by Tamar Sloan
In the car, I’m still fastening my seatbelt as Josh accelerates out of the parking lot. I grab the dash as he takes a sharp right onto the road.
“I just figured out why you’re so interested in medicine.”
He glances at me before looking back at the road. “Huh?”
I assume the usual position for when I’m in the car with Josh. Feet braced on the floor, one hand on the handle above the door, the other gripping the center console. “So you can put yourself back together after you wrap around a light pole.”
Another grin is flung my way, a don’t-you-realize-I’m-invincible grin, before we squeal around another corner. “Have to get my need for speed fix somehow.”
Accelerating down the highway, we pass another chain-link fence. This is for one of the biggest enclosures where wolves can move around in, almost like they’re in the wild.
Josh notices me looking. “How’s he going?”
“Clean bill of health,” I say like a proud mother, but the feeling doesn’t last. “Although not keen on being cooped up.”
Josh seems to relax a little on hearing that Achak continues to improve. “Better that than the alternative.”
Which is true. “I just can’t shake the feeling that Achak blames us for being there in the first place.”
Josh’s lips flatline. “Well, the rabies not so much, but the whole need for captive breeding in the first place? He’s kinda got a point…”
His hands tighten on the steering wheel and the car powers forward. Uh oh. I shouldn’t have gone there. It was Joshua’s grandfather who started the wolf culling and thinking of that always gets him worked up.
Time for a change of topic. “Any ideas what this will mean for the assembly?”
Once a month, a handful of Fae and Were leaders come together to share information on where things are at. Over the past two years, it’s been more about desperately trying to come up with a solution to the steady decline we’ve slowed, but not stopped.
Josh shakes his head. “Mom and Dad said they didn’t want to talk about it in front of the twins, which means there’s never a time to talk about it.”
He’s right. With four of them, it seems there’s always at least one awake and redecorating a room somewhere in that great big house of theirs.
I cross my arms. “Well, my parents weren’t giving too much away, which isn’t unusual.”
“Maybe there isn’t much to tell?”
I use precious seconds to tear my eyes from the road to throw Josh an unimpressed look. “Or?” I prompt.
Josh’s lips twitch as he continues to stare out the windscreen. He shrugs. “They’re the Prime Alpha pair and they take looking after their only child very seriously.”
I wait, even my own safety put aside to see if Josh is going to acknowledge it. “We both know it’s more than that.”
Josh’s teasing glint disappears as his serious face returns. “We don’t need to go there, Ava.”
Except I can’t help but pick at the wound. Its always-there-and-waiting pain means I can never quite ignore it. “They’re totally overprotective, Josh, and all because I can’t shift. All because I’m a bit of everything,” I throw my hands up in exasperation, maybe a little desperation. “Which adds up to a hybrid-mix-of-nothing.”
Josh reaches over to squeeze my hand, and I tense purely because now there’s only one of his on the wheel. “You’re a flower waiting to bloom. Your parents have patience patented.”
I turn to look out the window. There’s only so many times you can say that line before you start to wonder if you’re a fern or a lump of moss—both plants that don’t flower.
Josh shrugs. “Besides, there’s not much point being able to shift. It’s not like we get to do it.”
The trees are a blur of alpine green. Maybe my limbo-status is a blessing I should be grateful for. Full moon runs stopped before I was born. Weres are encouraged not to shift. It’s just too dangerous. Humans are hyper-vigilant to signs of wolves, and tracks left by Weres have sparked wolf hunts. Members of packs have been lost to rogue poachers looking to shoot a trophy. I’ve noticed the edginess this confinement sparks in members of my pack, heck, I feel it every time I’m in a car with Josh. I’ve seen the resentment smoldering in so many Were eyes, each year a little closer to the surface.
I chew my lip, feeling guilty that gratitude doesn’t seem to be interested in showing up.
We’re at my house quicker than should be possible, and we both glance at each other when we see the number of cars lining the driveway. There’s about five times more than the usual handful that makes the trip.
Obviously, word has gotten around that something’s up.
I was right—this is going to be a significant meeting.
Ava
As usually happens when entering a room with a lot of people, I brace myself but still find I’m a little overwhelmed.
The threads spear out, connecting everybody in the room. Each one splits and divides, mapping out the ties we all have to each other. When I’ve tried to describe what it looks like to my family, I’ve always struggled. It’s like a network of veins, maybe those images you see of brains and their cells. Just as alive, just as complex and three dimensional…but denser, brighter, and seen by no-one else.
Dad is watching me from across the room. I straighten and smile, showing him that it doesn’t bother me like it used to. It just takes some time to adjust when I first walk into a crowded room. They tried to have more children, but it seems fate decided I’d be an only child. It means he’s always worried this is too much to ask from one girl.
As time has kept moving, I’ve sometimes wondered the same…
“Ava.” I instantly recognize the warm, calm tones and turn.
A tall man, blond hair pulled back into a long braid, his green, tilted eyes smiling, is standing there with his arms open.
“Uncle Orin.” I hug him tightly. Although he’s technically my half-uncle, our bond is a special one. The son of Dawn and the Fae Elder who also fathered my mother, Orin was the one who taught me the way of the Fae. Long walks in the forest, time spent with not just wolves, but all the animals that came out to visit us, showed me how amazing our connection is. He’s the one who helped me understand the threads. He pointed out that they are simply what’s always been there.
I’m just lucky enough to see them.
“How’s my favorite niece?”
My smile grows. I’m his only niece. “Trying for the favorite uncle title, huh?” Seeing as Dad is a twin, I have two.
Orin’s forest colored eyes twinkle. “You’ve always had an unfair advantage.”
I hug him again, because I know what’s coming next.
The people in the room move in, preparing to greet me. There’s one other Fae elder here, River, and his welcome is warm and genuine. Next, comes the Alphas of nearby territories. The Tates and the Lyalls are the most familiar as they’re here for most assemblies, the Bardolfs and others who’ve come from further afield. I smile and pretend I don’t notice the courteous nods, my name said with a hint of deference. I’m the child of the Prime Alpha and the Queen of the Fae. The one born of the Prime Prophecy.
I’m just not sure when the honor became a weight of responsibility.
I make my way to my parents, waving a greeting at Uncle Mitch and Aunt Tara. It’s sad that their brief break from their brood of children has to be a meeting like this. Once I’m by Dad’s side, with Mom on his right, he clears his throat.
The silence is swift and absolute. Even if they hadn’t called such a big meeting for something so important, when the Prime Alpha speaks, everyone listens.
“Thank you, friends, for attending. We have some important news that needs to be discussed.”
Tension winds through my chest as I watch and wait. Achak’s fate is going to depend on this meeting.
“We’ve come across a particularly virulent form of rabies.”
Several people suck in their breath.
A grumble ripples through the crowd. We all know that we’re at the stage where every loss is going to have a ripple effect on the overall population.
River frowns. “Why do you say it’s more virulent?”
Mom answers this one. “It’s faster, with a twenty-four-hour incubation period instead of the usual week. The animals, once infected, are far more aggressive.”
Glances are exchanged around the room as the implications settle amongst them.
John Tate is frowning ferociously. “We can’t afford to lose more wolves.”
River nods. “They’re too vulnerable. There aren’t enough of them to fight some new disease.”
A voice from the back carries across the small crowd. “Human are the ones that made them vulnerable.”
“They’d be happy to see them wiped off the face of the earth,” comes a quick reply.
Dad straightens. “Not all of them.”
Mom raises her hand to curb the malcontent before it gains too much momentum. “We believe we’ve discovered a therapeutic vaccine. One that can work after a wolf has been infected.”
One or two eyebrows raise in the crowd. “How?” says a voice full of skepticism.
“We’ve successfully treated an animal with Furious.”
Aaron Bardolf, a wiry man when it comes to Weres, and a shrewd one, crosses his arms. “How did you discover this?”
I’m not sure if I sense or imagine the strain that forms along Dad’s jaw. “Ava was attacked by one of our captive bred wolves.”
Aaron glances at me before looking back at Dad. “And she calmed him?”
My stomach clenches and my teeth clamp down. Orin moves a little closer to me.
Dad seems to grow on the spot. “There was no time. The animal was extremely aggressive. I tranquilized him before Ava had a chance.”
There’s a shifting of bodies in the room, but no one says anything.
I’m the only one standing still. I’ve hated it more and more as the days crawled past my sixteenth birthday. For two years there’s been a collective breath held. All waiting to see what the child of the prophecy is going to mean.
Then started the new looks. The speculation, the worry. The questions in their mind have moved from ‘what will she do?’ to ‘will she even make a difference?’
And I’ve never had an answer for either.
What no one has realized, is that maybe my mixed heritage has made me a watered-down version of everyone. The sum of the parts is looking like it’s added up to a whole lot of nothing.
Mom steps forward. “Humans cannot know of this.”
“Damn right.”
Mom smiles as the Lyall Alpha slams his fist into his hand.
“But we need to get the vaccine out.”
Dad nods. “We need to be able to respond quickly. We’re hoping this vaccine is just as effective before a wolf is infected. If we get in quick, we stop this becoming an issue.”
Mom grasps Dad’s hand, and pride swells my chest at their show of unity and strength. “We will remain here, monitoring the wolf who’s recovered, and vaccinating as many of the wild population as we can.”
Aaron steps forward. “We’ll head east. Target the packs there.”
River is already nodding. “I can head inland, and let other Fae know. We will be able to get close to many of the wild ones.”
Dad nods in thanks. “We’ll need more than one person to do the west. Those are the territories most densely populated.”
Three hands go up as does the sense of determination in the room.
As the diversity within the room births unity, I realize I’ve come to a crossroads. An opportunity. A scary possibility.
I straighten my shoulders. I was born because my parents had faith in what no-one believed was possible.
Pulling in a breath that I hope feels like courage, I step forward. “I’ll head north.”
Now that silenced the room.
I don’t look anywhere but at my parents. Their over-protectiveness is going to be the biggest hurdle. But even though the idea was only just born, all of a sudden, it’s full of life. This is my opportunity to be part of the solution, to show everyone I’m a part of this.
Josh rubs his chin, speaking up for the first time since the assembly started. “Makes sense. Dawn is there, heading the next captive breeding program.”
Oh yeah, I hadn’t thought of that.
He looks up at Mom and Dad. “And it’s the least populated of all the territories.”
Gratitude floods my limbs and I want to grab Josh and hug him. He’s trying to allay my parents’ concerns. Please let it work.
Mom and Dad don’t move. They look like my words turned them into statues. ‘No’ is stamped all over Dad’s stony face. Mom is gripping his hand like it’s a lifeline.
And then everyone else is looking at Mom and Dad. Although, now the words are out of my mouth, I realize how it’s going to look if Mom and Dad say no to their only child heading off to the arctic tundra. I’ll go back to being the mixed-breed child who everyone’s starting to give up waiting on.
All of a sudden, a lot is riding on their response.
I know they’re balancing their love for their daughter with their love for their people, but please let them see how important this is—for everyone.
Dad pulls in a breath, snapping out of his brief daze. He looks at the Fae Elders and Were Alphas around him. He looks down at Mom, who nods. You don’t have to see how tightly woven their connection is to know these two can practically read each other’s minds. It means they’ve made a decision.
Dad’s face is solemn as he speaks. “Ava, our daughter, will head to the north.”
All the air vaporizes from my lungs. I turn to Josh, trying to curb my wide eyes. Looks like I’m heading to the sub-arctic plains. He arches a brow at me, probably reminding me that I didn’t develop the Were immunity to cold.
A jubilant feeling bubbles up in my belly, one that shouldn’t belong in this somber space, but it stirs through my blood anyway. It suggests there was another reason I put my hand up to head north. It’s a reason that leaves me a little light-headed.
My wolf is the color of snow.
Ava
For two years I’ve wondered.
Every time we connected in the world of dreams, I wondered if I’d ever get to meet my white wolf. We’ve done so much together. Run miles over so much terrain, explored every season. Wrapped around each other and held still, like maybe we can stay that way for as long as we want. I’ve felt him breathe, seen his eyes light with a smile.
But we’ve never spoken. I’ve never seen his human form.
I’ve always wondered if maybe I have an amazing imagination that can be mistaken for reality.
When I put my hand up to travel north I realized there’s only one way to find out. I don’t think I’d ever thought that maybe I could go looking for him. Maybe I should’ve considered this trip earlier…
But there’s no room for regrets, because anticipation has filled me to the brim. I’ve got to be moving closer to him with every mile north. There’s a tightening in my gut, a tension winding higher. I could meet him today!
“Not one tree.” Josh is shaking his head as he takes in the framed vista outside the airplane window.
I lean over. “Ah, that’s because we’re above the tree line. It’s too cold and too dry.”
“Well, it certainly looks cold.”
Even though there’s no snow, it’s probably the tundra; a patchwork of rock and jagged hills getting progressively more rugged, that gave that away.
I nudge him with my shoulder. “Yep. Never a day above ten degrees Celsius.”
“I’m not sure you thought this through.” Joshua shudders, and I suspect he’s realizing the offer to come with me was an impulsive one.
But my decision was made with full awareness of where we’re going. After all, I’ve been here before.
I can feel that my wolf is here.
From the moment our wheels touch the tarmac I feel like my whole body was filled with helium. His thread is one I will recognize instantly.
The airport is a compact, plain building not far away, and I hurry toward it.
“Hey, what’s the rush?” Josh lengthens his stride to catch up with me. “Are you cold?”
I slow at the concern in his voice. In my excitement, I hadn’t noticed the temperature. Now the cool afternoon air nips at my cheeks and settles in my lungs. I wrap the jacket my mother made sure I wear a little tighter around me.
“Stay warm,” she’d said, hands holding my shoulders like she didn’t want to let go. “And stay safe, Ava.”
“Mom. I’m heading to the least populated point I can.” I’d rolled my eyes. “And Dawn will be there.”
Her tilted green eyes, the ones I inherited, had misted a little. “All true. I just know that for great things to happen, hard lessons have to be learned.”
I hadn’t bothered to ask what she meant by that, I’m delivering some vaccines…and looking for my wolf. Not starting some epic journey.
Josh tucks his hands into his jeans, his long-sleeved tee catching in the breeze. He winks. “I hope you packed some thermals.”
I smile at him. “Your mom is bringing them when she visits with the twins.”
Josh’s eyes widen and his mouth pops open—a comical expression of horror. I flick my hair as I turn back around and pick up the pace again.
Josh’s muttering behind me is barely decipherable. I think I hear something about burning thermals when I’m not looking.
I don’t register the inside of the airport. There could have a coven of bloodthirsty vampires for all I know. My gaze is totally focused on scanning and finding the other bodies in the room. There will be a group of people here to welcome the child of the Prime Prophecy; the Alpha and his mate, some extended family, and he could be among them.