Mistress of Blood and Fur

Chapter 9 - Wolf Girl

Grace

So, it’s like that. My wolf must have woken up. It’s snarky and seductive, but it doesn’t always rise. It’s making me think I’m just a human with super senses, with a brain that needs to get checked by a shrink - and soon!

“I arranged for this meeting, fellow wolves, because we have a few things to address,” Alpha Kele announces. Everyone looks a little surprised and confused, but Onyx and I have a great idea what this meeting will be about.

We are in the same hall where I met them all for the first time. I can feel everyone’s excitement, smell it in their sweat. Their chemistries are off, so different from that first night where everyone’s scent was at its most dominant. They were preening then, wanting to be noticed. Some were arrogant like Onyx. Tonight, fear is palpable and bouncing all around us scent wolves.

Justine’s eyes are wide. I can only imagine what she’s feeling, as she sees every micro-expression, every slight tremble. I try not to inhale more of the room’s mixed smells. I try to focus on Onyx, who’s chemistry managed to change from intimidating to comforting. He surprised me with his anxiety over what happened. I thought he would make fun of me, or ask for s****l favors, but he never did.

Two people smell a little differently - Carlotta and a boy my age, Sid. They don’t care as much. It’s possible they still don’t think this pack as their family, but surely they can senses everyone’s fear and that counts for something in a room full of fearless wolves.

“Is there something wrong?” Dash asks, worry etched on his face. He tries to counter his anxiety by placing his hands on his hips and raising his chin. Dominant. He’s not fooling most of us here. I can now see how it can be exhausting to live in Opium Hills where sense wolves thrive. To his benefit, Fox is, well, Fox. He pushes his glasses up and gets ready to listen. There’s some worry there, too, but is contained.

“You’ve been smelling everyone,” Onyx observes, chuckling softly.

“I - I’m sorry. I just have to. My family often represses our abilities. My father grew up under a dominant father, who repressed his wolf by giving him drugs.”

“Do you think that affected you somehow? That’s why you haven’t felt her before?” he asks, frowning. He looks like he really wants to know.

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s because I don’t like shifting.”

“You don’t like being a wolf,” he says. It’s not even a question. He simply understands.

“L-let’s listen to your dad.”

I’m trying to steer him away from my issues, and he gives me a nod. Then, he turns to focus on the announcements.

“ - visit from a couple of cops. They’re looking for a Rosamund Ewing. If you know anything about this, please tell us right away. No, that’s not an accusation. I simply mean that some of you have sharper ears than even the sharp wolf ears. We need to know as soon as possible.”

I think of the increased volume I experienced the night I was peeping on Justine and Logan. Am I gaining a new ability?

“The cops have never come to us for any kind of investigation,” one wolf yells to be heard. “Why are they starting now?”

“We need a witch-wolf hybrid who can glamor Opium Hills, make it less interesting. Domino did it for us for a time, but it was a favor. She didn’t really need to do it, but she volunteered, anyway. This little tidbit brings us to the next announcement. Domino and her lover Tamar will be coming over, staying with us for at least a few months. It’s just to show the police we also have some older women here, not just young women they probably think we’re exploiting.”

Murmurs of discontent erupt. I know what they’re feeling. I hear some complaining about how humans can never understand our lives, while others just want to get back to where they were - working normal jobs.

I glance at Onyx and see the muscle tic in his jaw. He doesn’t like it. I know he wanted out of here. That’s why I always felt like his courtship may be intense at times, but also often half-hearted. We are repressed wolves, the younger generations who want to be with humans. We no longer feel our mates even if they’re next to us. We no longer shout “Mate!” because we believe in freedom.

I do. My father went rogue because he didn’t like how his pack was being managed by his corrupt father. My mother, a hybrid, had always fought against the system - for the better, of course. I won’t let them down. I may be here for breeding, give my body up for the pack, but my mind and heart are my own.

“Okay, calm down, everybody. We are trying to preserve our traditions and heritage. Many of you are against it, I know. You’re individuals. I respect that. After the matches are made, the unmated ones will go back to the city. Some will help raise our population over here. We can spread out later on, mingle with others, but we only need to keep our blood alive.”

“We have three women,” one young wolf complains.

“It’s why we have six more coming in. Three are not sense wolves, but we need to start somewhere. It’s still better than mixing with humans. No, I’m not discriminating against them. We are simply preserving our own.”

Someone whistles. I hear whispers of speculation about the young women coming in. I feel some relief. I don’t like the pressure building around me, especially after Justine had gone through her mating ritual. Carlotta doesn’t seem like the settling side, but she can probably entertain a few young wolves.

It still doesn’t help that I’m the only scent female so far.

“You’re no longer alone, Grace,” the voice in my head reassures.

She doesn’t sound like me. She doesn’t sound like any of the women in my family. The women in my family are fighters. Great-Aunt Domino. My mother Riva. Her mother, and all the witches that came before them.

“Do you think I sound like a slut?”

“No,” I whisper.

“You okay?” Onyx asks. I’m not sure if I’m going to get used to this side of him. He’s still worried that I felt assaulted last night. More like assaulted by my senses. I squirm as I think of what happened between us. I can still feel his knowing fingers circling my c**t. How does he do not? How does he know my body better than I do? I haven’t exploded like that on my own, and I’m supposed to know myself, every little part of it.

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound okay.”

“I don’t think anyone will sound okay after this meeting.”

“Fair,” he agrees, nodding. His black eyes twinkle at me. I can’t help but smile back. How did I find him scary before?

Alpha Kele ends the meeting with a timeline. He says that Great Aunt Domino will be back soon, by next week. She and her companion will take residence in the main house. They will make a point of buying groceries for the pack every week. I know Fox will be disappointed. He loves that task. He’s probably wondering if he can still do the cooking. I once commented how I’m surprised he’s not a chef in the city. He said that would be a great thing to fall back on just in case he needs to leave Opium Hills.

The six new brides will be coming anytime soon. Some may come together, and others may come alone. Alpha Kele admits that he has just received some of the letters. He can’t believe that some packs are showing more interest in Opium Hills’ mission to keep its bloodline alive.

“More competition. More fun.”

I didn’t even notice that Carlotta managed to squeeze herself to Onyx’s other side. She shakes her head at me, a smirk on her face. I don’t know what she’s trying to do. I’m only here because of Great-Aunt Domino. I’m here to help, not to fight.

“We may make new friends,” I say, smiling at her as sweetly as I could. I hear Onyx’s choked laughter as Carlotta growls. She stalks out, seeing a group who can provide her with a better audience.

“I wish I can move you to my place,” Onyx says, looking down at me with heavy-lidded eyes. I feel something burn inside me. “But I can’t make decisions. You can. Your Great-Aunt has made sure of that.”

“I make decisions?” I scoff. I remember how I was pulled from my boring but safe existence. I miss my parents and my brothers. The ache is worse at nights when I’m lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I remind myself I’m trying to do something big like my parents did. I want to shout out “Save the Werewolves!” in the same way some people my age chant “Save the Whales!”

“Yes. Nobody can pick you as their mate. You choose.”

I peer at him and finally feel the power of this modern world. We’re no longer ruled by goddesses and other beings’ choices. Male or female, we are strong. We choose. But here, in Opium Hills, I get to choose my man. It’s so tempting to tell Onyx that I’m picking him right now. But I want human love, too. I want him to choose me with his actions first before I can make my decision.