by Terra Wolf
Janelle moved to leave, then, turned on her heels and lunged full force at Regina, howling.
The paramedics stopped in their tracks, turning to see the commotion. My mother tried to sit up, but she was strapped down to the gurney. She yelled out, but I couldn't make out the words. My focus was on protecting Regina.
Without paying any mind to the fact that Janelle was considerably smaller than me, I jumped on her, pulling her off Regina, but she was strong. She held on, clawing into Regina's arms. Lurching back, throwing me off of her in one fell swoop.
Anger took over. I couldn't control it. The pressure was too much. Regina needed my help. The world went black. I could hear everyone's heartbeats pounding in my ears. The sound was deafening.
Regina's breathing slowed, as if something was preventing her from getting air.
My hairs stood on end as my body shed its human skin and transformed one muscle at a time. I could feel the crush of my limbs breaking and stretching beyond their limitations. The pain was tremendous. My fear and anger pushed me further into an abyss I'd tried desperately to avoid for so long.
Regina's blood-curdling scream brought me back to the present, but I wasn't me anymore and Janelle was no longer there. Horrified, Regina cowered on the floor as I loomed over her like a frenetic beast, panting, and growling, leaving drippings of adrenaline driven saliva in trails on the carpet.
I wanted to hold Regina, lift her into my arms, but my arms were no longer my own. A rustling outside caught my attention and like a rabid beast, I walked over Regina, paying no mind to the potential danger of that simple act, shaking the floor beneath me.
Outside, the ambulance was gone. Janelle was nowhere in sight, but I could smell her. She was nearby and I wanted nothing more than to destroy her, but Regina's cries kept pulling me back to her. I couldn't focus. My human brain wanted to run to Regina. My wolf brain wanted to kill and kill now.
Regina trembled on the ground, terrified by the sight of me. I so much wanted to run to her and hold her to tell her that everything was okay, but if I tried to move toward her, she would have gone over the edge.
Things had already gone too far and there was no turning back. Everything had gone so terribly wrong and, more importantly, my mother was on her way to the hospital and I was in no position to follow her.
While I stood unsure of which way to go, Janelle made my decision for me. She emerged from in between the two out buildings just south of the stables and took her place next to the field, where this new chapter of my life began not so long ago.
That first night I'd found myself lying in the field, filled with dread over the inevitable, it was all I could do to breathe, let alone come to terms with this beast that lived inside me.
For years prior to that fateful night, I'd lived with the knowledge that I was different, that I'd inherited a part of my father, a part I neither wanted or needed.
The DNA that made me a wild beast was my cross to bear. Unfortunately, I'd hurt people along the way and, now, one of those people was horrified by the sight of me. I would have to live with that.
“You can't run from it,” Janelle spoke.
I'm not running, I thought.
She was right. In order to stop whatever was happening, I would have to succumb to it. As my body continued to transform, the words were no longer human. Growls replaced the threats I wanted to spew at this evil werewoman.
She readily accepted the challenge, easily shedding her human capabilities and slithering toward me with desire in her eyes.
My mind shut off. The anger I felt fueled my next move. My focus turned from wanting to comfort Regina to wanting to destroy Janelle. I lurched forward, prepared to eliminate her once and for all. Then, the world went black.
…
“Wake up! Wake up, Gabriel!” Regina shook my shoulders. Her tears hit my face as she leaned over my nude body lying in the fields.
My throat wouldn't open. A heaviness sat atop my chest, crushing me. My mind remained in a fog.
Where was I? What had I done?
“Gabe, please, wake up!” Regina's voice was hoarse. Who knows how long she'd been crying.
I moved to speak, but my mouth was parched raw. My entire body throbbed with pain. I felt as if my heart would explode. I grasped Regina's arms, willing her to understand that I couldn't breathe.
She cringed with pain at my grip, but seemed to know that I wasn't trying to harm her.
She offered soothing words, understanding that I was in jeopardy. “You're okay. I'm here, Gabe. I'm here. Breathe. Just breathe.” She continued until I loosened my grip on her forearms.
While I became reoriented, Regina ran to her car and pulled out a blanket to cover me with. A fit of chills overcame me. My teeth began to chatter violently. The taste of blood moistened my mouth.
“We have to get you to the hospital.” Regina wrapped the blanket around me, checking my injuries.
“No,” I tried, causing my throat to burn.
“You're hurt,” Regina explained.
Despite the pain it caused, I lifted myself up into a sitting position to speak. “I can't. Are you hurt?”
As my eyes searched for signs of injury on her petite frame, nausea set in. My head spun, sending waves of motion into my already churning stomach.
“Don't move. I'll be right back. You hear, me, Gabriel? Don't move.” Regina ran to the house, leaving me crying out in excruciating pain.
She returned only a few minutes later, as I drifted in and out of consciousness, carrying my mother's rosaries and a bag.
“You're going to be okay,” she whispered nervously as she started applying salve to my wounds and began chanting a familiar chant I'd heard my mother repeat dozens of times before over the years.
“What are you doing?” I asked, but if she responded, I didn't hear it. The pain was too much. Remaining conscious was no longer an option for me.
…
I woke up to find myself surrounded by people I'd spent my whole life hating. My father sat next to me on the right. At the foot of the bed stood the two young men I'd watched my father raise as his own. And, huddled together were Regina and my father's new wife.
“There you are,” My father spoke first.
I moved to speak, but Regina quickly quieted me down by urging me not to speak yet.
It felt like some sort of strange dream. None of it made sense.
Why would a man who had spent his years denying me suddenly want to help me? Why were these people here? Who let them in my house?
Regina answered the questions swirling in my mind. “I'm sorry. I didn't know who else to call. How are you feeling?”
I looked at her quizzically, willing her to tell me what had happened. She looked to the others in the room, waiting for someone to instruct her. Then, the answers to my questions poured into my brain like rain.
I ignored the burn in my throat and asked her, “Why did you call him?
My father could hear the fury in my tone. He opened his mouth to speak, but his wife gave him a warning look.
What was going on? What weren't they telling me now?
“None of that matters now.” Regina glanced over at my father. “All that matters is that you are going to be okay. Now, please, don't try and speak yet. Your throat is raw and the strain will cause it to bleed again.”
The memory of what had taken place hit me. My mother had some kind of attack. She was taken to the hospital.
“My mom,” I said before choking on my own blood.
“She's okay,” My father tried to reassure me. “They are just keeping her for observation. She's going to be fine.”
Regina wiped the blood from my chin.
“Can't we discuss this later?” She turned her head toward my father.
He agreed, ordering the others to leave me and Regina alone for a while. After they walked out, I begged her to tell me what happened.
Regina hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. I waited for her to say what she
had to say. I needed to know the truth, so I could do something about it and prevent it from ever happening again. “Do you love her?” she asked.
Confused by her question, I asked the first thing that came to mind. “My mother?”
“No, of course not,” Regina answered, rolling her eyes. “Janelle.”
That wasn't the question I thought she'd ask. I must have hesitated too long because she began to cry.
I sat up to grab her, ignoring my own pain to comfort her.
“Don't cry. No, I don't love her. Why would you think that? You're everything to me. You're my heart.” I knew I had to tell her the truth about all that was going on, but didn't know how to explain something I didn't understand myself.
I could taste blood in the back of my throat as I continued to try to reassure Regina that my heart belonged only to her.
“You're bleeding,” Regina said as droplets of my blood fell onto her blouse.
“I don't care,” I said. “You have to believe me. I've never loved any other woman. It has always been you. Even before I knew you, it was you I was waiting for.”
Regina wiped away her tears, asking, “Then, why does she want you like this? Why did she do this to you?”
My father didn't tell her? What did she know?
“She's not like you,” I started.
“Clearly,” Regina quipped.
“No, I mean, she's not human. Well, she's not just human.” My explanation fell flat. Regina had no reaction other than a slight clicking of her tongue.
I tried again, “She's a werewolf. Her clan wants control.”
“Werewolf? Is that what you call it?” Her voice went shrill.
“Regina, listen, there's something I have to tell you. I've been... I... Well, I'm one too.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her finally walk out on me for good. She had no reason to want to stay with me.
Her failure to react made me begin to panic. Sweat beads formed on my forehead. My heart rate began to increase.
Why didn't she say anything, I wondered.
"I don't understand what you're saying. Did you think I didn't know that you were different? My God, do you really believe I'm that thick, that I can't see that something isn't quite right? I knew there was more to you than meets the eye and, for your information, that's precisely why I chose you. How am I supposed to believe that there's not something going on with this woman when clearly she will do anything to have at you?"
The pain Regina felt hit me hard. I had never considered that she had any inkling as to what had been bothering me all these years. I was so focused on not letting her find out that I was more than just a man from a small town, that I paid no mind to the fact that she was more intuitive than I thought.
"I'm sorry. I had no idea..." I started before the bile and blood in my throat made me choke.
Regina looked like she wanted to say more, but she felt sorry for me and stopped herself, dropping to the floor to help me. Why I ever thought to keep this secret from her was beyond me.
"Look, I don't want to fight. I'm just trying to wrap my brain around all of this. I mean, you made the last few months so miserable for no reason. You pushed me away. What was I supposed to do? You obviously didn't trust me enough to tell me and you did everything you could to make sure that I felt horrible. Why would you do that? What had I ever done to you, Gabriel?" Her voice broke and the tears began to flow again as she wiped my face and helped me to gain my composure.
How could I have been so selfish? She didn't deserve what I'd done to her.
I felt the emotion beginning to build inside me as well. I'd messed up and fixing it would be a chore. I'm not sure I knew how to correct what I'd done wrong. I still didn't have a full grasp of how things had gotten so bad so quickly.
My father knocked on the door, interrupting our discussion. "Can I come in?"
I looked to Regina for guidance. This was her call. I'd done the damage. Obviously, I wasn't any good at making decisions. She sighed, without looking at me and got up to open the door.
"Is everything okay? I heard Gabriel choking. Is his mouth still bleeding?"
My father looked over at me, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him. I wanted more answers, but all I could feel was anger toward him. This was his fault. At least that's what I believed anyway. I wasn't yet ready to admit that I was partially to blame for today's incident. I ignored the fact that I was after all, the one who had led Janelle to believe I was interested in her in the first place.
"Son?”
I couldn't look at him.
"Gabriel," Regina warned.
I turned my head to face my father. In his eyes was nothing but sorrow. I could see the strain this was putting on him too. All of my emotions rolled together and guilt hit me like never before. These were people that cared about me and me being angry wasn't going to solve any problems. I needed Regina to know everything and my father was going to have to explain it.
"Tell her," I said, looking at my father. "Tell her everything."
He looked from me to her and back at me again. I don't think he believed how serious I was. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the room, securing the door behind him and told the story of how things got to this point.
When my father finished explaining all of the details of this crazy altered world we lived in, Regina sat motionless. I wanted to shield her from everything, but she wouldn't let me. She continued urging my father to explain more. She heard every theory he had for why all of this was happening.
"Where is she now?" She asked finally.
"I don't know," My father replied, looking out of my bedroom window to the Wildcat Hills in the distance. "I would imagine she's waiting it out. Who knows for how long?"
"What do we have to do to stop her?" Regina asked.
"We?" I asked for clarification, hoping I hadn't heard her wrong.
My father raked his hands through his hair. I don't think he really knew
what to do to make any of this nightmare end.
"You don't know?" I asked in frustration.
He shook his head. I'd never seen him look so helpless before. He was supposed to be a man of great power and a wolf of even mightier power. He was the Alpha Wolf. He had a duty to uphold.
"Isn't that your job?" I could feel my emotions beginning to boil over. If my body hadn't suffered so much, I would have jumped up and demanded that he find a solution, but my body was weakened by gashes. My throat burned. My heart ached and everything I'd known had changed. I didn't need one more disappointment, especially at the hands of my father.
Without saying a word, he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Regina glared at me and followed him out. I remained there, alone in my room, feeling like I'd just been hit by a truck and wishing that I had, if it would end this nightmare scenario.
…
I don't know how long I remained alone. The next thing I remember is waking up to find Regina curled up in a blanket, lying on the bed next to me. My heart ached for her. I wanted to hold her, but knew it was better to let her be. I was just thankful she hadn't left me again. I didn't know why she remained there, but I did know that I never wanted to lose her again.
She stirred as I moved closer to her, just to feel the warmth of her body back in the bed we once shared. I froze, hoping she wouldn't wake up and move away from me. After a moment, she sighed and settled, nestling her body closer to mine, careful not to injure me, even in her sleep. I spent the rest of the night watching her sleep and trying to figure out a way to get rid of Janelle and others like her for good. I hadn't seen any others, but had no doubt in my mind that there were others out there. I was chosen for a reason and I knew that someone or something would soon come looking for me.
…
When the sun finally made its appearance, Regina was no longer lying next to me. My bedroom door was open and I could hear whispering in the distance. Although I was a safe distance from the kitchen, I could make out every word. The
y were discussing a plan. I listened as one of the sons talked about the last mating season and how the wolves of Janelle's clan wreaked havoc on the nearby small town of Hemingford. No one knew what happened exactly, but knew enough to say that the few residents of Hemingford were actively searching for ways to keep the wolves at bay.
I closed my eyes to quell the intense pressure I felt in my head. Footsteps walked toward me. I waited, assuming one of my father's new family members was checking in on me.
"Son, look at you." My mother's voice startled me.
"Mom!" I shot up before the pain in my abdomen quickly took hold with a vengeance.
"You shouldn't try to get up. That wicked woman hurt you pretty badly, didn't she? Your father says that Regina has been using my herbs and the salve to help you heal. Looks like she did learn something from me after all," my mother mused.
"She's a smart woman. Look, she was smart enough to get away from me." I teased, clenching my teeth because of the pain.
"I'm sorry this has happened to you." She sat down on the bed next to me. "This isn't your fault."
She didn't say anything in response. The hospital bracelet still sat on her wrist. I could see dark circles under her eyes. The vacation, she so looked forward to had been ruined and I was the only one who could really be blamed for that.
"You shouldn't blame yourself," she whispered. I'd always wondered if she could read my mind.
"Where's Regina?" I asked, unable to hide my disappointment that she hadn't come in to check on me.
"She left."
I thought I'd heard her wrong. What was she talking about? Regina was just here. We slept next to each other. Why would she just leave?
"Where did she go?" I sat up, anxious to see for myself.
My mother shrugged, "I don't know. She wasn't here when I got back."
I'd almost forgotten that my mother had been in the hospital.
"I'm so sorry, Mom. How did you get here?" I needed to get up. Things were happening too quickly.
"Your father brought me back. Have you had a talk with him?" She gave me a look only a mother could give.
