“Lucky for you, he’s already had dinner.”
John froze.
“I’m kidding!”
“Not funny.” John smiled.
He wheeled in the barrel and started unloading. “Want me to start the fire so he can keep you warm?”
“Get your ass in here!” Boss yelled from the warm tent.
“Thanks anyway.” I half shrugged under the weight of Romy’s massive front leg.
John approached. “Here’re the matches.” He stopped when Romy lifted his head.
I tapped his snout. “Don’t be a bully. John here means me no harm.” I reached out for the matches.
John slowly handed them to me, but Romy refused to lie back down. “Easy, Cujo.”
I gasped.
“What? Oh shit, did I offend him?”
Romy finally put his head down with a puff from his nose.
“No,” I told John. “Just reminded us of a friend.”
Trevor.
Boss even permitted John to occasionally bring me more dry wood throughout the evening before stocking us up for the night. John didn’t have Sebastian locked up. He just entered our cage at will, trusting Romy, adding wood to the fire. John whispered, “Boss is taking Romy’s obedience as a reward for letting you be in here.” He raised an eyebrow with a questioning slant.
John was young but saw right through my plan. I was trying to build trust between us so if needed, I had a human comrade as backup. I smirked. “I have no idea what you’re insinuating.”
Romy grunted.
John smiled. “Huh. Romy seems to see what I’m implying.”
“Oh, he’s just a dog. What does he know?” Again, I was trying to show John Romy’s playful side.
It worked. Romy growled, and John played. “Not a dog, remember?”
I smiled from the huge wolf’s embrace. “I forgot. Oops!”
The fire melted the snow on the ground, causing a slushy mess, so Sebastian—not allowing me to move from my cocoon—pulled me into dry snow as needed, taking me further and further from the fire. With not as much heat, Romy and my blanket sheltered me as best they could. I lay in the fetal position, facing the fire and the female wolf, tucked in a tight ball, half covered in snow.
I closed my eyes to fall back to sleep. Romy and my back were to the other cage. I was surprised to hear the gate open and close, but not enough to face the cold and inspect. The male wolf normally occupying the space had been gone all day. I didn’t want to witness another dissected, innocent wolf.
After boots crunching the snow quickly disappeared into the tent to seek warmth, Romy turned into Sebastian and whispered, “Oh, my God.”
My eyes opened, and I peered out from my blanket igloo. My jaw dropped. The female wolf that had stayed silent for all these days was now standing, naked, in the snow. The fire glowed brilliantly against her red hair. Her slender body basked in the light of the moon shining down on us. Her green eyes practically glowed. I noticed an alarming scar of what looked to be teeth marks on her left thigh.
Something had triggered her to transform and finally show herself. Her eyes narrowed, and she ignored Sebastian and me gawking at her. “Are you okay?” Her voice was divine and gentle with an accent I couldn’t place.
A male voice with the same accent whispered from behind us. Sebastian and I sat up to see who it was.
The wolf who had shared this hellhole campground with us was now a blond, naked man lying on his side in the snow. “I am, but they’re not.” He pointed to Sebastian and me. He sat up, crossing his legs in the snow to be discreet about his exposed self.
Every wolf in sight watched. I wondered if the rest were listening.
Sebastian wrapped the blanket around me and pulled me into his lap to keep me off the snow. Our backs were to the tents, so we could see both newcomers.
Sebastian whispered to the man, “What has you so spooked that you risk showing yourself?”
Softly, to keep from being heard by the enemy, the man answered. “I heard information I must share with you.” He looked at the female and winked. “Stop worrying. Your male is hard to break.”
Her whisper’s volume rose. “I’m breaking by not being able to touch you.”
I gasped. They were together, yet they kept it hidden. I guess they didn’t want to experience what Sebastian, Romy, and I were enduring.
The blond man looked at Sebastian, waiting. Sebastian squeezed me, probably scared of what he was about to hear, and then nodded.
The naked man quietly spoke. “They plan on changing her.”
Sebastian nodded. This we knew.
“But… not by you, my leader.”
Sebastian’s body jerked in shock. “Wait. What did you just call me?”
Many of the surrounding wolves lifted their snouts to the sky, as if wanting to howl, but they stayed silent. I understood when they looked at the tent. They didn’t want to attract the humans.
From the other man in a cage, a playful eyebrow brought my attention to blue eyes with white cloud designs, just like Romy’s. Having observed this male wolf for so long, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed those eyes before now. I figured it was a werewolf trait. The blond man asked, “Which part, Sebastian, son of Mercio, our fearless leader?” He looked to the sky to honor someone who had passed. “May he live with his love in the stars.”
Father Wolf.
“In the stars,” the redheaded beauty whispered with her head bowed and her eyes closed.
Sebastian and I were speechless.
“Your mother was my mother’s sister,” the naked man stated. He smiled. Those eyes weren’t a werewolf trait; they were a family trait.
Sebastian body jolted and twitched with every word this man spoke. “I… have… family?”
“Yes, many of us.”
“W-Why… am I not with you?”
The blond man went to answer, but Sebastian interrupted. “Wait, my cousin. What is your name?”
Another smile appeared as he tilted his head in respect. “My mother loves the history of gods. I am Zeus.”
I couldn’t help it. An image of a wolf sitting casually in the woods, flipping pages in a history book, passed through my mind.
Sebastian’s cousin’s happy face faded. “Your mother and father took you from harm’s way. The wolf Marley spoke of, the mean wolf, is your uncle, Maximus—your father’s brother. He is the one who is to change your mate.”
Behind me, Sebastian’s body went rigid.
The woman gasped. “No.”
Zeus said to her, “Agatha, my beautiful, become a wolf, and keep our secret safe. I do not wish to be tortured as Sebastian has been with his Marley.” Her eyes closed, and she rubbed her face on the fencing as if imagining his touch. Her wolf form took shape. Zeus said, “Agatha’s reaction is because she understands the danger of such a bite. The one who inherits you—”
“Inherit?” I asked.
He smiled again as his posture straightened. “Yes, to inherit one is to choose them, evolve them, contaminate someone—as Boss so crudely defines it—and when you inherit them, an essence of yourself lives within the someone special you’ve chosen, as I now live within Agatha.”
Zeus made the process of becoming a wolf sound like such a privilege, an honor to be chosen. I saw the majestic red wolf sitting proudly, watching the one who inherited her.
Zeus said, “That is why your bloodline will always lead. Your father’s bloodline, his family’s essence, distantly lives in us all. We originate with the essence that you are directly made of, Sebastian.” Zeus’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the ground. “Your uncle’s essence has been irreversibly tainted with his choices and is not what you want in the blood and soul of one you love so dearly.” He pointed to my o
ld cage, where the young boy had died.
Arms tightened around me. “And he wants to change Marley?”
“No, my leader. Boss wants him to change her. Your uncle wants to kill her.”
I shook, not from cold but from chills of a whole other kind. “Why?”
Zeus spoke with what I can only describe as wisdom. “I wish I had a good reason for why your Uncle Maximus wishes you and yours harm, but I do not. It’s the old story of jealousy that has happened through many events in history and now has become part of our history. Maximus wants to end your reign, Sebastian.”
I was entranced and hung on Zeus’s every syllable.
“A leader named Gabino had two sons, Mercio and Maximus. When he chose Mercio to be our next ruler, Max became envious. The envy, over years, became more. It ate away Max’s purity and manifested into darkness while he waited and plotted. When his father, Gabino, your grandfather, passed to join the stars, the time had come for Max to execute his plan to kill your father without anyone suspecting him and take what he felt to be his rightful place as our leader. But Sebastian, when your mother became pregnant with you, the wolves rejoiced, and your uncle’s plan went awry because your mother went under the normal protocol of protection.” Zeus grinned proudly. “She was carrying such value.”
“Value—a gift only a female wolf can offer through birth. And with this gift being next in line to lead, your uncle concocted a story of unknown betrayal within our wolves. Maximus, your uncle, had to remove you if he were to ever have a chance to lead us. Panic spread, and your father did what he thought best. He removed you and your mother from any possible threat and was going to guard her and his unborn until the pup was strong enough to fight whatever threat approached.”
Sebastian sounded angry. “Did my uncle kill my father?”
“It would give me much joy to give you peace with an answer about your past, but I don’t have one for you. What I do know is that your uncle was soon found to be guilty of false rumors, and since your grandmother couldn’t find the courage to permit the execution of her son—”
“I have a grandmother?” Sebastian struggled to swallow.
“Yes, a feisty old pup. We have very long lives when the source sees it fit.” Zeus became silent, allowing Sebastian a moment to catch up.
In the quiet moments, I thought about what Zeus said—the source. I knew in my heart that was what they called God—what Sebastian claimed to feel around him at all times.
Sebastian inhaled deeply and then nodded.
“Your grandmother is watching over your sister and leading us again. Your sister was not able to reign because she does not have the heart of an alpha. She is far too kind and easily persuaded.”
My cold hand covered my gaping mouth.
“A-A s-sister,” Sebastian stuttered. Then he became angry. “My uncle tried to hurt her?”
With a smile, Zeus gestured to Sebastian. “No, she is unharmed, but see how quickly you prepared to defend without even knowing her? That is the trait of a true alpha. This is why your father did not choose your sister to lead us. He was waiting for you. We understood this, as does she. She is a gracious young wolf.”
After giving Sebastian another moment to digest all this information, Zeus continued. “Your uncle was set free but ordered never to return. He did not. I believe he hunted your father down, not to become our leader—that was no longer an option—but out of revenge. Your grandmother never lost hope that her mate chose Mercio, your father, to lead for a reason. And over the years, she had us, a select few, search for her son’s successor. She claimed, ‘He would not have failed.’ We searched and searched woods all over the world. Your grandmother has relocated us many times in our search. Now, the pack resides in Canada. I’m ashamed to say I started losing hope and wanted to start a family of my own with Agatha. But everything changed a month ago, when we came across the remains of a wolf. A very large wolf. We knew it was Mercio, the only other wolf to match the size of his father. The same size as you, Sebastian.
“We rushed home to tell your grandmother of our findings, to give her peace of mind that we had found her son. Then we came back in search of your mother. We picked up a male’s scent, and the trail led us to wolf bones in a shallow grave. You visited your mother often.”
Sebastian rocked us back and forth. Zeus’s eyes watered. “That is how we knew—how we knew you existed. Who else would have taken the time to bury a wolf but a child?”
I rubbed on the arms around me to give Sebastian some comfort as we rocked together.
“We were following your trail, and were so excited to have finally found you that we were extremely distracted and became easy captures for this place. We were brought here, and that’s when I learned your uncle’s fate and how his bite had made more just like him.”
Sebastian growled. “He will not touch Marlena. My Marley.”
Zeus looked intrigued. “Marlena. I suspected Marley was an endearing nickname with the way you speak it.” The surrounding wolves puffed air out their mouths as if wanting to make sounds but restraining themselves. Zeus smiled at them. “They like Marlena, feel she’s a good match for their leader. That is why they wouldn’t eat. We watch over our own.”
Their own.
Zeus faced us again. “Even though she came to this place separate from you, your scent was all over her. We understand how males get when their female is at her fertile time.”
“What?” Sebastian asked.
“That is why he growled at me when I insisted on a—” I was too embarrassed to say condom, so I whispered, “Protection?”
Zeus quietly chuckled at my question. “Of course. You were asking him to deny one of nature’s strongest instincts. Did you see his body tremble when Boss threatened to share you?” He quietly laughed again. “Luckily for Boss, Sebastian is unaware of his true strength, or Boss would already have been removed from this world.” Zeus inhaled deeply. “Sebastian, unfortunately I do not have spare moments to help you tap into your powers. That takes time, so there is only one way to stop your uncle from inheriting Marlena.”
Sebastian was not asking questions I would have expected. “How powerful will I be?” “What powers will I have?” No, he was only worried for me. “Tell me. I will do anything for her.” Sebastian kissed my hair over and over. “Tell me what to do, Zeus.”
Zeus spoke proudly. “Inherit her yourself. Tonight.”
Until that moment, I think Sebastian and I believed we would find a miracle and get out of here, unscathed, unchanged. But as it all sank in, I knew I had already changed. For better or for worse, I would never be the same again.
“Do it.”
Both Sebastian and Zeus looked at me. I turned around in Sebastian’s arms, facing him to convince him he had to do this. “Inherit me.” Sebastian’s eyes bored into mine. He read me, searching for my meaning. “Choose me, Sebastian, and don’t allow these humans to control my fate. I want you. I’ve chosen you, and you told me forever. Make good on your promise.”
I expected his reaction to be a lengthy argument, trying to save me from a destiny I was being forced into. I expected him to refuse me and demand I fight for what was right. But what I had forgotten was how Sebastian accepted and embraced what he considered to be beautiful—being a wolf.
His kiss told me so many things: How much he loved me, how much he admired me, how much he wanted me, and how much he wanted this. Sebastian pulled my body to his and held me so tightly. “Oh, Marley, you honor me with your request. When Zeus told me we wolves have very long lives, my first thought was of you and how I would survive witnessing your death of old age. I know I could not, and now I don’t have to.”
He kissed me with longing and hope I felt deeply.
Sebastian looked at Zeus without letting me go. “My cousin, I ask you… how?”
Zeus said, “When we came for you, I was in a pack of six.”
“The six originals…” What the man in unit six had said now made more sense. But there were many more wolves now.
“In an effort to save the five fated to travel with me, I did what they asked me to do and inherited more males—men brought here against their will. I refused the females because without a mate to introduce them into a pack, the females would be left on their own—as good as dead in our world. I could not mate them because we mate for life. Your uncle willingly changed the females, but none survived the experiments they were forced to endure. That is why Boss was so pleased with your offer to inherit Marlena. He thinks because of your size, you are stronger. He is right, but not for the reasons he believes. It’s your essence. With it, Marlena would’ve survived the testing and helped Boss learn more about us.”
“Then why change his mind?” Sebastian asked.
Zeus ran his hand down his face. “Your uncle convinced Boss that the moon is coming to full strength and will change his normal outcome and that Boss would have more control over Marlena if your uncle were to be her alpha.”
Sebastian growled.
Zeus smirked. “Clearly, you do not agree with this arrangement.”
“And my uncle’s reason for choosing Marlena?”
Zeus sounded saddened. “To control you.”
Silence.
“My Achilles heel.” Sebastian repeated Boss’s words before kissing my head.
Zeus looked to the surrounding wolves. Knowing they could hear a whisper from quite a distance, he quietly told them, “I know how the ones I travel with feel, but out of respect for the ones forced into this life, I must ask… By inheriting Marlena tonight—tomorrow, we go to war.”
Again, snouts rose to the moon in a silent howl. Zeus smiled. “I am proud to call you my brothers.” He looked back to us. “So be it.” Then with his shoulders rolling back with pride, he told Sebastian, “Become your wolf, my leader.”
My Wolf and me Page 18