Chapter 7 “Getting to close”

Amara

3 months Later

Living with a bunch of werewolves was not what I expected. I'm not sure why I thought it would be so different from a regular American family living in the suburbs, but it was pretty much the same. They ate dinner together, went out to the beach, and did normal human things. The only real difference was turning into large creatures to roam the forest during a full moon. Those nights I spent locked away in my room painting. I painted the black furred wolf, my dad, with blue eyes and a thick coat. I tried my best to recall what he looked like but with every passing night that memory seems to grow fainter. Sometimes I even painted Joslin and her parents in their wolf form even though I never really get to see them.

Surprisingly, Joslin and I have grown quite fond of one another. Although she is super loud and very extroverted, which is the complete opposite of me, she has taught me so much about their way of life. Apparently my family's way of life. I was half-werewolf and never had a clue until three months ago when my parents were killed. Even though I wasn't born with a wolf to transform into, I still have their blood in my veins. I guess that explains why I have always had pretty quick reflexes compared to most people. Sophia would randomly throw objects at me just to see if I could catch them. I rarely didn't catch anything except when it was tossed out of my reach. It drove Sophia absolutely bonkers.

Over the past few months I've learned quite a few things from my new werewolf friend. Werewolves run in packs, her family are Omegas, and are run by their Alpha. Her pack is run by Alpha Zeothis and his Luna Catherine. They live in the forest area where most of the higher rank wolves also reside.

Werewolves apparently don't only turn on a full moon. They have the ability to turn at will whenever they please but on full moons that is when they are at the peak of their ability. They draw from the moon and their pack comes together to roam the woods. They are the most lethal during that stage and not afraid to go for a kill.

Although, their Alphas forbid their members to kill. They have lived in peace next to humans over the past few hundred years and want to keep it that way. If the humans knew about their existence it could be very dangerous for everyone. Therefore, their pack is to remain silent about their nature and not interact with humans.

Multiple times Joslin turned into a wolf to please my curiosity. Her wolf, which she named Bessa, is a smaller creature with a dark coat. Bessa is almost completely brown with white across her snout and down her belly.

"Do you have full awareness once in form?" I ask Joslin as we walk barefooted across the beach. She just got out of school and wanted to enjoy some fresh air.

"Yes and no. It's like having another part of you unlocked. Bessa is also me; she is just a different side of my soul given to me at birth by the moon gods." Joslin kicked a patch of sand with her foot. She seemed so at peace outdoors. She is always doing something spontaneous with nature. One word to describe Joslin is fearless.

"Are all children born with a werewolf side?" I walked next to her but this time got my feet closer to the cool water. The sun was still high above us and families were spread out along the beach with their children.

"Yes. It is rare to see a child born without one. Usually around age nine they can wolf out and join the pack during the full moons. Of course we have late bloomers." Joslin smiled at a child passing by with a scoop of sand all in his hair.

"Were you a late bloomer?" I asked but Joslin snorted a little. Her black hair whips around her face.

"No. Bessa was ready to come out and play when I was seven. We tried to jump off a bluff and I guess that adrenaline spike woke her up. Good thing too. I landed on a sharp rock and healed five times faster in my wolf form." Joslin smiled at the faint memory playing in her mind.

Wolves have a faster healing rate compared to humans. Also, they age slower too. Their Alpha is 130 years old at the moment and looks thirty. I often wondered how old my dad was but nobody seemed to know that answer.

"Do you ever wish you were human?" I don't know what made me ask that question. I guess because part of me wishes I was born with a wolf side. Maybe I could have protected my family instead of been so ignorant to the situation.

Joslin didn't seem to mind the question. She stopped walking and tilted her face up to the sun. "No. I love Bessa and the pack and being connected to nature."

I nodded, of course she wouldn't want to be a normal human. Where slower, age faster, and can easily be killed.

"But," she continued," sometimes I wished we weren't so restricted."

With all the glories of being a wolf Joslin also told me the downfalls. The packs are very strict about conforming to tradition, especially the elders. They hate the fact Joslin is attending college instead of trying to find a husband to mate. The pack is very big on women being mothers and adding new additions to their pack. Tabitha, Josins mother, is very hard on Joslin about finding a mate. Tabitha only had one child and due to complications she hasn't been able to bear anymore. She wants Joslin to conform to the pack's expectations. Instead, Joslin is very determined to go on her own path.

"I bet that it's difficult to live with that pressure," I told her sympathetically. I could relate to not wanting to follow social norms. Josline shrugged, "Nothing I can do about it. Mother is going to be pressed when she learns where to move to the city. Were you able to book that interview?"

My smile widened. I started looking for a job out of boredom and guilt for mooching on the Reeves. I wanted my own money to spend and had to stop moping around the house like a sad old lady. "Yep! It's in two days!"

I got an interview for an assistant job at a magazine company. I submitted a few of my art pieces along with my resume to a popular magazine company. I wasn't expecting them to email me back with a request for an interview. Their pay was more than generous and if given the job could move out in a month. Joslin, of course, jumped at the opportunity of freedom away from her mother. She decided not to speak a word about moving out until I was guaranteed a job to pay my half of rent. She also got a job working on the campus.

We walked along the beach for a few hours before deciding to call it a day. My feet were rubbed raw from all the seashells. We walked into the house when Joslin stopped at the door. I went to ask her a question but she quickly hushed me. She leaned against the wall as if eavesdropping. The voice grew louder to where I could also make out the conversation.

"That sick bastard I'm going to kill him." It was Beck talking and he sounded very angry. "Are you sure it was Titus who took him?"

There was a pause, he was on the phone with someone. "Have you sent out trackers?"

Pause.

"Jesse is a 200 pound man no way they took him without a fight."My stomach dropped to the floor. "He is an old friend, we have to risk finding him. There just going to torture him until he talks."

Joslin looked in my direction. Her big eyes were filled with sympathy as she took my hand to lead me upstairs. The last thing I heard was, "he is getting too close to finding her."

That night at dinner I stayed quiet. I shoveled the food of broccoli, potatoes, and fish around my plate. My appetite was gone and pain was coursing through my heart. Jesse was taken and experiencing God knows what while I was here eating a warm dinner. It didn't seem right. Tabitha and Beck kept glancing over at one another. Joslin sat next to me, not really touching her food as well. Beck finally broke the tension in the room.

"I know you heard my conversation with Alpha Zeothis," I looked at Joslin to see her reaction. She looked just as confused. "I could hear your footsteps."

He gestured to his ears. Screw werewolves and their super hearing. "Jesse was last seen in Georgia last night. We have reason to suspect it was Titus' pack that took him."

"How do you know it was them?" My voice was stern and cold. All my fear was replaced with anger towards my uncle.

"Because," he hesitated a moment before continuing, "he has taken others trying to find your locat…."

"The Greens?" I interrupted him. My heart was racing faster and my stomach churned when Beck nodded in confirmation. "Excuse me."

I stood from my chair and walked out of the dining room. I was no longer hungry and wanted to paint out my anger before I screamed at the top of my lungs or broke something expensive in their home. I felt so powerless compared to these wolves.

Once I got to my room I locked myself inside. I tried to paint but no matter how hard I threw the paint brush onto the canva I could not shake the rage inside. I opened my dresser and slipped on an emerald green tank top with black daisy dukes and a light white crochet sweater. I put on a pair of tennis shoes before sneaking out of my room and down the stairs. I took the back door that was far away from the dining room and snuck outside. I was tired of being cooped up in the house and needed to get out of there. I stole a bicycle from the neighbors house and took off towards the local gas station which is also a bus station. It was time to take my fate into my own hands.