My Lost Wolf

Chapter 2: Not So Happy Birthday

Two years later, on the evening of her tenth birthday, during a sleep over with Kayley. Nightmares of that what had happened to her started to rear their terrifying heads.

The day had started out great Odessa's mother had made her favorite breakfast chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. Lunch was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Odessa's mother, Edith then showed her, her birthday cake. A plain white icing white cake. With pink paper butterflies, with ten candles.

For dinner, they had spaghetti noodles, in Alfredo sauce with spinach and meatballs. It was one of Odessa's favorite meals.

The pack showed up to join in for Odessa's birthday dinner. She had been afraid there wouldn't be enough cake. Her parents had blinded folded her before taking her into the large dining room.

"Happy Tenth Birthday, Odessa!" The pack had helped decorate with pink and purple streamers and balloons. The cake sat in the middle of the table. It was surround by six different tiers of cupcakes, strawberry, chocolate, yellow, white, marble and lemon.

There pack was alive with smiles and laughter. Odessa couldn't think of anything better. Presents overflowed a table in the living room. It had turned out to be one of the best birthdays ever.

Kayley Silverlight present to her best friend was a surprise sleep over. Odessa's mother wasn't to sure if a sleep over was a good idea.

"Edith, honey try to relax. The stress isn't good for you and the twins. She'll be with Ripley and his family you know the Alpha won't let anything happen to her. This will be good for her." Cliff said softly to his mate before continuing.

"In six years she'll shift and sleep overs like this will be few and far between until she can control the shifting.

Ethan has already started training, so he can control it soon. He's going to be the packs next Beta. We have to let them grow up some time." Cliff said as he placed a hand on his mate's baby bump.

Edith then just nodded to Cliff in return. "I know you're right, it's just not that easy. No matter what they will always be my babies. You're right though this will be good for her. I know that Ripley and Lara will take good care of her."

Odessa's POV

Now that I was ten, I knew I was going to have to tell my parents and Alpha Ripley my secret. My wolf subconscious had surfaced the day of my eighth birthday. Which is completely unheard of, our wolf subconscious isn't supposed to come forward until our sixteen birthday. We find our mates when we turn eighteen. So why had my wolf come forward so early.

Kayley and I had stayed up late sketching pictures in my sketch book and talking about what it was going to be like when we shifted in six years. We'd heard that the first shift was painful depending on where your family ranked in the pack. There were other whispers that is was your inner strength. Others say it's like breathing, you breath in and then on the exhale you shift.

As I finally settled down into my sleeping bag and laid my head on my pillow. I had no way of knowing about the nightmare that was about to befall me.

Nightmare

I flinched as glass shattered somewhere in the house. That's when I heard the sound of wolf nails clicking on the wooden floor. I had to press a hand to my mouth to keep myself from screaming.

All of a sudden a fist punched through the false panel and grabbed my sweater making me scream as I was pulled through broken wood.

"Lookie, what we have here. A little lonely she-pup." The rouge wolf sneered as he looked at me.

I had just started to talk with my inner wolf, Maya a few weeks ago. I was going to start practicing shifting into my wolf form, on my own. Maya, shouldn't have awaken yet, not until I turned sixteen. But earlier in the morning of my eight birthday she had some how awakened way before schedule. My blue eyes shifted to gold as Maya stepped forward to try and protect us.

The rouge, however just laughed at us as he called out to his friend.

"Hey, Joe look what we have here."

The one called Joe just smiled at me. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. As if he wanted to devour me or worse. Our k-9's came out as we bit down on the ones arm making him drop us.

"Ouch, god damn you little brat." The first rouge cried out.

The rouge called Joe cut off our escape and back handed me across the face. As we fell to the floor we scrambled to get to our knees when we were grabbed by the leg and thrown down on the couch. The threads of my green sweater ripped as he grabbed my shoulders his claws digging into my skin.

I knew what he was going to do. I tried to to reach Maya, but she must have been knocked out. There is no way I strong enough to fight on my own, was only eight. So I did the only other thing I could, think of I screamed.

My screams where cut off as the one rouge began slapping me in the face again this time I tasted blood in in my mouth.

End of Nightmare

I remember, hearing Kayley's brother Holden saying my name and gently shaking me awake.

"Dessa, awake up! Odessa awake up!" Holden called out to me.

When I woke up at last, I sat up a clutched the front of the t-shirt Holden was wearing, tears flowed freely from my eyes down my cheeks. I started babbling about the events of that horrific night two years ago, while Holden and Kayley tried to soothe me.

Their father Alpha Ripley and Luna Lara came rushing into Kayley's room asking about what had happened. I repeated my nightmare to both of them, before confessing my secret and my sin.

"I've lost my inner wolf, Maya. She was there with me the night of my eighth birthday when the rogues attacked. She came forward that morning and introduced herself. She was protecting us until the two rogues started to beat us. She told me to "stay strong" over and over until she just stopped talking to me.

I don't think she'll come back."

I watched as the Alpha and Luna looked at one another. Holden was looking up at them too. I did my best not to stiffen up as Luna Lara got down on the floor beside me. But they all could sense the fear coming from me.

"It's ok sweet heart, you safe now. It was just a bad dream of something horrible that happened. But that's all over now and nothing like that is going to happen again."

I just shook my head at her.

"That's not what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of you and Alpha Ripley exiling me from the pack if I don't shift when I turn sixteen."

I'm not sure why but Holden's grip on my shoulders tightened on my shoulders when I said the word exiling. He was fifteen and had already had his first shift. Kayley's big brother was well on his way to finding his mate.

Alpha Ripley and Luna Lara gasped at my words. Holden released me when Luna Lara pulled me into her arms.

"Odessa, sweetheart, your wolf will appear when you shift at sixteen with all the other sixteen year old she-wolves."

"And if I don't shift when I turn sixteen, if Maya is some how gone?" I questioned out loud.

"Then you will find some other way to aid the pack. You will always have a home here. My word is law you will never be exiled from here. Now Odessa dear, did you ever tell your parents about Maya?"

"No, I was to afraid to. Kids talk and I didn't want them to talk." I confessed to Alpha Ripley.

After that confession, Alpha Ripley called my parents and my world was one again turned on it's head.

To be continued: