Chapter 3

*Doris POV*

Mike had walked me through the road and I was almost at home when I heard a voice in my head talk to me. "Hello Doris" I jumped at the sound. Maybe I was hallucinating from the drinks I took at the diner. I corrected myself and began walking again.

I was almost at the gate of our estate when I heard it. "Doris. Hi there' I really heard it this time. I paused in my tracks and answered out loud." Who is there? Show yourself" yet nobody came outside. I lifted my face up and sniffed into the air but I could not pick out anyone's scent.

"Doris. I am your inner wolf." The voice said. " Wait.. what?" I stood still. Making sure I was hearing right. "Yes, you heard me right. It's me, your inner wolf" the voice said again.

"Oh so you're like my conscience and stuff." I asked, smiling. "Well, you can say I do that job too, but I am mostly here as your wolf senses. You just turned 18 and I have awoken. I am here to guide you through life. I will only leave if you ask me to or if you die, in which case I would die too"

"Nice." I said, "So aside talking, what else can you do?" My excitement growing.

The voice kept quiet for a while and asked me, " do you wanna run?"

I smiled, knowing I was going to have so much fun. "Yeah, but mind if I drop my bags? It might get too heavy for us, spirit wolf"

She giggled inside me, " Call me Doe. And honey, with me, you have the strength and senses of a thousand werewolves. Let's go" I smiled and moved my feet sideways. I took a deep breath and ran towards the gate, into the woods.

****

I made my way out of the estate and off the streets where people were in their human forms as I ran into the woods.

I felt my body start to change. I could feel the fur sprouting from my skin and my nose turning into a snout. I felt my legs stretch and my tail grow. My vision sharpened and I heard a voice inside of me. It said, "You are now a full wolf."

I stood up on a hill and looked around. I had never seen the world so clearly before. I felt a power flowing through me and I knew then that I was no longer human. I was a wolf. A full grown and mature wolf.

I started running down the hill and all the obstacles I had encountered in my human life seemed to disappear. I was faster than ever before. I was a force of nature. Suddenly, I heard my wolf voice again, "You are now ten times as fast as before." I felt unstoppable.

I ran and ran, never tiring. I felt so alive, so free. I was a full wolf and nothing could stop me. I had no fear and no limits. I was a beautiful white wolf and I would never be the same again. My eighteenth birthday was the best day of my life. I was so happy.

I was running and running until it felt like I was too far away from our pack and so, I had to go back. I turned my back and started heading home.

"Hey Doe. How long have you been inside me?" I asked my inner voice as I ran through the woods.

"I have been inside you ever since you were born. Every werewolf is born with an inner voice but we awake when they become ready and today, you have become ready" She said as I felt a surge of energy flowing through me. My feet felt lighter. I felt like I could fly as I ran faster and soon, was almost home.

I was almost home, running through the woods when Doe told me someone or something was chasing me.

"What?" I asked out loud. Usually I communicated to her in my head but that statement warranted a gasp.

"Someone is trailing you. I can find their energy near. Look behind you. To the left" she said again as I looked. In the woods, I could see a dark figure running behind me. It had red eyes and it looked scary. It's fangs were out and it growled and snarled at intervals.

"What should I do? Doe!! Doe, what should I do?" I asked as I started to panick. Being all alone in the woods, outside my terrain, at night with only a voice in my head to guide me was scary. If that figure was out to get me, it would. I prayed to the moon goddess for help.

"Doe!!" I called out again. "Doe! Talk to me!" My inner voice had gone silent for a while. Finally, she spoke, "Doris. Look to your right, there is a valley there. When I tell you to jump, jump!"

"What.. wait.. what the actual fuck?!! " I asked, it felt good to curse. The 'f' word felt so good in my mouth.

Doe brought me back to reality when she asked if I had a better idea in that situation. I suggested howling. She agreed to that but said it would take a while for them to find me and that figure must have killed me by then, so I had to take her plan. I nodded and got ready.

"You ready?" She asked, I told a breath in and exhaled out. "Doris are you ready?" She asked, honestly, I wasn't. I did not want to die and I was sure that jumping into a valley would kill me. But I had no choice, I did not have the basic fighting skills to defend myself from the dark figure that chased me at that moment.

"I'm gonna count. Five… .four.. three… Doris get ready, two… one!! Turn left and jump."

I felt my heart pounding as I ran through the forest, the dark figure with red eyes close behind me. I had no choice but to take a leap of faith and jump into the valley ahead. Without a moment's hesitation, I leaped off the edge, feeling the cool night breeze against my fur as I flew through the air.

The exhilaration of the jump was quickly replaced by fear as I realized the figure was still after me. I heard his footsteps thumping on the ground as he followed me down the valley. His red eyes were like beacons in the darkness, burning into my soul as he followed me.

I ran faster than I ever had before, desperate to get away from the figure. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, pushing me to keep going. Every time I thought I had gotten away, the figure was right behind me.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I stopped and looked around, panting. I was alone. I had outrun the figure and I thought I was safe.

I called out for Doe again, "Doe, are you there?"

"Yes" she answered as I slowly changed to my human form. I smiled, "We made it"

I expected her to affirm what I had just said, but she did not. She did not say a word. Suddenly, I felt a new energy around me. A dark energy. I turned to find out who it was and that was when I realized it.

That was when I heard Doe's voice.

"Doris, we did not escape him. He found us"

I swallowed hard and as I turned around, I was met with bloody red eyes and fangs that had saliva drooling out of them.

"Oh no"