The Lost Wolf

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

    I was furious. Absolutely livid. I got to school this morning with rumors spreading like wild fire. According to rumors, things with Tyler and me have never been better. According to the rumors “I love you’s” we’re exchanged and we were planning on going to college together and getting our own apartment off campus. I was bombarded with girls telling me how lucky I was and boys patting Tyler on the back. None of that had happened. Well, except for the “I love you” and it was not reciprocated by me. Taylor cornered me in English class and demanded I give her every detail of how her brother swept me off my feet. How ever did he get me to agree to move in with him? Well, Taylor. He’s a liar! That’s what I wanted to scream at her, at everyone but I didn’t get a chance to before Mrs. Jarvis started her lecture. 

    The worst part of all of this is that Carter sat in front of me and listened to every word. He stayed slumped over in his seat and reacted to nothing. Not my playful tugs on his hair or pokes with the butt end of my pencil. Not my whispered pleas to to talk to me. Nothing. When the bell rang to end class I gathered my books as fast as I could but he was already walking out of the classroom. Taylor chased me, asking about the details of my night but I ignored her and ran after Carter. However, when I stepped out of the emptying classroom and into the hallway he had all but vanished. I gave up and headed to my next class, making a mental note to text him later. It REALLY wasn’t what it sounded like.

    Tyler avoided me for the rest of the day. Either he knew I was furious or we just happened to never be at the same place at the same time but I’m guessing it was the latter. He wasn’t even in the cafeteria at lunch. Not that I stayed long, between the prying questions and suggestive looks from other girls I decided to hide in the bathroom during lunch. I needed to talk to Tyler, or yell at him before I exploded. I tried to set everyone straight and tell them that’s not how it went at all but they wouldn’t hear it. I was “being modest” or “too shy”. “She doesn’t kiss and tell.” It was absolutely the  most frustrating day of my life. I felt like I was drowning and no one would hear me. 

    Tyler can’t outrun me forever and I need to set this straight. Today. I was not going to let the day pass without everyone knowing the truth. I looked up at the clock in the hallway and noticed that he had football practice in 15 minutes and decided that was my final move. He was going to stop this madness. I went to my locker and grabbed everything I would need for my homework this weekend and took it to my car, then walked with determination to the football field. 

    The team was already lined up on one side of the football field preforming warm up exercises and drills, running from one side of the field to the other. The air was hot as I made my way down the bleachers and the sun seemed to be particularly bright. I had to shield my eyes as I stepped. The boys on team started yelling and smacking Tyler on the back as soon as my feet left the last metal step and hit the turf of the football field. Carter, didn’t join in on the fun though. He stood away from the cat calling group with a scowl on his face. My head started to  prickle. I was unsure if it was my weird headaches or the incredibly bright sun. Either way, I ignored it and kept marching. I was on a mission and I needed it to be a success. 

    About halfway to the team Tyler started to jog towards me, realizing that I was not going to stand for the lies and no doubt did he not want his cover blown. My head was punching me like an MMA fighter on steroids with every step. Seconds before Tyler reached me a bomb went off in my brain. It felt like it exploded from the inside. I saw nothing but white light and stars, and pain. I felt excruciating pain that dropped me to my knees. Grabbing a hold of my head, I screamed. 

    Carter was beside me in an instant. I couldn’t see him for the sun and the pain. I couldn’t focus but I knew he was there because even though I was hurting, I wasn’t scared. 

    “Someone call an ambulance!” 

    “Don’t f*****g touch her!”

    “You’re going to back away RIGHT NOW unless you want me to RIP your f*****g head off!”  

    The voices were so jumbled I had no idea which one belonged to who but when I felt myself being lifted and carried away, I knew exactly who had won the battle. Carter’s voice soothed in my ear and his quickened heart beat was in tune with mine as he ran. He placed me gently in his car and put his hand on my thigh as my head boomed in turmoil and needle pricks started making their way through my scalp. It felt like they were literally piercing my skull. 

CRACK!

    I screamed again as my left arm broke and twisted at the elbow to rearrange itself. Then I realized what was happening and it made absolutely no sense. My birthday was still a week away. This was all happening too early and during the day. How was this possible? There was no time to think about it because a second later all ten of my fingers were being broken and reset. 

    The car jerked to a halt and a moment later I was back in Carter’s arms. He held me for what seemed like hours as I cried and screamed at the top of my lungs. My bones broke and twisted and changed places. I hurt in areas that I didn’t know could cause pain at all. My teeth elongated into fangs, my spine bent and twisted into a tail, my jaw grew longer and my legs shorter, then broken at odd angles. I prayed to pass out. To be knocked unconscious so I wouldn’t have to feel anymore but I felt every second. My body grew exhausted from the transformation. So exhausted that I didn’t even notice when the pain stopped. I just curled up, in Carter’s lap and let him soothe me as I fell into a deep sleep. 

    When I awoke the sun was over the horizon, displaying the most beautiful sunset. It all felt like a bad dream. Carter was no longer holding me and I lay in front of London Lake. Maybe it was all in my head. I stretched my body and tried to stand but for some reason it wasn’t exactly working. I looked around at the beautiful forest scenery and tried again. Putting my hands on the ground first, slowly, I got on all fours. I looked down at the dirt, to brace myself for standing when I realized that my hands were not my hands. Underneath me, holding up my body were two, huge, strawberry blond colored paws. Lifting one of them, I admired it in awe. I AM a wolf. 

    Slowly taking one step forward, and another I made it to the edge of the lake. Looking in the clear water I could make out my reflection. My wolf fur was the same color as my human hair, my eyes were the same, too. I was huge. Not as big as Carter in his wolf form but most definitely bigger than the average wolf. I closed my eyes and focused on my new body. How it felt, how the wolf looked, how the air smelled. What WAS that smell? Raising my muzzle to sniff the air, I’ve never smelt anything so enticing but yet something I couldn’t place. I reminded me of having a full house at Christmas time, fire place on blast and lots of laughter. It reminded me of home. When I turned around to investigate this delicious scent and opened my eyes, they immediately locked with a pair of golden yellow ones. Mate.