Breaking Chains

My Life

I entered the study hand in hand with Aaron. I was grateful that he was there with me. I don't think I could get these answers without his support. "Ah, Michelle, thank you for joining us. Please take a seat. As promised, we are here to give you any and all answers you may have." said Matthew, as we took a seat on the sofa. Lana poured us all cups of tea and then settled in next to Matthew. "First question, why am I here?" "That's an easy one. You are here because you are one of us. This was your home when you were young. Before the attack that killed your parents and you were lost to us." " What attack?" "Before we answer that question, you need to know something about us." Before I could ask what it was I needed to know, Aaron stood up and looked at me and winked. He then went to stand next to his mother and father in front of the study door. What happened then I really didn't believe. One minute, I had 3 people standing in front of me and in the blink of an eye I was staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at 3 HUGE wolves! From where they were standing I was able to figure out who was who. On the far right was Aaron. He was a tawny golden color with bright amber eyes. His massive head was as tall as the antique stand lamp in the corner of the room. He smelled like fresh cut grass in the summer. Wait what? How could I smell that? To the far left was Matthew. His wolf was just as massive as Aaron's and a jet black color that matched his hair with bright blue eyes. And last but not least was Lana in the middle. Her wolf was half as large as the guy's and a soft silver color with bright green eyes like mine. Then the realization that I was in a room with three werewolves hit me and I felt myself slowly losing consciousness. Aaron dashed to my side with unimaginable speed and draped me over his broad back. As I lay there listening to his breathing I could feel my nerves calming and found my voice again. "So you are all werewolves then? And following that reasoning, so am I since you said this was my home when I was young." I felt a small presence in the back of my mind as I came to that conclusion and then heard a soft voice calling to me. Hello Michelle. My name is Aya. I am so glad to finally meet you! "What the hell!" I said out loud. Then I heard another voice in my head that sounded like Aaron but not. That's your wolf Michelle. I'm Damon, Aaron's wolf. Nice to meet you. Instead of saying what was in my head out loud, I tried to direct my thoughts to Damon. When I couldn't seem to do it, I heard another voice in my head. Just relax sweetie. Don't force it. I looked at Lana to see if she was the one who spoke to me. I saw her nod her head as if she understood what I was asking with my eyes and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and relaxed. I could feel the connection between our minds and reached out for it with all my heart. I found Damon and replied, It's nice to meet you too. We spent the better part of the day with the three of them in their wolf forms. I eventually climbed off of Aaron's back and settled down on the rug with him curled around me. As I sat there, we continued our mental conversation. I learned that my mother was Lana's older sister and my father was the Beta of the Crescent Forrest Pack. They had died during an attack by another pack looking to expand their territory. I had been lost in the chaos and picked up by the Alpha and taken away. Everything after that was what I had grown up knowing. Pain and misery. Finally, we got to the part of the story where I ended up here. Lana had picked up my wolf's presence a week ago while they were traveling and informed Matthew right away. Matthew immediately sprung into action and threatened the Alpha, my former master, til he agreed to let me go. There was no exchange of money for me or anything that I had thought of, just my real family coming to save me and bring me home. When we finally finished our conversation, I took a long breath and started to cry. Aaron curled himself even tighter around me and I could feel Damon trying to tell me something. What's up, Damon? Everything will be okay Michelle. You just need to take all this information in slowly and take time to process it. We are all terribly sorry that we didn't find you sooner, but the Crimson Duke hid your scent. We couldn't track you after you were taken over the pack borders. It's alright Damon. I am alright. I am just happy that I know where I am supposed to be now. I never once thought I had a family that loved me or a home.

I spent the next few days adjusting to my new surroundings and spending time with everyone in the pack house. Angela and I were hardly apart for most of the first 2 days. She helped me learn everyone's name and rank in the pack. We strolled through the rose gardens in the afternoon and on the second day she showed me her wolf, Selene. Selene is a smaller wolf with a sleek frame and is a mostly gray wolf with hints of black and tan throughout her coat. Her eyes are a jade green and smoke gray to match her coat. I can't wait to fully meet my wolf. Matthew says that I should be able to start shifting soon. We don't know why Aya was dormant all this time. Most wolves come of age at the ages of 16–18 years old. I'm almost 20 and haven't even shown signs of shifting. I didn't even know I was a wolf to begin with. Lana says my mother was a late bloomer too, but she was an extremely strong wolf when she finally was able to shift and control her emotions. Cylia has a theory that the reason I haven't shifted yet is just because I didn't know what I was and was never taught how. I think she may be onto something a bit there, but I feel like it is more of a genetic thing. Lana says shifting is about self recognition. Your wolf is an extension of you. It is the wild side. The side that holds all of your primal instincts and when you shift, it becomes a physical manifestation of your true power. All lycanthropes have a different shape, because that is what the Goddess chose for us. It is our destiny. We are her most precious children and therefore are gifted with abilities that normal humans are not. She will be giving me lessons on how I can reach my wolf and eventually be able to shift. For now, I occupy my time learning anything and everything I can. I was never sent to an actual school, so my education is lacking. I have picked my own special corner of the study to sit and read. It's a window seat that opens out to the gardens. I have taken to sitting there for 3–4 hours just reading and enjoying the sun. Little did I know that my little slice of heaven was about to be turned into a nightmare before too long.