The Missing Wolf: The Familiar Empire Series

by Bailey, G.

  “You know as well as I do that ancients are only given to familiars with a pure bloodline. Anastasia is hiding something, and I am going to find out what, but it would be easier if someone else did,” he says, glowering at me.

  “Easier to look away, you mean,” I rephrase his sentence.

  “Fuck off, Mason. When you finally get off that high horse of yours, it’s going to be a big fall to the ground,” he retorts.

  “Get out if you’re going to be a dick, and while you’re at it, stay away from Anastasia. I’m going to find out what we can by simply asking, and then protect her because I can see in her eyes that this isn’t her fault. She doesn’t know shit about this world. You can do whatever the fuck you like, as usual,” I say, and he smirks at me before walking out of the room. Asshole. Alex stops at the top of the stairs and looks back at me.

  “We need Dawn, that is who is important here. Remember what our new families trained us for. I don’t have to remind you that none of us will see our family again if we fail here. Dawn is our future, and Shadow is a risk...so is Anastasia, no matter what she makes you feel.” With that, he walks down the stairs, and I go to sit on the end of the bed. I put my head in my hands and rub my hair for a moment before looking at the friendship band on my wrist. This mission has just gotten a whole lot trickier.

  Dreams can’t be real…right?

  Anastasia

  I stand still, feeling I am frozen in the middle of what I can only describe as a war zone. Familiars are fighting, throwing each other around with waves of different coloured energy, with their animals at their side. I can’t focus on anyone’s face; they are just all blurs of colour and fur. A clear path appears right in front of me, showing me Shadow crouching low, growling loudly enough to make my ears hurt. A version of me is riding his back, almost hidden in his dark fur. My hair is long, flowing behind me in the wind, and I very slowly follow the direction they are looking to see a white wolf the same size as Shadow opposite them. The wolf is crouched low, looking ready to fight as much as Shadow does. Just as I look up to see who’s on the back of the white wolf, the world fades, and the last thing I hear is a heartbreaking, familiar scream.

  I slam my hand on the alarm on the side of my bed, feeling around for the snooze button on top before finding it to finally stop the noise. I have to lie still for a moment, replaying the dream over and over in my mind. That wolf looked like the opposite of Shadow, and yet I felt nothing but pain and fear from the white wolf and the whole dream. I wish I could’ve seen who was riding the wolf. I know it was just a dream, but the feeling of being scared stays with me, haunts me almost. I’ve never had a dream that vivid before.

  My whole body aches as I sit up, catching a glance of my messy hair and bags under my eyes in the mirror across the room. I’m super glad I set the alarm half an hour earlier than we leave so I can get ready. I rush around the room, brushing my hair and putting it up in a ponytail before pulling on leggings and my only long sleeve red top, then sliding on my shoes. I quickly freshen up in the bathroom before leaving my room. I try to keep the hostile feeling I got from Alex last night out of mind, but it still makes me a little nervous. Let’s hope I get to Liam first and can learn to avoid Alex like the plague.

  I walk down the stairs to see Shadow at the bottom, waiting for me. His head tilts a little to the side when I get close, and I reach to stroke him, only pausing to switch hands when I realise using my other hand makes that glow happen. I think back to my dreams and the way the familiars were using energy which was lit up in different colours. Could I learn to do that?

  “Morning, Ana,” Liam says, reaching over Shadow to hand me a cup of what smells like tea and a breakfast bar. I happily accept as Shadow steps back, sitting down and watching us curiously. I glance over to see Silver coming out the kitchen before staying near Liam. I think it’s going to be a long time before I get used to seeing giant animals all around. “Did you sleep well?” Liam asks me as I sip the hot tea, which makes the morning seem better with every sip.

  “Sort of, weird dreams. I think it’s just all the change,” I explain. “Thank you for giving me such a good room.”

  “You will settle in soon, and no worries. Have you got a coat?” he asks me after I finish eating the breakfast bar. I don’t want to ask if there is any fruit after he explained they do a food shop today.

  “No, it was missing from my bag. I might have forgotten to pack it,” I admit, which would be strange because I clearly remember packing my coat before I left the house. There isn’t much I can do about it now though.

  “One sec,” he says, holding up a finger before walking off. I drink the rest of my cup while I wait for him to come back. When Liam returns, he hands me a dark blue woven jumper with a zip down the middle. “I bought it, and it was too small. I know it’s going to be big on you, but it’s better than nothing. Do you have boots? We are expecting snow this weekend.”

  “Nope, but thank you so much for this. I will go shopping soon though. I just have to figure out how to get there,” I say.

  “Tomorrow, I have a half day off. Usually, I help Mason out, but I’m sure he won’t mind if I take you out shopping for the day,” he suggests.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to ruin your half day off,” I reply. I don’t like how Liam is changing things for me, and it makes me feel like I owe him a dozen cookies. I guess I’m just way too used to knowing where I am and looking after myself to accept help with no catch.

  “I’m sure. I can’t have you getting sick, because I don’t know how to look after sick people. This is best for all of us,” he says, winking at me as he takes my empty cup and wrapper before he walks off to the kitchen. I pull the jumper on and do it up. It falls to my knees, and it’s a little loose around the shoulders, but it’s comfy and I like it. Shadow sniffs my jumper and huffs, sitting back. Liam comes back a few moments later with keys in his hand and a coat on. “Ready?”

  “Yep,” I reply, following him out of the cabin with Shadow and Silver following behind us. We walk out of the cabin and to the side, where there are two Jeeps and a space where there must have been another one. It’s freezing this early out, and I’m instantly shivering. My feet are the coldest though. I need to get boots and thick socks for sure. I look around to keep myself busy. I’m guessing the empty space is Alex’s. Alex must have left early for whatever he does for work. It makes me wonder what they all do for work, while I’m thinking on it. We slide into the middle Jeep, and Liam blasts the heating on, which only comes out a little cool as we wait for it to warm up. I glance out the car at Silver and Shadow, who run off into the forest next to each other’s sides.

  “Are they going to be okay?” I ask, curious about whether they will start fighting over hunting or something. I look up through the car window as Hex flies through the trees after them. They almost seem like a pack, hunting together.

  “They will stick close, always one call away, but they like to do their own thing. Silver usually digs holes, hunts and sometimes brings me shiny stones she finds as gifts,” he tells me.

  “That’s really cute. Do you keep them?” I ask.

  “Of course, they are gifts, and she is proud of them. Also, I worry she will bring home dead animals if I don’t love her first gift idea. I will show you them later,” he says, and we both chuckle a little. There is something about Liam that is sweet in his nature, yet there is still this protective side to him. I feel like it’s a coin toss with him over which side he wants to show me.

  “What do you guys do for work? You and Alex?” I ask Liam. “Mason is the builder. He explained that one.”

  “We work together on rebuilding the burnt cabins. At the moment, we are just cleaning up though, and when Mason is done, we will start the actual build with our team,” he tells me.

  “Do you have training in building then?” I ask, curious about his human life before coming here.

  “Yeah, when we first got here, an older familiar took us under his wing and taught
us all we know. The fire killed him,” Liam says, squeezing the wheel tightly as he speeds down the driveway.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

  “You didn’t know, so don’t worry. Alex took it the worst. He wasn’t always this, well, this much of an asshole,” he says, trying to explain his friend’s behaviour.

  “What happened?” I ask quietly.

  “Alex was the one trying to put out the fire and save people on the one side we couldn’t get to. His animal made a hole under the fire to the other side, and Alex crawled through it after him. We were all on the opposite side, doing our best to help people. Alex made the decision to save two little girls rather than going to save our mentor,” he explains to me.

  “Surely that was the right thing to do?” I ask. “He’s a hero.”

  “Alex can’t get over how he couldn’t save them all. He never forgives himself for any failure, he never has,” Liam explains to me, which actually makes a little sense.

  “So that is why he is angry with me?” I ask.

  “Yes, but it’s not at you, I don’t think. He worries that living with a beautiful girl will cause us all to fall out and fight over you,” he tells me. “That would make Alex feel like he failed in some kind of way.”

  “What if I don’t want to be fought over? What if I’m not interested in any relationship?” I ask, curious. Just because I’m a girl and blonde, it doesn’t mean I want to sleep with the first hot guy and make them all argue between themselves.

  “Then I will make you my best friend and friend zone myself. I can deal with that,” he says, flashing me a cheeky grin which makes me smile. “Anyway, will you let me take you out for dinner at the end of our shopping date tomorrow?”

  “It’s a date now?” I ask, somewhat loving his cheeky attitude. You can’t help but smile until he makes you laugh.

  “Yep,” he grins.

  “After our shopping ‘trip’, we can go out for a meal. That would be nice,” I admit, biting down on my lip as I look back out the window. I feel Liam’s eyes on me every so often as we drive in silence, but I keep my eyes on where we are driving, trying to take it all in. We come out of the row of cabins, past more trees and the shopping area, before taking a sharp left at the sign saying Infirmary This Way.

  The infirmary comes into view at the end of the short road, and I see the bright flowers hanging outside first. The building is painted white wood with a small roof and white trim around glass windows. The double doors are open, and a woman is stood in the middle of them, waving at us. Her red hair is up in a messy bun, and glasses rest on her nose. She is wearing a lab coat and black trousers. I find myself staring at her for a little while as Liam pulls the car up right outside.

  “Have a good day, and don’t look so worried. Estelle is the nicest familiar in the empire,” he tells me, reaching over and squeezing my hand for a moment.

  “Thanks,” I nervously say before opening the car door and getting out. I shut the door and wave goodbye to Liam before walking up to Estelle. She offers me a hand to shake before she starts speaking so quickly I struggle to keep up with what she says.

  “I’m Estelle, my familiar is a deer, and many people say I’m like my familiar. I’ve heard all about you, Anastasia, and your wolf, Shadow. I’m so happy to get help in the infirmary. We are very understaffed,” she mumbles the end part with a slightly sad look before she just forgets it to plaster a smile on her lips.

  “Hi! I’m happy to be here. I honestly thought I was giving up all my dreams when I became a familiar, but if I still can be a nurse, it isn’t that bad,” I tell her.

  “It’s not bad at all, and working here would be much better than a human hospital. We can heal people more quickly, and we hardly ever lose patients,” she tells me and waves a hand. “Come in, let me show you around.” Estelle spends the next half an hour showing me the various patient rooms and where all the equipment is. There are three patients in the bays, and I’m introduced to them all. All three are much older and have nothing seriously wrong with them. Estelle explains that we have a medicine from the blood of our familiars, which can help us heal. It doesn’t work on humans and actually kills them, but for us, our blood is so closely bonded with our animals’, they can actually heal us. We just get back to the reception when the doors are flung open, and a woman screams. We both turn to see a man carrying a woman in his arms into the room, and she is holding her stomach, a very large stomach suggesting she is in her late pregnancy.

  “The baby is coming, Estelle!” he shouts.

  “Oh gosh, what a surprise; you aren’t due for two weeks! Straight in this way.” Estelle runs ahead, and I quickly follow her down the corridor where she opens the first bay. Estelle directs the man to place the woman on the bed as she turns on machines.

  “Who are you?” the woman asks as I stand nervously at Estelle’s side.

  “Our new nurse, Ana,” Estelle introduces me just as a contraction ripples through the woman, making her scream.

  “How long has she been in labour, John?” Estelle asks the man as they pull her jeans off, and I find a blanket on a nearby table and place it over her for some privacy.

  “She said it was no longer than ten minutes before I got there, and then it was a twenty-minute drive to get here,” he tells us, looking frantic.

  “John, why don’t you go and get a drink at the machine in the reception while I examine your wife. Take a deep breath while you’re out there. Roxanne and the baby will be okay,” she firmly tells him, and he looks to his wife, who nods before he goes off outside.

  “Roxanne, I’m going to examine you now and see how far along we are,” Estelle says, putting some gloves on and then whispering to me. “Please go and hold her hand and talk to her. Keep her calm for me as that makes this all much easier.”

  “Okay,” I nod, going over to Roxanne’s side and taking her hand in mine, which she squeezes tightly. “So…do we know if the baby is a he or she?”

  “A girl,” she breathes out, answering me.

  “Any names picked yet?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.

  “I want to see her face first and then name her. We have a list of ten maybe names, but I’ve never connected with any of them,” she explains. She looks in so much pain that it almost puts me off ever wanting to have children when I’m older.

  “When I was born, my mum named me after my grandmother,” I tell her, and she smiles at me, her face flinching in pain as Estelle examines her. I only know that from a Google search of our family tree. I couldn’t find anything else though, not even who my grandmother married.

  “My mum’s name was Isabelle,” she says and throws her head back as she screams.

  “Roxanne, listen to me, the baby is near out. When the next contraction comes, you must push,” she informs Roxanne who nods and squeezes my hand more tightly.

  “I’m scared,” she cries out, her blue eyes meeting mine with pure panic and fear in her eyes. I don’t need her to say anything to me to know how she is feeling.

  “You can do this,” I tell her firmly. “Your daughter is nearly here and wants to meet you. You just need to do this final part.”

  “O-Okay!” she pants out, and I look away from her to Estelle who smiles at me. I know I said something right, and I can’t help but smile back. The next hour is full of Roxanne’s screams, orders from Estelle, and my encouraging words before the baby arrives just as John walks back in the room. The baby cries as Estelle lifts her onto Roxanne’s chest, and John rushes to her side as I step back.

  Estelle places a baby blanket over the baby as I hear Roxanne say, “Welcome to the familiar world, Isabelle.”

  * * *

  “Are you ready for lunch?” Mason asks as I come out of the patient bays. I nod, feeling a tad nervous as Mason holds the door open for me. “I thought you’d like a tour of my work if you want. Or we can just sit. Your choice.” Maybe I’m not the only nervous one.

  “I’d love to see what you are working on,” I
say, and he grins.

  “Good, because I left our lunch there by accident,” he replies. I chuckle as we walk around the building. We walk for about ten minutes before we come across a long row of burnt buildings. Some have been cleaned out, and I spot Liam in the second one across as he tugs down a few bricks. He has a vest on, even when it’s so cold, and he is covered in dust. I watch as his muscles strain as he picks up a row of heavy bricks and throws it into a skip nearby. I gulp.

  “Is that Liam?” I blurt out.

  “Yes, he will be happy it’s lunch time,” Mason says, looking down at me, and I pray he can’t see how my eyes are glued to Liam. “So about the buildings. We have done a structural assessment of the buildings, and luckily, the back ones aren’t too bad, but the front five buildings need to be carefully cleaned out and rebuilt. As we only have a team of four, it’s going to take a while.”

  “It’s impressive you can build anything with just four guys,” I say.

  “Luckily, one is an electrician and the other a plumber,” he says with a grin.

  “My Grandma Pops used to make a funny joke about an electrician and a plumber,” I say, feeling my cheeks light up.

  “Is it rude? I can tell from your cheeks that are glowing brighter than a reindeer’s nose that it might be,” he teases, gently bumping my shoulder.

  “Hey, only Rudolph glows,” I say, and we both laugh as we get to the building. Liam hears us and jogs over, stopping in front of us, and he is covered in dust.

  “You have a little dust…well, everywhere, mate,” Mason points out.

  “Part of the ceiling fell through and yeah.” Liam waves his hands at himself. “I would join you for lunch but not when I’m like this.”

  “We are going to eat at the infirmary anyway. I just left the lunch here, and I thought it would be a good time to show Anastasia our work,” Mason explains. “Talking of which, I will be right back.” Mason jogs off towards the back of the buildings as Liam steps closer.