My Wolf and me

by Adams, India R

  Until this point, I had hoped that Romy was shot by a hunter for sport or protection of their livestock, but when every little hair on the back of my neck rose, I knew the wolf hunters were much more. Locals would not be approaching my property in stealth mode if they suspected they’d injured a human by accident. And my father’s friends, who were hunters, would have called out to him by now. My parents both knew this, too.

  Without time to tell my parents of the potential danger they were in, I answered my father’s question about Romy’s whereabouts. “You’re holding him.”

  Our shoulder-to-shoulder, slow, backward walk stopped as my parents digested my crazy words. Then it began again.

  “Everett, can this be?” Mom whispered.

  My father never took his eyes from the rim of his property but said, in a stern tone, “Little girl, this is not the time to play with me. We are being watched, and I could use that wolf’s help.”

  When we reached the bottom step of our back porch, we stopped, wondering if we dared turn our backs and run up the stairs to get inside. My heart pounded with fear, and my voice shook. “I’ve been keeping a huge secret from you both. But… I don’t think it’s a secret anymore.”

  Another twig cracked, this time from another location in the woods.

  “Everett,” Mom whispered.

  “I heard it.”

  Besides the night when I was six when my father believed he’d lost me, I had never seen him scared before until that night, the night that would change everything.

  With my mom and I still glued to him, Dad began a slow backward trudge up the stairs. “In Jesus’s name, I pray for strength and courage. Amelia, get my gun ready.”

  I began to silently sob. “I’m so sorry, Daddy.”

  My mom rushed into the house.

  “Get behind me, baby.” He still wouldn’t take his eyes off his backyard, nor let go of my unforgivable lie, unconscious in his arms.

  As soon as we crossed our backdoor barrier, my mother shut it quickly, aiming the gun at the door and windows. Still wearing her apron, she held the rifle masterfully. My father had trained her well. She would shoot with no question.

  Through tears, I asked, “Is he still alive?”

  “Yes.” Dad laid Sebastian on the couch. Then he shocked the hell out of me when he grabbed my shoulders, hard. “Answer everything as fast as you can. Is this man your wolf?”

  “Yes. Sebastian.” I was going to answer anything he asked, and quickly.

  “Two names?”

  “Wolf, Romy. Man, Sebastian.”

  “But the same… p-person… wolf?”

  “Yes. Two forms. Two names.”

  “Mother of God. Who are the ones outside?”

  “Two men with guns. One shot Romy.”

  “Do they know what he is?”

  “Don’t know, but Sebastian had me cover our trail. Said the men smelled of other wolves.”

  Just then, Sebastian unconsciously transformed into Romy. My parents gasped at the bloody wolf lying on their couch on top of shredded jeans. I thought my mom was too stunned to move, but then her eyes caught movement, and she aimed at the window past our kitchen and let a bullet roar to life. As she re-cocked her gun, preparing to shoot again, the back door busted open.

  My father shoved me behind him so hard I almost landed on top of Romy. My mother shot the first man to enter. His body flew back, ripping the phone from the wall before crashing to the ground.

  Hell broke loose all around me.

  The two men Sebastian and I had seen in the woods were now accompanied by at least four more. I couldn’t be sure. That was all my mind could comprehend. With adrenaline pumping violently through my veins, everything seemed to be happening at supersonic speed. My father screamed for me to run as he charged forward. But our house was too small with too many big men. I was forced to step back onto the couch, standing over Romy, and watch madness destroy my life.

  Loud gunshots went off between my mom and the gunmen before they tried to wrestle the weapon free of her small hands. Dad, fighting like a madman to get to her, stopped when he saw men trying to grab and control my kicking legs. One man had come at me from the side, managing to get his arm around my waist, pulling me from the couch. As the man turned us toward the back door, my father’s powerful fist met an unsuspecting jaw. A crack of bone took place, and I was dropped from his unwanted embrace. My unsteady feet took hold just in time to see my mother fall to the old wooden floor I’d played on all my life.

  She was motionless.

  From that moment on, every movement that took place around me became foggy, disrupted, not whole. My legs moved of their own accord to bring me to her side. A couple of men attempted to get hold of me but were distracted by my father brutally fighting their efforts. I barely recognized my bloodied hands as I reached for my mother, rolling her to her back, my fingers shaking after touching her chest where the bullet had hit her.

  The woman who had been the heart and true strength of this warm home was now lying on my living room floor with blood seeping from her body. With such a sight as your mother dying before you, something shifts inside your soul, and you just know you’ll never be the same.

  I wanted that shift taking place deep inside me to stop happening and tried to trick myself into believing I could change it with my very own hands. At least, that was the way it seemed as I touched her over and over, hoping I had somehow become mystical and possessed the power of healing. Desperately, I kept searching for the rewind button I needed to change this horrid outcome. If I could go back one moment, I could have changed destiny, possibly been fortunate enough to take the bullet myself.

  My father screamed behind me as he tried to get free of the gunmen ganging up on him, fighting him. His screams told me he knew exactly what was happening and wanted to touch the love of his life one more time before she said goodbye forever.

  Her eyes stared at me, and somehow through all of the ruckus, I could hear her last words. “Now I know… I wasn’t crazy… for loving him… like a son.” Her hand reached up to touch my face, but it never made it. It limply fell to the floor.

  I stared at the lifeless body as all other noises around me faded, no longer intruding on my shocked senses. A tidal wave of emotions was drowning me as I realized I had not appreciated my mother as I should have. I’d never told her thank you for all the wonderful, caring things she did for me on a daily basis. Every hot bath and meal seemed so insignificant until I knew I would never feel her affections again. Now, all the love she gave me unconditionally seemed monumental. And always will.

  Sebastian had told me I was strong, yet soft, and I had wondered why. What lay in front of me was why. My mother had taught me endurance and empathy with her every action. Her everyday examples were the best to learn by.

  My decision to hide the secret of Sebastian had irrevocably changed my world. What I had watched Romy go through so many years ago was now happening to me. I wanted to nuzzle her for one more caress of her soft, loving hands, just as Romy had.

  I began to whimper, just as Romy had.

  I felt like I, too, was a howling wolf as I leaned my head back and screamed.

  There was no time to stop screaming, to stop mourning or to register any pain as the butt of a rifle slammed into the back of my head, knocking me unconscious with a crushing blow.

  Chapter Fourteen:

  Terror to my Soul

  Howls… howls that weren’t my Romy’s pulled me to consciousness. It sounded as if the howlers were being tortured in unison. Generators hummed in the background.

  “What has them all stirred up? They used to stay quiet,” said a voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Ever since they arrived yesterday, all the other damn wolves have been going mad and driving me nuts.”

  “And th
at gray one? What a handful!”

  I presumed they were walking away because the voices faded. “Strongest wolf I’ve seen to date. He took a chunk out of Sam last night. Boss thinks the wolf wants the female we just passed.”

  “Has he converted?”

  “Filed reports, but not confirmed by base.”

  As I awoke and my mind began to focus, memories of my mother painfully flooded my mind and heart. “Mom,” I croaked out of a mouth that was now a desert. I begged my eyes to open so I could stop seeing her body, but all they did was flutter. One of the howlers changed his or her tune and began to bark, not viciously, but as if wanting to get his or her packmate’s attention. I knew this because Romy used this bark often when wanting me to hear him. What I noticed was how close this bark sounded, and then I heard a clanking noise, reminding me of a chain-link fence.

  I wondered how long I’d been unconscious when my eyes finally began to cooperate. I couldn’t tell if the sun was rising or setting—all I knew is that I was outside somewhere. Once I could focus on what was in front of me, I saw a chain-link fence then about five feet of winter grass and dirt before another chain-link fence. It stood approximately seven feet tall and five feet wide, completely surrounding and covering a caged wolf that continued to bark.

  I stared at the female wolf with green eyes and gorgeous red tints to her brown fur. Once she saw my eyes, she barked excessively and dug at the ground, trying to dig her way out. A part of me felt some relief at seeing a being in the form I knew so well. I finally found some strength to sit up, grabbing the back of my aching head. More wolves stopped the howling and began to bark. I looked around and saw many more cages, all full of wolves. It only took a few more seconds to realize that I was in a similar cage.

  There were claw marks in the dirt of the inside of my confinement, showing I was not the first resident. Chills ran through my body as I saw remnants of fur from the wolf that tried to claw his or her way out. In the corner of the cage was a fence-covered entrance the size of a mail slot. A leftover bone hinted at a feeding hole. Every cage had the same slot, also with stripped bones.

  Our cages seemed to make a half circle. I wondered if the circle continued, but I couldn’t be sure. Big, dark-green tents similar to those you’d see on an army base blocked the view in front of me. Our chain-link doors faced this view of tents. Forest and mountains surrounded us, but not a section I recognized from all my hiking with Romy. There were no concrete or wood buildings to be seen.

  As the barking continued, I spotted a bowl with water and dragged my body to it. It wasn’t clean. Never had I been so thirsty that I would drink questionable water, but next thing I knew, I was lifting the bowl and drinking, water spilling in and out of my parched mouth.

  A man wearing the same clothes as the men who’d attacked my family walked by but stopped when he noticed me. The big gun strapped to his back shifted as he turned to face me. “Well, look who made it. I thought you were a goner.” There was no remorse in his voice.

  My heart pounded as fear raced through me. The wolves on each side of me growled, taking a defensive posture toward the man in black.

  He looked at them. “What is it with you mutts lately?” He glanced back to me. I stayed quiet, not knowing what to do. “Let’s see if Boss can get you to talk.” He walked into one of the tents. The growling ended.

  Shaking, I looked around, trying to understand what was happening.

  Soon, growls rumbled from the surrounding cages again. They growled, staring in the direction of the entrance to the tent where the man had disappeared. A bigger man headed out of the same tent, followed by the first man.

  The big man said, “Your boyfriend will be happy you’re alive.” He showed no remorse either. “I am in charge of these quarters, and since I now own you, you can call me Boss. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you agree?”

  The wolves getting louder told me they did not.

  Ghostly pale skin accentuated Boss’s coal-colored eyes that looked into the surrounding cages with a puzzled expression. “This racket is bewildering, but it seems to have something to do with our new guest.” He turned back to me. “How do you like your accommodations? Anything I can get you?”

  He was not being nice or polite. He was condescending and the biggest asshole I’d ever met. I said nothing. I had no idea how much they knew about Romy, and I wasn’t going to confirm that Sebastian existed.

  “Ah.” The leader paced in front of my new prison. “Quiet like your mate?” He stopped to see my reaction. I gave him nothing. “Your… alpha?”

  Nothing. I’d done my best to keep Sebastian a secret for most of my life, and I wasn’t stopping now. Boss grinned, and chills raced down my spine. He was toying with me. He knew I would not give him anything on my wolf, who was apparently tearing this place apart for me.

  Boss said to his armed asshole-in-training, “Clear out this pen.” He pointed to the cage holding a male wolf to my left. “I want her boyfriend to have a front-row seat.” Before walking away, extremely proud of himself, he demanded, “And for God’s sake, reinforce that holding!”

  I swallowed, but the fear sticking to the inside of my throat remained.

  From the tent, six heavily armed men approached the cage to my left. To the angry male wolf, one of them said, “No testing, so chill out. Just a relocation. You know the drill.”

  Two of the four men holding metal bars with wire nooses on the ends went to each side of the wolf’s cage. They stuck the poles through the chain-link fencing, meeting in the middle of the cage and lining up the nooses. With one noose in front of the other, they waited. The wolf blew out a snort and walked up to the nooses, inserting his head.

  Once the wolf was secure, his door swung open, and men in the front of his cage raised their guns, aiming at the wolf. The two remaining pole holders walked into the gated prison, also putting the wolf’s head into their nooses. The original pole holders disconnected from the wolf, and the new holders led the wolf out of his cage with aimed guns following.

  Watching him being taken away angered and frightened me. I was angry because I did not believe that a majestic animal deserved such treatment, and I was afraid because these men completed the transfer as if it were second nature to them. I was terrified how far these pros would go to get what they wanted. And not knowing what they wanted seemed to scare me the most.

  The sunset had me hugging my knees because the last of any warmth was almost gone. Facing the tents, not wanting my back to the enemy, I had paid attention all day to the guards who passed me. Starting to recognize some of them, I counted approximately twenty.

  I watched guards dig holes and put poles in them up against the empty cage to my left. Another guard entered the cage. He shoveled and disposed of the waste collected in a corner. Sensitive noses must have hated being next to their own feces, but obviously, they had no choice.

  Soon, the sun disappeared, and floodlights attached to poles replaced its shine.

  Boss had said that Romy would be delivered and put in the cage the man was cleaning, but after tragically losing my mom, I couldn’t help being haunted by my reality. Anything could go wrong at any moment. The thought of losing Sebastian was too much. It almost made me vomit. Not wanting to speak and say something I shouldn’t, I was not able to inquire about my father. I could only pray that he had somehow escaped and was safe. I hoped he was possibly able to take care of my mother. The thought of the shooters not treating her body with the respect that phenomenal woman deserved made me tremble.

  Commotion with the wolves pulled me from my thoughts. The poop shoveler was gone, and something was transpiring on the other side of the tents to my left where I couldn’t see. The wolves became extremely aggressive, growling as each wolf saw what was coming around the bend of tents. His or her posture would change to attack mode, accompanied by snarling and snapping
teeth. I was so scared to see what had them this upset that I backed away from the front of my cage, crab-crawling to the rear corner.

  At first, all I saw was the backs of four guards coming around the bend, aiming guns at someone or something that made them nervous, a reaction I had yet to see from the cocky pros. The men’s backs blocked my view of what six more guards were doing, but every confinement they passed had a wolf viciously attacking the front of their cage.

  Then I saw a sight that brought terror to my soul.

  Romy was unconscious, being dragged by two loops or nooses around his hind legs, two nooses around his front legs, and two around his neck. Romy’s tongue hung out the side of his mouth, possibly from the ropes tightening due to pressure, and his beautiful gray fur was matted in blood. His injuries looked worse than the bullet wound. Two more gun-toting men followed, ready to shoot if Romy stirred. Six guards had removed the wolf next to me. Twelve delivered Romy.

  I got up and ran to the front corner of my cage and screamed, “What did you do to him?” I rattled my fencing with my enraged hands, not caring that I was breaking my silence.

  Romy looked awful; he looked… dead. This was what they’d reinforced the cage for?

  “Is he alive?” I shrieked in horror.

  No one would take their eyes from their captive to answer me. Men opened the chain-link door to the empty cage next to mine and crudely dragged Romy inside. The other wolves gave voice to their feelings. Gunmen circled the cage as if the half-dead wolf before them had another fight in him. I’d never seen Romy more than irritated, but with how these men were behaving, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to.

  Nooses were released, men ran out, and the gate slammed shut, locks nervously secured. That was when I noticed how each man had bandages somewhere on his body. Romy must had done a real number on them all.

  “He’s alive,” one guard practically spat at me, he was so angry, “but maybe this time, he’ll think twice before attacking us.”