The Secret Wolf (Book One in the Tree Top Wolves Series)

by Stacey Card

"Alysha, you know it's called stalking right?" Dan said with a huge grin.

  Nick laughed and pointed to a boy with brown hair and glasses. "This is Ed, and Max."  Max was a big guy, as they all were, with curly black hair, and eyes just as dark.  Nick pointed to a girl that I saw with Carly a lot, she was petite, but had long red hair and sparkly blue eyes. "That's Jess and this here is my little sister, Maddi,” he said, putting his arm protectively around a small girl with blond hair and blue eyes.  She looked the exact opposite to Nick and if I just saw them I wouldn't think they were related.

  "Hi,” I said a bit awkwardly.

  Ed smiled at me, while Max and Jess scowled.  However, Maddi grabbed my arm and pulled me down next to her.  She looked way to young to be in this grade and I raised a questioning brow at Nick.

  "Maddi here got moved up two grades, because she's just that smart,” he said answering my question with a proud look on his face.

  "Everyone is smart to you Nick,” Maddi said laughing. I looked at Nick and he faked being wounded putting his hand on his heart and I joined in with the laughter.

  Lunch went too fast and I actually found out that I liked Maddi and Ed.  Max, Jess and Carly just stared daggers at me but I didn't care.  I saw Nick glance over at me a few times and we would lock eyes, my heart would flutter before he would look away.  Nick and Maddi were just how I imagined a sibling relationship to be, they joked about each other, but you could see the love in their eyes when they looked at each other.

  I found out that I had several classes with Maddi and that we had the same taste in music and books.  I found out that she played the piano and that she loved it, and I told her that I draw and she asked if she could see them.  Nick looked weird all of a sudden and you could feel the change in him in the air, everyone looked at him and he said maybe we can see the art another time.  I said that I didn't mind now but he gave me this look as he said no, it almost felt as if I was being forced to listen to him.

  It was weird because part of me wanted to fight it, but another part of me was telling me to lower my head, which I did.  The rest of the table looked at Nick then quizzically, and he shook his head and shrugged.

  The rest of the school day was boring, I didn't see Nick again.  I did have the rest of my classes with Maddi though, she was smart for her age, she knew all the answers to the questions that the teachers would ask us once they saw that we were talking.  As I was walking home a red BMW sports car pulled up beside me.  The window rolled down and I could see Carly in the driver's seat and that Jess was in the passenger seat.

  "Stay away from Nick, understand?  He needs a real woman not some scrawny little wanna be,” Carly sneered.

  I looked at her a moment before bursting out with laughter.  If she thought Nick would want me in a million years she was clearly in another dimension.  She obviously took my laughter to be something else though.

  Jess pulled a knife out of the glove compartment and put it high enough just so I could see it.  I blanched and they laughed. "Stay away from him,“ she said before speeding off.

  I wasn't afraid of them, I was however afraid of that knife.  I walked the rest of the way home thinking about what had happened.  However, my mind kept straying to those green eyes.  He was perfect, although I was wondering why everyone was confused at dinner.  I didn't understand why he didn't want people to see my drawings, they weren't that bad and it wasn't like he had seen them.

  I got changed as soon as I went home, I wanted to go to the lake before it got dark, I missed my wolf.  I felt like I could talk to him about things and that he would somehow understand.  I knew it was a silly thing to think, but I couldn't help feeling like I could trust him.  As I was walking out I grabbed a banana, the forest was dry as there was no rain the night before.  I could hear the birds singing and closed my eyes as the breeze blew my hair behind me.

  The lake was empty so I decided to sit down and wait for him.  I knew he would come, I had a gut feeling.  I decided to get on with my homework while I waited.  I pulled out my math books and started with that, I was good at math, I always had been.  I enjoyed it as well, it was back and white, you were either wrong or right, none of this in between business.  I was reading through a book on World War Two for my History project when I heard the snap of a twig.

  I turned around and there he was, my black wolf.  My breath caught, he was just so beautiful.  He padded over to me and laid down.  I reached out and ran my fingers through his fur.  I sighed and rested my head against him.  I showed him all of the sketches that I had in my book and he looked at them studying each one curiously.  I then told him about the places that I've lived in.

  "... and that's how I ended up here.  Although mom says that we will stay here a while, I’m trying not to get too used to it because I know that I will only be heartbroken leaving all the people I've met."

  He nodded as if he understood.  I was leaning my back against his side, I loved this moment, I wish I could sketch it.  The sun was low but I didn't care, I trusted him and knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

  I must have fallen asleep because when I woke it was to growling, lots of it as well.  We were surrounded by wolves of all shapes, sizes and colours.  There was one that stood out though.  He was big, bigger than my wolf, and jet black.  He must be the leader.  Oh, what were they called?  Oh yes, Alphas.  He must be the Alpha, and I must say he didn't look like a happy one.  My wolf stood in front of me growling at the wolves.

  I didn't know what to do.  I got up slowly and the growling grew louder, my wolf turned around to see what I was doing.  That's when the Alpha attacked, he bit my wolf on the neck and pulled him down, pinning him to the ground before he could do anything.  I cried out asking them not to hurt him.  The Alpha looked at me right in the eyes and I couldn't help but lower my head, he released my wolf and came over to me.  My wolf was right at his heels and it was like they were communicating between each other, the Alpha circled me sniffing.  He growled in what I could only describe as confusion.  He then turned on my wolf as if telling him something.

  He turned and left, my wolf following close behind him.  I stared after them, wondering what had just happened.  A light brown wolf came up to me and nudged my leg with his body, as if telling me to follow him.  I did and we ended up at my house.  He left me at the edge of the woods, my stuff was still in there but I didn't care.  I walked up to my bedroom, not bothering to eat; I knew something big had just happened, I just didn't know what.

  My dad was angry; I could feel it vibrating off him.  He found me in the forest; I had fallen asleep listening to the sound of Alysha's deep breathing.  She was perfect, she was his mate.  He knew it, his wolf knew it, even though he couldn't pick up her scent he knew it was her.

  "You are to be mated Nick!" his father bellowed.

  As Alpha's son it was his duty to mate someone of a different pack, so that we could be reunited as one.  Since I was born I was made to marry the first born daughter of Chris Norwel, the Alpha of a pack up North.  Although I knew my duty, I had always wanted to find my mate and mate with her, and now that I have found her it just makes me feel worse that I have to leave her to be with another.  We rarely mated humans because we didn't like revealing our secret to them, they couldn't be trusted, and if they knew about us they would lock us up and experiment or hunt us.

  I had never met the girl that I was to mate with; she was coming down in two days with her father.  We were to be mated then in the summer.  We would have both finished school then and humans wouldn't ask questions.  I couldn't stop thinking about Alysha though, the way her grey eyes would twinkle when she laughed, the sound of her laugh was amazing too, like music to his ears.  His wolf growled in agreement, he wasn't happy about the arranged mating, but he couldn't argue with his Alpha.

  "I know father, but-"

  "No buts Nick, you are to be mated to Chris Norwels daughter and that's final!  I forbid you to see this girl t
hat you have been spending time with, and in wolf form Nick!  Are you trying to expose us all?" his father asked, levelling his blue eyes at him.

  "I'm sorry, I'll stay away from her,” I said lowering my head.  I knew what my dad was like when he was in one of these moods.

  He watched his dad rake a hand through his black hair, which was starting to turn grey.  Just then his mother walked in, she had her blond hair in a bun and her green eyes turned to a look of sorrow as she saw me.

  "Perhaps you could have a word with Chris, Dave?  He might understand under these circumstances, it is not every day a wolf finds his mate."  He could have kissed his mum at that moment; at least someone was on his side.

  "And let all of the other packs make a laughing stock out of me?  I think not, this has been arranged since before they were born, if this mating does not happen it means war.  You know that as well as I do,” his dad’s eyes softened as he looked at his wife.  They were a love match not an arranged mating.

  I wanted to scream and cry and tear the place apart.  I was struggling to keep my wolf under control, he wanted to go to his mate and be with her.  Calm down, I told the beast trying to sooth it; everything will turn out how it's meant to be.  I just hoped that it would be Alysha that I would be mated to.

  Everyone seemed to be ignoring me today, it was odd.  Dan didn't turn up to History, yet I saw him in the hallways.  When I tried to corner him to ask what was wrong, he would just turn around and walk the other way.  The rest of my classes were no different, where as yesterday me and Maddi were joking around, she didn't even sit by me today.  Something had defiantly gone on.  Even when I passed Ed in the corridor he didn't smile like he had yesterday.  How could everyone change so fast?  The only person that actually smiled at me was Carly, and that was a smile that told me that she knew something that I didn't.

  At lunch I sat by myself again, on the table by the smelly bin.  I didn't know what was wrong, first my black wolf last night and now this, the only friends that I have ever had and they're gone.  I felt like crying, I just wanted to go home and wake up from this nightmare.  So that's what I decided to do, I went home.

  No one was there when I got home, no surprises there.  I hadn't seen my mom in a few days.  The time I needed her most and she wasn't around, typical.  I walked to my room and turned on the T.V, I wished that I had my sketchbook, I really feel like drawing.  I must have dozed off because I was woken suddenly by the door bell.  I looked at my clock and saw that it was five in the afternoon.  I walked sluggishly down the stairs and opened the door.  No one was there; I was just about to shut the door when something caught my eye.  My sketch book, bag and homework were neatly piled on the step.  I looked around and didn't see anyone.

  I grabbed my things and took them to my room; I looked through my book and gasped when I noticed the sketch of my wolf wasn't there.  Someone must have ripped it out, I suddenly felt like crying, tears welled up in my eyes.  Why would someone take it?  I doubted that I would see him again, if the way he acted last night was any indication.  I went over to my window seat and sat down hugging my sketchbook close to me.

  "Alysha?" I heard someone shout.

 

  I walked down stairs to see my mom holding a pizza box in one hand and a bottle of coke in the other.  I smiled and my stomach rumbled as I smelt the food.  I walked over to the table and sat down while mum pulled two glasses from the cupboard.

  While we ate she asked me about school and the friends that I made, I told her that I made some friends and told her about Maddi and Dan.  I asked her about work and she said it was going great and that they like her ideas.

  "Alysha what's wrong?" she asked when she noticed that I had hardly ate my food.

  "Nothing,” I said and walked towards the back door.

  ****

  I heard the door open before I saw her, she walked out with a tear stained face.  My wolf whined, wanting to rush over there and comfort her.  She was so beautiful, even when she was crying.  I heard someone come up behind me and was just about to growl when I recognised Dan's sent.  He came up beside me, he knew that Alysha was my mate, he sensed it the first day in the coffee shop, or so he says.

  Alysha sat down on a bench, the wind blowing back her black blue hair, the moonlight making her grey eyes sparkly.  I was just about to go over to her when a woman walked out behind her and went to sit next to her.  She was slender with brown hair and eyes - it must be her mother, they didn't look that much alike, the shaped faces were the same though.  Alysha must look more like her dad, I wondered where he was.

  "Honey what's wrong?" her mom said stroking her hair.  Oh, how I would like to stroke her hair.

  "Nothing, it's just this boy at school.  I can't stop thinking about him and it's annoying."

  Her mother laughed.  "Ah, it was the same for me when I met your father."

  He picked up interest at that, and saw that Dan did as well.  When she would talk to me when I was in wolf form she never spoke of her dad, which led me to believe that he left them or that he died.

  "What was he like?"  Alysha whispered.

  Her mother sighed.  "He was handsome; I had never seen a guy quite like him before.  He was funny charming and kind, but it just wasn't meant to be."

  "What happened?" Alysha had sat up by now, as if this was a lifeline that she needed to hang onto before it disappeared.

  "His family didn't approve of me; they wanted him to marry another girl.  In the end he would have, it was just a matter of time.  I knew that I was pregnant with you, but I was early on and he didn't notice it yet.  I made the decision easier for him by leaving.  I took the bus to San Francisco and by the time he noticed that I was gone, it was too late."

  I watched as Alysha absorbed it all, she had clung to her mother's every word, and I had as well.  She was my mate and I wanted to know everything about her.

  "You look like him you know,” her mother said.

  Alysha stood up and said she wanted to be alone; her mother agreed and went inside.

  ****

  She needed to be alone, all this time she thought that he dad left because of her, because he didn't love her and she finds this out.  She wondered if maybe she should ask where he is and visit, maybe he would accept her.  She had always wanted a father, but her mom had never remarried, or in fact had a boyfriend.  Her mother seemed content with just the two of them.

  She walked into the forest, she needed him, she needed her wolf.  He would comfort her; he would listen to her rant about how unfair this was.  She got to the lake and there was still no sign of him.  The next thing she knew she was being tackled, she could hear the wolf snarling on top of her.  When they stopped rolling she found herself pinned under a grey wolf, she struggled trying to get up but couldn't.  The wolf stared down at her and opening its mouth to snap at her.

  She screamed and the next thing she knew the wolf had been ripped off her.  She looked over and saw her black wolf fighting; her wolf had the advantage in weight though.  I guessed that the other wolf was a female; her wolf had her pinned down in seconds.  As this was happening she didn't notice all of the other wolves from yesterday approaching.  She looked around and found that she was surrounded.  A low piercing growl filled the air, the Alpha.

  He walked towards her, his teeth were bared and he looked like he was about to pounce when a scream filled the air.  I looked around for the source and found my mother running towards us.  I screamed at her to go back, but she didn't listen.

  She kneeled in front of the Alpha, saying, "Please don't hurt my daughter, she didn't mean any harm.  Let us go and I will make sure that she stays away from your kind, especially your son.  Please."

  She watched her mother beg, the Alpha looked confused as he had last night.  He smelt her mom and let out a growl of frustration.  Finally he let out a howl and walked away, his pack following close at his heels. She went over to her mom and helped her up.  They went home
and went I tried to talk to her about it she would just walk away.  I was missing something and it was big.

  ****

  "I told you,” his father said pacing, "to stay away from her, but no Nick you can't follow one simply instruction can you?"

  "Carly attacked her, I had no choice."

  His father whirled on him.  "I told them to, if anyone sees her in the forest they are to attack but not kill, in the hopes that she will become scared and won't go in there again."

  I let out a low growl, his father's eyes blazed.  "Is that a challenge, son?" he whispered.

  "Of course not,” I said and quickly hurried from the room.

  I went up to my room and heard a knock a few minutes later; I opened the door to find Dan.  He had a sly grin on his face.  I grinned and knew that he had a plan.  The girl that I was supposed to mate was coming tomorrow and he knew that he had to stop it.

  "I have a plan,” Dan said with a wicked smile.

  "Thought you might,” I said grinning.

  My mom hadn't spoken to me last night, well she had, but it wasn't something I listened to.  She said that I should stay away from Nick, I mean seriously?  She was as bad as Carly, ok so she hadn't threatened me with a knife, but still.