Howl (Howl #1)

by Jody Morse

  “W-what?” Samara stuttered, knowing her face had question marks written all over it. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yeah, right.” Lilly tossed her hair and stared at Samara with her glassy green eyes. “I know what you’re thinking. I don’t need to hear it. I’m capable of making my own decisions. This hasn’t been easy for me, you know.”

  Before Samara could ask her what she was talking about again, Lilly had already walked past her and was standing in front of the counter.

  “There she is!” Edda exclaimed. “You’ve been all over the news! I gotta tell ya, you’re becomin’ a real local celebrity. I’d like to offer ya anything ya want, on the house.”

  *

  When Samara got to school, she went straight to the cafeteria. Although the aroma of maple-flavored sausage and scrambled eggs filled her nostrils, she actually wasn’t hungry for once. The bagel with Canadian bagel that she had scarfed down would hold her over until lunchtime.

  Josh was sitting in the back corner of the cafeteria. There were two trays sitting on the table next to him, but the seats were empty. Samara plopped down in one.

  “Josh, I have to ask you something. I bumped into Lilly at the general store when I was getting breakfast, and she said something really weird to me. Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”

  Josh glanced up at her. “What did she say?”

  “She said she didn’t want to hear whatever I had to say and that she’s capable of making her own decisions. She also said that things haven’t been easy for her. Josh, I haven’t talked to Lilly since that night at Emma’s party. You know, the night she almost got attacked by the wolf.”

  Josh stared at her for a moment and looked like he was about to say something before he shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. I wouldn’t worry about it.” He lifted the small carton of milk from his tray, tilted his head back, and poured its contents down his throat. When he was done, he let out a loud belch.

  Samara wrinkled her nose. “Well, I am worried about it. She just went through a very traumatic event, and now she’s acting like I’m trying to give her some type of advice, even though I’ve never said more than a few words to her.”

  “I don’t know what’s going on with her. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll try asking her about it and see if she tells me.”

  “Yes, please do that,” Samara replied. She stood up and began walking away from the table. “And Josh? Thanks.”

  She stepped back into the hallway, just as the first bell rang. As Samara began walking in the direction of her biology class, she heard shouting.

  Peering around the corner, Samara watched as her brother shoved another guy against the wall. She immediately recognized him as Miles Gilbert, one of the popular bad boys in school who all of the girls lusted over. Samara had never seen her brother talk to Miles before, so she had no idea what they could have been arguing over.

  Two of Miles’ friends walked over to Seth, prepared to defend their friend, when Miles shook his head. “Nah, bros. Let’s let this go. It’s not worth getting into trouble over.” His friends hesitantly waited for Miles to walk away. When he did, they turned and gave Seth death glares.

  As bystanders continued to stare, Seth brushed off his shirt. Samara couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t seem to think that there was anything wrong with what he had just done.

  “Seth, what are you thinking?!” Samara screamed at her brother as the hallway began to clear out. “You might get suspended for this, and you’re not going to graduate next year if you miss much more school than you already have.”

  Seth grunted at her, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. “Butt out, Sam. Let me fight my own fights. This has nothing to do with you.”

  “No, I will not butt out!” Samara yelled at him. “You need help. Your temper isn’t just affecting us at home anymore. Now, you’re getting in trouble at school, too. Mom and Dad want you to get counseling.”

  A teacher stepped out of one of the classrooms behind them. “Is everything okay out here?” he questioned.

  “Everything’s fine,” Seth replied and, giving Samara one final look, walked away.

  Chapter 13

  ****

  Samara could smell her Alpha, but she couldn’t find him. She’d searched the whole entire forest, and she could tell from the strong scent that he was still in wolf form, but she didn’t see him anywhere.

  She trotted along the path in the forest, continuing to look for him. When Samara got to a log in the middle of the path, she stopped.

  The smell was strong and alluring. Samara licked her lips. Her tail wagged on its own.

  Getting down low, she stuck her head into the log. Beyond the tip of her own black nose, she saw it staring back at her.

  The rabbit was big. Samara could hear its breaths getting quicker. It was obvious that it feared her.

  Timidly, the rabbit hopped out of the log.

  Samara raced to the other end of the log, just as the rabbit was hopping onto the grassy ground. She chuckled inside her own head. The bunny was so naive that it really thought it could outsmart her.

  Just as she was about to sink her teeth into the bunny’s neck, she saw gray fur dash past her and dip its head into the log alongside her.

  The wolf, whose smell she did not recognize, ran past her and deeper into the forest. It wasn’t until after it was gone when Samara let out a growl. How dare another wolf go after the prey that she was so obviously ready to pounce on? The next time this happened, she would be more prepared to claim what was rightfully hers.

  Samara heard a rustle in the bushes behind where she was standing.

  Pinning her ears back, she let out a low growl. She hadn’t seen many big animals in the forest since she had changed into a wolf, but she knew that they were there. There were often bear sightings near Starlight Lake. She had to be prepared to stand her ground if she ever came face to face with one.

  Just as she prepared herself to pounce on anything that might threaten her, she saw a gray furry paw step out from behind the bush. Even before she saw the light brown heart-shaped patch of fur on his side, Samara knew that it was her Alpha.

  Her Alpha exuded a certain type of confidence that she hadn’t noticed among the other gray wolves that had been in her yard. He carried his shoulders high and if she didn’t know any better, she would assume that he was the king of the forest. It made her surprised to know that there were other Alphas out there somewhere, even though she hadn’t come across any of them yet.

  Nodding his head at her, her Alpha sat down on the ground in front of her. Hello, pup.

  Samara growled. I don’t like being referred to as a pup. It makes me sound young and immature.

  Ah, both of which you are, her Alpha chuckled. So, Luke told me that you know he’s a wolf.

  And that he’s my mate, Samara replied matter-of-factly. I wanted to ask you some questions about mates.

  Shoot.

  Well, for starters, do you only have one mate in your entire lifetime?

  Her Alpha looked up at the moon. It’s possible to have more than one mate, but I’ve never heard of it happening before.

  Why doesn’t it happen often? Samara asked.

  It has to do with what I can’t tell you yet. Anyway, what are your other questions?

  Samara held back the growl that she wanted to let out. She was sick of all of this secret-keeping that her Alpha was doing. It would be easier to just know everything. How could she come to terms with this if he wasn’t telling her all there was to know? Instead of arguing about it, she asked: What does it mean to have a mate? Am I expected to get pregnant?

  Her Alpha laughed. No. Not yet, at least. But most werewolves do go on to have puppies with each other. It is how we keep our bloodline going. If no one ever had babies, we wouldn’t be able to have youth packs eventually.

  Are werewolf babies born as babies or puppies? Samara asked, mostly out of curiosity.

  It can
happen either way. It depends on whether you’re in human form or wolf form when the baby is born. If you’re in human form, it will be born as a human baby, but if you’re in wolf form, it will be born as a wolf baby.

  Somehow, her Alpha’s answer made her even more confused about werewolf babies. So, they can stay wolves or babies then until they grow up?

  No. If the baby is born a human, it will stay a human. If it’s born a wolf, though, it will change into a human within an hour. It’s kind of cool if it’s born a wolf because it lets you see what color of fur your child will have, even if it only is for an hour.

  So, what are we supposed to do right now if we’re not actually supposed to mate, then? Samara asked, feeling relieved that she wasn’t going to need to have babies any time soon. Her parents would never be okay with that.

  The point of a mate is to have someone who is always there for you, someone who will love you through even the most difficult of times. Even though you might not like each other at first, you will grow to care for each other deeply, the gray wolf explained. To put it more simply, your mate is the love of your life.

  Unless you have more than one mate, Samara pointed out. Would that only happen if your first mate dies? Is that what you’re going to tell me? Someone’s going to kill Luke soon? Just the thought of Luke dying made her stomach sink. They didn’t know each other that well yet, but she didn’t want to lose him. Not now or ever.

  Her Alpha shook his head. No, as far as I know, no one’s going to kill Luke. And you won’t have a second mate if your first mate dies. In fact, most of us remain single for the rest of our lives if our mate dies. We can choose to move onto a new mate, but we don’t feel the same powerful connection as we felt with our first mate. It would mostly be for companionship rather than love.

  Samara sat down on the ground, tucking her tail underneath her and thinking about the other questions she had wanted to ask her Alpha. When are we going to fight this other pack you told me about?

  It could be any day now. We’ve made an agreement to not attack each other until a certain event takes place. I can’t tell you about that either, so please don’t ask. We have to keep our guard up, though. Word around the forest has it that they’re plotting their attack as we speak.

  The idea of being attacked and having to fight against another pack unnerved Samara. She didn’t even know who the other people in her pack were, but she still felt a special allegiance with them. Even though she hadn’t been introduced to them, they were her family, and they all shared one thing in common: they were all werewolves. Then again, so were the wolves that they were going to have to attack, she reminded herself.

  Is Luke in our pack? Samara asked, realizing that whoever her Alpha was in human form, he had to know Luke. He had just admitted it to her.

  Yeah. Luke made the change earlier this year, right around his sixteenth birthday. It was actually right before he moved here, and it was the whole reason his parents brought him here. He was meant to be on this pack because of genetics.

  Samara remembered watching a documentary about women who were married to men who had other lives. They had been married to other women and had families in other states or, in some cases, only blocks away and their wives didn’t know anything about it. Samara couldn’t help but think that this was a similar situation. Luke wasn’t even human and although she had kissed him on the night of her date, she hadn’t even known it. What would have happened if they had dated and he had gotten angry at her? Samara didn’t even want to think about it.

  Luke made the change on his own, on his sixteenth birthday, but I didn’t. You said it’s different because you bit me, Samara said. But was I still destined to be a werewolf, like other werewolves are? Just thinking about the possibility that her Alpha might have changed her destiny by biting her made her want to attack him. If he had done this and ruined what could have been a perfectly normal human life, she didn’t think that she would ever be able to forgive him for it.

  You were destined to be a werewolf, yes, her Alpha replied. That’s all that I can tell you right now. Sorry, Samara. I have to go.

  Wait, Samara cried out in her mind. I had more questions!

  You will have the chance to get answers to them and more very soon. Bye, her Alpha replied before nodding at her and running back to the bushes he had come from.

  Samara glanced up at the moon and howled. She howled, hoping that it would help her release all of the pain that she had in her heart. She howled because she wasn’t a human, yet she was a human. She was stuck at this unfamiliar, in between place and it scared her.

  In between her howls, Samara heard footsteps come up from behind her. Is that you again?

  When there was no answer, Samara stood up on all fours and looked behind her. She found herself staring into the face of another gray wolf. Glancing at its side, she noticed that there wasn’t a patch of light brown fur. It wasn’t her Alpha.

  Samara growled loudly.

  Calm down. There’s no need to get your panties in a knot. I haven’t even said two words to you yet.

  You know who I am, Samara said matter-of-factly. Who are you and what do you want?

  You can call me E. My Alpha wants to see you.

  Oh yeah? Samara asked with more attitude than she realized she could even have. And who is your Alpha?

  I’m not allowed to give you that information, E replied. I’m only supposed to lead you to him.

  If he wants to see me, he should come to me. I shouldn’t have to go to him, Samara replied, staring the wolf into his clear, golden brown eyes. She could see her own reflection in them. She was still getting used to seeing her silky white fur instead of her dark chocolate brown hair when she was in wolf form. It seemed ironic that her hair and fur would be on two opposite ends of the color spectrum; it was like night and day, except it would have made more sense if her night coat was darker than her daytime hair, or at least the same color.

  Don’t be so stubborn. My Alpha won’t like it. All of the members in our pack need to be on their best behavior. Otherwise, you’re bound to be put in your place. Then again, you might be special, E replied putting a sarcastic emphasis on “you”.

  Samara scoffed in her mind. Why would I be special? He hasn’t even met me yet.

  He wants you to be on our pack, E answered, turning towards the forest. Now, come on.

  As Samara reluctantly followed E through the wooded forest, she knew that she was doing the right thing. If she didn’t talk to the Alpha of the other pack, she would never know what he wanted. Plus, she had to know what her own Alpha had meant when he said she was in high demand with the other packs. Maybe this other Alpha would tell her the reason. Even if he didn’t, it seemed like it was worth a shot.

  E led her up a rocky pathway before stopping in front of a grassy circle. Glancing around, Samara realized that this wasn’t going to be a private meeting with E’s Alpha. There were three wolves there total, all gathered around a glowing fire that casted a light over all of them.

  Her eyes immediately fell on the wolf sitting in the middle of the pack, who she was sure was the Alpha. He wasn’t a gray wolf. His fluffy fur was a shade of midnight black, which made his golden eyes even more mesmerizing. Samara thought that his fur looked prettier than the shaggy gray hair of the other wolves in his pack, but something about him intimidated her.

  Samara. Come, sit, the Alpha said. Samara wasn’t sure how she knew that the voice belonged to him, but it was familiar. Hesitantly, she walked closer to the pack and plopped down the furthest away she could get from their circle without seeming like she was being rude.

  What do you want to talk to me about? Samara asked nervously.

  Your existence, the Alpha replied. He stood up and took a few steps closer to her. As you’re already aware, you are a werewolf. What you do not know is that the way in which you have become a werewolf is unnatural.

  Unnatural? Samara asked, laughing. There was nothing natural about being a werewolf. In her
mind, all of their existences were unnatural.

  The Alpha nodded, his face an unreadable dark silhouette. Werewolves normally have vetina in their blood. Vetina refers to your bloodline. In a way, you can think of it as being our last name. It’s where we come from. It’s who our ancestors were.

  The vetina of your current pack is Ima. They all originated from the Imachanta family’s pack. Back then, the Imachanta were all closely related. The wolves in your pack aren’t that close in blood, but they do share one thing in common: the Ima blood type. I don’t know the specifics, but these days, none of the Ima are related by blood, unless if a sibling or a cousin is on the same pack, which is the usual case.

  Anyway, the bloodline of this pack is Vyka. We all originated from the pack of the Vykasuta family. What you might not know is that you are not from the Ima line. You are from the Vyka line.

  Samara blinked. Are you saying that I’m not on the right pack?

  Let me finish! the Alpha snapped at her, growling loudly. You do not speak until I am done speaking, are we clear?

  Samara nodded, feeling the panic rise in her throat. She hoped that this didn’t turn into an argument. If she had to attack, she wouldn’t be prepared – especially when she considered the two other wolves who would probably want to defend their Alpha. Plus, Alphas were stronger and more powerful than other werewolves, surely strong enough to beat a pup in a fight.

  Many years ago, there was a werewolf on this pack. He was one of the most powerful werewolves in the area. Not only could he easily kill any animal or human who got in his way, but he was also an amazing manipulator. He was able to get into human minds and convince them to do things for his own benefit, which was a useful tool for the Vyka pack.

  This particular werewolf won the highest number of battles in werewolf history. He took down one of the most powerful and dangerous Alpha’s, who had been plotting to take over all of the werewolf packs throughout the entire country, until he was the only Alpha in the world. The Alpha had taken over half the packs in the country before the wolf from our pack stopped him.