“The same as everyone who found out what you’ve done, asshole. Did you think you could break two sacred laws, and nothing would come of it? Are you that stupid? What will your father think when he returns home to find out what you’ve done? Be glad Marcus agreed, or else we would have gone to the council with it,” Riff replied in a frigid voice. Kyler paled, first in fear, then he shook while his eyes darkened with fury.
“You!” He snarled at me, “you did this! You ruined everything!” I backed away into a shelf, shocked at the strength of the hatred in his eyes. What did I do?
“No, Kyler,” Marcus growled, “you did. You were a narcissistic boy instead of the man your father believed you to be. Do not blame Angel for you revealing yourself to be a fraud. Get out of my store, boy, or I will make you regret ever stepping foot in it.”
With a loud snarl, Kyler stormed out of the door, and my heart ached while my soul radiated agony. What the hell? Once we closed the store, Marcus herded Riff and I to his house for dinner, and I sighed while eating the wonderful stew Ava made. Afterward, Riff walked me home, glancing around my apartment curiously.
After he left, mournful howls filled the air, and I stared into the forest with a sudden longing to be in its depths. Before I thought better of it, I grabbed a sketchbook and headed into the dark forest. Using the phone Char gave me as a flashlight, I followed a deer trail which led me to a small clearing bathed in moonlight. Smiling, I sat on a boulder with a flat ledge and opened my sketchbook, my soul full of peace.
After a few minutes of sketching the clearing, I became aware of eyes on me and glanced up only to stiffen. Not even five yards from me sat a giant wolf. His fur was as black as the night surrounding us, but his eyes were a gorgeous, soulful amber gold. “Hello,” I murmured after a moment, tilting my head when he thumped his tail. I knew I should be afraid, but if he intended to hurt me, I’m pretty sure he would have pounced already. Wolves weren’t like humans. They didn’t salivate over your humiliation and pain. “May I sketch you?” I asked, and he nodded after a moment. Oh boy. Nope. Not going to think about it.
With a bright smile, I sketched the wolf who sat patiently while I chattered about my day. I didn’t understand why I did, but he didn’t lay his ears back or stalk off, so it must not have irritated him or bored him too much. Eventually, I tried to sketch his paw and growled when it wouldn’t come out right. Hmph. I explained my problem, and his ears perked while he tilted his head curiously. He appeared amused that I growled, but I guess the people of this town were rubbing off on me. It was kind of satisfying.
Before I could stop myself, I sat in front of him and asked if I could see his paw. Chuffing, he raised it for me, and I touched the paw bigger than my entire hand. Wow. He’s uh bigger than I thought. Now that I paid attention, I realized his head was above mine when I stood. Ah well. If I die, at least I went out as a meal for a hungry creature. It’s the circle of life. Humming, I ran my fingers over his pads and claws, surprised at how soft his fur was. I expected it to be coarse like a German Sheppard’s, but it’s soft and warm.
“Thanks, Ky,” I told him and blinked when he appeared smug. The hell? Why did I call him that? Whatever, apparently, it’s his name. Maybe someone mentioned him, and I just don’t remember it. Nope, at this moment, I do not have a photographic memory, and I forgot something. Yeah, I’m going with that. I ruffled the fur on his head, and he gave me a throaty growl that sounded similar to a purr. “So, wolves purr and chuff. Huh. I never knew that. Well, goodnight, Ky, I better get to bed since I have school in the morning. See you tomorrow night?” He barked, wagging his tail before running along the trail that led me here. Sighing, I followed and pet his head at the edge of the forest where he sat. When I stood at my door, I glanced back to see a pair of glowing eyes and smiled.
An hour later, I woke to an even worse pain than last night. I bit my fist to keep from screaming, with tears burning my eyes until they rolled down my cheeks. The next morning, my skin still looked normal other than where Kyler punched me. That area was so badly bruised my skin was a sickly looking black and purple. Marcus dropped me off at school with a smile, because I wolfed several granola bars when he picked me up.
I was the first to history and sighed with relief, working on my sketch of the wolf in the woods. Instead of adding detail to him, I focused on the background. This was what I intended to turn in for class. I groaned when the pain from last night returned, my arms wrapped around my waist while a soft whine left my lips. What was happening to me? It couldn’t be something I ate or drank because I’ve eaten different things each time I experienced this pain. It wasn’t as awful this time, and I sighed when it lessened to a dull throbbing.
Kyler sneered when he sat beside me, although his lips curled into a lazy smirk when a girl in our class approached the table. My mouth went dry
