Unknown Wolf

Bumps in the Night

I did as I was told and went on to bed, forgetting entirely about food. The look on my father's face was so unsettling for me, and I regretted even asking him what happened to my mother. It seemed that with just a question, he had been swept away right back to that awful moment, and I felt guilty that it had been me to put him there in that nightmare. I could only hope that my aunt and uncle could help settle him.

I went into my bathroom, staring into the giant mirror. Throwing my hair up into a messy bun, I washed my face in a trance. Then, I patted it dry with the hand towel. I looked up to stare again at myself. I was slowly changing over the last few months. My body looked to have more tone, and I seemed to have gained some slight muscle to my arms and legs. At least they didn't look like thin twigs anymore, easily snapped in half. I looked more grown and stronger. Before, I thought of myself as a pale weakling of a girl, but even my skin seemed to have changed and gained a glow.

I shook my head and continued my nightly routine by brushing my teeth. Once I had finished, I got into my pajamas and snuggled into bed curling up in the blankets. It wasn't long before I was long gone into another dream.

*****

I was outside in the garden with two large wolves. I seemed to be very young, only about 5 or maybe 6. I felt happy and playful seeing the two wolves dancing around me, playing themselves. One was my father's black wolf, young and tall. His wolf didn't have the white streak on its forehead as I figured at this time his hair wouldn't either.

He leaped and bounced playfully towards the second wolf, smiling before licking her face and then nuzzling her. I felt love and contentment flowing off him. The other wolf must have been my mother's wolf. I stared at her, taking it all in. She was smaller than my father's, and even in her wolf form beyond beautiful.

Her green eyes were literally glowing as they looked at my father full of love. She adored him. You could see it without a doubt, and you could feel their love engulf you while in the presence of it. Her wolf was blonde. Golden hair dripping off her like honey. Around her eyes, muzzle, chest, and along the bottom of her large tail was a soft cream color to accent the gold. I couldn't help but stare at her beauty. Never had I seen a wolf with that coloring.

They both ran towards me and began to rub their heads into my sides and face with love. My mother's warmth came off her in waves, and my father seemed full of pride. I ran my small hands through their fur in awe and amazement. My mother, in turn, licked my cheek, and I giggled. I felt happiness wash over me at that moment, and my father smiled at us. His two favorite people in the world right there with him.

His smile was short-lived as we began to hear howling from the distance. His stance changed as he crouched down, ready to pounce, and he let out a low but threatening growl. He seemed to push us back with his body as if to protect us. My mother had fear running through her as she looked at me. She lowered her neck, swooping me up onto her back where I latched on to the mane of neck hair, and laid low to her body halfway hidden by her fur.

My father ran forward towards the howls and the ominous enemy that lay ahead. My mother took me towards the manor, but there seemed to be another fight going on there, so she turned off to lead me away. One of the other wolves spotted her and followed suit. This didn't go unnoticed by her, and she pushed herself harder, running as fast as her paws would allow.

She stopped and pushed me into a thick bush, rubbing her scent all over me as if to mask mine. She looked at me, and in my mind, I heard her tell me to stay hidden no matter what. I nodded. She stepped away from the bushes to position herself and stood crouched. Ready to attack.

After a minute, a large wolf as big as my father's slowly advanced towards her stopping a few feet off from her. He was mainly a dark grey color with black over his back in a thick stripe, and half of his face was black. He leered at her, smiling almost in triumph even though he had yet to win. His eyes glowed orange through the dark of the forest.

I closed my eyes in fear and curled into a ball on the floor of the forest. I heard the snarls and growls as they began to fight, and then it ended with a heartbreaking whine followed by a whimper. I opened my eyes to see my mother lying on the ground in blood. The other wolf seemed to laugh at her broken body. Then he smelled the air slightly and stared at the bushes curiously. He began to stalk closer to me when a loud howl erupted through the forest.

I screamed and fell out of my bed in a thud, awaking me with a start. Suddenly, my bedroom door flew open, almost ripping it from the hinges, and two large men stood just inside the doorway searching for a threat. I froze. The first one seemed to take in the situation with a serious, no-nonsense tone about him. He looked at me sternly as I lay on the floor.

I slowly started to move, "It was just a dream, and I fell." My hand slightly raised to show I was alright. I knew at once this must have been the guard my father warned me about. Alerted to danger by my scream.

The second man seemed to be a bit younger, and he turned his head from me, his cheeks red even in the dark as he looked intently at the wall. I looked at myself to see the blankets twisted around my feet. My pajama shorts were an emerald green colored silk with black lace around the bottom and had rose up a bit in my struggle, showing a substantial amount of leg. I had a small matching lacey silk tank top on. It was low at my chest, showing a lot of cleavage and clung tight to my body. I quickly readjusted and pulled the sheets up to cover my revealing clothes. My hair had come loose from the bun I had in earlier and hung down in waves.

The first guard came forward, taking my hand and helping me up, staying professional as I held the sheets to my chest. He had warm brown eyes that stayed locked on mine, never looking at my body out of respect.

"Sorry for startling you, princess. We will return to our posts," he said gently and turned to leave with the other guard. I was pretty sure he smacked the crap out of the back of the other guards head while leaving. He turned back only as he shut the door, nodding with a slight smile on his face.

I stood there for a minute, taking it all in. The dream, the guards, everything as I let it all settle in my mind. I grabbed a robe from the closet, putting it on and tying it tightly around the waist. I proceeded to go out on the balcony for some fresh air. I knew by now my father probably had more guards below my balcony and out through the gardens and grounds, but I didn't care. I stood at the railing staring at the moon. It hung high above the trees full and looking glorious. Tears streamed down my cheeks softly without a sound. I knew the dream had been more than that. It had been a partial memory stirred up from the previous evening's events.

*******

I tried to fall back to sleep, but it seemed hopeless as I tossed and turned, having a more defined idea of what my father was scared would happen to me. I knew he feared the past would repeat itself with me, and even I didn't think he would make it through that loss. Finally, towards the early morning hours, I drifted off again.

Something inside me seemed to be calling out. I stood in the middle of a fog darkness around me. I looked around in confusion. Something inside me clawed to be released. It howled in frustration. Soon, the howls seemed to echo around the darkness I stood in the middle of. It sounded like a wolf desperate to be free. Then it dawned on me it was my wolf, and I called out to her.

I wolflike figure ran towards me, but I could not make out exactly what she looked like or her coloring. Her two large green eyes, my two large green eyes, glowed back at me from the darkness, and I finally heard her voice.

"We will not endure the same fate. We are stronger. I can feel it running through our veins. We will succeed."

"Succeed in what?" I questioned

She smiled back at me but didn't answer. Slowly, she began to back away into the darkness, which she came from the depths inside me.

"Wait, you can't go!" I cried out

"I'll be back when it's time," she stated

"What do I call you?"

"Sesi..." echoed back, and with that, she was gone back to which she had come.

My alarm was blaring, and I groaned as I shifted in the bed. Slowly, making it out of bed to head to the bathroom for a hot shower. I let the steaming hot water hit me as I stood there. I felt more at ease knowing my wolf was in there, and she was gaining strength biding her time. I knew she was waiting until our first shift to reveal herself fully.

I finished getting ready for the day dressed in a sleeveless maroon blouse that fit seamlessly over me hugging my chest and torso, and light tan, straight legged slacks with a slim brown belt pulled through and around my waist. My hair was tied up in a high ponytail with golden curls hanging down my back. I sat to pull on a pair of brown ankle boots and just raised up to stand again when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I responded, and the guard from last night with warm brown eyes slowly entered.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Your Highness," he announced, "Your father has requested an audience with you this morning in his study."

Seemly, out of respect, he bowed his head to me after speaking. He was handsome with chocolate brown hair to match his eyes and strong features. If I had to guess his age, I would have said he was around his mid-twenties. I had gotten better at guessing wolf ages over the last couple of months, which was harder than humans as they age a lot slower and seem always to look young.

"Alright," I responded and walked forward to the door. He held it open for me and followed me out. I sighed softly as he and the other guard followed me through the hall, flanking me from behind. It was definitely something I was not used to, and put me on edge a bit to have someone hovering.

Reaching the office door, I went to grab the handle, but the second guard from last night quickly whipped around and opened it for me. He also had brown hair and golden eyes. They must have been brothers they looked so much alike. I know he was just trying to be polite, but I couldn't help from pursing my lips in annoyance. He raised his eyebrows and stood back. They were both tall like my father, and the other one tried to hide a slight smile as the younger guard looked toward him.

I passed through to meet my father in the office. My father looked up at my entrance, and he waved the two men out to guard the door. I know they would still be able to hear everything from outside the closed door with their wolf hearing.

I looked at my father as he stared at a mountain of paperwork on his desk before I firmly stated, "Is all this truly necessary? I'm not feeble or infirm. I'm perfectly capable of walking these halls alone."

I couldn't hide the annoyance in my tone, and my father looked up at me amused.

"I told you that was a stipulation of our agreement, and though I know you are a capable young woman, you will have to endure a guard. Wesley and Jordan Hart are brothers and two of our best warriors, and like I said last night, it will give me peace of mind that you aren't alone. News of your existence will spread like wildfire with gossip and put you at higher risk."

"Well then, seeing as they are such good warriors, I'm sure they would prefer to be in the midst of the action rather than on some babysitting assignment," I rolled my eyes at him involuntarily

He huffed and replied, "It isn't their choice or yours. I have commanded it, and so it will be."

There was no room to agrue with that, for he was the king after all. I stood there quietly, awaiting his next move with disdain clearly plastered on my face. He sighed.

"For having a daughter that looks so much like her mother it is unsettling to see my stubbornness and unruliness come from her instead of your mother's warmth," he shook his head still staring at me in wonder. "Your aunt has set your party for your birthday in December. I'm adding dancing lessons to your schedule as well as you will need it. If you are truly like me, you won't want any kind of situation to arise embarrassment, and you will want to be fully prepared for the event. She is also having a dress made especially for you. Every Alpha, Luna, Beta, and their families or sorted guests are invited to attend, and I suspect it will be a large acceptance as everyone will be curious to see my heir." My eyes widened, taking in the enormity of the event. He continued by softly smiling at me, "You will be fine. I do have faith in you as you are me."

I could hear the pride in his voice, and I felt warmth inside. I loved my father no matter his flaws, and I knew that he loved me. All I wanted out of this was to make him proud and continue to see him smile.

"There will be an immense amount of security at this event, and you are not to wonder off or leave the presence of your guard. Are we at an understanding?" He raised an eyebrow at me in question.

"Yes, sir," I replied in a sigh.

"King Roland and his sons will be in attendance with a small company," he carried on with a tone. "As we are currently on neutral terms for the time being, it is only expected I invite them or cause an offense. Their presence makes it even more important that you follow these rules for your safety. We do not trust them and never give them an opening to do something."

He finished in a serious tone with a warning in his eyes. I know what that information was doing to him and the fear he was trying to cover up stemming from the knowledge of them being anywhere near me.

"Yes, sir," I stated firmly, wanting him to feel sure in the fact that I wouldn't do anything in that situation to cause him grief.

"Alright, you may carry on to breakfast and your classes. I have plenty of work here to keep me busy." He waved me on to leave him, and I nodded before walking out.

Closing the door and turning to come face to face with Wesley and Jordan standing at the ready to follow me on. Jordan, the younger of the two, stood unsure of my take on him. He remained silent with his face neutral as he stared anywhere but at me.

Wesley was more sure of himself and his stance. I knew they had heard everything that transpired between my father and I. He stood there staring straight at me with slight entertainment in his eyes. His lips lightly curling into that smug smile of his, I was already finding annoying.

I narrowed my eyes at him and saw his eyebrows ever so slightly raise as his brothers had before in the door incident, but Wesley's was more in amusement at my annoyance than the uncertainty his brother had felt. I rolled my eyes at him and continued on my way.