THE ALPHA’S ADDICTION

The forest was still as the same as Emma remembered it. Full and interesting; glamorous even. Although she noticed that her senses were more heightened and attuned to the forest than the last time she had been here.

She could hear the branches creaking, as her feet shuffled through the detritus. She could hear the squirrels chattering, the birds singing, insects humming and churring, the rustle of animals rooting in underbrush, the scrabbling of lizards on tree bark. She could also hear the leaves rustling, the wind whistling around trunks and disturbing the leaves.

She didn’t know why she could hear these sounds more distinctively; but whatever it was, she liked it.C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.

She felt safe to be among tree trunks. The forest was like a safe haven, a place to rest. Fewer thoughts come to her mind, and the hustle and bustle in her head quietened down. It became easy to enjoy even the little things and distinguish between what was important and what was not. It was like the cool breeze helped in filtering down her thoughts, as she took in a deep breath. She would be fine. At that moment, in thick mass of nature, she just believed she would be fine.

She thought that nature was impeccably beautiful in all the chaos mastered by Mother Earth.

Plump tussocks of moss invited her to touch them, as she walked side by side with Clem who looked lost in his own thoughts as he stared ahead, and so did the tree trunks, rocks, and everything else she encountered along the trail. She felt like sinking her hand into the moss, to feel the fresh, scented earth. She felt like pushing her ear to the trunk of a dead pine tree, with a sharp belief that she would hear greater wisdom than even the wisest human could ever offer her. Her body began to rest from its worries and anxiousness, moving in tune with what her brain was processing. She breathed in intermittently, as if to feel better and stronger with every inhalation.

The harmony of scents were ineffable to her. It felt like she was actually breathing for the first time in her life.

She concluded that stepping into the forest was like walking through a gate. A person leaves all the fuss, busy life and smooth asphalted roads behind, to be greeted with peace and fragrant nature.

It felt like home.

“Beautiful..” She muttered, as if entranced while still darting her eyes back and forth the thick mass of trees and leaves.

“What?” Clem asked, breaking out of his own thoughts at her voice.

“The forest.. it is beautiful.” She said, unable to mask the awe in her voice.

“Mmmh” He hummed, agreeing with her, although not awestruck as her, as he had been in these regions more than once.

“Are you sure you can still remember the exact place where you and gone with Derek before the phanthom had almost taken you?” He asked, slowing down his walking pace. Actually, he didn’t think that they would be able to find it. For if he had heard the story right from Derek, the phanthom had led them as a little girl, to a particular spot where time had stood still. There was no way they could locate it. He had only followed the redhead just to keep her safe. He didn’t want his soon to be alpha chopping his head off, since the redhead was totally stubborn. He knew that she would have still gone into the forest, without him.

“Perhaps.” Emma replied, unable to clothe down the doubt in her voice. She was just following whatever her guts were telling her. She had no idea where exactly they were, in the forest. But she kept walking. She needed to get her phone back.

“Perhaps? Emma, your phone is a lost cause.” Clem stated, not wanting to continue the wild chase of a goose. He would have preferred staying at home, and painting.

“Not till I say it is.” She mentioned, increasing her walking pace.

“You could go back if you’re tired already.” She taunted, knowing it wouldn’t sit well with his ego.

Tired? Clem scoffed. Let’s see who will get tired. He thought, walking faster to meet up with her pace.

They had walked for a while around the forest, until they got into an eerie region, where there were no sounds at all, utmost quietness filled their ears.

Emma wondered if it was only her, or whether Clem could feel it too. This area was different from the rest. When had they crossed over to this path?

“Do you feel anything different?” She asked her companion, wanting to know if it was just her. Last she remembered, Maya had said that the forest was enchanted.

“Nothing really. It’s just more quiet.” Clem replied, looking around the area. He could sense nothing. He didn’t know if it was because of the strange area that they were in or because there wasn’t anything to sense maybe. He felt that it was the former, and that realization didn’t sit well with him.

“Yes… like we’ve entered into another space or zone.” Emma said, not understanding what she was just saying until it was totally out. She gasped, and put her hands on her mouth, as she turned sharply to Clem, who was also looking at her, as if they had turned to each other at the same time that she had finished her statement.

“Maybe. There’s only one way to check it out.” Clem muttered, turning back at the same time with Emma, towards the direction they had just come, in that straight form.

They were about to take their fourth step, when they realized that they could hear the chirping of birds and the humming of insects.

They looked at each other in surprise, in total awe of their new discovery, before taking a step back.

Total quietness again.

They looked at each other again, and took a step forward. Noise.

A step backwards. Quietness.

“Bloodugering Hell..” Emma muttered in awe as she stared around the area, trying to see if she could find a lock or something to indicate the demarcation of the two different aspects of the region. But there was nothing. She wouldn’t have been able to tell if she hadn’t been sensitive. Perhaps that was what had happened to she and Derek that last time that they had been here. They had been so involved with the little girl in distress, that they hadn’t sense the change in the atmosphere.

“A portal…?” Clem asked rhetorically, still in shock.

“This must be the place where the phanthom had taken you guys, the place where time stood still.” He said, looking around with his mouth slightly opened.

” Yeah, which means… oh my God!” Emma shrieked, as a new information dawned on her.

” Emma, what is it?” He asked, startled by her shout.

” The more time we spend here. The more days is counted off in our own space, back at home. We have to find the phone now.” She said with an urgency that triggered his understanding.

” Right…” He muttered, and started looking around on the humid black soil covered with grasses; knowing that it won’t take long before the people back in the pack house would notice that they were missing, and start looking for them, that is, if they hadn’t even noticed. He mused, bending down at one point to search. Now, he hoped that they found the phone, not wanting the human’s efforts to go in vain.

He stood up sharply, as he noticed the slight change in the air. Something or someone had joined them. Something invisible. He looked and found Emma, some metres away from him, she was bent on her fours, searching for the phone.

“Emma…” He whispered, a bit surprised when she turned. He hadn’t expected that she would hear him.

But before he could say something else, a woman mystically appeared before them.

“Margo!” He heard Emma call out to the woman in surprise, and took in a sharp intake of air. He didn’t know which one surprised him the most. The fact that a witch was standing with them, or the fact that the redhead seemed to know the strange witch. She had even called her out by name. He wondered when they had made the acquittance. He wondered if Derek and the others knew about the woman. He wondered if he had missed anything this two days he hadn’t really been with the clique.

He had noticed that Anthony, his Luna and Alpha had been discussing something heatedly in the kitchen when he had come into their quarters, something related to blood and the human. They had stopped when they had felt his presence. And after the exchange of greetings and the revealing of the information that Derek had gone to the other pack with his cousin, he had then left as he had known that they had wanted him to, before he had headed to the human’s room. But then she had raked about her lost phone, and had gotten them here. He decided he would have to get his answers from her. She was the key to dissipating his confusion.