Damaged Mate

16

That idea flew immediately out of my head as something black crashed into my side.

I hit the ground hard, air expelling from my chest while I tumbled. The shade didn’t give me any time to recuperate, immediately locking its jaws around my backpack. Pumpkin juice oozed across my shoulders as instinct took over; I somehow managed to bend my arms out of the straps and scramble away just as the creature flung it around like a chew toy. The moonlight struck against its form, illuminating yet another of those insane, werewolf-like creatures. Its fur held a more bluish tint than the kid’s, almost curling at the tips with far more hair piled up around the head and neck. Its body was slender, built more for speed than power—a she-wolf, I realized.

The back of my head hit the base of a tree trunk, pulling the female wolf’s attention back my way. With a throaty snarl, she threw the backpack overhead and charged toward me, frothing at the mouth as ice-blue eyes drilled into my skull.

That was when a real shadow came out of nowhere, barreling head-first into her chest and taking her straight to the ground. She yelped and dug her claws into the earth, easily turning herself upright before growling and snapping angrily at my savior.

Christ, but this one was huge. Far bigger than the she-wolf and more broadly built, with fur that practically blended into the night itself. His ears pointed upright alongside his stance, teeth bared as he postured over her. Shoulders hunched, the she-wolf tried darting past him, only for him to slam once more directly into her chest. The tearing of skin caused me to wince, a spray of blood splattering the grass beside me as the larger werewolf staggered back. He let out a snarling howl, filling the forest with more glowing eyes than I ever wanted to think about. The she-wolf snapped angrily, dropping to all fours while slinking away from us. Eventually, she backpedaled and ran toward the younger wolf, tugging at his side as the two vanished into the brush.

My vision started swirling as the larger wolf turned my way. Panic tightened against my chest, black spots appearing with each step he took closer my way. The back of my head was really starting to ache now; I could’ve sworn I heard birds chirping in the forest.

“At… at this time of night…?”

The werewolf tilted his head, getting down on all fours so we were eye to eye. There was more than just intensity, something beyond an animal instinct and self-preservation. Genuine intelligence shone beneath, as if he was aware who I was and how lost I’d become.

The chirrup of birds grew louder, swirling with the distant howls as the black wolf’s form shifted and blurred. I blinked furiously, trying to catch the face that appeared through the swirling haze.

But the image had been replaced entirely with my room’s ceiling as daylight streamed in through the curtains.

Chapter Nine

I

wasn’t the type to remember my dreams. I was pretty sure I’d lost the ability to do so after elementary school, but as I sat in bed, neatly tucked in and head coming out of the fog of sleep, I could remember every detail of what just happened. I rolled with a sleepy groan, fumbling for my phone to turn off my chirruping bird alarm. As my blankets shifted, I realized I was still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. Same jeans, same long-sleeve; my jacket was even draped over my desk chair, neatly folded with a few spots of blood on the outside.

“What the…?” I pushed myself up against my pillows, quickly checking my screen. Tuesday, seven in the morning… then, it was the next day? “What the heck happened yesterday, then?”

I swung my feet over the edge of my bed, letting out another yawn while going to rub my eyes.

“Ouch.” I grimaced, rolling my sleeve back to reveal a few bandages covering up the length of my wrist. Memories of the festival came racing back, of Aiden rushing toward one of the food booths to grab me some band-aids. “So, that part was real…”

I groaned, running my hands through my hair. The wolf part had to be a dream, then. Maybe I was just spacing out near the end, or I passed out from the scratches? They were admittedly pretty deep, deeper than I’d expect from someone’s fingernails.

“Still more believable than seeing werewolves,” I scoffed, finally dragging myself out of bed.

Just as I pulled a sweater and some leggings on, a knock came at my door. “Hey, sweetheart! Just checking to see if you’re up,” my dad called.

“Yeah, I’m up,” I said, fitting my head through the sweater’s neck. Then, a thought popped into my head. “Hey, Dad? You remember me asking to go that harvest festival thing yesterday?”

There was a pause, as if my dad was considering the question. “Did something happen there?”

The dream of wolves briefly flashed across my memory. “Uh, no. I mean, Aiden accidentally scratched me, but—”

A sigh of relief slipped out from my dad. “Is that why you sound so worried? I checked those scratches yesterday, sweetheart. You’ll be just fine, unless something looks different about them?”

I quickly rolled up my sleeve, peeling back one band-aid to take a look. “No, they look fine,” I said. “I guess I’m just a bit… hazy.”