by C Zinnia
“Did my parents object?” Viola asked.
“You know your father wouldn’t argue with Aldofo and your mother won’t argue your father,” he said. “And . . . they heard the rumors about your preference for women. Your mother did ask for me to put this around your neck and say a prayer for you.” He pulled Viola’s mother’s necklace from his shirt pocket. It was a pendant representing Obatala. He handed it to her.
“Aren’t you going to be in trouble when Aldofo wakes up?” Viola asked.
“Why? He’ll wake up with a hangover and will be none the wiser about your disappearance. No one will dare go down to the river again. They’ll be convinced your soul is roaming the area, trapped and unable to pass onto the next life. The pack’s babalorichá has agreed to say as much in the morning because he hates Aldofo as much as you do. And if someone does go down there, they’ll assume the body was stolen to use for magic or something.”
“You thought of everything, didn’t you,” Viola said.
“I try to,” he said.
“I’m sure you did all of this due to your own good conscience,” Viola said wryly.
He laughed again. “You’ve known me for how long, Viola?” he teased. “Enricua isn’t stupid. She knows how to bribe and I’m a man who can’t say no to-”
Viola’s growl silenced him. He looked at her, sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Viola, that was out of line,” he said. “Forgive me.”
She begrudgingly nodded. “Where are you taking me?” Viola asked.
“To a friend who’ll be able to smuggle you into the States,” he said.
“And then?” she asked.
His pity for her was unbearable. “There is cash in your bag from Enricua. Enough to buy you a few meals and maybe a place to rest once or twice,” he said. “Then, you are on your own.”
Viola woke up from her nap. She wiped her face as the last remnants of her dream faded back into the deep recesses of her unconscious where it belonged. It had been months since she had had that dream. Viola had started to believe that the past was gone. Her mind decided otherwise. When is it finally going to go away? Or is it fate’s way of saying the past never really leaves, but buries its claws deep within the soul, never to let go? Viola thought.
It had been fourteen years since she left Cuba. She arrived in Miami without a basic understanding of the English language and little money. She never knew what became of . . . that woman. While she’d always be appreciative for the woman who saved her life, the memory still had a slightly bitter taste.
Words could not begin to describe the hurt Viola had felt when her pack tried to kill her for being a lesbian. It was unfathomable that Viola liking women was a large enough offense that it warranted the need to kill her. Viola was grateful they didn’t try to “fix” her by raping her. She knew lesbians who suffered that type of “rehabilitation” and they had a harder time recovering.
Then again, Viola wasn’t too surprised by her pack’s reaction. They were narrow-minded and tended to act out in violence instead of compassion. Viola knew of a pack in Cuba who didn’t function in that fashion. Viola just happened to be born in a pack that had archaic viewpoints.
Viola pushed herself out of bed and took a shower. The warm water helped work some of the tension she accumulated from her dream. Of course, I’d have a stressful dream after my massage with Rick, she thought. She massaged the rest out as she breathed in the steam. All things considering, she was very blessed. After a year of searching the Northeast coast, she found a pack who took her in with open arms.
They loved her and accepted her before they knew of her fighting skills. From day one, Dana, Lee, and Daren made a point to make Viola feel loved even when they found out Viola liked women. Dana would even try to play match maker for Viola. While Viola had her trust issues, she loved the pack with all that she was capable of.
The pack hadn’t turned their back on Viola even after she broke up over three years ago with Jesse. Jesse’s father, Samuel, didn’t even blink when Viola told him about the breakup. He had merely said, “Viola, love is warm and everlasting. Lust is a fickle bitch that sometimes tricks you into thinking it’s love. We all have to figure out how to tell the difference before we get hurt. Just don’t take so long to figure it out next time.”
“I won’t be figuring it out anytime soon with the way things are going,” she had said.
When she had gotten home from work at the gym today, she had hoped the nap would do her good. Instead, she felt cranky and drained. Viola got dressed and rushed outside. She ran through the woods and to the Countryside B&B. It was only a couple of miles away through the woods. When she arrived, she stayed in the woods as she checked out the parking lot.
Daren’s car wasn’t there.
Viola pulled out her phone and called him.
“Hey V, I’m on my way now,” Daren said. “I had a meeting after work. I should be there in a few minutes.”
“Well, meet me back at the main house,” she said.
“Why don’t you go say ‘hi’ to Mom and Dad?” he suggested.
Viola’s dream had put her in a foul mood and she didn’t want to accidently take it out on them. “Not today,” she said abruptly. She ended the call, irritated. She watched his car pull in, but decided not to wait for him. She heard a second car pull in as she ran back to the village.
When she reached the porch of the main house, she impatiently paced back and forth. She expected Daren to show up any minute, but time passed by without him appearing. She sighed loudly and looked out into the woods. Still no sign of Daren. Where is he? He should have only been a few minutes behind me, Viola thought. She sat down in one of the wooden chairs again with a huff. Patience was not her strong suit.
It was bad enough he was late, but the fact that it occurred in conjunction with her dream made her especially ornery. Is it a sign? Of what? she thought.
Viola jumped back up when Daren came out of the woods. “What took you so long?” she asked, her annoyance clear in her tone.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was held up by a new guest. She had a bunch of music equipment, so I was helping her out.”
Viola didn’t care about his excuse. “Come on, we’re late,” she snapped.
Daren wasn’t fazed by his sister’s foul mood because he already knew she’d be angry he was late. “Before I forget, Dad said to give you Hell for not stopping by and talking to them,” he said.
Viola winced as her irritation disappeared for a moment. She sighed. “I know I should have said hello, but I’m just not in a great mood right now and I didn’t want to be short with them,” she admitted.
Daren tilted his head as he studied her. “You had that dream again,” he said.
She nodded. She kicked at a pebble she noticed in the grass. “I’m so tired of reliving it,” she said in frustration. “When is it going to stop?”
Daren shrugged. “When you’ve healed from it, I suppose,” he said. “You went through a lot in a short amount of time. Go easy on yourself about it.” He threw his arm around her and hugged her. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re here and wouldn’t change it for the world, but it doesn’t take away from the pain.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said, leaning into his hug.
“So, how are we going to train today?” he asked with a relaxed smile. “Two legs or four legs?”
She was grateful he changed the subject. “I trained on two legs this morning,” she said.
“Okay, four legs it is!” he said.
They both stripped and left their clothes folded up on the porch.
Swiftly, they changed. It was a painless process they had performed hundreds of times before. Skin became covered with fur. Hands and feet were traded in for paws and claws. Noses and mouths elongated into muzzles.
On all fours, they went through the woods, unaware of a possessive wolf trailing behind with obsession in her eyes.
Chapter 7
Viola and Daren ran up and down the
mountains of Ferrum. Large boulders randomly decorated the forest amongst the trees. Daren would effortlessly leap onto a boulder and pose before darting between the trees. Viola yipped with merriment at his antics. Daren knew how to keep training playful, which was what Viola needed. Viola always enjoyed training with him more than alone.
There was a fallen log that Daren cleared by a good two feet. When he landed, he glanced back at Viola. Think you can get any higher? he asked her.
Viola answered by clearing the log by two and a half feet. As if there was any question, Viola retorted.
Daren yipped.
It was easy to speak in wolf form. It wasn’t telekinetic, but the speech wasn’t loud enough for human ears to perceive either. More so, it was a blend of images, words, and smells.
Viola and Daren continued their journey through the woods. They came upon a river and moved from one bank to the other. Sometimes, they would wade through the water and other times they would jump on the rocks and boulders and logs.
Viola enjoyed the scents along the river. The freshness of the water blended with scents of foliage and animals. She could smell that no wolf had been over this way, save Daren and her.
Let’s see if you can keep up, Viola taunted. Viola leaped into action. Her muscles coiled and sprung as she silently ran through the woods. She could sense Daren close behind her. She didn’t have to look back to know he was as determined to win as she was. Viola led them back to the mountain that was closest to their village.
Just as they caught sight of a large tree that marked their finish line, Daren surged forward and passed Viola.
Good race, Viola said begrudgingly.
I had to make up for you out jumping me earlier, Daren said.
Now we have to do a tie breaker, Viola said as she pounced on Daren.
They were in the middle of wrestling when Samuel found them. Although Samuel was in wolf form, he still appeared stocky with hazel eyes, greying brown fur, and a no bullshit attitude. Viola knew that in human form, he was shorter than her. Bruce wants to see you now. Apparently, a new match may possibly be scheduled during the Harvest moon , he said to Viola.
Viola and Daren broke apart and ran to the main house. They both turned back into humans and got dressed.
Silvia came out. “He’s not ready for you quite yet, dear. He’s still on the phone,” she said.
“Okay,” Viola said.
Silvia went back inside.
“I’ll jog with you to the B&B. By the time I turn around and come back, they should be ready,” Viola said.
“All right,” Daren said. They quietly ran through the woods. Deer saw them and immediately ran the other way. When they were close to the B&B, Viola stopped. Daren looked at the time. “Sweet! I made it back in time for supper. You want to join us?”
“No, I better get back,” Viola said. She was upset she would miss out on Dana’s cooking. “Are you going to train with me tomorrow?”
“Yeah, especially if you have to prep for a fight. Though I won’t be able to train tomorrow evening. I told Mel I’d take her to a performance at the Harvester,” he said.
“The morning will be good enough,” she said. “We’ll still have three training sessions before the match. Can you help with those?”
“Sure,” he said. “Did you want to come to the Harvester with us?”
“No thanks. I’m not into that kind of music,” she said.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, V. Let me know how it goes.”
“Okay,” Viola said.
Viola ran back to the village and went to the alphas’ large office. Bookcases that were filled to the brim took up every available wall except for where the alphas’ desk chair sat. Before the chair was a large desk sat that was covered in stacks of papers in a format that only Bruce and Silvia understood. The desk faced the section of the room that had a coffee table with two sofas on either side of it and a plush chair at the head of the coffee table. Behind one sofa was the bay window that revealed a large section of forest.
The most impressive characteristics of the office were the alphas who occupied it.
Bruce was of average height and weight. He had red hair and deeply freckled pale skin. His brown eyes, while not uncommon in color, were fascinating to Viola due to the steady power within them. Bruce’s presence breathed languid power. For as long as Viola had known Bruce, he always had that power about him.
Silvia was perched in the bay window. She was an enigma. She was a hair shorter than Viola. She had always been plump, but with her pregnancy, she now had a protruding belly. She had beautiful long straight brunette hair. She had shaved the side of her right head a couple of years ago and decided she loved the style. The lower portion of her face was inherited from her father, but her eyes were the same as her mothers. In the sunlight, they glowed caramel.
While the pack was more progressive than most, the older males viewed Bruce as the main Alpha. Everyone else in the pack knew Silvia was just as important and was just as much Alpha. The power she emitted easily contended with Bruce’s. Instead of being threatened by her power, Bruce embraced and basked in it. He knew that in any relationship, one person could not achieve near as much if their partner was not their equal. Viola was fond of Silvia even though she knew she wouldn’t want to date someone like Silvia. Viola liked to be in charge.
“I see Samuel was able to find you,” Bruce said. “What did he tell you?”
“That a possible match has been scheduled and I’m assuming it’s for me,” Viola said.
“Yes,” Bruce said. “As you know, already a handful of matches have been scheduled between ours and Alpha Mason’s pack. We had asked when they were first arranged a month ago if anyone wanted to fight you and he had said, ‘no.’ Apparently, one of his betas has suddenly changed his mind.” Silvia’s face showed she had known this was going to happen. “The beta’s heard all of the hype you’ve gotten and wants to show it’s just a story. Are you ready to fight?”
Viola raised an eyebrow. “Do you really need to ask?” she quipped. “And I’m willing to bet money it’s Chris. He’s been a real piece of work at the matches lately. He’s always trying to discretely video record my fights. One time I told him that he didn’t have to hide his phone. I didn’t care if he tried to figure out a way to beat me. He didn’t like that comment too much.”
They laughed. “I can only imagine,” Bruce said. “Chris has been trying to make a good impression on Mason’s pack. He wants to take over after Mason.”
Viola casually leaned against the desk as she crossed her arms and raised her brow. “Doesn’t he realize fighting me isn’t going to be good for his reputation?” she asked.
Silvia laughed. “I told you, darling,” she said.
“That you did,” he said. He stood up and stretched before he joined his mate at the window. He glanced at Viola. “Silvia said you’d say yes in a heartbeat.”
“Viola is always ready for a fight. Even when they try to set it up on short notice,” Silvia said.
“I figured as much, but I always want to double check,” Bruce said. “I’ll be sure to let Mason know. He’ll come Monday morning so we can take care of business. His pack will come later on in the day.” He paused for a moment before adding; “I would recommend you stay out of sight, Viola. Chris already has enough followers that view him as the future alpha. We wouldn’t want any mishaps.”
“I understand,” Viola said. “I’ll make sure to stay out of sight.” She wasn’t afraid of confrontation. She had a special move for those who sought to sabotage a match by trying to injure her. She also understood that politics were messy enough without conflict. There have been enough attempts from other packs to harm her before some of her fights that she knew it was necessary to stay out of the way.
“Would you like something to eat?” Silvia asked her. Before Viola could respond, Silvia slowly stood as one of her hands automatically went to her prominent belly.
Bruce helped her
stand. He rubbed her low back, knowing it was aching her.
Silvia sighed as she closed her eyes for a moment. “Pardon me, Viola,” she said. “I take all of the rubs I can get.”
“I don’t blame you,” Viola said with a laugh. “I would too if I was pregnant.”
When Bruce stopped, Silvia turned to him and lovingly patted his cheek. “Thank you, darling,” she said. She refocused on Viola. “Now, about that food.” She grabbed Viola’s arm and led her out of the office. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’m starving as well.”
They went into a large kitchen to find Barbara and Phichit sitting together at the table. They were snapping beans as they laughed and talked. Those two had been together for sixty years and were still as much in love as when they first met.
Barbara was known by most in the village as Nana. She was a beautiful woman with long silver hair. She had enjoyed Silvia’s hairstyle so much that she shaved the right side of her head. Her caramel eyes showed that she was full of life. For her age, she was a tall woman who managed to maintain excellent posture.
Phichit was known by most in the village as Papa. He was as jovial as ever with his wide grin and booming laugh. He had fine salt and pepper hair and large dark eyes that peered beneath his monolids.
Viola enjoyed Nana and Papa’s love story because they had first met in Baltimore when Papa had moved to the city from Thailand. He had seen Nana during one of her dancing performances and convinced her to go on a date with him. They had to do it in secret because there was prejudice against whites and Asians dating. On top of that, Nana was a werewolf and Papa was human.
While Nana quickly realized Papa was her mate, it took five years and rigorous protocol before Papa was told about Nana’s heritage. Papa didn’t bat an eye. He proposed to her that day and they had been together ever since. Viola loved the idea of love conquering hate. It gave her hope that her love could help heal her.
“Why lookie here!” Papa exclaimed. “Our wonderful glowing daughter who is a soon to be mother brought in a stranger.”