Red Riding Hood's Mate

What the Wolf?

Today was Saturday and Papa said he wanted to take me to Grandma's whilst Mama stayed at home.

I grabbed my red riding hood and my bike.

"Amber, can we walk today?" Papa said calmly.

"Sure Papa." I said. I hoped he hadn't found out I had been visiting Grandma or going out with my friends after college.

"How's your first week at your new school been?" Papa asked. We've barely seen each other this week so it was good to catch up.

"I'm enjoying it. It is more work but I'm adjusting well. The lectures are interesting and the facilities are good, too," I said.

"I don't worry about your academics. You're an intelligent young woman. Are you making friends?" He asked. I wonder if someone has told him about me hanging out with Scott?

"Everything's going well. I've made a good group of friends. They ask me to hang out outside of class sometimes, too. Everyone started calling me Red Riding Hood. I kinda like it. This is my favourite thing I wear and it makes me feel amazing, so it being my trademark, is cool." I said, smoothing my hood over my head against the breeze.

"It's good to make friends. You're growing up so fast. Too fast for my liking," he said. He looked like something was on his mind.

"What's wrong Papa? How's work?" I asked, trying to figure him out.

"I have to tell you something, Amber. It's about Mama and your siblings."

I remember he tried telling me about them last week, but then we saw that wolf and never finished off the conversation.

"About how they died?" I asked.

Papa put his head down and shook his head.

"About who they were. Who we are. You, me and Grandma."

I looked just about as confused as any person could be.

"First I want to explain about certain changes a woman goes through when she turns of age and the feelings she might have."

I did not want to have this conversation with my Papa.

"Mama already had this conversation with me. To be honest, you're a bit late."

"What? No. I'm not talking about the body changes Mama knows about."

"You're talking about boys, right?" I said, really trying to end this as soon as I could.

"No. Well, yes and-"

"School has talked us through consent, relationships and... stuff."

"Amber, you're a lone wolf," Papa said.

"Yeah, but I'm getting older. I want to start dating. I actually like this boy..." I said, knowing he couldn't do anything about it.

"Amber." He said, taking my hand and stopping.

"You are a wolf. I know this is a lot to process, but this is why you're so strong and fast. I'm sure you must have started wondering why you are so different to your peers by now." He said.

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses." I said, repeating my old school's mantra.

"No-"

Just then, there was a noise in the forest and we both looked in that direction.

"Can you feel that angst inside you?" Papa asked.

"It's just because we heard a noise."

"From 500 metres away. You know that normal people can't hear that far, right?"

I didn't know how to respond.

"I can see you're going through some changes- your hearing and eyesight have gotten better and your aura is strong. When you turn 18, you will hear the wolf inside you. I need to tell you Mama Jade, Nick, Anne and Natasha were wolves. So are we. The wolf we saw last week- that was Grandma." He said.

I wanted to laugh in his face, but little things throughout the years and the look on his face right now stopped me from dismissing what he said.

"That massive wolf was my tiny Grandma?" I retorted.

"She's getting old now, but in her day, she was one of the strongest wolves around."

"And Mama is too, right? She does like lamb!" I scoffed.

"No. Mama is human. I married Mama to live a safe, normal life with you. But you deserve to know the truth. She knows what we are, but she's not one of us."

I just couldn't believe it.

"Yeah okay Papa. Pigs can fly and it was an actual tooth fairy who bought my teeth for silver coins."

"I'm going to go to run ahead to Nana's. Meet me there." Papa said.

"You're going to leave me alone in this forest now? I thought you said it was too dangerous!" I mocked.

Papa gave me a look.

"It's just up ahead. Besides, I can smell you've been visiting her." I heard him say. What the wolf?! I didn't have time to think about how to respond. I saw Papa running off, so he obviously wasn't expecting a response anyway.

Then his limbs ripped his clothes from his body and his limbs extended. He turned black and furry, still running but now on all fours and a lot larger than was possible.

I ran after him, calling him, but he was fast and all of a sudden, he stopped and I realized we were at Grandma's.

I stopped on the spot and saw Grandma in her cottage through the window.

I walked around the back and saw a black wolf with amber eyes looking at me.

It - he- put his paws in front and slowly laid down. For some reason, I wasn't as scared as I imagined any sane person would be.

I walked up to him and tears began to fall on my face.

The one man I had thought would protect me had been lying to me my entire life. I started running away. Running from this lying man. Running back to our house, but Grandma came outside her cottage.

"Amber!" She called.

I bent down and put my hands to my knees and let out a painful cry. Was it a howl? Is this what my true nature was?

I felt Grandma behind me and she wrapped me in her arms and took me inside.

She sat me down and held me as I cried.

After a while, Papa came in, wearing some shorts.

"Amber, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Being a wolf killed Mama Jade, Nick, Anne and Natasha. It almost killed you even before you were born. I did what I could to keep you safe."

"Grandma, you didn't say anything either."

"I didn't say anything, no. I didn't lie, but it wasn't my secret to tell, honey." Grandma said.

"I can't be around him right now." I told Grandma in front of Papa. I couldn't even look at him.

"Frederick, the fire is a bit low. Can you go and get some firewood please?" Grandma said to Papa.

There was silence but then I heard the door.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but don't blame him," Grandma said.

"He has lied to me my entire life. I can't even look at him. Mama knew too? Everyone's lied to me but I'm the one who has to deal with it. I'm the one you're telling how to behave? To not hand out blame?!"

"Papa has always been a lone wolf, but what happened that day made him rogue. He lost a big part of himself and he's never got that back. I had to pull you out of your mother's lifeless body. You almost didn't make it. Your brother and sisters were just little pups."

"Were you there?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"We were only alerted to an attack when your mother sent a mind link. But by that time, it was too late. The Bloodmoon pack had already invaded. Many people lost their lives and many more turned against our Alpha for not having strong enough defences."

This was so much to take. I felt sick and dizzy. I have so many questions. I don't even know where to start.

"What is a mind link? What is an alpha? Why did they want us dead?" I blurted out.

Grandma said, "A mind link is communicating thoughts and feelings telepathically." In that moment, I looked at her eyes and felt her pain.

"When was the last time you mind linked?" I asked.

"The day our Alpha caused the deaths of our family members." She responded.

"What's an Alpha?" I asked.

"An Alpha is the leader of a pack of wolves. The Bloodmoon pack wanted to expand their territory. There was no reason they attacked when they did. But the Alpha knew they were close. We all did. He should've kept the vulnerable ones closer instead of making them hunt for food."

"What pack are you with?" I asked her.

"The Crescent Pack. I went rogue with your Papa that day. That's why we can't mind link. He needed help and I couldn't stay under that dog of an Alpha."

"Rogue?"

"We don't have a pack. We are lone wolves. It puts us under more threat, but we don't have to answer to anyone," Grandma said.

There was a silence. I tried to take in everything I saw and heard.

"I'm scared." I admitted. "This is a lot to process."

She smiled.

"You don't have to be scared. You're almost eighteen, so you're almost at the age where wolves start to come of age. You have grown into such a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman. Your Mama would have been so proud," Nana said. It was so comforting to hear about Mama Jade.

So often, she was ignored in our conversations. I thought it was because it was too painful, but maybe it would just have led to too many questions.

We spoke for a long time. I felt sorry for Papa having to go through everything he did. It made sense now, why he was so protective.

There was a knock on the door. I felt it was Papa.

"Come in, Papa" I said.

He just said, "sorry", but looking at him, I felt a wave of pain, worry and love come out of him. He opened the door and I walked over to him. He dropped the firewood in the basket and opened his arms for me as I broke down and cried on his chest.

I have so many thoughts going around in my head but cannot even articulate them. My feelings were too consuming. I fell asleep on Grandma's bed, not wanting to face tomorrow.