by Mela Zen
***
Forty minutes later, what the hell were they talking about, the people began to disperse. Everyone who came out took a couple inches back, scurrying away from me. The only person I really waited for is my brother. His my rock, the yang to my ying, complete opposite of me.
If you cant tell, I am the hard ass, sarcastic, rude, and impulsive bitch that no one likes. If you truly met me though, I am the most loyal and faithful companion. My brother Ezekiel is also very loyal and faithful, but more open towards others. Basically, the friendlier and approachable version of me.
“You caused a stir, Annabelle. You really need to watch yourself,” the husky voice says to me.
“Jax, you know me too well,” I smile.
“I am serious Annabelle. If this whole shit story is true, I wouldn’t be surprise Daryl and Amelia are the ones behind the pulling your heart, especially after today.”
“Well, I fight till my last breath. Win or lose, I am dead right,” I totally fail at the joke.
“Sometimes I wish you are my mate, I could have protected you more than I do now,” he says softly.
“Some things aren’t meant to be.”
Jax and I used to be lovers, for centuries until this mate thing popped up. We thought we were a match made in heaven until the mating bond rejected the both of us. Since then, we have been mateless for centuries, making me believe that mating is a made up thing.
“Sis! There you are. Ready to go?” My brother walks in our moment of silence.
“Yeah. Say bye to your sister for me?” I look at Jax. I never really look in his eyes, I always fall for him.
“Of course. Be safe, mi flor,” he kisses my cheeks then walks away.
“He still loves you,” Zeke teases me.
“Shut up. Whose flying?” I look at him.
“No I flew over here, you are flying. Then I’ll drive once we reach ground,” he hands me the keys to our plane.
“Great.”
Chapter 3
Annabelle
“So why not Seattle again?” Ezekiel asks as he drinking out of his black water bottle.
“Because Alpha James is being an arrogant ass,” I lick the ice cream that looks like strawberry flavored, but it really isn’t.
“Alpha James loves you, Flor. Chill.”
“I know. The real reason we are not going to Seattle is that Alpha James wants his son to decide. And his son has his head so far up in his ass that he doesn’t want us, more specifically me, causing any trouble especially after what happened two days ago.”
“This is why you do not have any single friends.”
“Why?”
“You are so evil.”
“What? Being aware that everybody doesn’t want to be my friend? I am fully aware. I always have a chip on my shoulder, Zeke. You can’t blame me.”
“Try being a little nice.”
“To who? My fellow colleagues? Please. Besides I do have friends.”
“Yeah who?”
“For starters, Jax and Jacqueline. Not to mention I am always on Grace’s good side. Also Steph and Rose.”
“You’re lucky they even tolerate you.”
“But they are my friends!”
I hear the loud clunk of the gas pump, signaling that the tank is full and ready to go. Although we are very wealthy, gas isn’t exactly cheap. The total came out to $43.62, I remember it would come out at least $3 way back in the day. Things were very cheap, well for us, but for others it was expensive.
“Yeah, whatever. Your turn to drive,” he finally says as he takes out the pump.
“Yeah whatever,” I mock.
“Real mature.”
“Get in the car.”
He sighs in defeat and crawls into the back seat of the car, lying down. Before I even start the engine, I turn around to look at him staring up in the ceiling. We vampires never get tired, but we like to rest our bodies after feeding. Makes us a little bit stronger, only by little though.
“Ezekiel, did you buy the house?” I ask him.
“Of course, sis. It was easy to get too, never purchased a property that cheap,” he smiles.
“Oh, this is good news. Did you also refurbish my car?”
He chokes on the blood, “Yeah of course.”
“I know you are lying. You drinking a tad too fast, little brother.”
“It won’t come for like three days.”
“Ezekiel Knight.”
“Hey! At least I remembered to refurbish your car!”
“Yeah you better, after all, you are the one who totaled it and wrecked it!”
“Ugh,” he rolls his eyes at me.
“Buckle up,” I said turning on the engine.
***
“Annabelle, why are you so cold,” my brother asks, getting up from his butt after I threw him.
“You know why. Don’t ask again,” I said speeding in and out of the house.
We made it to the house after three more hours of driving, it would have been longer had I not speed through the traffic or the slow ass moving cars. Driving up to the house, I rolled my eyes at how big it is, cursing myself to not let Ezekiel pick out the house in the future.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a gorgeous house. The brick detailing along with the wooden accents really give it that western, yet modern vibe to it. Something people who love the forest but want to stay connected would enjoy.
“You don’t like the house?” He looks at it with pride.
“It’s...you,” I say, “Grand and beautiful. I’m more simple and quiet.”
“Yeah, we know that.”
“Shut up. I am going out for a run, I will be back late. Make sure there is enough blood until we find another bank.”
“Of course. Human or...?”
“I’m shifting.”
“Ah. I will search for the bank. See you later sis.”
“Bye.”
I see him speed his way in and out of the house and into the car, leaving me alone in the driveway. I, myself, went inside to lock up and head out to the backyard. I quiet everything around me, listening in to the deepest of noises. I can’t have any bystander looking at me while I shift, otherwise, I’d have to compel them.
Once I feel that the coast is clear, I let out a deep breath. I take off my shoes and socks, as well as my jeans and shirt not wanting to go shopping when I rip them in my wolf form. I learned that over the years.
Now naked, with a fresh breeze hitting me gently, I make a run for it. Once I feel that I am far away, I jump in the air, beginning to shift. My bones start to crunch, cracking as they morph into a wolf’s body. I no longer feel the breeze but the fur sprouting from all parts of my body. I land on all fours, ironically nimble like a cat, shaking the dirt off of my fur.
I stretch out a bit in my form, getting used to being on all fours. I remember my dad explaining to me that every once in a while a wolf has to turn into his natural form because it’ll get harder and harder for the person to shift. It’s not that the wolf gene would simply disappear if you don’t shift, but the bones cracking and the balance of being a different species would be harder to get used to.
I walk around a bit, exploring the area around me. It is a beautiful forest, I am completely dumbfounded by the fact I have never caught this before. Who knew Arizona had some quality scenery that is not the Grand Canyon.
Just when I was about to lay down due to exhaustion, I hear someone screaming. Immediately, I follow the sound and sniffing the passing wind to track the noise. The closer I got, the more feminine it became. Suddenly, there is a male’s voice that too was also screaming, increasing my pace.
I then slow down, creeping in at the light, trying to make out what the hell is happening. I lean in more, seeing that there are werewolves huddled around, looking at the woman. She is on the young side, the girl having deep dark brown hair and a deep caramel skin tone.
“I...dad...what....,” the young lady said, clearly confused.
The big bro
wn wolf just stared at the woman, not growling but it is saying something. I start to think about all of Alpha James group leaders, there are three to five in each state he has, depending on the size of the state.
But none ring to mind.
Then one of the wolves brought out a man who is clearly frightened. His body thuds on the floor, but he quickly gets up scrambling for life.
“Why is my stalker here? Someone, please explain!” She cries more.
The wolves huddling as the brown wolf begin to shift back into its human form, the wolves covering the man’s private area.
“Daughter, kill this man. Kill him, then you will be one of us,” he deep tone looks at the woman, then tosses a knife with a wolves head engraved on it.
“What?! No! I am not a murderer! Daddy? What is happening?”
“Kill him.”
“No!”
“NO!”
“KILL him!”
“Dad, please don’t!”
“NOW DANIELLA!”
Her heart rates increases, bolting out of her position and grabbing the knife. She stabs the man in the heart, repeatedly, crying in the process. My heart aches for her, knowing this process all too well.
I know this all too well. I have seen it done in many villages in my lifetime. This is a desperate call, a desperate choice to make because something didn’t happen when the woman turned 18. Killing someone activates the gene, causing the person to shift, but its, not the standard.
A person starts to shift the moment they turn 18, hence why there are ceremonies to make it more comfortable. The person shifting is usually surrounded by family and on some occasions the alpha of the pack if they are not too busy. And normally, the person shifting should know everything there is about the supernatural community.
However, if neither of those things occurred, then that means the gene was latent. It is kind of normal, but to use the last measure of killing to activate it means she hasn’t shown signs of shifting in at least three years.
And if the leader of the sub-pack is forcing a transition, that means that this young woman is next in line.
I then hear a high pitch scream causing my ears to flop down and I let out a small whimper. Her body is now in full transition mode, bones cracking and fur sprucing. Her back arches upward, then back down, then back up. Her arms are stretching outside, knuckles curling back and forth, nails growing exponentially fast.
Soon, after a couple more screams and clothing ripping apart, she is a beautiful light brown werewolf, with dark patches on her paw. Her eyes are a shiny yellow, sad with pain and confusion.
The presumed leader shifts into a similar coat, but with more scars and silver fur. Clearly, he is just as old as Alpha James, but not as much.
Oh my god what is happening? What am I? Who am I? Somebody, please help me.
My daughter, you are one of us now.
What the hell is ‘us’. Change me back!
My daughter, you will listen. You are taking over the family store and becoming the leader of this pack.
Get away from me!!
The young pup runs away and I follow her. None of the pack members did so but I have to make sure that she is okay. No one should endure this momentous transformation in their life, something a family member should be a part of. Clearly, there is some tension building up in this pack.
Her pace slows down as she falls on the floor, exhausted from all the running. To me it was nothing, I am used to running long miles. I hear her whimper in pain and she uses her paw to wipe something away from her face.
You need to be careful out here.
She is startled, getting up, and steps backward, clearly in submission.
Who are you?
Same like you.
How are we even speaking?
Only werewolves speak telepathically, something that no other supernatural beings contain. You know about the supernatural world, correct?
I only heard stories about them, never believed them.
Now you must. It is vitally important for you to understand what is happening, your family may rely on it.
Can you help me?
Why don’t you trust your family?
They are not nice people. They are very demanding and very evil...they...do things.
I, myself, am not a nice person. And I don’t do exactly well with friends.
I promise I am a good person. I just don’t know what to do or how to do it.
A brief silence comes between us, mostly me thinking about this. It is true, I have never really done well with people, especially women. Maybe this could be me trying to make new friends, maybe.
Fine. But you can tell no one about this. Do you promise?
Promise.
Okay, follow me to my house. When you shift back, you will be naked, and that is a sight I do not really need to see.
Haha, okay.
We begin walking back towards the direction of my house. At first, it was a quiet walk but then she opens her mouth.
How long have you been doing this?
Doing what?
This supernatural thing.
I have been doing it for a very, very, very long time. Longer than your father, great-grandfather, heck maybe even your first ancestor. I have been a wolf for a long time.
Wow. I mean, wow. So you are like 100 years old or something.
A little older than that.
200?
More.
400! Like in the Vampire Diaries!
Haha, no. I am a tad older than that, I am almost 600, 593 to be exact.
WOW! Were you born like in the 1400s?
I was born in 1403, I was....turned....in 1424?
How are you able to live so long?
That, my dear, is a long story. One I am not yet comfortable to share. Come, we have reached my home.
We came outside the backyard, where the light in the kitchen is on. I yelled out a howl signaling my brother that I am here.
“Sister, wel-,” he pauses when he sees the other wolf.
He doesn’t say anything but allows us to pass through. I show the girl up to a spare room while Zeke brings some of the clothes in, resting it on the bed.
So, this is my brother. We will introduce ourselves later, but right now I need you to focus. So when shifting back to your human form, just simply think about your body. You and your body are obviously connected but also think about it spiritually. Your body is connected with the earth and the moon, it’s a werewolf thing. It will hurt but the more you do it, the more it gets easier.
Do I have to change into this?
Yes, at least every week since your a newborn. Then we can discuss it later. You ready. I’ll be in my room.
Okay. Is it okay if I crash after? I am really really tired.
That’s fine, see you in the morning.
Good night.
Good night.
Chapter 4
Annabelle
I flip the pancakes and the scramble the eggs, looking out towards my little farm. I see my husband walking in with our little dog, Roofus a Dalmation, waving at us. He holds two bags of oranges, something to make orange juice later.
“Honey, that smells delicious. Does the egg have some of that cheese,” he kisses my cheeks, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Of course sweetie. Did you get all the oranges from the front?”
“Nothing but the best. Do...you...um need to feed?”
“Of course not. I can survive on animal blood, I only need your blood every other month. Don’t you ever worry.”
“I just want to make sure you don’t go down that ripper path you have been worried about. I just want you to know that I am always here for you, even if it means me dying,” he grabs the fork, picking out a steamy scramble egg and feeding it to me, “How does your cooking taste.”
“Like iron and stuff,” I smile, chewing the food. He gives me a small kiss before his memory fades away.
“Annabelle? Annabelle?” I hear Ez
ekiel calling my name.
“Yeah?”
“You’re burning the pancakes.”
“Shit sorry.”
“Thinking about him?”
“Yeah, I was. But that’s over now, does this human-like sausages?”
“I do,” said a shy timid voice from behind.
Both Ezekiel and I turn around, facing this very pretty young woman. I only saw her hair and eyes in the fire last night, but in broad daylight, she has a sharp nose and she has more of a hooded eye shape.
And I can tell Ezekiel is very, very smitten with her, with his heart rate increasing. I give him a sly look and he shakes it off when he notices my glance.
“You sleep okay?” I ask turning off the stove.
“Yeah, those are some temperpedics bed you got over here. I never felt so comfortable,” she stands there awkwardly.
“Here have a seat, you like the whole thing. The eggs, pancakes, and sausage with a glass of orange juice?” Ezekiel pulls out a seat for her.
“Yes, I do,” she blushes.
“Good, Flor, give her some food while I have to go out to the ranger station. First order of business on my to-do list,” Zeke smiles.
“Hey, my good friend Freddie works over there as a part-time gig. He’s a really good guy,” she gobbles up the food.
“Good to know. See you gals later,” Zeke grabs his bag and leaves quickly.
The young woman eats her food frantically as if she hasn’t eaten in days. I don’t say anything but feeding her and pouring orange juice in her glass.
“I’m so sorry, it’s really good homemade food I haven’t had in years,” she says with a mouthful.
“Your parents don’t cook or something?”
“Mom died when I was seven, my father isn’t exactly a nice person, especially after mother dying. He hardly takes care of our people, so how can he take care of me?”
“That bad?”
“Hmm yup. Now this? This whole werewolf thing, I really need to get my own place,” she chuckles.
“You can crash here until you do, but you might need some of your clothes.”
“You are a very nice person who claims that they are not good with people.”
“Trust me, I am not. I can be very bold and rude at the same time. It is my nature. Now, I have some explaining to do to you. What do you know about the supernatural community.”
