On Edge
Leonor
“Back again Lenny?”Asked old Sam, the gym owner, as I sat wrapping my hands ready to train. I like Sam, he’s old school. He makes no difference between the guys and me when it comes to training and sparring.
At my small five-foot-two inches, most males treat me like I will break. That is until they know me. I keep the fact I have my wolf and her added strength to myself. Being 17, most of them still assume I have not yet shifted.
I ran away from my pack two years ago, after shifting at 15 years old. I had taken many years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of my father.
My mother died when I was five. After that, dad turned on me. He started to drink just after mum passed. That's when my life took a turn for the worse.
Most wolves shift at 18 years old, the first full moon after their 18th birthday. Only Alphas shift at fifteen. Jewel, my wolf, arrived in time to save me after the last beating my father had given me.
If it wasn't for her, I would have died. She came to help heal me. For the first time since my mum died, I didn't feel alone. It was then I made the decision to run away. That's how I came to be in Neutral City.
Neutral City is the city that borders all the packs. It’s a place where all different beings can live without having to be in a pack or coven or any other species, including humans.
I had just finished my warm-up, when I noticed Sam talking to a woman. She looked familiar. She looked upset, worn out, like she had not eaten or slept. I made my way over after she had left. Sam was putting something on the notice board.
“Hey, what's that?”I asked as I came up to stand at his side.
“Another missing person, Lenny, that's three in the past two months”, Sam replies.
Another wolf, another teenager. Looking at the missing person poster, I realized why the woman looked familiar. She was from my pack, the silver moon packs to the west of the city. The face of the boy looking at me from the poster was a boy a year younger than I.
“f**k another one, all wolves, all males” I say while staring at the smiling picture of the sixteen-year-old boy on the poster.
“You need to be careful, girl, and I know you can take care of yourself, but I have a bad feeling about this”, Sam says as he takes a long drag on his cigarette.
—------------------------------------------
I work in a little coffee shop five minutes from the gym. I share a small two-bedroom flat with Lillith. She’s a witch and, although she lives in Neutral City, her family are still part of the coven in the north.
Our flat is above the coffee shop, which makes my life easier. Lilith works in the karaoke bar at the other end of the city.
We met by chance. I was out letting Jewel have a run when I heard a commotion. It was quite late in a secluded part of the city, so I went to check it out. That's when I saw her, she had two men levitating, while she chanted something in Latin.
She sensed me and burst into laughter. She said it was the first time she had seen a wolf with its jaw on the floor. After, she told me that they had tried to mug her.
I had just finished work and heading up the stairs to the flat, I could hear Lillith singing to the radio before I even opened the door. Smiling to myself as I opened the door to find her dancing in her towel just outside of the shower.
“Lenny, come on, get in the shower” she shouted over the music.
I normally join her on a Saturday at work. I have gotten to know some of the locals, so I am comfortable sitting at the bar while she works.
Rolling my eyes at her, I headed to the bathroom. I was still sore from last night's fight. It had been harder than normal as I was put up against a guy twice my size. Wincing as I lift my arms above my head, even though my broken ribs are healed, the bruising is still bad.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I notice the swelling on my left cheekbone has gone down, leaving a horrible yellow-looking bruise. It's easy money and no one expects me to be as strong as I am. I try not to let anyone know I have my wolf as I am only 17.
Her strength and healing help when it comes to cage fighting or basement brawls, as most call them, unaffiliated fights. Coming out of the bathroom, I almost bumped into Lillith, she's hopping around with one heeled boot on, looking for the other.
Lilith is stunning. She has long red hair and a killer body with curves in all the right places. Her five-feet-nine inches height makes her stand out. Standing next to her, I feel like one of the seven dwarfs.
Especially as I prefer flat shoes, mostly trainers or combat boots up against her stupidly high heels, I have no idea how she works in them. My shoulder-length blonde wavy hair combined with my honey-gold eyes does make me stand out in my own way.
“Ready?" she asks as I came out of my room dressed in my skinny black jeans and gray off-shoulder top with a set of my Nike Jordans.
“Lenny, you might find your mate. You should dress more girly,” she says, casting me a disapproving look. Rolling my eyes at her, I grabbed my black leather jacket off the sofa and headed for the door.
Lilith is obsessed with mates. Wolves can scent their mate from the age of 18 or as long as you have your wolf and the other person has their wolf. She has this crazy romantic idea about them, reading too many books.
Getting to the bar and it's already bouncing. There's what looks to be a bachelorette party all screaming and killing songs on the karaoke, while the bride seems to be dry humping every guy that passes her.
I smile and take my usual seat on the bar stool at the end of the bar, just as Tony, the owner, places a Pepsi in front of me.
“I heard you won last night, Lenny, some of the boys bet on you”, Tony says as he stands behind the bar directly in front of me.
Sitting minding my own business, watching the antics of the bride-to-be, when all of a sudden I get the feeling someone is watching me. The cold feeling running down my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Scanning the room I can't pick up anyone unusual or looking out of place. Everyone seems to be having a good time. The bar is busy but no different from any other weekend night.
My wolf is on edge. She can feel it, she's pacing around in my head. Just as I was going to give up, Jewel started growling in my head. Instantly giving me a sore head.
“Steady Jewel, what's going on?” I ask my wolf, as I feel her pacing picking up, something is definitely off.
“There is a dark aura trying to get its claws into me. I can feel them trying to get into your head”, she says to me, taking me by surprise. Get into my head why?
Eventually the feeling subsides and the air seems lighter. Who or whatever was here seems to have left. I have no idea why, but I can't stop thinking about the missing teens. They are all of a similar age to me.
