The Last Wolf

The word shifter lingered on the cool breeze. I watched the lapping water, keeping my nerves calm, while I rubbed my aching elbow. An image of the wolf at the first party clouded my vision. It turned into a boy after I snapped his neck…

“What exactly is a shifter?” I questioned while preparing myself to run.

“I’m not like that,” he raised his dirty hands in peace. “I wouldn’t have bothered getting you away from those crazy people if I wanted you dead.”

“Those were my parents!” I hissed. “They were not going to hurt me.”

He shook his head, “they were human. I could smell their fear from a mile away. You’re something different.” He turned, rubbing his hands in the water. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that…what did they give you to induce the transformation?”

“Nothing! My mom brought me tea before I went to sleep because I was sick.” I paused trying to remember the drink; was there something wrong?

“If I were you, I would’ve just stayed in my human form.” His smile gleamed as he began unbuttoning his dark jeans. “They can’t hurt you if you’re not what they think you are.” He kicked his jeans to the side before pulling his chin to the left causing his neck to make a cracking noise.

“What are you-” I took several steps back as his elbows and knees contorted. A smile covered his lips before they jutted out and connected with his nose. Within five minutes the black wolf was in front of me.

His eyes seemed like two versions of the full moon, wide and playful. I bent down on one knee watching him while I peered into those almost silver eyes. “I’ve seen you before,” I held out my hand. “You were in the woods near White River’s house.” He nodded walking forward, brushing his cold black muzzle against my hand. “I wish I could change at will,” I whispered. His ears perked up before his body contorted into its human state.

“What do you mean change at will?” His brows scrunched as the bridge of his nose crinkled. His full pale lips set in a straight line as he stared. “I saw you start to change last night when they were hitting you.”

My lips pulled into a straight line as I pulled my hand away from him, “It was the second time I ever, um, changed.” I looked away from him. “The first time was during a full moon too.”

“Wait,” he laughed. “You’re a…” he trailed off grinning as he leaned closer. “You’re a real werewolf?” His whisper sent chills rolling down my spine.

“That’s what they tell me.” I shrugged pulling away from him. “I still don’t understand it. I mean, I kicked a wolf in the head, and it changed into a boy. Then, I got so sick before waking up in the middle of the woods. There was a lot of blood.”

“Is that what it’s like, to be a werewolf? That sounds horrible! There’s just one person like you that I know; the difference is he can’t change. We keep him around because of his brother.” He smiled brightly, “I guess Pretty Boy is lucky he can’t change since it’s so bad.”

“Who is ‘we’? Do you all shift? Can you change into something else?” I started blurting out questions.

He grabbed my arm. I tried to snatch it away, but he leaned in while holding onto me. “Will you stop, please?” he whispered. “I promise, you are okay now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” His eyes bore into mine, into my soul. A tear trickled down my cheek. He let go of my arm and wiped it away before he stood. “Come on; let’s go wash off in the water then I’ll take you to meet my pack. White River should be there too.”

I nodded making my way off the ground. His hand lingered on my arm for a moment; I smiled at the warmth of his touch. “I don’t even know your name,” I giggled.

“They call me Shadow, but my name is Colt.” He shrugged, “my dad kicked me out because he thought I was killing his livestock. I prefer my meat cooked not raw.” He rolled his eyes at the thought of his father's stupidity.

“My name is Dahlia. It’s nice to meet you Colt.” I was about to follow his lead and strip down to my underwear when I realized my parents hadn’t bothered to put me in clothes during their experiment.

He grinned, “don’t worry, we’ll find you some clothes. I’m sure Phoenix will have something. I’ll even loan you my shirt when we get clean.”

“Isn’t that dirty too?”

“Nope, I always leave clean clothes around when I decide to go out at night. I figured you’d prefer me with boxers and pants.”

I felt my cheeks grow warm as he laughed, “you’ll have to get over your shyness. Bear is a bit of a freak.” He ran into the shallow water before diving head first. “It’s a little chilly, but at least it’s clean.”

I followed his lead, half screaming as my head reemerged. “This is more than chilly, it’s freezing!”

“Don’t be a baby!” Colt pushed my head back under the water before swimming away quickly.

“I’ll get you for that and your little wolf too!”