The Lost Queens Revenge

Chapter 5

Time seemed to move quickly. It was like I blinked, and I was in my senior year of high school. Every six months I went into heat, and every six months I had to be confined to my room. With every cycle, it got easier and easier to deal with. During my heat, I could hear the calls from the males in the area as they howled out with desire. Part of me desperately wanted to answer their call, but the rest of me knew better. Especially when one specific wolf called out to me. I never knew who it was. I only knew that my body responded strongly to his voice. Blue tried to encourage me to go out in search of him, but I never gave into her urging. I wanted to be a doctor. That dream would end if I got pregnant.

Zachariah seemed to always be around. He tried desperately to gain Momma Beth’s trust, but it was all in vain. She detested him and his family. But her loathing never stopped the determined man from trying. Every day he found a reason to come to our house. It both annoyed me and gave me a little thrill when I caught him staring at me. I wasn’t sure why he loitered around the house, but Blue seemed to perk up whenever we caught his scent.

I stayed true to my word. I avoided the man at all cost and stayed focused on school. The only thing that mattered to me was that I finished high school and left this Godforsaken town. I was desperate to go to a good college. It was the only way to realize my dreams of becoming a doctor. I knew that if I gave Zachariah even a fragment of my attention, I would fall victim to my own desires.

In a flash, I was graduating, with honors, mind you. During the ceremony I could see Momma Beth and Sadie crying with pride and happiness as I walked to the podium to accept my certificate. I had applied to a dozen colleges, and was overcome with joy and excitement when I was accepted into Georgetown University. Out of all the colleges I had applied to, Georgetown was my first choice. I was finally eighteen, and I was more than ready to start my life. A life away from all the bullies and lack of acceptance from my peers.

My undergrad program finished quicker than I imagined it would. I applied at several medical schools and was surprised once more when I was accepted into Johns Hopkins University. Medical school was the most difficult thing I had ever done. After four exhaustingly long years, I was finally entering my residency program. It was time to go back home to Georgia where I would complete my program at the Emory School of Medicine. But even the daunting thought of being a resident didn’t stop the bubbling excitement I felt about going home. I missed Momma Beth. I missed Sadie. I missed Max. I even missed Zachariah coming by the house, although I would never publicly admit it.

The plane landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport at 9:27pm. My exhausted body was no match for my wired brain. I was practically bouncing around the baggage claim area as I waited for my suitcase to make it's way around the baggage carousel. I quickly grabbed my neon green suitcase and bolted for the exit in search of Sadie, who had agreed to pick me up. After waiting for half an hour, I looked at my cell phone and saw that I had a message.

Sadie: Running late. Traffic sucks.

Me: That’s okay. I’ll just wait outside for you 😊

I took a seat on a nearby bench and took out my cell once more. I had become addicted to a drawing app that allowed me to make digital drawings on my phone. I had taken to drawing anatomically correct organs. It helped me memorize human anatomy while also entertaining myself. I was deeply absorbed in my own rendition of the human heart, when the angry sound of a car horn had me jumping in my seat. I looked around with a scowl to find the source of the obnoxious noise and was met with the smiling face of Sadie. My scowl instantly switched to an excited grin as I leaped from the bench and threw myself into Sadie’s waiting arms.

"River! I missed you so much! Granny has been baking all day!" She exclaimed. I inhaled her scent deeply and was caught off guard by what I smelled. There was the expected scent of Momma Beth’s famous apple pie mixed with her own cinnamon scent. But underneath it all was the soothing scent of cedar with a hint of some kind of spice. Pepper, maybe? The scent had Blue howling and my mouth watering, but I brushed it off to pull back and smile at Sadie.

" I missed you too, Momma! I'm so glad to be home. I get three weeks off before I start at Emory!" I said happily. Sadie rolled her eyes.

"Emory smimory! You need to relax. Let's get you home. Guess who has been missing his momma?" She hopped into the car and rolled down the rear window. Max popped his big head out with an excited whine. His muzzle had grown white with age and his gray eyes had become flecked with creamy blue dots from where he was developing cataracts, but he sniffed excitedly at me, recognizing my scent immediately.

"Max!" I said excitedly as I climbed into the back seat to cuddle with the large brute. The ride home was filled with getting caught up on the latest gossip I had missed while Max snored lazily across my lap. I smiled to myself. I missed this so much more than I realized, and it felt good to be home.

We pulled up to the house close to midnight, but every light in the house was on as if there was a party going on inside. I helped Max out and grab my suitcase. I had barely made it to the front porch when the door flew open, almost knocking me back down the stairs.

"Wolfie girl!!!" Momma Beth said as she hobbled out onto the porch to scoop me up into one of her bone-crushing hugs. I just held onto her closely, inhaling her sweet scent of vanilla and lavender. Wait... I could smell her. I had never been able to smell her before.

"Momma Beth, I can smell you." I said in alarm.

"I ain't seen you in eight years and all you can do is tell me I stink?" She looked at me through round purple framed glasses with irritation. She had aged a little since I had last seen her. Her youthful face was now laced with fine lines and her black hair was white now. But her contagiously warm smile remained unchanged.

"No, that's not what I meant. I couldn't smell you before I went to college at all. You had no scent." I said nervously.

"Well, my magic ain't what it used to be, or maybe I forgot to cloak us. It don’t matter, come in child! Oh, I missed you." She kissed my cheek and tugged my hand, pulling me into the house. Everything was exactly as it was, nothing had changed. The kitchen was still set off to the left. The stairs leading to the bedrooms was still on my immediate right. Pictures lined every wall. Both old and new photos filled the frames. Yes, everything was exactly the same. Except it wasn’t. There was one thing that was amiss. One thing that didn’t belong. Or should I say one person that didn’t belong. Their presence set me on edge and I let out a guttural growl of warning as my eyes met a pair of blue ones.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Zachariah breathed out. I sniffed the air. Cedar. I sniffed it again. Pepper. The smell was intoxicating and for a moment I was too lost in the pleasure that scent brought me that I had forgotten why I was upset in the first place. Quickly, I shook my head and growled once more.

"Get out!" I boomed as I took a step in front of Momma Beth. "Now!" Zachariah was completely unfazed by my words. In fact, he was staring at me with round googly eyes and a stupid smile.

"Strawberries... chocolate... honey... mmmm... chocolate..." Zachariah stood from his place on the couch and began to stride towards me. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my teeth elongate as I growled menacingly at the unwanted guest. I was readying myself to pounce when suddenly I felt something hard smack me on the top of the head. I whipped around to see Momma Beth holding a rolled up newspaper, with both her hands on her hips.

"Don't you growl in my house, Wolfie girl. You know I hate that shit." She swatted me on the head again for good measure before walking around me to the kitchen table. She then smacked Zachariah on the head with the newspaper as well, causing him to growl at her, which caused her to smack him again.

"Boy, didn't I say no growling?" She said sternly. I stared dumbfounded at the two of them as Zachariah metaphorically tucked his tail.

"I'm sorry Momma Beth." he said quietly.

"That's right. You should be. Now come on now. I made pie!" she scolded. I dropped my suitcase and walked mechanically over to the table. The closer I got to Zachariah, the stronger his scent became. It was invading every fiber of my being and distracting me from the situation I had found myself in. Him sniffing the air with a love-drunk look plastered on his face didn’t help matters at all.

"You know why he's looking at us like that?" I asked Blue.

"Yep!" She said, popping the "p".

"Well?" I probe.

"You really are dumb aren't you?" I growled at her and received a swift smack on the head with the newspaper by Momma Beth.

"No growling! Now, you want ice cream with your pie, Wolfie girl?" She smiled down at me. I grinned up at her and nodded. She gave me a warm smile and walked over to the fridge. I turned my attention over to Zachariah, who hadn't taken his eyes off of me since I walked in the door.

"Stop looking at me." I snapped.

"Sorry. You're just so gorgeous." He replied nervously. I huffed at him and looked away. Sadie just sat watching us while she giggled.

"Momma, what is going on? Why is he here? And why are you giggling?" I demanded.

"Nothing, River. He's just here is all. How are you feeling? Do you feel anything?" Sadie asked excitedly. The situation began to feel more and more awkward as the seconds dragged on, and I just wanted to run away to either my room or just out the door.

"I feel uncomfortable... that’s what I feel. Uncomfortable." I said flatly. Sadie cast her gaze down to the table, a look of disappointment marring her beautiful features. Momma Beth whirled around to glare at Sadie.

"God dammit Sadie! Stop messin’ with her.” She scolded before turning her sights on me. “Wolfie girl, that boy is your mate. Do you feel anything for the boy?" Momma Beth asked blatantly.

I felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water on my head. I looked at Zachariah, but he was staring at me as if he had just met the Goddess herself. I quickly stood to my feet.

"Momma Beth, I'm tired. It’s been a really long day. Maybe I can have pie tomorrow. I think I just want to go to bed." I said quietly. She gave me a swift nod. Letting me know she understood perfectly why my mood had so quickly soured.

"Oh, I'll come with you." Zachariah said as he stood to follow me. The temperature of my skin rose several degrees as I spun on my heels to glare at him.

"No. You won't. Good night Momma Beth." I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before trudging up the stairs with Max at my feet. I closed the door after the old man and lay on my bed, listening to the conversation that was going on downstairs.

"Zachariah you blasted fool! You creeped her out! Hell, you creeped me out!" Momma Beth whisper-yelled at him.

"I didn't do anything. I just looked at her." His voice was full of hurt and dejection.

"You gawked at her like she was a steak is what you did! Scared the poor child half to death. I told you two idiots not to have him here on her first night home, but nooooo... nobody listens to the crazy old Granny." Momma Beth fumed.

"I just wanted to be near her. I didn't want to scare her." Zachariah murmured. For some reason, the pain in his voice made my chest feel heavy with sadness.

"Granny, you know how wolves are with their mates! I thought she would be happy!" Sadie chimed in.

"Well, she damn well wasn't. Now, she's not eating the pie I baked for her. It's her favorite. Damn fools." I could hear her footsteps recede to her room as the door slammed.

I hadn’t meant to cause such an issue, but I also hadn’t expected to find my mate sitting on the couch in the living room either. I lay awake in bed for over an hour. Only to fall into a restless, broken sleep.