The Unwanted Wolf

Theron’s words sparked a fire inside of me. He promised me that if I had gone with him peacefully that my friends would be safe. He lied about that, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. I didn’t know him, and I shouldn’t have trusted someone who was trying to kill me in the first place.

“You won’t be able to kill my friends,” I whispered, glaring at Theron in a way I had never glared before. I never truly hated someone before now.

Theron scoffed in return. “And how do you suppose that will happen? You surely can’t do anything to protect them. You’re just a weak girl.”

I simply smirked at him. I could feel the flame inside me growing brighter and stronger. I could see the ball inside of me glowing a bright yellow with green flickers. I pulled myself off the ground, standing as tall as I could. “You’ve made a key mistake.”

Theron frowned, looking me up and down. “You are just a frail girl who can barely stand. Are you really trying to scare me right now?”

“Because of my b***d that I have no control over, the man I thought was my father kicked me out at sixteen, threatening my life if I ever returned. I felt rejected and unwanted, but you know what? I survived. I survived on my own as a werewolf. I survived because I’m strong.”

“Werewolves are nothing compared to the power of a true sorcerer,” Theron said. He was confident in his words, but he was watching me carefully.

“Perhaps. Or maybe you are underestimating werewolves. Either way, you forget that I’m also part sorceress.” My legs were shaking from not eating for several days, but I pushed through it.

Theron scoffed again. “That means nothing from a girl who doesn’t even know how to use your powers.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“But you haven’t come into your full powers yet,” I said. “Is that why you used Haley to do your dirty work to try to kill me off?”

Theron swung his arm at me, but before he touched me, I grabbed his arm. My skin was glowing now, and the energy flowed through me in a way it hadn’t before. Theron’s eyes grew wide and for the first time I saw true fear in Theron’s eyes.

“You little b***h,” Theron snapped. He lunged at me again.

In the blink of an eye, I was standing behind Theron. I pushed his back, sending him flying into the wall. He hit his head and fell to the ground. I knew this was my chance. I immediately turned to the door and tried to pull on the handle. It was locked. I looked at Theron, who was rolling on the ground grabbing his head. I didn’t have much time. I took a deep breath and imagined myself on the other side of the door.

The world flashed in front of me, and then I was standing on the other side of the door. I didn’t have time to fully absorb what I was doing or how I was controlling my powers. I started running down the hallway, not wasting another second. Theron had the power to shift, and I was terrified he would shift in front of me at any moment.

I kept running, unsure of where I was going. I heard a door slamming behind me, and my heart skipped a beat. I knew Theron was up now, and he was going to be pissed. I opened the first door I saw and quickly shut it behind me. I looked for a lock, but I didn’t see one.

Get outside, Moon said in my head.

“How?” I whispered under my breath. I looked around, and the room I was in was a dead end. I examined the door, but there wasn’t a lock on it either, not that it would have mattered. Theron would be able to just shift into the room with me.

The window!

I looked up, and surely there was a small window on the far wall. It was small and towards the top of the wall. I grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the window as carefully as I could without making noise. I looked through the window and saw the outside, but there was no way I could climb through the window, especially in my condition.

I imagined the outside and how it would feel standing there, the cool earth between my toes and the chill air against the skin. Deep breath. The feeling of freedom. Deep breath. The cold air filling my lungs. Deep breath.

I opened my eyes, and I was standing outside of the building. I looked around, and I only saw trees surrounding the building. I glanced behind me and saw that there was a log cabin behind me. I had no idea where I was or where I should go, but I knew I had to get away.

“Shadow, I need you,” I said.

I’m ready, Shadow said in my head.

I let Shadow free, and my body started shifting into my wolf form. I was tired and my body was not happy with the transformation, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. I let the adrenaline fuel the transformation, and then I took a step back, letting Shadow take over control of my body. I was tired, but I was able to save some of my energy as Shadow started moving. Trees started blurring past me, and I was in a daze, like a passenger in a car, vaguely aware of the surroundings but not having to worry about driving.

Shadow stopped occasionally to sniff a tree, which usually resulted in a change of direction. She pushed our body, tearing our muscles little by little to run as fast as we could away from the cabin. We couldn’t risk Theron getting to us again. The farther away we got, the calmer I felt. I hoped Theron wouldn’t be able to shift to our location without knowing exactly where we were. Since he hadn’t found us yet, I felt more hopeful.

After a while, Shadow’s pace started to slow down, and I knew she was growing tired. Our body had been through so much the past few days, and the adrenaline was starting to fade.

I can’t keep going on like this, Shadow said, coming to a complete stop.

I was starting to grow dark, and the air chilled even more without the sunrays. I knew we couldn’t stop now.

It’s okay. I can take over, I said back in our head.

Shadow released control, and I started transforming back into my human form. The air felt much cooler without fur covering my body, and without Shadow’s keen senses, I didn’t know exactly where to go.

Just keep going straight. There’s a road not too far ahead. Follow it until you can find some help, Shadow said before retreating into my head.

Shadow’s presence grew faint, and I couldn’t feel Moon anymore. My bare feet were worn out from walking on the floor, but it wasn’t long until I lost feeling in my feet. I wished I had shoes, but I was grateful I left the heels back in my presence. I wouldn’t have been able to run away wearing the heels. I wrapped my arms around my body, but it did little to warm me up. My dress barely did anything to keep me warm.

The longer I walked, the more I wanted to stop. I felt alone, and I didn’t have much energy left. It would have been easier to find somewhere to curl up and rest, but I was afraid that if I stopped, I would never get back up. The cold could easily take over me, and I didn’t just escape a murderer just to die from the cold. Just a few more steps, I kept telling myself over and over again.

I thought about the warmth of Mark’s arms. When I saw him again, he would wrap me tightly in his arms and never let go. I needed to see him again. I needed to tell him that he was the one I wanted. He had been through so much hurt in his life, and I just wanted to give him this one thing. He deserved to be happy, and I had a chance to give that to him. I deserved to be happy too.

In the distance, I saw a bright light. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out what it was, but it was too far away. I moved towards the light, barely blinking. It was moving too fast for me to catch up to. Then it hit me. It was a car. I tried to move faster, running as best as I could. It was the road. If I could get someone to pick me up, I could find warmth. I could get back to the pack house and back to Mark.

By the time I got to the road, the car I had seen was long gone. I started walking in the opposite direction, hoping another car would show up soon, but I had no idea how far away from civilization I was or how long that would take. I continued moving forward, barely aware of my actions anymore. I was slowly freezing and could no longer feel my limbs.

I felt something hit my cheek, and when I looked into the sky, I saw little flakes floating down. They were lit up by the moonlight that was peaking through the clouds, and it was a beautiful sight. I would’ve been able to admire it a little better if I wasn’t so cold. I was starting to lose hope. I just wanted to sit down for a moment and admire the snow starting to fall.

I stopped walking, unsure if I would be able to continue on. My breaths were shallow, because the cold air stung my lungs. I stood there, completely exhausted. This couldn’t be it, could it?

A bright light flashed in my eyes, and when I looked down, I saw the familiar look of headlights coming my way. I had to make sure they stopped. Even though my limbs were stiff, I started waving around, trying to get their attention. As the car approached, it started slowing down. They stopped in front of me, and I was saved.