AN: This chapter is sort of a filler for the next ones to come so I decided to post it a bit ahead of schedule. Thanks to everyone who has already left me reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Flashback: "Hey kid" he let out a deep breath, cloaking Mercedes in his woodsy midnight scent.
Her world stopped.
"Sam?" Mercedes whispered with uncertainty.
End Of Flashback:
The Alpha male before her looked at her with confusion upon his face, his eyes searching hers as if to place her voice with one he had heard before. He didn't recognize her at all. But her scent was producing vivid images in his head; she was a werewolf for sure.
Sam's lips faltered into a frown and Mercedes gently removed herself from his grip, bowing her head to show her respects, which was required. She placed her palm out in front of him to show her outlined paw birthmark that was etched into the smooth contours of her hand. Sam set his hand over it in a mutual acceptance. The rule in the city of Lima was that all non-Alpha werewolves must offer their submission in the presence of an Alpha. Many times you'd see women and men alike offering up their palms, with their birth marks outstretched. If they were in wolf form they must lay on their backs, giving total and complete submission to their leader. It was expected. If this rule wasn't followed, the consequences were unspeakable.
"It is an honor." Mercedes kept her head bowed, waiting for the pressure of Sam's hand to fade away from her own. The Alpha remained silent for a moment, the sounds of crickets filling the air with a cacophony of noise. Sam tilted his head to one side, slowly sliding his hand away, inching backwards so that he rested all of his weight onto the balls of his feet.
Mercedes lifted her head and gazed into Sam's eyes. "Speak your name," his voice was quiet, hair falling into his eyes, giving them a haunting quality that made the hairs on the back of Mercedes' neck rise to the surface.
"I am Mercedes Vienna Jones, daughter of Nicola and Benson Jones. Born in District 1, sent here by messengers when I was first identified as a wolfen creature" Mercedes voice came out almost robotically. She had this information imprinted into her mind at a very young age. Her family was all-human, but somewhere down the line one of her ancestors had been a wolfen creature, an animal of the night. Their DNA made Mercedes what she is today, an outcast of the human world and apart of the supernatural.
Now that she was living in Lima she didn't even really remember life in District 1. Only humans lived there and her family could've stayed but they decided to leave with her.
"I could have you killed for leaving the city" Sam's voice intervened with her thoughts and she snapped to attention. A low whimper escaped her lips and she bowed her head again, waiting for the bearing of teeth to be placed upon her neck. He was right; the Alpha was always right.
"Speak your destination" Sam gripped her chin, bringing it up from its bowed state so that he could look into her eyes again. Mercedes enjoyed the calloused feel of his hand on her face; it felt natural, warm and exotically beautiful all at once. She mentally kicked herself for enjoying this, reminding that inner voice in her mind that Quinn was the one a true Alpha deserved.
She was the beautiful one.
"I do not have a particular destination, my friend, Finn, has gone missing and I must find him." Mercedes shifted against the grass as it began to itch against her bottom. She could feel her clothes begin to mold into her body and already knew that the moon was out, now was the perfect time to shift forms but she remained still. She knew better then to evolve without the permission of her Alpha. Any other time she would have jumped at the chance, but in the presence of a man who was in power, it would reflect disgracefully upon her family.
"I am aware of his disappearance. What makes you think you can bring him back alive?"
"I have no confidence that I can carry out the task on my own, sir. But who am I if I fail to try?" Mercedes let out a breath of relief when the fingers on her chin slackened. Sam removed his hand from her face, lips twitching marginally in what appeared to be something akin to amusement.
His eyes darted over her and he muttered something to himself as he took in her already changing form. For a moment it appeared that he was wavering between his responsibilities and his natural needs. He shook his head, fanning her in his long blonde hair before nodding in approval.
"Interesting. Well, it would appear that you'll need someone to accompany you on your journey then. Can't have you revealing yourself to any humans now can we?" Sam quietly removed his bear skinned sack off his back and got down onto his hands and knees. It didn't matter if he stripped down to just his human flesh, his clothes would mold against his skin and disappear underneath his soft fur, it worked that way for all the wolves.
Mercedes crept away from him slightly as the change took over his body. Specks of blonde fur dotted his strong torso, ripping through his shirt, hiding it underneath the mounds of budding fur. His eyes narrowed and he let out a snarl as soon as his muzzle elongated and evolved, tail twitching back and forth in the staggering wind, ears rounding his head to stand at the top.
Pretty soon his entire body consisted of the shape of a wolf, the only remains of his human form were his eyes and they peered at her curiously.
It was beautiful; the way the golden mist shrouded his body as the final bit of the change took place. That mist only circulated around Alphas during the change, it made them stronger, faster, smarter then any other werewolf combined... Most Sorceresses (Like Rachel) craved to have a power like that in their possession. Mercedes just enjoyed how it looked on others.
Mercedes nodded at him as he pressed his nose onto her forehead. She brushed her stray strands of brown hair away from her face and got down onto her hands and knees also, though werewolves could change at anytime, it was far more comfortable to change on your hands and knees. It kept your sense of gravity all in balance.
Mercedes evolved next and easily transitioned between her two forms. In the beginning, during her first change, Mercedes was frightened, crippled by the pain. Her parents didn't understand what was going on because they'd never partook in a change themselves so she went through it alone. It felt as if she were being shredded into a thousand pieces and burned over a relentless fire. Her limbs had twisted, fur shot out in all directions over her body. It was disgusting to her.
But now, it was the most natural thing on the face of the earth. To be honest, Mercedes felt more comfortable in her wolf form than any other. She padded over towards Sam and rubbed her muzzle against his in a respectful manor, assuring him that she would obey his wishes just like all regulations forced her to.
Let's get a move on,Sam's voice sounded even more magical in wolf form than in human form. Though they couldn't speak through actually talking, their minds were able to transmit messages much more effectively. It was how actual wolves spoke when hunting and Mercedes supposed that this technique was adapted by werewolves too. In any case Sams' voice rang in her ears as she bounded after him, her fur whistling in the wind.
She leaped effortlessly over mounds of fallen branches, feeling more alive than ever before. She'd missed the outside world. Everything felt different. It all wasn't just some mirage floating in front of her. There didn't appear to be many rules either, no men to bow to, no feasts to prepare... If living in the woods brought Mercedes the freedom she desperately craved, she hoped that she could keep it after she found Finn and Rachel.
…
Quinn awoke in the middle of the night, her chest heaving quickly as if she had been running for her life. She could feel a gravitational pull luring her towards her balcony that overlooked the rest of the city. Something inside of her wasn't right. She pushed open her French doors, the cool wind seeping underneath the white silk of her nightgown.
The air still smelled the same but there was something wrong with the force of the wind against her face. The delicate blonde tapped her fingers against the black metal of the banister and looked down upon the manicured lawns of her home. Gardenias blossomed upon her green grass and the statues of her wolfen ancestors draped her lawn. She searched the grounds for anything out of place but nothing appeared in her line of sight.
Quinn pursed her lips and let out a hiss. The blood in her system ran cold and suddenly she knew what was bothering her… Mercedes had left the city.
She could feel her bloodsisters soul quickly seeping away, her chest began to burn. They'd been bonded together by the spilled blood of their ancestors ever since they both left District 1 at the age of a day old. She could feel her friend, her fears and her changes from miles away. They were the first blood-bonded pair in centuries, a miracle upon the city.
But Quinn was the one that was considered to be the next in line for the slot of female Alpha and Mercedes knew better then to try and take her place. Quinn looked up at the sky and counted the stars. Forty Billion artificial lights shined mutely above her, she knew she had to find Mercedes… If the Alphas detected her disappearance, they'd have her killed.
As Quinn removed herself from the balcony she suddenly began to feel the tingle of an oncoming change shake her body. She removed her slippers and slid out of her nightgown, her bare body becoming racked with the trembling of her muscles. Quickly Quinn got onto her hands and knees to let the werewolf blood run through her veins. Her eyes flickered in and out of her normal human vision and suddenly her dimmed bedroom came into immediate focus.
She scratched her paws against her carpet, removing the dirt before using her fluffy pale blonde tail to slam her bedroom door open. With a few quick leaps she was on the windowsill in the living room. After judging the distance between the ground and the second floor of her house were she sat, she leapt without a bit of hesitation, letting her strong limbs embrace the impact of the soft plush cushion of grass underneath the pads of her feet.
She lifted her blonde muzzle into the air and repressed the urge to howl, afraid that she would alert any other wolves of her awakening.
She'd have to find Mercedes; it was a miracle that the other wolf had gotten past the guards by herself. Who knew what kind of trouble she'd run into in the forests around the outsides of Lima all on her own?
AN: End Of Chapter!
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