Egyptian city made him shiver and there was no way for him to get out of it. Briefly, he thought of turning to drugs or beer to allow him to escape. But they weren't all that appealing. Not until he had a horrible night, his mind conflicted with nightmares every time he went to sleep.

Without sleep, he was horribly groggy the next morning, but lucky he didn't need to go to work. He fell asleep several times that day, only to wake up again because of nightmares. All the stress made him go out that night to escape, possibly with a stop at a pub along the way.

His eyes darted around when he entered the first pub he came across, taking note of all the drunken revelry and calm patrons. Not recognizing any threats, he went over to the bar and asked for any drink. Of course he had to show his fake license to prove he was old enough, where he was given a vodka martini. Different than what he expected, he didn't object, taking a few sips. He shivered as the liquid burned his throat, but continued to drink it. It would get him away from his nightmare that he called life.

After two more drinks Alex felt the alcohol taking hold and a blond man came over to sit beside him, also ordering a vodka martini. Alex glanced up at him and blinked, surprised. He must have been having delusions, as there was no way that dead assassin was here.

"You know you are not old enough to drink, correct?" spoke the man. There was no trace of an accent, but the assassin had never had one before, so there was no proof.

"What do you know?" Alex snapped, "I could be in my 30s for all you knew." His temper had increased now that he was getting drunk.

"I know more about you than either of us would like to admit." the blond turned to meet Alex's eyes, his blue ones emotionless and hard, "Why are you here, Little Alex?"

"Like I'd tell you." Alex turned his head away, "You're supposed to be dead."

"I am not, but seeing as you are drunk, you would not be able to tell."

"I'm not that drunk..." said the boy, taking another gulp of his newest drink, a large ale.

"You are drunk enough. We should leave now, I think." Alex turned back to the man, glaring.

"Why should I leave with you? You're nothing but an illusion!" The man sighed.

"Then does this feel real to you?" The blond snatched Alex's free wrist quicker than his eyes could follow and twisted it painfully, forcing the boy to gasp. Putting his drink on the counter, Alex held his hurting wrist and gave the man a new look, one of complete shock.

"You're real... Then why didn't you say so?!"

"I already told you, but you did not believe me." Alex sat back, still glaring.

"Then why don't you just kill me? You could drag me out to an alley and do just that."

"Why would I want to? I had chances before and so did you, but we did not take them. Besides, you are drunk enough to be walked home."

"Did you spy on me?!" The man shrugged.

"Possibly. I know where you live and I do not want to hurt you." Alex rubbed his face tiredly; his night wasn't going like he wanted.

"...Fine. Somehow, I trust you, so don't break that trust." The man smiled and nodded. He paid for Alex's three drinks (despite the boy's protests), along with his own, and the two left. Alex was inebriated enough to have some trouble walking, forcing the man to hold one of his arms to keep the younger steady.

"You didn't have to do that, Yassen."

"I did. I saw you take out your wallet before and noticed you did not have enough money to pay for all three. How did you managed to fake an ID so well, though?" Alex wanted to shrug but didn't.

"I've still got some skills, not to mention helpful friends."

"I see." They were quiet for a time.

"...I guess I should be thanking you. Making my own way these past 2-and-a-1/2 months has been tough. Do you still work for Scorpia?"

"No. I left as soon as I woke up and they never found me. As for how I survived, MI6 found me on the plane, as I was still alive somehow, and sent me to a guarded hospital, where I escaped and went freelance for a time. Now I have enough money to live comfortably."

"And you don't have to worry about Scorpia, not after I took care of them."

"Yes, I should be thanking you for that. And I am surprised at your high alcohol tolerance."

"It was nothing. And you mean if I didn't have that I would be drunk by now? This is my first time drinking!" Yassen suddenly stopped and looked back, nearly tipping Alex over.

"What was that for?!" he snarled.

"Someone is following us. Please keep quiet." Alex didn't need to be told twice, as he followed the ex-assassin, but was still lagging behind slightly. He didn't know what was following them, but he trusted Yassen. It was strange to trust the man who had killed his uncle and nearly himself on several occasions, but he somehow did.

At first it was a fast walk but soon progressed into a run, where the elder had to practically drag the younger so they wouldn't be caught by whatever Yassen had been talking about. At this Alex began to be suspicious, but that was all dashed when he could hear the subtle click of claws on the sidewalk behind them. Deciding he didn't want to know and would be able to keep his balance better, the boy didn't look back.

They rounded a corner and stopped dead in their tracks. They has just run into a dead-end alley. This night was just going to get worse and worse, wasn't it? Looking back, Yassen narrowed his eyes and tugged Alex behind him, almost like he cared about protecting the boy. Looking over the ex-assassin's shoulder, Alex spotted what he guessed was what had made Yassen run. It was a giant wolf, bigger than any either of them had ever seen, with dark brown fur and bright green eyes.

"Don't you have a gun?!" Alex hissed as they backed farther away.

"Yes, but this is too crowded an area. One shot and everyone would know."

"Which means we're dead meat. You'd rather not be caught than die at the hands of a wolf?!"

"No. I have a silencer, but I need time." Alex perked up at that.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but I could buy you time." Yassen didn't take his eyes off the wolf but Alex could feel the incredulousness radiate off of him.

"No." What Yassen really meant by that comment, Alex supposed, was, 'Are you insane?!'

"Trust me." Alex ducked out from behind Yassen, "I trusted you, so now you trust me. That's how trust works, isn't it?" Like how the boy knew he was going to regret his choice, the man knew he was going to regret what he said next.

"Yes, but be careful." The words slipped out before he could stop them. Alex didn't seem to notice, too focused on the wolf to comment.

"On three, look for cover so you can fix your gun." the younger ordered. Yassen wanted to protest, as he was usually the one giving the orders, but didn't. He knew Alex was right, but the boy was still slow from his drunkeness. One false move and Alex would die. He would have to work fast, as there was no way or time to convince Alex to not do it.

"One..." The wolf seemed to feel the tension in the air, where it stopped and its ears twitched.

"Two..." The wolf crouched, just like they were, ready to run or leap at the first sign.

"THREE!" The males leapt to opposite sides as the wolf leapt at them, missing both just barely. It skidded, its claws creating sparks against the ground, and snarled. Alex took off, distracting it, but didn't exit the alleyway. He needed to make sure the wolf came after him instead of Yassen. The wolf glanced between the two before deciding the one that had run would be more fun to catch.

Unfortunately, it had rained earlier that evening, so Alex, with all his luck and his drunkeness, managed to slip when he was trying to run. He landed face-first on the ground, breaking his nose, and struggled to stand. It was too late, as the wolf was on him in mere seconds, clawing at his back and biting at his throat.

Seconds after that it whined in pain and paused in its attack, running off and allowing Alex to breathe as much as he could with his throat in tatters. Yassen was then by his side and helping him up, speaking in Russian, most likely cursing him. Alex only grinned in response, then squeak-coughed as the man took the boy into his arms.

"You're too injured to go home and the hospital would ask questions. I have to bring you home with me." Alex wanted to protest, but with his throat in tatters and quickly losing consciousness (from blood loss or pain, he didn't know), he couldn't. At least he got his escape, even if it wasn't in the way he wanted...