Scratched: The White Wolf

Chapter 3

Her house is a couple of blocks from the hospital on the border of the town and at the foot of one of the mountains that surrounds the small little town. It’s a small narrow double-story home with a dark green door, a small porch and a lawn that has died from the winter weather. Inside, there were still unpacked boxes standing around in the living room that she tried to cover with some tablecloths to try and make them less obvious. There are no photographs or art anywhere to be seen except for a large clock against the wall that also shows the moon sycles and day of month.

“So you, and your... “Logan bites his lip. He is not sure how to complete the sentence and doesn’t want to seem nosy.

“Ah, sister!” She replies. She can see he feels awkward and out of his comfort zone. He gives her an awkward smile, and scratches his head, almost too obviously.

After making them each a cup of coffee, she asks him to join her in the living room.

“So, I told you I would tell you why I wanted you to check yourself out of the hospital, and keep our little secret about the wolves.”

Logan can see she is very nervous and she keeps track of time on her wrist watch and the clock hanging at her side.

“Well, I was actually hoping that my sister was here to help me explain the situation, but yea she is not one for keeping time. Okay, well you know those two wolves that attacked you last night. They were not regular wolves.” she frowns and looks up to the ceiling as if the words she is looking for would come from it.

With a loud bang, the front door flies open “I’m here, I’m so sorry I’m late, s**t; is he here?”

A young woman burst into the living room. Her long strawberry blond curly hair stands in all directions like she went through a tornado to get there, or she has just woken up. When Logan looks up into her grassy green eyes, it feels to him like something inside him is shaking him, causing him to lose his breath for a moment. Just looking at her, he already feels like he knows and trusts her. This was very strange for him, since he trusted no one. Everyone that he had trusted in the past had hurt him or abandoned him, so he shut that door on those emotions.

“Hi, I’m Alex” she stands in front of him with her hand stretched out to greet him.

“Logan, Logan Buchner.” He took her hand, in his, there was some sort of familiarity about her, even though it was the first time his eyes fell upon her.

Alex looks over to Jen with one eyebrow bowed, “so, what did you tell him?”

“I was just starting when you went all Alexa on the front door.” Jennifer started to laugh again.

Alex turns blood red in her face, “Oh, I see, sorry, sorry!” she puts her palms together and bows like a Japanese would.

Logan couldn’t help but to smile at the energetic young woman in front of him who couldn’t seem to stand still for one moment.

“How many coffees did you have this morning?”

“None, but that is a very good suggestion!” she answered Logan, looking at the coffee mug next to him.

“Sorry don’t mind her, she is a bit wacky sometimes.” Jennifer tries to explain while twirling her finger in circles around her hear and forcing her eyes to look crossed-eyed.

“So what do you remember about last night; you know what happened?”

For a moment, the images come flashing back to him, but this time it’s different. He can remember more clearly, and see the images vividly.

“I drove. I took my eyes off the road for a second and then a big black wolf ran across the road. I tried to swerve out and lost control, then the wolf tried to attack me and another wolf came from behind...”

Alex holds her mug in front of her in anticipation of Logan's next words.

Suddenly, it feels to Logan like his chest is closing up, his breathing becomes shallow and rapid and he starts to turn red in his face with vein popping out of his forehead.

“His having a panic attack, bring me a paper bag from the kitchen!” Jennifer calls out to her sister.

After breathing into the bag for a couple of minutes, Logan falls backward onto the sofa he was sitting on. This was his first time something ever like this happened to him. Alex takes a seat next to him on the sofa and takes his hands in hers.

“Logan, I need you to stay calm and finish your story.”

As soon as her skin hits his, he feels calm and his whole body starts to relax.

“The second wolf that appeared at first I thought it was going to attack me and rip out my throat, but it just pressed me down into the road, pinning me there.”

“She did it to protect you. You see if you ran away it would have made it easier for the black wolf to run you down and attack and kill you. The only way that she could protect you is if you were in a controllable environment.”

“Wait, how do you know that and how do you know it’s a she?”

Alex looks up at Jen and then back at Logan. Logan could feel a slight tremble in her hand. “Because it was me!”

Logan gazed into her face, the face that was full of energy and emotions went into a serious expressionless state.

“You’re kidding? Right?”

“No, she is not!”

Logan nods his head from side to side while trying to sit straight up. Something pulls his eyes towards her again and her eyes change from a grassy green to a bright yellow and then slowly morph to a deep orange.

“Holly, s**t!” Logan shouts out. He tries to get away from her but she does not let go of his hand. It doesn’t matter how hard he pulls, she doesn’t release it.

“Please, calm down, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Jennifer moves in to his other side with a injection in her hand.

"What's that?"

"Just something that will make you calm if you don't want to cooperate."

Logan immediately sits still with eyes as big as saucers.

His eyes wandered between the two sisters, not knowing what to expect next.

“That was the only way I, or we could defend you against Smoke.”

“The black wolf has a name?”

“Yes, it’s our alpha’s inner wolf.”

“Well, tell your alpha he sucks!” Logan hisses towards her.

“I have a couple of better names for him but, yea,” Jennifer says from behind him.

Alex puts her palm over her heart and her eyes turn soft. “But there is more! You need to know, we never wanted to hurt you last night, we never mend for our claws to cut into your chest.”

Logan nods his head fast up and down. “Don’t worry about it, it’s almost completely healed. So no harm, no foul. Can I go now?”

“That is the problem. If you didn’t heal this quickly then we wont be sitting here. You see I infected you last night.”

“Infect me with what?”

“Werewolf venom” Alex’s voice disappears and breaks for a moment as she says it. It struck her just as hard hearing her say it out loud.

Logan sits and stares out in front of him, trying to put the puzzle pieces together in his mind.

“You know you cannot tell anyone, right?”

“So what you are telling me is, I’m a werewolf?”

“The transition is not complete, but yea, you will become a werewolf. I’m sorry to have brought this on you! But know I will be here to help you through everything that is going to happen to you. Some of it is going to be great but some of it not that much.”

“Don’t make promises you cannot keep!” Lagan's face turns emotionless for a moment.

The two sisters stare at each other before looking back at him.

"I know you don't know us and have no reason to trust or believe us but give us a fair try before deciding not to let us help you. You cannot do this on your own." Alex looks at him and Logan's heart melts like butter in a hot pan.

Logan sighs and takes a moment. “Wait you said we! What did you mean by we because belief me the black wolf's intentions were not as clear or, he did not get the memo?”

“Me and my wolf Scarlet, she is my inner wolf. We all meet our wolves the first time we turn, just like you will the first time you turn.”

“Let me guess; at the next full moon?”

“Yes, tomorrow night!”

Logan leaves the two girls and walks home. He still can’t believe what they told him and he still tries to make heads or tales from it. Can it be true? All he knows is that something feels different.

The wind blowing through his short brown hair, he could smell the fine scent of pine in it. His senses feel heightened, but not only that, something about him feels different.

“Where have you been? I have been worried sick about you!” are the first words Diane says to him, walking into the house. “The hospital phoned saying you had discharged yourself, what were you thinking?”

“I felt fine so there was no need to stay there”

“No need, no need. I hope you know the sheriff is also looking for you, and you know you are not one of her favorite people, with your history. So go change and phone her for heaven’s sake!”

Then Dian’s phone started playing a tune and she swiped the screen to answer it.

“Hi”

“Did you find Logan?”

“Yes, he just walked in.”

“Okay thank you, please tell him to phone me or come see me.”

“Okay, bye.”

Dian’s big dark brown eyes looked up at Logan just standing there in the doorway. “Noah …”

Logan turns around and starts walking away, “You can tell Noah to go screw himself.”

Even after a shower, Logan can still smell the hospital on himself. Is this a wolf thing; or am I imagining myself? He asks himself, wiping the fog from the icy cold mirror. For some reason, the image staring back at him in the mirror seems different, like someone he doesn’t know is staring back at him. He remembers when he was smaller and compares his face to the one he is seeing now. Did he really change this much? Removing the big dressing from his chest reveals an almost completely healed wound, but he decides to put it back just in case someone curiously asks about it.

As he gets out of the bathroom, he can hear a knock on the door. Even before he opens it, he knows who it is. He could smell the faint smell of sweat and gun oil.

“Good morning, sheriff!” he says with a smirk, swinging the door open.

“Logan, you look much better than you looked last night. I just came by to tell you that you can come and collect your insurance affidavit from the sheriff’s offices later today. Your blood work came back negative for alcohol, so there will be no further investigation.” The sheriff almost looked disappointed telling him this.

“Thank you sheriff!” came Dian’s voice from behind Logan.

Diane pulls Logan out of the way and walks with the sheriff back to her vehicle. She knows it’s best not to invite her in, it just might cause more friction between her and Logan.