Lone Wolf Rising

by Jami Brumfield

  Lunch was far more filling than breakfast; a hearty soup, large salad, and roast beef sandwich. Rebecca had no idea how hungry she was until she sat down to eat and her stomach grumbled its thanks. It almost made her forget how angry she was at Lucky for the brutality of the session.

  Her wolf on the other hand could care less about the lunch; she was furious and pulled no punches. The wolf’s anger bled back into Rebecca’s emotional state.

  "How was your first day of training, Becca?" Josephina asked before taking a bite of her salad.

  Rebecca managed a sigh, mostly an attempt to keep the rolling waves of anger under control. "I learned a lot."

  "Like what?" Josephine asked after she swallowed another bite and wiped her lips with a cloth napkin. The look in her eyes seemed genuinely interested.

  "Primarily that I’m not as tough as I thought I was." Rebecca took a large bite of her sandwich.

  "That is a hard lesson, but a very important one." She slid a look of approval toward her son.

  The comment only added wood to the burning fire inside her. "However, your technique could use a little work." Rebecca took another bite of her sandwich, thankful to have the distraction of hunger to keep her temper in check. The wolf in her body hated the way she was beaten at every turn during their morning training.

  "How is that?" Lucky asked, curiosity and warning played in his eyes.

  "Well," Rebecca took a deep breath. "It occurs to me that knocking a girl down and killing her fifteen times in four hours isn’t very motivating."

  "You were very motivated to get up and fight back." Lucky took a bite of his own sandwich.

  "Fifteen times… that’s disappointing, Lucky." Josephine chided him.

  Rebecca felt a moment of gratification. But it was short-lived.

  "I didn’t go easy on her, mother. She is very adept and learns quite fast. Each time she got back up she improved." Lucky set his fork down.

  "Wait, you expected to hear the number was higher?" Rebecca suddenly lost her appetite and pushed her plate forward.

  "For an inexperienced new wolf, yes. I expected that number to be much higher." She placed her fork down beside her salad. "You have to understand, Becca, this is a diff..."

  "If one more person tells me this is a different world we live in, I am going to scream!" Rebecca exploded from her seat. The hunger pains were gone. The wolf’s ego was in control now.

  She was not stupid, despite what everyone seemed to think. Naïve, maybe, but she was not an idiot. She was scared, worried, and always living in a level of fear that eclipsed every decision she made. She was also tired of being told, over and over again, that this was a different world. She has figured that out already.

  Josephine rose from her seat but kept her voice even and smooth. "Lucky is trying to help get you prepared for this world. Your entire pack was annihilated only a few days ago. You became a wolf only two days ago. You’ve made it clear you want no protection which is rather insane if you ask me, but we’re doing our best to respect those wishes."

  Her logic was infallible which only pricked Rebecca’s ego more. She felt angry tears sting her eyes. Frustrated that she could hardly argue the point she lashed out in another way. "Then respect my wishes and stay far away from me." She did not mean the words; they just flew out of her mouth like birds from a disturbed tree. But now that the words were out, she needed to leave. So she did.

  Rebecca heard the scrape of a chair across the floor as she slammed the door behind her. Reality made her realize the fault in her attempt to storm out with purpose. Her phone, hoodie, and ride were still in the basement training room. She had no car, no way to call Savvy to pick her up, and two suburbs to walk before she was home. This only served to put out the fiery embers of anger in her blood. She really needed to find a way to control this new part of her. The wolf seemed to get her into more tough spots than out of them. “Now look at the mess you got us in to.” She hissed at her wolf.

  'I told you to take your own car. Now you have no choice but to go back and get your things.' She pouted and Rebecca imagined she was licking her wounds.

  She now understood, more than ever before, the statement 'pride comes before the fall.' There was no way in hell she was going back. With no other option she decided to start walking.

  After only a few blocks a black escalade pulled up beside her. "Do you need a ride?"

  Chapter Ten

  ~"Three things cannot be long hidden; the sun, the moon, and the truth."

  ~Buddha

  Rebecca

  Rebecca recognized his voice without even looking at him. She expected to be angry, but instead, she was relieved when she turned her head and saw Lucky behind the wheel. He was driving at the same pace she was walking which was slow; very slow. A car came up behind him and honked the horn; he motioned for them to go around.

  "Come on Rebecca, even you can't walk or run all the way home, not after the workout I put you through." His logic, once again, infallible.

  “I can try." She grumbled.

  "Okay, I’m beginning to realize if I present you a challenge you’ll take it, so I challenge you to let me take you home without talking." He waved a second car past. After a few moments of silence he said, "come on Rebecca, you and I both know you are going to let me take you home. All this is accomplishing is making my neighbors angry." He flashed that sexy grin, as he waved another motorist around him. This one honked angrily and made an unflattering hand signal in their direction.

  Rebecca rolled her eyes and gave in. "It took you long enough to find me." She grumbled as she got into the vehicle.

  He chuckled. "I had to get your things from the basement." He motioned to the items in the backseat. "I have to admit, you’re a difficult one to read, Becca."

  "It keeps things interesting.” She reached back and gathered her phone, hoodie, and purse then put on her seat belt. "Thank you." It was all she could muster. Her ego was still bruised, right along with the rest of her body.

  He pulled out into traffic and started towards her home. He was undeniably sexy behind the wheel of the SUV just as much as he was on the motorcycle. "I see you also changed." She said without really thinking about it. He wore a brown cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans.

  He pulled up to a stoplight and shrugged. "I was hoping I could possibly convince you to go somewhere with me."

  "Does it include being beat up again?" Rebecca snapped, she didn’t mean too. She knew he was only trying to help her survive but that damn wolf didn’t like him or his methods and she was quite happy to take every chance she could get to make that clear to him as well.

  He turned those golden amber eyes on Rebecca. The intensity of his stare made her uncomfortable, but safe. "Becca, you learned an important lesson today, one that will most likely keep you alive. You can’t fault me for that." He turned back to the road, breaking the spell his eyes and words had on her.

  "You’re right. I need to be smarter, but this is all new to me and I’m having difficulty trying to keep my head above water." Tears threatened to fall but she swallowed hard against them. She was not a crier. She was the one led by her head, not emotions, not her heart. She really needed to find a way to get a grip on the emotional wolf that resided in her body. It was the only way they were going to be able to co-exist.

  "Then you should accept the help graciously. I can promise you, this isn’t normal operating procedure. We don’t share our fighting skills with others outside of the Protectors." He stated with that matter of fact tone she really disliked.

  It was so obvious, Rebecca didn’t think about it. He was sharing protector training secrets. Protectors were basically the police of the supernatural world. They had no idea if she was a good person or bad. They could be sharing them with someone who could use these skills against them someday. "So why?"

  "Why what?" He asked as he changed lanes.

  "Why are you helping me?" Rebecca asked, hanging on his next words like a child to her mother's han
d.

  The silence stretched out for a few moments, she could see the muscle in his jaw tick as he chewed over his next words. "Francesco asked us help you get set up."

  "And?" She knew there was more; knew he felt the intensity between them, but she needed to hear him say it.

  "And since that moment I kept that car from hitting you; I’ve felt the need to protect you." It wasn't what she expected. Disappointment played in her mind for a moment, but was replaced with a spark of hope.

  "It must be difficult to protect an alpha who doesn't want protection." She sat back, staring straight out the window. He chuckled again. And like that, the air around them was light and the conversation was easy. "Where are you taking me?"

  "You’ll see." He started down Chandler Avenue with a grin and headed towards Ahwatukee.

  “So how did you discover the werewolves?” Lucky asked after the silence stretched out uncomfortably between them.

  "I happened on the werewolf secret by a complete accident. My best friend, Jacks, is psychic and he was helping Dianna with a problem.”

  Rebecca could remember that day like it was yesterday, not months ago. She was studying with Jacks at his house when Dianna burst into the room begging him for help. Rebecca closed her eyes and let her mind travel back to that day.

  “And that is how World War III will come about.” Jacks laughed as he tossed a handful of buttery popcorn in his mouth.

  Rebecca knew that was his cue; he was tired of studying and needed a break. Anytime he got bored with something he went off on some fantastical storytelling adventure and always pulled her into it. Knowing he was psychic you never really knew if the story he was telling was true or false. This time he talked about how the next world war would be started over greed. Humanity would kill itself over greed. It wasn’t that farfetched. Rebecca closed her history text book and smiled. It was simply one of the many reasons she loved him.

  “So what is different about the future and now? It seems greed is already causing quite a terrible ripple effect.” Rebecca told him.

  He nodded, “very true. But the difference is…”

  He didn’t get to finish his thought. Rebecca would never hear what the difference was because just then a woman with frizzy brown hair and sparkling green eyes hidden behind cat-like reading glasses burst into the room.

  “Dianna, what the hell!” Was all he could say before the worried girl interrupted him.

  “They’re all in danger! Jackson, I need you to tell me what is going to happen to the wolf pack? My father…” She stopped talking when she spotted Rebecca on the bed. But it was too late. Rebecca heard wolf pack and that was all she needed to suspect there was more to the story. Her best friend, after all, was psychic. She already had accepted supernatural abilities in humans, couldn’t deny them after all she had seen Jacks do.

  If one thing could be said about Rebecca, it was that she was tenacious, like a dog with a bone. Once she had the kernel of reality she would get the rest of the story. Just not that day.

  “I’m sorry, I had no idea you were with someone.” Dianna sniffed the air and fear began to grow in her worried eyes. “Normal company.”

  “It’s okay.” Rebecca managed a smile. “Is your father in danger?” And from that moment on the questions flowed. She became a permanent fixture in Dianna’s life; volunteering at the soup kitchen that she ran, offering to go to yoga classes with her after particularly hard days, and inviting her to other activities when the idea struck. They became good friends but Rebecca could tell she was still hiding something.

  One day she went by Dianna’s unannounced… knocked on the door. No one answered. It was strange. The T.V. was on, full volume. The radio was playing, too. She got worried, especially when she heard something around back and went to investigate. The noise came from the shed in the back yard. It sounded like someone was screaming. Rebecca wiped the cobwebs from the tiny window on the backside and peered inside. Dianna was screaming. She was screaming because she was changing into a wolf. Rebecca remembered how mesmerizing that sight was at the time. After experiencing it first hand, she realized it wasn’t that amazing.

  Rebecca closed her eyes against the memories. She needed to remember it was counterproductive to live in the past. That was then, this is now. It was something her grief counselor had told her many times.

  “Anyway, I have always believed that there is some amount of truth in a myth. When I heard Dianna mention wolf pack something struck a chord in me and my mind went towards the supernatural, not the mainstream beliefs. She never told me, mind you. I happened upon her secret by accident. But I eventually found out and that was it. I made the decision to become what I am and I never looked back.”

  Lucky nodded. "And during that recruitment time no one talked to you about your family?"

  Rebecca shook her head, "no."

  They pulled into a parking spot at the Gila Valley trailhead at South Mountain. Rebecca’s heart dropped, she really did not feel like doing more exercise.

  "It’s not far from here. I know your body must be aching." He smiled apologetically when he saw her face.

  "Okay."

  He got out of the vehicle while she pulled her hoodie over her head. By the time she hid her phone in the glove box he had already opened the door for her.

  "My lady." The easy going grin was back as he held his hand out to help her out of the SUV.

  She rolled her eyes, swatted his hand away and jumped down. She grimaced only slightly at the jarring of her muscles and bones. "One of these times I’m going to be the one knocking you down so much you won't be able to go on a hike afterwards." She promised as she followed him up the path.

  "Does that mean you’ll continue the training?" He asked over his shoulder.

  "I really don't have much of a choice." She responded truthfully.

  "No, you don't." He said thoughtfully.

  It wasn't long before they jumped off the trail and made their own path through the rocky terrain. Another rule broken. Always stay on the trails. Rebecca rolled her eyes and followed him, she had a sneaking suspicion this was one of the few rules he broke often. They came to a halt at the end of the trail where the mountain dropped away from a tiny ledge with a large boulder. He climbed onto the boulder and patted the seat next to him in an invitation.

  She made it up onto the rock next to him, but felt the aching in her muscles. She made a mental note to add a good soaking in bath salts later when she got home. When they were comfortable she took in the view. It was breathtaking. The city stretched out before them from every direction as far as the eye could see.

  "Three point two million people live in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Did you know that less than one percent of that population is supernatural?" He asked her as they took in the view.

  "There are not even 30,000 of us?" The idea was unfathomable. Supernaturals seemed like such a big part of her life now that it was hard to believe there were so few.

  He shook his head. "No, it’s the reason why we have the rule of 'don't tell'. If the humans ever found out about our existence it would be like the 'Salem Witch Trials of 1692'. Humans and supernatural beings would be massacred. The innocent would fall just as easily as those hidden among them."

  The idea made her shiver with unrealized fear. The Salem Witch Trials were a perfect example of how humans allowed fear and religious beliefs to rule them. Innocents and supernatural beings were killed, families destroyed, people were dissected for understanding, and humankind fell backwards a few steps in their own spiritual evolution.

  "Your mother's family was almost eradicated to extinction, had it not been for your great, great, great, great grandmother Bethany Mathew's escape. Your father's family, on the other hand, got more powerful." He ran a hand through his curls.

  "They were both witches?" Now the story grandmother had told her on the porch swing made sense. She understood what she meant when she said powerful families. They didn’t come from money power, but real power
.

  He shook his head, "your mother was a witch, your father a wizard."

  "What’s the difference?" Confusion lit Rebecca’s face.

  "Every race has the potential to be good or bad, part of the light or darkness. Except witches. Witches are expected to maintain the balance. During a graduation ceremony of sorts, a witch is given the choice to remain on the side of balance or take their own path, light or dark. Your mother, according to the records, chose balance and your father chose to take his own path."

  "That would have been it; however, they were in love. The records show they were high school sweethearts. She was heartbroken at his decision and they ended their romance." He handed Rebecca the file he was carrying, she hadn't even noticed he was carrying anything up until that moment. "According to this, he left to make his name and she became one of the most powerful and dedicated witches in Phoenix. At one point she was even being considered to serve on the authority council, just like your grandmother. But your father came back into town, swept her off her feet, and the scandal that resulted in their marriage destroyed her chances of serving on the council, they don't like it when classes of witches mix."

  Rebecca flipped the file open, it was thick and it was on both her parents. There was even information on her, Savvy and Hunter. "Makes sense, I guess. But they were both witches at their core."

  "Things could’ve been worse, but they had the support of the Convent of Saints which supported their relationship; the convent doesn't seem to have issues with the mixing of classes.” He leaned back and settled even further into the rock, while Rebecca flipped through the pages.