No.11

I brushed past him, reaching for the door, but his fingers encircled my wrist and pulled me close. You'll see me when I tell you. You want to get rid of me? Do the work. Find your wolf. Then I'll free you from my attentions. "

I rolled my eyes and broke the hold he had on me, though I knew with his strength he could've shattered every bone in my wrist with one squeeze if he wanted. "What will you do if I don't show up? "Spank me, Daddy!"

No reaction. The man was a statue carved of stone. except for that slight twitch in the fingers of his left hand. Barely noticeable, but there. I opened the door and strode outside, but not before he whispered, "Don't tempt me."

That night, I fell into my bed in an exhausted heap, my downy blanket and pillows cradling my aching body like the softest cloud. I vaguely heard Moira saying goodbye as she snuck out to meet up with some witch named Casey.

"Don't forget to use protection," I called half-heartedly.

Moira's laughter chased her out of the door as my eyes lost the battle to stay open.

Usually, I needed to run at least a few miles to wear myself out enough to even try to sleep. My mind was always too active at night, my body restless. Not tonight. But my exhaustion wasn't due to running my limbs so hard they burned. This was my entire being. My soul. Caleb and what he'd helped me unlock. Whenever I'd mention my insomnia to my grandfather, he just blamed it on the absence of my wolf. I never thought he was right until now.

As if triggered by the reminder, his gruff voice reverberated in my mind, "Find her on Sunday, and you'll sleep like a pup."

Cool, Gramps. Thanks for that heartwarming and inspiring chat. Of course, I never actually said that part out loud. That would have earned me a world of hurt and humiliation. And I'd already had more than enough of that to go around. But seriously, did everybody just assume I wasn't trying?

What shifter in their right mind wants to be the lone member of the pack that can't manage to do what they were born to do? I was left alone when the rest of them went out to run under the full moon. I was forced to sit by myself and remain on the outskirts because others thought my defect might be contagious. I was the one whose mother didn't even love her enough to keep her in the first place.

Yeah, being wolfless was fucking great. A real treat.

Here she is, everybody. Sunday No-Wolf Fallon. Take a good look at the freak. Pity her. Mock her. You hate her for something completely out of her control.

I whimpered on the bed, the old pains and familiar taunts closer to the surface than they had been in years. It was like whatever had happened while I was back in that chapel had shaken loose the stronghold I tried to keep around that part of myself. The sad little girl who didn't understand what she'd done so wrong to make her mommy leave and get her daddy sent away.

My grandfather's voice continued to echo in my mind, even as I tried to push it away. "Find her on Sunday. "Find her.

The transition between waking and dreaming was seamless. My thoughts blurred and melded, the feel of the bed fading away until I simply floated in a sea of consciousness. Gone was the pain in my body. The hurt in my heart Everything was suddenly, blissfully quiet.

Until it wasn't.

At first, I didn't register the stirrings. The little rumbles that sounded like thunder, or maybe a bunch of wild horses galloping in the distance. But then they grew closer until they were impossible to ignore. They tugged at me. It demanded my attention. forced me to listen.

My consciousness narrowed, focusing on the sound until it was no longer rumbling but a voice brushing against the barrier of my mind. It drew across my skin like raw silk. It is unsettling and wonderful at the same time.

"There you are."

"W-wolf?" I guessed

"No, my daughter."

"Mom?" The impossibility of it should have torn me straight out of the dream, but there was a truth, a heaviness to the words that lies never quite matched. More than that, there was a familiarity in that warm, husky tone that called to me on a fundamental level. I'd never heard the voice before, but part of me recognized it.

"I've tried to reach you, but the shields around you were too strong until now."

"What shields?"

Oh, my daughter, there are so many things I wish to tell you. But I don't have much time. You know that I tried to protect you. to place you in the care of those who could keep you safe. But they've found you. They're coming for you. You need to unlock your power; it is the only way you will survive. Embrace what makes you feel strong. Give into it. Do not let them deny you your birthright. Do not let them make you weak. "

"What are you talking about?"

"They hate you, daughter, for what you are. They will kill you if given the chance. Do not let them. Do not fight the pull of who you were born to be. "

"Who? Who wants to kill me? "

"I must go."

"No. Don't go. Wait. I have so many questions. "

The rumbles returned, this time the dull roars fading until I was once more floating in that sea of consciousness. Drifting. Existing

Fading away until I was nothing at all.