Rogue Spirit

The Tree

Ayla closed her jaws around the r****t's neck and snapped it without hesitation. His body went limp as she shook him from side to side. She could hear his fragile human bones crack like those of a delicate bird. The sound brought her an animalistic sense of satisfaction. He would never r**e another woman.

"Please stop" Selena said quietly "he's already dead".

He deserved what he got. Ayla thought to Selena.

"He did. But that's enough now". Selena replied calmly.

Ayla dropped him, he landed in a heap with his head c****d at an unnatural angle. One open eye glinting dully in the moonlight.

"Are we supposed to dispose of the body?" Selena asked.

I don't know. Ayla answered. I'm as new to this as you are. Though I'm guessing it'll just look like an animal attack and you'll never be suspected.

"What about DNA?" Selena asked.

I don't know that either. I think we need to weigh up whether we're more likely to be caught dragging a dead body around downtown, as opposed to the police taking DNA from what is obviously an animal attack. I don't think your ride-share would allow us to use their car for corpse disposal.

"You're right" Selena said. "I think we should go".

We'll need to shift back. If people spot a huge wolf walking around we're bound to end up with problems. Ayla responded.

"How do I shift?" Selena asked Ayla. "Do you trigger it?".

No, the shift is up to you. This is and remains your body, I control the instinctual side of it, though I can control your body if you allow me to. Like right now.

"You mean I can be a wolf?" Selena asked. "And you just stay in my head? Can you control my human body too?"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's how it works. Said Ayla. But I think if you try to let me control your human body it automatically triggers a shift. Think of me kind of like a costume. I'm still you, and you're in charge. You can act like a wolf without suspicion when you look like one, but not when you don't.

"What about my clothes? And how can we shift back"

I'm not sure about your clothes but there's no shredded dress on the ground so I think we might be alright. For the shift, maybe just think about the way it felt before we shifted?

"Okay, let's try it" said Selena. She closed her eyes and focused on the pulling sensation she felt before. Almost immediately her toes began to tingle.

I think it's working! Said Ayla excitedly.

Selena ignored her and continued to focus. The tingling rapidly increased until she began to feel the familiar pulling sensation. She was able to focus much more clearly this time and noted it began in her toes and then her fingers. The sensation crept up her arms and legs, meeting in the middle of her chest, where it continued upwards until it felt once again like she was compressed into a ball inside of her own brain. Her soul, her essence, everything that made her Selena was concentrated in this one, tight ball. Again, the ball exploded and where before Ayla had stood, now stood Selena.

Selena looked down, her body was back to human, and she was fully clothed. Somehow the old werewolf stories of clothes tearing and falling off in shreds didn't apply to her. Nor did the whole full moon thing. It was inexplicable, but then again, so was finding out she was indeed a werewolf. Either that or her schizophrenia has reached an incredible new high.

Selena heard her phone go off in her clutch. She looked on the ground to see if she could find it, and realised she had dropped it on the sidewalk when she had been attacked. She picked it up and checked her phone, it was the ride share company advising her they were waiting out the front of the restaurant. She responded via message to advise them she was on her way, she brushed off her dress and headed down the sidewalk.

The restaurant was only five minutes' walk away but Selena felt every aching step in her feet and her body. All she could think about was going home and having a shower to wash the filth of that man away, and to begin to unpack some of what she had experienced tonight. As she walked she took her hair out of what remained of her updo and brushed through it with her fingers. Her loose auburn curls cascaded down her back and hid some of the dirt and scratches that her dress revealed. She used a tissue to clean her face as well as she could to try and ensure her driver wouldn't be too alarmed.

She sat in the back seat of the car so he wouldn't be able to look at her too closely and gave him the address. Ayla hadn't said a word since they had shifted back, Selena was unsure if she was thinking about what had happened or whether she knew Selena needed a little space.

Selena paid the ride-share as he pulled up in front of her apartment. With a quiet voice she thanked him, went inside and prepared to have a shower.

"Are you okay?" Asked Ayla as Selena stepped under the scalding water.

I'm not sure. I think so. Responded Selena. She scrubbed her skin until it was pink, rinsing away dried blood from between her legs. She wasn't sure how she had been hurt but it wasn't painful any longer. She noticed her blisters had also gone, and she could no longer feel the scratches on her back. She had always healed quickly, but not quite this fast.

"Werewolves recover rapidly" Ayla said in response to Selena's thoughts. "You'll heal quicker now that you've had your first shift".

I don't know if I should go to the police. Selena thought.

"If you go, they're going to ask a lot of details and you'll lead them straight to the body" Ayla answered. "And besides, he's dead. He's received all the punishment he could get".

You're right. There's just so much that has happened. I feel a little lost and confused. Selena thought at Ayla.

"I don't blame you, and we'll work on things together. Most werewolves have a pack. And parents to teach them what to expect" Ayla replied.

I wish my parents were still alive. I wonder who their pack was... and why they didn't take me in when they died.

"I don't know" said Ayla "I think we should try and learn a little about our background before we might run into any more wolves. But your client tonight was our mate. I know you felt something, even before you shifted for the first time. The attraction will be even stronger now".

I honestly don't have any desire to think about mating at the moment. Selena responded.

Ayla laughed. "It's not mating. It's your mate. Yeah, mating is a part of it but there's so much more to a mate. They are your soulmate, they would give their lives to protect you."

Was Ryker a werewolf? Selena asked.

"Definitely" Ayla answered. I caught a glimpse of his wolf through his eyes, but I couldn't mind-link because you hadn't shifted or accepted him as a mate.

Mind-what? Oh never mind. Let's talk about this tomorrow. I'm too tired.

"Of course" Ayla replied and was silent.

Selena finished her shower and looked in the mirror. He previously emerald eyes now had amber flecks in them that had never been there before. She felt powerful, in a way she had never felt before. She picked up her toothbrush from the sink and held it between her hands. It snapped in half with minimal effort.

Ayla chuckled. "Well, that's new. Maybe be careful with your newfound power".

Selena felt a burst of energy, she quickly brushed her teeth with the broken toothbrush and put her pyjamas on. Out the front of her apartment was a small tree and she wanted to see if she could move it a little if she pushed it hard enough.

As she stepped out the front door a world of scents hit her. She could smell the earth of the garden bed that contained the tree, she could smell the cars driving, and the birds that had nested in the large birch by the road. Her neighbour had eaten chicken curry for dinner and had put their leftovers in the fridge. There was an entire new dimension to the world that she had never experienced before.

She stepped over to the tree and pushed it, it moved slightly. She braced her feet and pushed it harder. She heard a ripping sound under her feet and stumbled forward. The entire tree with root ball attached lay in the parking space out the front of her apartment. Selena stared wide-eyed at the tree and then at her own hands.

No-one will hurt me again. She thought. She could feel Ayla's approval and agreement.

She walked around to the other side of the tree and picked it up. Picking it up required more effort than pushing it over had, but it was still manageable. She gently placed the tree back in the hole it had left behind and quickly walked back into her apartment before someone saw her. Panting with exertion and excitement, she leant against the door after she closed it behind her.

Amazing. I can't believe it. I'm almost afraid of my own strength.

"You will adjust" Ayla replied.

A soft knock startled Selena out of her thoughts. Someone was at her door. She could smell warm rain and smells of comfort. Turning quickly, she opened the door, already knowing who would be standing there.

"Hello Ryker" she said to the man in her doorway.