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Chapter 3
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2020-11-13 02:38:58Chapter 3
I´m running as fast as my legs will carry me. I dodge outcropping rocks and roots. My footing is sure and agile, adapting to the uneven terrain. But I have no control.
It´s as if my instincts have taken over me.
The full moon beckons. I run beyond the tree line that opens on to a cliff overlooking the whole Wolf Springs.
The moon is calling to me.
I collapse to the ground right beside the cliff edge as my transformation begins. The pain begins anew as every bone in my body seems to break, reforming into something inhuman. My limbs bend in weird angles, bones cracking.
My skin grows a coat of white fur, and my mouth elongates into a snout of sharp teeth. My scream fills the otherwise quiet night.
The transformation feels like an eternity of pain. Yet as it finally finishes, my scream turns into a howl. The pain is gone as if it was never there.
I´m a wolf. I feel powerful. I feel free. This feels like the most natural thing in the world. It´s as if this is who I´ve been all along.
(Liam) “Perhaps you were destined to be a wolf.” Liam in his silver wolf form pads slowly towards me. “You look beautiful.” “I can hear your thoughts.” “And I can hear yours. But only the ones on the surface. This is how we communicate when we are in wolf form. There´s so many things you have to learn about being a wolf. I can teach you.” That´s when I recall what Liam told me back in the garden. “Maybe you can start by telling me what being marked means?” “Laura, have you been in contact with any other wolves apart from Lucas and I?” “Not that I know of. Why? What does it mean? Is it bad?” “I don´t know how to tell you this. But being marked means you´ve been selected as a permanent mate by the werewolf who marked you. It´s the werewolves' version of being married.” “What?!” “However, since you didn´t mark the other werewolf, it´s not going to work. So don´t worry. But who could have marked you? It couldn´t have been Lucas because I know for a fact that he´s --. It can´t have been anyone of us.”
The moment when Patrick bit me back in the hospital flashes into my mind. “That guy. Is he a werewolf?” “You can see what´s inside my head too?” “Only because you can´t control your mind yet. With training, you´ll be able to hide your other thoughts.” “I wish I can learn that soon.” “Don´t worry, Laura. I will teach you.” “Thank you, Liam. That means a lot.”
“So, who´s that guy, Laura?” “That´s Patrick White, my boss at the hospital.” “Evidently he´s the one who marked you.” “So that means he´s a werewolf. It makes sense now. The way he healed very fast the last time --”
I stop myself, careful not to reminisce about my sexual encounter with Patrick. “Patrick and I have a lot to discuss.” “Be careful around that guy. I don´t trust him.” “I will. Don´t worry.”
Liam stares at me, his eyes narrowing at me as if in scrutiny. “there´s something different about you. I just can´t tell precisely what it is.” “Everything looks different to me now. I´m a wolf.” “No, it´s not like that. It´s something else --” Liams´ ears suddenly perk up. And I perceive the presence of another. Another wolf. “Do you feel that?” “Yes. That´s good, your senses are beginning to adjust.” “Who could it be? Lucas?” “No, I´ve been around Lucas long enough to tell when it´s him. That´s not him.” We wait guardedly. It could be another frenzied wolf. After a few moments, a red wolf emerges from the woods. This one is clearly smaller than us. But certainly, a werewolf. “Who are you?” I asked.
The red wolf appears to hesitate. It seems scared and confused. “She´s just a child. My name is Liam. We´re not going to hurt you. We´re just like you.”
The red wolf moves toward us. “I´m Laura. What´s your name?” I´m able to see what´s in her mind. It´s an image of a little girl. And she seems familiar. “Liam, I think I know who she is. She´s one of my patients back at the hospital.” “One of the victims of the werewolf attack?” “No, we found her the night before. She was abandoned outside the ER. We call her Elise. I´m able to see what´s inside her head. Can´t you?” “I can´t. There´s something wrong with her.” I sense her inside my head. Whatever she wants to tell me, she presents to me in images. “Her name is Wendy. She says she´s unable to transform back into a human. She´s been like this for two nights.” “Sometimes when a child turns into a werewolf, it´s very simple for their wolf side to suppress their human side. And given that she doesn´t belong to a pack, there´s no one to guide her. I can help her with that.” “You can trust Liam. He´s a good person.” Liam glances at me. “She wants to understand how she can transform back into a human.” “Close your eyes. And listen to my voice inside your head.” The little wolf does as she´s told. “Do you feel this power inside of you? Let it go. Return the wolf back into its cage.” Wendy struggles for a moment. “Remember who you are, Wendy. Come back. I call on you.” Nothing happens. Liam attempts to coax her human form out but to no avail. “She says she can´t do it.” The little wolf gives up.
“Liam, why is it not working?” “I don´t know.” We all hear a howl from afar. “That´s Lucas. He´s calling us back.” “Wendy, come with us. Maybe our friends can help.” “Let´s go.”
>Lucas´ house. Garden. Night. <
We return to Lucas´ house. Lucas, together with Tank and Amelia, are waiting for us in the garden.
(Lucas) “I see you found a friend in the woods.” Lucas puts a blanket over my back, and then proceeds to do the same with Liam. (Laura) “This is Wendy.” “He can´t hear your thoughts when he´s in human form, Laura.” “I see.” “Now try and turn back into your human form. I know you can do it on your own. I believe in you, Laura.”
I bow my head and close my eyes. I will myself to revert back to my human form. I discover that it´s far simpler to trigger the transformation than I had expected. It is still painful to rearrange all the bones in my body, although this time it´s quicker. After a few moments, I have returned to my human form, naked underneath the blanket. It´s supposed to be a cold night as winter approaches, but I feel warm inside.
(Lucas) “You did it. How does it feel being a wolf?” “Liberating. Like the release of a chain that´s been holding me back. And now I´m free of it.” Lucas smiles approvingly. “I´m so happy for you, Laura.”
After a few moments, Liam, stands there in human form, then he puts his clothes on. “What happened during your mission Tank?” “The victims, they´re all gone. They´ve been taken into custody by the Center for Disease Control.” “They have them under quarantine in an undisclosed location.” Lucas added.
“Do we have any way to confirm the veracity of this information?” Liam asked. “I believe it´s a load of crap.” Amelia insisted. (Lucas) “If those people have turned into werewolves, surely we would have heard about it on the news. But other than that, we can´t really know for certain whether the CDC has them or not.” “I think I know someone who might be able to help us. My ex-boyfriend Robert has dealt with the CDC numerous times in the past. I believe he has contacts there.” (Liam) “You can call him later. There´s not much we can do at this time of night anyway. Firstly, I think we should try to assist our little friend here.”
We all look at Wendy. Amelia moves to her side and strokes her fur. “What´s wrong with her?” “She´s unable to transform back into a human.” (Tank) “How long has she been in wolf form?” I hear the tone of concern in Tanks´ voice. “Two nights.” I said. “She transformed during a waxing gibbous. We perceive the moon to be full around this time. But technically, it´s not the full moon yet. Although it still affects us werewolves.” “What´s the difference?” “According to werewolf lore, humans that have their first transformation during a waxing gibbous have a very powerful werewolf side. It means the wolf in them can overpower the human side.”
(Lucas) “I´ve heard about this. Addes to the fact that she´s only a child makes her case worse.” (Tank) “Tonight is the actual full moon. Tomorrow is the waning gibbous. If she doesn´t revert back into a human soon, her humanity will fade with the wanning of the moon. She´ll be a wolf for life.” (Laura) “But how can we help her?” (Amelia) “Liam is an Alpha. He can guide her back to being human.” “We´ve already attempted that. It didn´t work.” This is not good. I feel sorry for Wendy. And I hate this feeling of not being able to help her. I feel like I failed her once as her doctor. And now this.
(Lucas) “Well, there must be another way. Any ideas?” (Tank) “I think I have one. But we´ll require the help of an oracle. (Amelia) “No.” We are all surprised by Amelias´ response. “I will not permit some oracle to meddle with this child's destiny.” “Are you being serious, Amelia? This is a child we are talking about here. She hasn´t lived her life yet. And now she´s about to lose her humanity.” Lucas bursted out.
This is the first time I´ve witnessed the two of them interact.
“Once she knows what it´s like to live as a wolf, she´ll learn that it´s better than being human.” (Laura) “Amelia, this is not for any one of us to decide. Wendy has already expressed her desire to become human. And we are going to help her.” (Liam) “Laura is right.” “In that case, I don´t want to be a part of this.” Without another word, Amelia leaves. I glance at Lucas, who seems nonchalant about her departure. (Liam) “She´s made her choice. It is well within her rights to choose a different side if she doesn´t believe in this cause.” Lucas just nods. “Tank, how do we go about helping Wendy?” “We´re going to require Seven.” “Seven oracles?” I gasped “No. Seven the Oracle.” Interesting name. I wonder what an oracle looks like? “So, how do we find Seven?” “You don´t find Seven. She finds you.”
>Lucas´ house. War room. Night<
Tank performs a short ritual to summon the oracle. I watch in fascination as he burns an assortment of herbs in the hearth inside the war room. He loosens the drawstrings of a leather pouch to reveal some sort of powder. “Powdered moonstone. This will act as a beacon to lead the oracle to us.” “I didn´t know werewolves can perform magic.” “I don´t possess magic. But this ritual can be performed by any supernatural being. It won´t work if you´re an ordinary human.
As Tank scatters the powder into the flames, the fire roars and rises higher, turning blue. Wendy, who is with us in the war romm, cowers in fear at the flames. Liam strokes her head to calm her down. “Now we wait.”
Lucas walks over to us and hands me my mobile phone. “Battery´s been charged. You can call Robert now.” With a nod, I press a button to call Robert´s number. He answers the call in the first ring. “Laura, I´ve been worried sick. Where are you?” “I´m fine, I´m --” I´m about to say that I´m at Lucas´, but think better of it. “I´m staying with a friend.” “I´ve been at your house and there´s no one there and your phone´s out of reach. You had me worried sick.” “I know. Something came up.” “Yeah, family emergency. I´ve been to the hospital too.” “Listen, Robert. I need your help.” “What is it? Are you sure everything is all right? I want to see you.” “not right now, but I promise to see you after you help me.” “I´m listening.” “I´m sure you´ve heard of the animal attacks yesterday.” “Yes. What about it?” “We need to find out where they are being quarantined. The CDC got them.” There´s a long pause on the other end of the line. He´s hesitating. “I´ll see what I can do. I´ll reach out to my contacts at the CDC. Is there anything else?” “That´s it, Robert. Thank you.” “No problem. I´ll call you as soon as I receive word. You take care. See you soon.” Robert ends the call. I stare at my phone. There aren´t any messages or missed calls from my mom.
That´s weird. I´ll send her a message. “i hope you´re all right. Send me a text when you receive this. I miss you.” I lock my phone after the message sends. I feel my eyes swell up with unshed tears. I wish my mom was here right now.
Suddenly there is a flash of light and a woman materializes before our eyes. I can´t believe my eyes, the woman just appeared out of nowhere. This is a different form of magic I´m witnessing. I can´t help but feel fascinated by all this.
The women's long white hair is in sharp contrast against her ebony skin. She´s beautiful.
(Tank) “Seven.” “Tank McGrath, it´s been a long time.” “I imagine you already know why I have summoned you.” “The little wolf. Bring her to me.” Liam prods Wendy forward. Seven puts a hand on Wendy´s forehead and closes her eyes. When she opens them, her eyes are all white, but then slowly return to normal. I can feel her humanity fade as the light of the moon wanes. She doesn´t have much time. We have until tomorrow night before the wolf inside her completely takes over.”
(Liam) “What needs to be done then?” “We need to perform the Ritual of the Moon Goddess. We will need offerings from the elements so that the moon will release her grasp on this little wolf. We have to gather these offerings as swiftly as we possibly can.” (Laura) “ We´ll do anything to get them.” “Good. Because we are going to need a blood sacrifice from you, she-wolf.” I am taken aback by the revelation. “A blood sacrifice? How much blood are we talking about precisely?” “Just enough for the ritual. But don´t worry, it shouldn´t kill you.”
(Lucas) “That sounds reassuring.” “Why me?” The oracles´ eyes narrow on me. “You don´t know? This is interesting.” “Don´t know what?” What is she talking about? “I think we should begin work on gathering the offerings for this ritual.” Lucas interrupted us.
I wish I understand more about what the oracle is saying. But I realize we have a more pressing matter at hand. I hope there´ll be sufficient time to ask her later.
(Tank) “What do we need?” “We are going to need morning dew from the night of the full moon.” “I can gather that in the woods tomorrow morning.” Lucas offered. Seven went on “Earth from where a first transformation has taken place.” (Liam) “Laura just transformed tonight by the cliff, so I can get soil from that very spot.”
I can´t help but notice the curious look that Seven gives me. “I need a moonstone, sage and monkshood. And of course, the blood of the she-wolf.” The oracle looks at me. “Laura” I can hear her voice inside my head. The others don´t seem to have heard anything. “Seven?” “I would like to get to know you? Some to me later.”
As if nothing happened, Seven addresses the group. “We will offer all these in a pyre where a werewolf has died.” (Lucas) “I know a spot. I think we can get all that we need.” “Then we just have to wait for the moon to rise tomorrow night so we can undertake the ritual. If that is everything, I would like to retire now.” “Let me show you to the quarters.” I watch as Lucas leads Seven out of the war room. Seven gives me a backward glance as they step outside.
I will need to keep it a secret when I pay the oracle a visit tonight. That way, no one will be able to interrupt. She´s been acting strange towards me, and I want to know why.
>Lucas´ house. Guest room. Night.<
Later that night, while everyone is asleep, I sneak out of my room and walk down the hall to the oracle´s room. As if she´s been waiting by the door, the oracle let´s me in as soon as I knock. The smell of burning incense greets me. It immediately soothes my nerves.
“Take a seat.” We sit opposite each other at a small round table by the window. “You´re an interesting woman. I want to know more about you. Can I read you?” “What will happen if you read me?” “I will be able to tell your past.” “All right. Do it.”
Seven takes my hand in hers and closes her eyes. When she opens them, her eyes are all white. It´s weird to see it up close. Her eyes return to normal after a few moments. “Strange. I can´t get a read of your past. It´s as if you don´t have one.” That is strange indeed. “Who are your parents?” “I never knew my dad. My mother is Claire Fuller.” “Claire.”
Seven murmurs my mother's name. “Do you know her?” “I know a Claire. But we may not know her the same way.” “What do you mean?” “Nothing. I´m sorry. It´s just that I´m confused. I´ve never been unable to read someone´s past before. Perhaps it´s something to do with what you are.” “What am I?”
Seven looks at me in disbelief. “You really don´t know?” “I´m new to all this werewolf stuff.” Seven seems to contemplate what she´s about to say for a moment. “You are an Alpha, Laura.” “I thought only male werewolves can become Alphas.” “No, gender has nothing to do with being an Alpha. You, on the other hand, are special.” “Is it because Alphas are rare these days? Lucas told me most of them have been wiped out.” “Oh, that Lucas. He´s an interesting young man, don´t you think? How long have you known him?” “I´ve known him for four years, since I moved here.” “Ah. I believe he knows you very well.” “He does. He´s my best friends.”
There´s a long silence that follows and Seven smiles at me softly.
“So, I´m an Alpha. Is that the reason why you need my blood for the ritual?” “Yes. The blood of a she-wolf like you is very potent in such rituals. I wonder. Would you like your future told? If I can´t get a read on your past, maybe I can see your future?”
My mom always told me that we make our own destiny. But after all that´s happened, becoming a werewolf, it scares me to think what destiny has in store for me. “I guess it wouldn´t hurt to know the future.” “It won´t. I promise.”
Seven takes my hand once again and her eyes become white. “I see a man in your future. The one you´re going to spend the rest of your life with.” “Who is it?” Seven did not answer. “You kissed under the moon. Waxing. Full. Waning.”
Suddenly, Seven gasps. Her grip on my hand tightens. “I see blood being spilled. Help them. A betrayal. Trust no one. An enemy must be defeated. I see death.”
Seven slumps forward onto the table. She appears to have lost consciousness. I attempt to rouse her. “Seven? Wake up.” What the hell just happened?
Seven groans and stirs. When she opens her eyes, they have returned to normal.
“Your future is for you and you only. Tell no one. Influencing the outcome of the future can have dangerous repercussions. You are more important than you think, Laura.” “I don´t understand.” “The answers are coming, but you will have to wait. You must go now.”
Seven practically pushes me out of the door, which she slams in my face.
> Lucas´ house<
I am about to return to my room when I sense someone approaching from around the corner. It´s Liam. “Laura. Why are you still up? Where have you been?” “I just went to the kitchen to get some water.” “So, where´s your water?” “Oh, I drank it already.” “You can´t sleep, can you?”
Liam moves closer to me and his scent fills up my senses. “Yep, hence, the water.” A moment of silence passes between us as we stare in each other´s eyes. “Well, I guess I´m going to bed now.” I decide to get away as I began to feel this urge to kiss him. I don´t need any complications right now. I still have this problem about being marked by another werewolf. “Good night.”
As I walk past him, he grabs me by the arm and pulls me closer to him. “Liam.” “i know you feel it. The sexual urges. It´s natural for us werewolves. Especially you who have just turned. I know you feel it with me. You don´t have to fight it.”
I am surprised beyond words. We stare at each other in silence before I finally find my voice. “But Liam, I´ve been marked.” “It doesn´t mean anything if you haven´t marked him yet. Did you?” “i don´t believe that I did.” “Then you don´t have to fight whatever it is that you feel for me. I feel it too.
Upon hearing what he just said, I lean up against him and nuzzle into his neck, breathing his scent. His smell is intoxicating. It´s like a drug to me.
My mouth finds his, and we begin to kiss ravenously. It’s a firestorm of desire. Liam pulls me closer to him and I can feel the heat of his body. As his lips continue to crush against mine, I slip my hand into his pants and feel his hardness. I want to taste him. I want to take him in my mouth.
What is this I´m feeling? I am torn between fighting it or giving in. I have to fight with my desire. I strengthen my resolve. “Liam, I can´t. I need to stop. I am attracted to you. But --” “Then what´s wrong?” “Nothing´s wrong. You´re perfect. It´s just that I don´t think this is the right time.” “I told you, you don´t have to fight it, Laura. If you want it, you want it. There´s no grey area. I am going to kiss you now, Laura. Feel free to stop me.” I look at his lips. I want a taste. “I´m not going to stop you.” Liam kisses me on the lips. It´s sweet and tender. And I realize at that moment that he´s right. I want it. I really want it. The kiss seems to last forever. Until we hear footsteps from down the hall. We pull away from each other. “Liam, I need to go.” “Good night then.”
I slip into my bedroom as Liam walks down the opposite way.
>Edge of the woods. Night<
The following day, we gather all the necessary elements for the ritual. Lucas gathers morning dew in the morning. Tank picks the herbs from Lucas´ greenhouse. Liam and I use a wheelbarrow to transport soil from the cliff to the clearing, where Liam killed the wolf who attacked me and Lucas. Seven spent the better part of the day meditating. Or was she avoiding me? I really can´t tell. But at the time for the ritual draws near, Seven approaches me. “Always bear In mind what I told yoi. You play an important role in all this.”
Suddenly she pulls out a dagger from her belt. I take a step back. “We need your blood for the ritual, remember?” She grabs my hand and I wince in pain as she cuts my palm with her dagger. Blood starts to flow out of the wound and Seven lets it drip into a silver chalice. “We need to gather around the circle.”
Tank has scattered the soil from the cliff in a circle around the spot where the werewolf was killed. Liam started a fire in the circle a while ago. Seven steps into the circle and beckons for Wendy. “Come inside the circle, little wolf.”
But before we can begin the ritual, black wolves descend upon us.
