Call to the Wild

Finding Dylan...

Once I reached a road I followed it, I wasn’t sure where I was but I knew I needed to get back. Soon I found road signs, I was eighteen miles outside of my hometown. The hometown where I’d once sworn I’d leave and never return to. Here I was... Going back for more. I swear I think I am cursed. 

My parents are dead.

My wolf hates my mate.

I screwed up everything two weeks into adult life...

After a couple hours I could smell lake water, I wondered if it was thee lake from the party. I followed the scent into the trees. I tried desperately to smell something familiar, I’d started to jog carefully. There was no telling what I’d be running into, I could be wanted, maybe they wanted my head. Suddenly I thought this could be a bad ideal, what if he was seriously hurt, wouldn’t the others in his pack want retribution? 

I could smell something, something the didn’t belong here. What was it? Just before I saw what the smell was coming from I’d figured it out. Oil from a car, the huge hummer from the party was still parked in the same spot. I followed the dirt road a little bit further, I didn’t walk straight up to the cabin. I just listened. There didn’t seem to be anyone there, just silence...

I tried to remember more, I remember lunging at him but not much else. Just running, racing through the forest after Sapphira had taken over.It was hard to control yourself when in wolf form, the wolfs spirit takes over. And when the wolf takes full control, your memory can get hazy. It’s like falling asleep and letting someone else make all the decisions. It’s scary, the first time I’d changed, I thought I was crazy. 

“Hey!” Yelled someone near the lakeside.

I jumped immediately almost turning to run. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and turned towards the unfamiliar voice. 

“It’s you!” He said in a low voice.

“What?” I barely whispered, I knew he was about to call the whole pack on me. They had to hate me for sure.

“The girl from the party right? You smell the same.” He seemed on edge, but why shouldn’t he be.

“Yeah” 

The Alpha’s looking for you.” He said crossing his arms.

I just kept waiting for him to turn, bare his teeth, maybe even attack... But he didn’t, he just stood there waiting for my reaction or maybe my response... I needed to say something, I didn’t know what to ask... 

“Hello? You aren’t going to freak out again are you? He’s at the pack house, do you just wanna follow?”

I just my head yes. I was confused. They knew what I did. I attacked a pack member and I ran away afterwards... I took small steps keeping my guard up as I followed. This guy was tall, older, he was probably in his thirties at least. He had a beard and a ponytail. He looked like some kind of biker just passing through or something. He was very thin, not ripped looking like the guys that hung around at the diner with Dylan.

“It’s this way.” He said half looking back at me.

He smelled like rain. I wondered what his job within the pack was? I wondered how big this pack was. I didn’t know much about werewolves. I’d tried to look them up a few times, but so much of our kind was surrounded by Hollywood bull that it was hard to know what was real and what wasn’t. Like did they all have a perfect soul mate? Could you have more than one? Why didn’t I turn every time the was a full moon? I was always afraid to approach those I could smell out. And none of them ever approached me either. 

We came up to a camp set up, there were several cabins dotted around a oval shaped road. There was a really large modern log home at the end. We were walking past several other wolves. Some were just walking, some were talking to others, a lot of eyes roamed over me, there were a lot of whispers. 

“Is that her?” Said a preteen girl standing with an older male. He didn’t respond, at least not out loud where I could hear.

“Shhh..!” Hushed a couple of parents as their children tugged on their shirts.

It felt like I’d walked the length of a plank. Soon I’d be in the water with the sharks. Was this Alpha angry? Maybe he would just banish me? We were soon walking up the steps to the huge pack house. It was nice, huge windows scaled the front, through them I could see a dozen more pack members inside.

When the guy I’d been following opened the door I hesitated. I raised my foot to step back, but then I smelled it. Peppermint! I went forward, I walked inside. The room instantly feel silent. All eyes were on me.

“It’s alright, everyone’s just a bit curious.” He said  noticing I’d halted in the doorway.

“About what?” I said incredulously.

“About you.”

He turned and continued up a large winding staircase. I could see all the way to the planked ceiling from this room. It was set up like a huge game room almost, with pool tables, groups of furniture, and little dinette sets all over the big front room.

The guy that smelled like rain went to the first door at the top of the steps and knocked. I looked over the balcony, they seemed to be going back to their games and friends.

“Come in.” Said a muffled voice. I wasn’t sure if I recognized it. It kinda sounded like that girl... Veronica?

Once inside I saw her hanging over someone in a bed. The room was obviously someone’s office, but there was a small daybed shoved in the corner.

They pushed the woman to the side to see me.

It was Dylan! I was shocked, I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak. He was bandaged up pretty good, half his face was covered up. What had I done do him?

“Well, aren’t you going to same something? Anything!” Veronica sneered in disgust.

I looked at her, then I looked at him. What was I supposed to say. I’m sorry I wolfed out and blamed you for murdering my parents last night?

“It’s okay Ayla.” He said softly. “Ken please take Veronica and wait outside.”

“Yes Alpha.”

Wait? Dylan was the Alpha? Great I’d attacked the Alpha! Good going, you are getting a great start at ruining your life Ayla, I thought to myself.

The other two left the room and closed the door. Dylan was removing the blankets to get out of bed. He smiled as he stepped towards me.