The Wolf's Song

The Song That Heals

Diana

The tranquility of Bamberg had been erased to give way instead to a sea of confusion and despair that haunted the streets, as until just a few weeks ago the snow did with the town; pain, confusion, and conflicting testimonies of what seemed to be stories of legend intersected, as people tried in vain to explain what they thought they saw. Or rather, what we all witnessed, but couldn’t believe we saw.

For now, all I wanted to do was retire and rest, but doing so seemed impossible. A nervous, young-faced policeman had interviewed me, asking for my version of events, having heard that I had been chased by a creature they didn’t know how to identify. It was one thing to believe your grandmother’s stories, after all, and quite another to have a beast from those stories in front of you in the middle of a family festival.

“I’ve explained it to her,” I said for the fifth time to the policeman. “It was large and had a shapeless face, with a wolf-like snout. It didn’t seem to possess control over its actions; it was like an enraged or rabid animal.”

I closed my eyes. Talking about this brought back bad memories. The feeling of Maya’s blood between my fingers, losing my breath as I ran; feeling again that I was dying, and then Damien and his statements, and after him, Michael, his concern, his arms, which got me in the middle of the distance, pushing away the fear...

The policeman insisted a little more, but I finally let him be. I said goodbye to him as I went in search of Michael, who was waiting for me, not far from there.

“Are you all right?” he asked in a whisper, as I nodded.

He had given me his jacket and I was deeply grateful for it, as the fear had left me freezing cold. He wrapped his arms around me and together we began to walk, as I laid my face on his chest.

“I’ll take you home,” he said to me.

“No, please don’t. Don’t.” The thought of being alone right now filled me with anxiety. A strange fear, because I had never been one to fear the dark or empty hallways in the middle of the night, but at this moment, I was terrified of the idea.

“Then I’ll take you to mine,” he declared, and I nodded, as I let him guide me.

Martha was in the hospital, as was Maya. Both were fine and would be discharged soon, but Martha was an older woman, and they needed to check that everything was in order, while Maya would have to spend a day or two in the hospital because of the blood she lost in the middle of the escape, but she would be fine soon.

I told myself that in a way, this was all my fault, although I didn’t know how to explain what was going on. There must be something in me, I repeated to myself internally, something that attracted these creatures and hurt those around me when they try to protect me.

The weight of my own accusation made me feel dizzy, and soon I found myself trembling. Michael noticed and ran his hands down my arms as he tried to warm me up.

“Diana, are you all right? Stay calm. You’re safe.”

“This is all my fault,” I sobbed, finally unable to control what I felt.

He wrapped his arms around me at once, not allowing this guilt to rest on my shoulders alone.”It’s not. Don’t worry. I assure you everything will be all right soon.”

He allowed me to lie against his chest for a moment, and then carried me to the car, as I sniffled. I was tired, really exhausted, but I wanted to make sure my grandmother was okay.

“I need to go to the hospital,” I then said to Michael.

“Not for now. You’ve already been checked, and everything is fine. You’d better get some rest.”

“But my grandmother?” I whimpered.

“Martha is fine, Diana. Listen to me,” he turned me around as he gently placed his warm hand on my cheek and made me look into his eyes. “You’ve been through something very difficult to tell, and for now, I need you to rest, to recover. Martha will be fine. I’ve sent Andrew to take care of everything. He’ll keep watch tonight in case Maya or your grandmother might need anything.” He sighed and kissed my forehead. “So please let me take care of you.”

Feeling weak and unable to refuse, I nodded, allowing Michael to drive in the direction of his home. A sigh burst from my lips and as I closed my eyes, leaning back from the seat, the memories, however, kept coming back again and again and mingling with those of the night of the accident where that creature found us in the woods. I knew so much more now than I did then about shapeshifters and werewolves, and yet I felt as if I was still blind in this matter.

Carefully, Michael got me out of the car as he carried me out and I laid my head against his chest, realizing that somewhere along the way I had dozed off a bit. He carried me into the living room, noticing that I had woken up halfway, and helped me take off my jacket and shoes while putting a warm blanket over my legs.

“I’ll go make you something warm to drink,” he whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

“No, please,” I begged him. “don’t leave me alone. Just... Stay a moment, please.”

He looked at me, his ice blue eyes fixed on my face, and sat down next to me, very close to me with his body enveloping mine, and I sunk my face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and his scent instantly washed over me, making me feel confident and, somehow, safe.

Michael then began to run his fingers through my hair, and I lost myself in the act. His touch was delicious and filled me with calm.

“Tonight, I thought I was losing you,” he admitted, and my body stiffened at the thought of what he was talking about. I opened my eyes then and listened to him. “I thought... I thought I saw your body, lying on the cement, cold and inert. For a moment, I felt that if you died, I would die too,” he admitted.

“I’m fine, Michael,” I told him in a whisper, and my face went up to look for him.

“I can’t live with the fear of something happening to you, Diana. The thought alone destroys me. But I also can’t help this feeling I have for you... The feeling that you’re safer with me than away from me.”

“That’s because it’s probably true,” I admitted, smiling faintly and running my fingers over his face, as he sighed.

“I can’t lose you, Diana, but I regret our closeness. Allowing you to be close to me only puts you in danger.”

“You worry too much,” I told him. “Besides, you say it as if I am not capable of putting myself in danger.”

He smiled and I did the same. Our gazes met, and our faces were so close to each other...

He reached for me, his lips close to mine, a whisper gushing from his mouth, just before he got mine.

“I love you, Diana,” he admitted, and my heart started pounding.

“Then let us come to life. Stop thinking about the future, stop fearing every possible outcome, and just, give us a chance to be,” I asked him, gaining strength as my face came closer to his, seeking his voice, his breath, his mouth...

I closed my eyes. He did the same and our lips met, as my whole being came alive for a moment. His mouth opened for me, and his arms wrapped around my waist, drawing my body against his, and as my hands ran up his chest, and up to tangle in the hair that fell down his neck.

He sighed. I did the same, and his hands lost themselves in my back, as his lips parted from mine for a moment. He kissed the corners of my lips, my cheeks, my nose...

I reached for him. He allowed me to do so and, for a time, that seemed eternal. Our lips remained joined, erasing all the old memories of pain and bringing to my heart a melody that somehow seemed to heal everything as, little by little, the world seemed, for once, to fall into place.