Chapter3
1772 Words
“Sammy!”
“Coming!”
I weaved through the many flower pots in my aunt's shop and paused at a clutter of garden tools obstructing my path.
“Toss it dear”
I tossed the pack of seeds I was holding to her and dusted my hands on my shorts.
Standing near the large window, the sunrays glazing softly on her skin, aunt Gabriella looked angelic.
She fitted in so perfectly, surrounded by dozens of plants of varying types, colours and height, she looked like she belonged.
Right where she was.
Her glossy curls looking like the blackened version of mine.
She was gorgeous, no doubt.
And despite being my aunt, she could easily pass for my elder sister.
I smiled at the sight of her and found my way to her.
“Someone's in a good mood” she chuckled as I leaned my head on her shoulder.
“Good to see you getting back to your usual self”
“Yeah. I am in a good mood” I took a deep breath and smiled
“Your plants are helping, they always seem to cheer me up. This whole place…”
I gestured towards the shop, “fills me with positivity”
“Go Sam!” Aunty Gabriella cheered.
The loud voices of boys passing by caught our attention. Their laughter unmuffled.
Of course it was them.
Gideon and his crew.
My mood dropped.
They headed down the street and into the arcade a little distance away.
“You okay?”
I mustered a smile and turned to my aunt
“Yeah…I am aunt Gabby”
She rubbed my arm lovingly.
“Good girl”
We made a lot of sales. The annual pack party was coming up in less than a month and everyone was getting hyped for it already.
I didn't go for the Grey's house party. Patrick and Julia were pissed that I didn't come.
But I didn't care. That was the most infuriating day I'd had in a while.
I was reading a novel when a delivery came to our front door.
Confused, I went to get it.
It was a dinner gown in a dull shade of grey. I already disliked the color grey, but that had to be the ugliest shade of grey I'd ever seen.
There was a note under it.
“Hurry up Sam. You're already running late. The guests are arriving and Gideon needs you to welcome them.
The dress is expensive so try not to ruin or wrinkle it on your way here.
You can thank me for it later.
— Julia”
I squeezed the life out of the note and threw it out the window.
I didn't need her ‘expensive dress’! It was ugly anyways.
Why wasn't she listening to me? I was done with her lying, cheating son.
And at this point, I was done with her too.
I slammed the package shut and left it by the door.
About an hour later Josh, one of Gideon's friends was standing at the door.
“You're not dressed? I'm supposed to be back with you in less than thirty minutes”
His eyes scanned my body impatiently.
He folded his arms and tried to get in.
I blocked the door.
“Excuse you. I'm not coming”
I started to go back in.
“Hey listen” his fingers wrapped around my arm and disgust rose in my stomach.
I snatched my arm away.
“Stop being an ungrateful brat and just come with me”
“I'm ungrateful?” I scoffed
“Why don't you go back to your little crew of scumbag friends. You're not supposed to be here”
I slammed the door in his frowning face then stumbled over the unwanted package.
“Hey!” I was out the door in a few seconds, the package in my hands.
Josh spun around to face me. He was already getting to the street.
“Changed your mind?-”
The package hit him in the chest and he stumbled backward.
I cursed inwardly. I should've aimed higher.
“What the-”
I slammed the door again.
I told aunt Gabby everything when she got back home.
She was not pleased.
“Seriously, how dare they?! The audacity of Gideon to send his friend to come pick you up! If he was any bit of a gentleman he would've come himself!”
I sighed and munched on the cookies she got for me on her way back.
“Goddess! I wish I could give Julia a piece of my mind!”
“There's no need for that” I chuckled. Aunt Gabby didn't look it, but she sure could throw a punch. She was strong as hell.
She'd snap Julia's wrists in less than a minute.
And as much as I wanted to see that, it was better off happening only in my imagination.
The day went on nice, as it usually does with aunt Gabby, despite the annoying things that happened earlier.
I was up early the next day, and headed to the park for an early run.
Dressed in matching purple gym shorts and shirt, and my favourite white sneakers, I felt amazing.
I bounded through the tall trees of Crescent Pack forest. The many acres of trees created the perfect surrounding for wolves to run free.
“Look who it is!”
A voice snickered some distance away.
I turned up the music on my headset and jogged faster.
After some minutes, my headset was snatched off my ear and thrown to the ground.
I took a calming breath and turned around.
3 guys.
One tall, two around my height.
One muscular, two lean.
Weapons?
None within view, so if there was it'd be a small one.
That was good.
Stance?
One stood firm. He had a fighter’s stance, he would probably be the toughest among them.
The other two…
Not so much, I could take them both at once, but I wouldn't go without some bruises.
I'd assessed them in seconds, without them having a clue.
If anyone threw fists at me, I was prepared.
“Like what you see?” The muscular one taunted. His dirty teeth made me gag.
“Listen, I don't want any trouble-” I raised my hands in surrender.
They snickered.
For young adults, they sure were acting childish.
I bent over to pick up my headset when I kick came flying to my shoulder.
I dodged.
Missed me with mere seconds.
“What is wrong with you?!”
The tall one attempted to shove me. He was down in a blink.
Knee to the stomach always put them down.
That got the other two agitated.
“You wolfless b***h!”
The toughest one yelled and lunged at me.
The insult stung like hot oil being poured on a stab wound.
It'd been years since I heard it, so naturally I thought it would hurt less.
It didn't.
I put everything into my punches, my pain, my anger, my bitterness.
I got hit too. In the face, back and thigh. But they were worse off than me.
The scuffle was over in less than six minutes.
Two of them carried one and were limping away as fast as they could, screaming profanities at me.
I dusted myself off and began my slow trek home.
Perhaps this fight was what I needed. My busted lip and bruised thigh hurt like hell but I got reminded who I really was.
A wolfless girl.
As pathetic as that sounded, it was true.
It was me.
Growing up had been difficult. I never got my wolf. I didn't transition with the others when I was 18.
The only proof I had of being a werewolf was my strength and speed.
I wasn't lacking in that aspect.
But could I change?
No.
I didn't know what I did to offend the goddess.
But I was born without a wolf.
I didn't know what it felt like to change into wolf form, and run free on all fours like everyone else did.
I didn't know what it felt like to howl into the night sky, at the midnight moon.
I was a glitch.
A malfunction in the werewolf community.
Sometimes I tried to make myself feel better and mask the pain under everything but it was still there.
Dwelling in the far back of my subconscious.
This gaping emptiness.
It felt like I was missing something.
Like there was a space for it, but it just wasn't there.
Clouded with my sad thoughts, I decided to take the longer trail home, to give myself more time to bask in sorrow and self loathing.
This path in the woods was known for its constant eerieness. The trees in this area was denser so only little sunlight filtered through.
Perfect.
Surrounded with silence, my feet being the only source of noise, I let out a deep sigh.
Crack
I froze on the spot.
That wasn't me.
Suddenly I knew I wasn't alone.
I held my breath and subtly slid behind a large tree close to me.
I definitely wasn't alone.
And whoever was there was subtle as hell. I was a very perceptive person, so someone sneaking up on me was almost impossible.
So this person-
Darkness enveloped my sight with such speed I didn't even have enough time to freak out.
Someone had put what felt like a bag over my head.
My hands lashed out and connected with what felt like a man's nose.
“Ughhh”
A muffled grunt.
I had definitely hit a nose.
I tried to snatch the bag off my face but my hands were pulled with such force I stumbled and almost fell forward.
Wolves!
Not one, at least three.
I was enveloped with the smell of wolves. And not just any, these were definitely strong ones. I could feel their oppressive aura all around me. They weren't from my pack. I knew instantly.
Rogues?!
Shit!
I was good as dead if they were rogues. Those packless wolves would stop at nothing to cause harm and chaos wherever they went.
My arms were still held together with an iron grip by probably the strongest hands I'd ever encountered.
Knee to the stomach?!
Exactly what I did.
“Argghhhh!!”
The male holding me immediately dropped my hands. And my first instinct was to bolt.
A sharp numbing pain on the left side of my head jolted through my entire being when something hard came in contact with it.
I staggered and dropped to the forest floor.
- Writer
