by A. D. McLain
Nicole stretched out her legs, discovering how fast she could run. The black wolf was ahead of her, but she quickly closed the gap. They ran side by side for quite a while. Then, she pushed a little harder and pulled in front of him. She leaped over bushes, her paws barely touching the ground.
“Show off.”
She laughed in her mind and slowed down a little, allowing David to catch up.
He pulled close to her and rubbed his head against her neck. They slowed again, tumbled together on the ground, rolling, rubbing their noses against each other, occasionally licking. Nicole released a playful whimper.
The wind blew over them, and Nicole noticed something on the wind she hadn’t smelled before. The black wolf sat up and turned his head in the direction of the smell. “What is it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’m going to go check it out. You stay here.”
David’s wolf form disappeared into the trees. Nicole stayed in the clearing for a few minutes, before curiosity got the better of her. Quietly, she made her way in the direction of the smell.
“I thought I told you to stay there,” she heard David say aloud.
She let the light surround her, standing up in her human form. “You know I never listen to anything I’m told.” She pushed a tree branch to one side and ran straight into David. He blocked her view, turning her around and leading her back the way they’d come. “What is it?” She struggled against him, but he had a firm grip on her arms.
“It’s just some dead animal. Nothing you want to see.” David turned back to Nicole without mentioning the piece of torn material he’d noticed caught on a nearby limb.
Nicole gagged as the smell was blown in their direction again. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Come on. Let’s get back to the house. We’ve got a lot of plans to make if you want that winter wedding you were thinking about earlier.”
She smiled. “I thought I was the one who did the mind reading in this relationship.”
“Hey, what can I say?” David rubbed his knuckles against his chest. “I’m good.”
“Um, hummm. You just wait ’til I get you back to the house.” Nicole pulled away a little, turning to face David. Her eyes gleamed with mirth. “Race you back.” In a flash, the white wolf replaced Nicole’s human form and started running toward the house.
Another flash of light, and the black wolf followed.
Epilogue
David knelt silently before the tombstones. Sunlight hit the names, and he could feel tears in his eyes. “I miss you all. I wish you could be here today, could see how happy I am. For the first time in my life, I’m truly happy. I wish I could share that with you.” A breeze blew, blowing his hair and clothes.
“I think they’re here with you, my friend.”
David glanced back at Mark in confusion, but when he did, he realized the wind wasn’t affecting anything else. The trees, the bushes – even Mark’s hair and clothes remained still. The wind was only whirling around him. He turned back to the tombstones, the sun still shining on the names, and offered up a silent prayer. If they were watching over him, he could only hope they were proud.
“Come on. You’ve got a wedding to go to.”
David smiled. “That I do.”
“Ow!” Nicole rubbed her head where the hair pin had poked her skin and peeked at Meghan out of the corner of her eye. “I thought the bride was supposed to be the nervous one.”
“I’m sorry.” Meg smoothed Nicole’s hair back and carefully put the last pin in place. “I’m just so excited. I’ve never been to a wedding before.”
Nicole smiled. “It’s okay. Just don’t eat any more of those cookies Mara brought, or I’ll need to peel you off the ceiling, and I don’t feel like doing that in these shoes.”
“Okay.” Meg reached for the choker and tied it in place. “You sure are calm.”
“I’m a little nervous, but mainly I’m just happy.”
“I can tell. At least, that’s what I figured it was. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you really happy before.” Meghan dodged Nicole’s elbow and finished straightening her veil. “There. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks for all your help.”
“No problem.”
Nicole turned toward the door when she heard a soft knock. “Come in.”
Mara opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. “My, you do look magnificent.”
“Thank you.”
“Your brother is here. He wanted to know if he could come in.”
Nicole smiled brightly. “Oh, sure, I’d love to see him.”
“I’ll get him.” Meg dropped the last of the hairpins on the counter and left the room quickly, her shoes clicking against the tile floor.
“She seems enthusiastic,” Mara observed.
“Billy used to hang out with us when we were kids, and he and Meg always got along really well. It’s been a few years since she’s seen him.”
“It’s always good when old friends are able to see each other.” Mara frowned slightly at the forlorn tone she could just make out in her voice. At least Nicole hadn’t seemed to notice.
Nicole examined herself in the mirror and brushed back a few stray hairs, looking, as she did, at Mara’s reflection. “Did you know my parents?”
“Yes, I did.”
Nicole swallowed heavily and glanced away from the reflection of Mara’s eyes. “Do you think they would have been proud of me?”
Mara smiled and placed a hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “Yes, I do believe they would be. You are a very kind and brave soul. After all, you got through to David. That was no easy task.”
“Really? I hadn’t realized things were so bad for him.”
“He had been closed off for a very long time.”
“Like you— Oh! I’m sorry.” Nicole’s hand came up to cover her mouth, and she nibbled her lower lip uncertainly. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, it’s quite alright. As I’ve told you before, you have excellent instincts. I should go and let you finish getting ready. Oh, but first I wanted to give you this.” Mara pulled a small blue butterfly hairpin from her purse. “I thought you might be needing something blue.”
Nicole watched the pin sparkle in the sunlight. “Oh, it’s beautiful. Thank you.” Careful not to catch her heels on her skirt, Nicole stood and wrapped her arms around Mara in a warm hug.
“Would you like me to put it in your hair for you?”
“Yes, please.”
Mara carefully placed the pin in Nicole’s hair and stepped back. Nicole smiled gratefully and checked her reflection in the mirror, turning her head to see the butterfly pin better.
The door creaked softly, opening a crack. “Hello?”
“Billy!” Nicole ran across to hug her brother. “It’s so good to see you again!”
Billy hugged her back, careful not to crumple her dress or hair. “I leave you for a month and you’re getting married.” He held Nicole’s face between his hands and smiled down at her. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I was kind of hoping you would give me away.”
“You want me to give you away?” His eyes widened with surprise.
“Will you?” Nicole asked hopefully.
“Well, uh… yeah.” He pulled his shoulders back, standing a little taller. “Yes, I’d be honored to give you away.”
Mara was struck by the presence Billy had about him. The way he behaved with Nicole was something to watch. She could easily see how much he cared about her, and for some inexplicable reason, she experienced a little jealousy of Nicole. Mara abruptly found herself imagining Billy was holding her that the way he did his adopted sister.
She shoved that thought away and brought herself back to the present. Suddenly she felt like an intruder. She didn’t belong here. Silently, she headed toward the door.
Billy caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see the woman he’d spoken to earlier. He was struck by how
beautiful she was. She had long dark hair and sparkling, ethereal eyes, and the way she moved was incredibly graceful.
Nicole followed his eyes and spotted Mara trying to leave. “Oh, Mara, you don’t have to go.”
“I really should get out of your way.” It took all her control to keep from staring at Billy.
“Oh, okay then. Thanks again for the beautiful hair pin.”
Mara nodded and walked across to the door, unable to avoid brushing past Billy on her way. “Excuse me.” Forcing herself to keep walking, she hastily left the room.
Billy heard Nicole talking to him, but he had to concentrate hard to understand what she was saying. Luckily, he caught enough of her words to pretend he’d heard her. “Yeah, you look great. How ’bout you tell me what I have to do, to give you away?”
David straightened his tie for the fourth time and shuffled from foot to foot. Mark laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Nervous?” he whispered. David glanced over at him and nodded briefly, but a hush fell over the room before he could respond.
Meghan entered the church in her bridesmaid gown and walked up the aisle to take her place at the front, casting a glance toward Mark before she turned to face the back of the church.
The bride’s music started to play and everyone stood and faced the church doors.
Nicole stood, illuminated in the doorway, gripping Billy’s bent arm. David’s heart beat rapidly, his breathing stopped for a moment.
Nicole looked absolutely radiant. Her gown had long sleeves and dipped down at the neck, revealing her cleavage. A magnificent lace train trailed behind her as she walked, making her appear even more elegant, and her long hair hung loose, with a v-shaped headpiece connected to the veil. A glittering blue hair pin rested just above the headpiece, adding a little touch of color.
But all the outside embellishments paled in comparison to the person wearing them. Nicole seemed more elegant, more exquisite than he’d ever seen her before. She seemed to glide up the aisle toward him, her smile lighting up the entire room. Taking her place at his side, David knew he had never been so happy, lucky or blessed in his entire life.
Taking her hands in his, he repeated the words the preacher said. “With this ring, I thee wed.” He held her hand tenderly and slipped the ring on her slender finger. Nicole did the same, her hand shaking slightly.
David couldn’t take his eyes off her. They stared into one another’s eyes as they spoke their vows, and everyone else in the room disappeared. “I do,” David said, kissing her fingers.
“Do you take this man to be you’re lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times as well as bad, as long as you both shall live, so help you God?”
“I do.” Nicole repeated.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” David gathered her up in his arms and kissed her deeply. Stepping back, he looked at his bride and smiled broadly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. You’ll never be alone again.”
“Neither will you.”
Dear reader,
We hope you enjoyed reading Wolf Of The Past. If you have a moment, please leave us a review - even if it's a short one. We want to hear from you.
The story continues in Wolf Of The Present.
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A.D. McLain and the Creativia Team
About the Author
"What do you want to be?"
When I was little, I answered that question with actor, writer, artist, astronaut, singer, fashion designer, and a few other things. Adults would grin at my answer and say I hadn't made up my mind, yet. I told them, "No, I want to be all of them."
I never understood the idea of limiting yourself to one thing. Life is so big. There is room for many adventures.
As I grew, I continued to draw. I wrote and performed songs at talent shows. I drew out designs for clothing and even sewed some outfits. I made my own wedding dress by hand. I studied digital design and learned to do some basic work in photo programs. Friends will tell you, I'm always jumping from one crazy project to another.
Again and again I've been told what I was doing was too difficult, I didn't know enough, I could never do it. And every time I've plunged head first into whatever my passion was driving me towards with a near unwavering faith that I could do anything I put my mind to. People always want to tell you what you can't do. We are all capable of incredible things when we have faith and believe in ourselves. You may not succeed at everything you do, but you will never succeed at something you do not try.
Despite my vast array of different interests, writing has long held a special place in my soul. When I was twelve years old, I spent an entire summer writing a story. Now, I often started projects without finishing them, before. This was different. I wrote every day. I wrote in the car, my room, and the laundromat. I wrote until, just as vacation was coming to an end, my story was done. I finished it. I knew in that moment, this was my calling in life. This was what I was meant to do.
From that moment on, I studied and wrote. Teachers and siblings told me to pursue a more practical career. I ignored them and followed my instincts.
When I needed a break, I still had all my other creative projects to help me recharge and have time to think. But I always returned to writing.
Through college, meeting and marrying my soulmate, working through jobs I hated, becoming mother to three wonderful boys, and homeschooling those same rambunctious boys, there have been challenges. There were times I've had to take a break from regular writing to care for newborns and sick children. Though, even when I wasn't actively putting pen to paper, (yes, I still use good old fashioned notebooks and handwriting much of the time) my books are always somewhere in my mind. I've spent many nights crouched over paper, using the dim light from my phone or a night light to see enough to put down my thoughts, while my children sleep a few feet away. Writing is who I am.
My passion is in paranormal romances and fantasy books. I love writing about werewolves, and other shapeshifters. I've also written about psychics.
I began writing fantasy after I was married. My husband and I used to get together with friends to play dungeons and dragons every Saturday. My husband wanted to create his own world with his own campaigns, so he enlisted my help in writing the background stories. He told me what his world was like and some of the key players and asked me to write backgrounds on other characters I told him what I had, and he added content or made changes to fit his vision. It was a lot of fun to work on this with him.
Later, I was looking for a quick project to write for nanowrimo (national novel writing month) and decided to put some of our notes into a full story of it's own. That was the birth of our first collaborative fantasy book project. It is great to be able to share something that is such a big part of my soul with my husband. He has always supported my writing. Even when it hasn't paid off financially, he has never once asked me to stop.
I don't know what the future holds, but I know this is what I'm called to do.