Yours Forever

Chapter 3

It wasn't until nearly eight o'clock when she finally got Charlie to fall asleep.

Eva hugged the storybook to her chest and closed her eyes. Exhaustion ran through her whole entire body. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep here next to Charlie and stay asleep for years and years.

But she couldn't.

Reluctantly, Eva slid off of Charlie's rickety old bed they'd gotten at a garage sale and quietly tiptoed to the door. She whispered a quick goodnight to the little sleeping boy and flicked off the lights.

It was getting dark outside—the wondrous darkness that the beast inside her coveted so much. The wolf wanted nothing more than to run amuck in the forest, leaving her scent anywhere and everywhere to show the rest of her kind in this territory that this secluded area was nobody's butchers. The itch to let out the wolf was something fierce. It had been at least a week now since she'd last had the chance to be free, and Eva didn't know how much longer she'd be able to keep the other half of her subdued.

After grabbing and heating up a little cup of Easy Mac in the microwave, Eva headed off to her bedroom to get started on her numerous homework assignments.

With an exasperated sigh, she sat down on her bedroom floor and scattered her homework out around her. She got to work, even though the entire time her brain protested.

Hours and numerous homework assignments later, Eva dropped her Pre-Calculus book to the cluttered floor. She needed to cool down. Her brain just couldn't do any more. The wheels in her head were squeaking and smoking from too much use.

Eva got up slowly, her bones creaking and her muscles complaining. Running a hand through her hair, she grabbed a towel from the hallway closet and headed off downstairs to the only bathroom their home contained.

She slipped into the shower, cranking the heat up almost to unbearable levels. As a wolf, her body automatically ran at a temperature higher than normal. Unlike most wolves, Eva always had this natural draw to anything warm. Her favorite season was summer and truth be told, if she could live in a world where summer was the only season, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

Eva stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel tight to her body. Her long hair dripped water down onto the tile as she looked into the old mirror. Her own pretty face stared back at her. Her normally reddish auburn hair matted to her head and wet strands of it hung down to her mid back.

Eva held some of that natural beauty often instilled in her kind. In her opinion she didn't have much, but it still was a bit more than what some others had been gifted with. Her green eyes stood out through the steam in the bathroom. They were the first thing most people noticed after her hair. She had somewhat prominent cheekbones, but her nose didn't quite fit her face and her pores always looked like craters.

There were some girls in her pack that could make every single guy stop and look just by entering the room. She'd seen it happen before. Most girls of her kind often had the potential to become models, celebrities, and actresses if they really wanted to.

At one point in her life, Eva treasured her average looks. It made it easy for her to blend in amongst the humans, unlike all the other wolves whose beauty and graceful stance stood out. But in her world, the one filled with werewolves—the one that actually counted—she was the one who stood out. Almost painfully, her fair skin, medium height, and scattering of freckles along her nose made her the laughingstock of the pack. The Omega status didn't help either.

"Come on, Eva, suck it up," she told herself, and ran her fingers through her hair.

She scrambled through her drawers searching for something clean to wear for bed. After she'd pretty much uprooted her entire drawer, she finally found a clean shirt. Granted, it had a few small holes in it, but nonetheless, it was clean.

It was hard to find a shirt of hers without holes and tears in it these days.

She threw on the t-shirt and a pair of plain grey sweats and headed back off to her room to attempt her homework again. Her stomach was growling from lack of food, but there wasn't much she could get from the kitchen. Anything in the fridge Charlie would need for breakfast tomorrow. Charlie needed the food more than she did.

***

Her alarm clock read 12:30 when she heard it.

Eva looked up from her homework, c*****g her head slightly at a sound. There it was again. A creak of the front porch.

She hopped up, forgetting all about her homework and grabbing the bat by her bed. It was heavy in her hand. The weight of it relieved her slightly, making her more brave and ready to face whatever or whoever dared to try and mess with their family again.

She crept down the stairs, bat poised at the ready. Her mind whirled with the possibilities. Would they paintball their house again? Were they going to leave a decaying carcass at their doorstep? Did they have the gall to come in wolf form and try to attack?

Or worse—was it a rogue? Was Eva going to have to go through the Change in order to protect her foster brother and her foster family's home?

With her enhanced senses, Eva could hear footsteps on her porch. Two sets. She brought the bat further behind her head, her other arm slowly reaching to turn the knob.

The door swept open. Eva couldn't help but let out a soft shriek. Against all her training, she squeezed her eyes closed and swung.

The bat stopped abruptly, making contact. Eva opened her eyes, taking in the two forms standing in her doorway.

"Is this how you welcome us home, Evabear?" a deep voice asked, laced with amusement.

As if a huge weight were taken from her, Eva dropped her shoulders with a relieved sigh. Her heart beat started to calm. "You scared me," she said weakly. "Next time you come home this late, you might want to give me a warning so I know it's you."

"Aww, but where's the fun in that, Evabear?" Cole said as he dropped his hold on the bat and flicked on the nearest light.

Eva's adopted parents came into clearer view, their hospital scrubs a bit dirty from the trek home. Cole and Marie stood by their front door, staring at their daughter as if they'd never seen her before. Eva knew for a fact they've never seen her like this before. So stressed and at her wit's end.

Marie stepped closer to Eva, catching Eva's cheek in her palm. "Are you okay, honey? You were clutching that bat like you were ready to take out an army."

"I'm okay, Marie."

Cole peered at his daughter. "You sure, Evabear? You're looking a bit paler than usual. I didn't think that was possible."

Eva snorted very unattractively. "Ha. You're so funny, Cole."

"You know, I've been home two minutes now and I've yet to get a hug from my favorite girl." His eyes squinted at the corners as he smiled down at Eva.

Eva immediately stepped forward into Cole's hug, allowing his warmth to flow into her. She wrapped her arms around his middle, holding onto him a bit tight. Cole fit her head under his chin as he hugged her. His natural scent soothed Eva's nerves.

He always reminded her of home.