A heavy weight, deeper and more oppressive than the gathering winter storm clouds above, hung over Selena's shoulders as she crouched low in the shadow of a weather-worn, crumbling, graffitied railway bridge pillar. The cold concrete base pressed against her thigh, it's rough surface weather-worn, pock-marked, but still solid as the day it was first poured. A single lonely street lamp flickered, the soft ZZzzzt sound echoed in the city's nighttime stillness. Absent-minded, her fingers ran over the scars along her forearms and wrists - a chill ran down her spine making the scar tissue there pinch as it puckered. A mixed sensation of hot and cold gripped her stomach, while the boundary between reality and her suppressed memories gnawed at her consciousness. Sel reached up and grabbed the girder, just above where it was embedded into the concrete, to steady herself as a wave of lightheadedness washed over her.

  I’m not good enough at this - I failed them.

  The world around her faded at the edges, her heartbeat sped up. Why was she here? Sel’s sight clouded - thoughts turning inward. A breath of chill wind and the cold metal under her palm felt distant, detached, as if she sat inside her own body - watching her existence rather than living it. A pang of loss caught her breath, and stole the warmth from her core. This was wrong, everything about this night and the Elder’s orders set her instincts ablaze.

  I shouldn’t be here. This has to be a set up.

  Her eyes darted to some trash rolling down the street and every muscle in her body tensed to pounce. Muscles along the sides of her face, the ones attached to her ears, tightened, lifting the edges of her human-shaped ears upright. The sensation of wolf ears overlaid her awareness - like a phantom limb. Sel’s free hand reached out and lay flat on the street as her weight shifted forward, ready to run. Focusing on the plastic cup bouncing along the street, she blinked.

  What am I doing?

  Blinking again, with more conscious force, Selena shook off the urge to hunt, inhaled a deep breath and huffed it out.

  Get it together girl, she chided herself in a silent reprimand. We have a job to do.

  Sel glanced up at the sky, then over her shoulder towards the junkyard. Sight, she thought to herself as she stood up, grabbing at a higher place on the girder- first step in re-grounding. Can’t let anxiety blind me. She tightened her grip on the cold, rusted, steel support for the railway above and felt the metal bite into her palm - Touch. Breathing through her nose, the crisp-damp air threatening snow filled her sinuses and drove a spike into her forehead. She winced and blinked again - Scent. The pain added another layer, and she found herself once more aware of her surroundings, and grounded in reality. The intrusive thoughts faded into a background murmur in her mind - for now. Never gone, but no longer in control.

  Focus child, focus. What did they want? She blinked again, and glanced around her for the rest of her pack. A pit gnawed at her stomach and she felt her consciousness detach from her body. The very thought of “her pack” was enough for the memories to intrude again.

  Remember, the Elders chose this, not me. Have faith in them, they know what they are doing, right? She reminded herself even as doubt and disgust tainted the thought. Sel forced herself to take another, now shaky, breath.

  Nearby, hidden in different spots, were the rest of her.., group. Selena’s gaze shifted from the junkyard at her left, towards a cracked and overgrown ancient parking lot in front of her, just to her right. Just past the rusted chain link fence across the street was the location the Elders had suggested they investigate. At night. Because they weren’t supposed to be here.

  Illegal bullshit. And they want us to stay hidden? But ask us to do this? She snorted. A movement across the street caught her attention. Lira’s head turned as she shifted weight from one foot to the other. Her dark brown eyes reflected the city’s reflected light that bounced off the cloud cover above. Tension across Selena’s chest eased as her heartbeat slowed.

  At least the Elders were wise enough to pair her up with her life-long bestie. Though Lira never told Selena what happened to her pack, and as far as Sel knew they were all still alive, she was glad to have a strong fighter on her side.

  Their eyes met and held. A moment of tension passed just before Lira dropped her gaze, her body language speaking of polite social submission. Damn it, why won’t she take charge? She was an alpha too, Sel sighed, keeping the thought to herself.

  With a frown, Sel glanced around for the other two of this ragtag collection of.., pack? No. Pack just didn’t feel right - not yet. But what else was she supposed to call them? Her gang? Sel suppressed a snort.

  Tilting her head to sideways, using the side of her hoodie to help ease the light-pollution reflected glare from above, she searched the area for Kael and Jax. Where were they?

  Picking out a shadowy form, stepping out from the junkyard’s fence line, she recognized Kael. Quiet and withdrawn, his eyes rarely left the ground and he spoke in soft undertones that were often hard to hear. Right now, however, his gaze shifted between the parking lot and Sel - looking for guidance. She sighed, and with a flick of her fingers, motioned him to come over to her side. Like a shadow, he slid his way over to her. Creepy.

  Lira, Kael… Wait. Where was Jax? Sel’s heart froze for a second, unable to pinpoint Jax’s specific location. An icy, clawed fist seized her heart, and she sucked in a not-quite silent breath through her nose. Where did he go?

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Traces of his scent lingered on that swift inhale, and Sel paused. Taking a slower, deliberate sniff, she closed her eyes and let her scent-sight guide her. Every hair on her body rose in alarm - he was close, too close. A soft growl vibrated in her throat as she opened her eyes. Using both sight and scent, she tracked his past movements. Up the street with them, into the brush to her right, she turned on instinct and checked behind her, every hair along her body stood on end. He wasn’t there. Something in her gut told her to look UP.

  Lifting her gaze up into the higher cross-girders of the railway bridge, she spotted him.

  Ah. OOOoooookaaaay. Good to know, he likes heights. Weirdo.

  Jax glanced down at her and smiled - his scent spoke of amusement and pride. Sel narrowed her eyes at him. Was this a joke? If the Elders hadn’t insisted he go with us… Sel let that thought go before it grew into anything worse than frustration. She motioned with her head for him to come down and join them. He rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the parking lot. It wasn't as if she tried to hide her dissatisfaction, but that was blatant disrespect. What an asshole. Sel mused as she lifted the corner of her lip at him.

  “You ok?” Kael asked in a half-whisper. Selena waved a dismissive hand and turned her attention back to Lira -motioning for her to come over.

  “Yeah. Just.., everything’s.., off.” Sel said with a sigh.

  “I agree. Don’t junkyards normally have, I dun know… Dogs?” Kael glanced over his shoulder towards the junkyard behind him. “It’s too quiet. No cameras either.”

  Lira joined them and nodded, “Yeah, this place, well most of it, is owned by the city sanitation department, I think. You’d think they’d at least have a security camera somewhere. But it’s…I dun know, they’re missin’.”

  Jax snorted from above, “It’s North-Philly, s’not like anyone cares.”

  “Well someone is interested in this area.” Using her shoulder, Lira motioned back towards the rusted fence line behind her. “I saw a spot that’s been very recently ripped open. Closer to the riverside.”

  “Hrmmn,” Kael added, his eyes darting. “I smell something.”

  Sel blinked. The city dulled many of their senses, especially scent. Just then something in the air shifted and everyone froze. The sensation of being watched crawled over Sel’s skin. Lira’s posture changed - up on her toes, knees bent, shoulders loose and hands free from her winter jacket. Kael cringed, lowering his head and shoulders in a very feral pose of - I’ll bite if you mess with me. From above, she heard Jax’s breathing still, as if he held his breath.

  Sel ran through an internal check list of: is it cops, authority figures, humans, strange humans, unfamiliar Ulf’el pack, or Rogues - None? All clear. Neither scent, sight nor sound from any of those floated in the air. The road, to both left and right of them, was empty. The junkyard, silent.

  Kael’s attention drew towards the parking lot, his nose lifted and flared - scenting. In a heartbeat, Lira, with a measured slowness, turned to glance behind her. Sel breathed through her nose and picked up a strange, faint, distant, rotting-blood, homeless-person, old-urine, heated-metal, and melted plastic scent. If Kael hadn’t said something, she would have shrugged it off as city-background stink.

  Jax whispered from above, “there’s something over there. In the lot.”

  Sel stood taller and craned her neck trying to see past the overgrown weeds just past the rusted chain-linked fence. Jax whispered, “It’s moving away from us, towards the old power plant.”

  “What is it?” Lira whispered back, not turning her attention away from the chain link fence line.

  “It’s not natural,“ Kael shuddered. “It’s sick. Whatever it is, it smells like sick-human and something else.”

  “What do you mean, somethin’ else?” Sel muttered, every muscle in her body tense as her weight also shifted to her toes.

  Kael closed his eyes and sniffed the air. He took a step forward, stretching his body up. Sel blinked at him, his movements were far less human and much more wolf-like. She narrowed her eyes. Weird. Sure all Ulf’el had odd, non-human behaviors they kept in check, but this was overt and feral. How he held his body, the way he moved his head, and the soft toe-only steps he took toward the scent - it was as if his brain was no longer human, of any kind. She shivered, thinking, If I touch him, would his yah’el feel different too?

  She brushed a hand over her chest, as if wiping slime from her palm. The thought of it made her skin crawl. There was something not-right about Kael. Surreal.

  “We should go check it out,” Lira said in a firm, but soft voice. The almost-command rippled a chill up Sel’s spine, and she felt a growl rise in her throat. Instead of snarling at Lira, Selena let go of the girder and stepped up to Lira’s side. They made eye contact again, but this time it held longer. Before Sel could glance away in polite social submission, Lira broke eye contact first.

  “I’m sorry,” Lira added. Inside, Sel’s frustration with this situation and herself grew. Why would she act the alpha, and then not take the role? What gives?

  “You’re right, but we don’t know enough.” Sel added with tight control over her voice. Looking up at Jax she asked, “How far is it?”

  “Not far ‘nuff, if we gonna follow it. It’s.., limpin’.” Jax replied in hushed tones. “Give it ‘bout another 2 or 3 minutes.”

  Selena glanced back at the junkyard, then back up to Jax. Leaning out from his perch, teetering on the edge with one hand gripping the cross-girder above his head, his attention was hyper focused on the thing. Her gaze then shifted to Lira, who bounced on her toes and swayed side to side. She wanted to do something, anything. A keyed-up fighter caste with nothing to do was a detriment. Pressure built in Sel’s head and her guts twisted into a cold knot.

  What to do? What to do?

  Lira's impatience won, and she crossed the road, stalking to the edge of the chain-link fence line. Sel’s lips pressed together in a thin line and her nostrils flared. Come-on Lira, why are you doing this? She glanced at Kael, who was staring at her, waiting for… What? A command? Guidance? Sel sighed and Kael’s head tilted to one side, eyebrows raised. Yeah, he wants to know what I want to do. Crap.

  “What is she… Sel. Why is..” Jax started to say in a hushed tone.

  Sel cut him off in a huff, “She wants to hunt.”

  “Fubar.” Jax mumbled, and started to climb down from his perch.

  “We need to follow her in, but keep quiet. We don’t know what this thing is, and what it can do.” Sel growled and started across the street herself. Kael waited for Jax to finish his descent and start to cross behind Sel. With a final, narrow-eyed glance back at the junkyard, Kael turned and followed the rest of the pack.