Wolf Girl (Book 1) REWRITING

Chapter 5: Carys

Carys' POV

"Good morning Sunshine!" Jana pulls the curtains open sending a stream of sunlight over us. She jumps back in bed and wraps her arms around me, giddily planting kisses all over my face.

"Good morning," I catch her lips with mine, and neither of us cares that we have morning breath. 

"You look so happy," Jana says, her own smile practically blinding me. It's been so long since I've felt good about my life. I finally have closure with Anwen and can officially put her behind me. I have the most beautiful girl in my arms. My dad is happy. I know all of this might not last if me and Dad leave for the wild, but I'm so swept up in her that now is all that matters.

And then the door swings open.

"Breakfast is-" Dad covers his eyes and I scramble out of bed. He scurries out, closing the door after him. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" We hear him shout from outside.

Jana, unfazed, climbs out of bed and starts getting ready, "I smell bacon," she says.

I stare at the door as my cheeks burn red. I wasn't planning on telling my dad about me and Jana until we'd been together a little while longer, and I'm not supposed to close my door when there's a girl in my room. It was Mum's rule, she was the Alpha back then, but since she died Dad's been trying, and sort of falling, to take on her role. He still has some rules, but I suppose he hasn't been concerned that I would be interested in any more romantic relationships after the disaster that was Storm Anwen, which set off a chain reaction causing Hurricane Carys.

"Come on," Jana laughs, "We're going to the woods," she throws my clothes at me.

I try to forget the humiliating moment and start getting dressed too, still staring at the door in utter disbelief. I slowly peek my head around the door to make sure the coast is clear, there's no way I can face my dad after that.

"He must be in the shower. Come on," I take her hand, "Let's grab some food and get out of here quickly," we creep into the kitchen, shove some bacon and sausages in our pockets and run into the woods.

As we run, the awkward start to the day fades into the back of my memory, and I'm just happy to be out in nature with Jana, and excited to learn more about the wonders of being a Wolfblood. She told me more about Eolas last night. Apparently, some wolves can get addicted to it, and it can drive them to insanity. Jana's friends experimented with it, Rhydian taught Maddy and she couldn't stop, she ended up running away and her pack had to track her down in the city. But she's tame, her family are tame. I'm tame too, but my father wasn't always, he comes from a long line of wilds who probably used Eolas every day to find each other.

"We need to be far away from the village, the telephone wires can interfere," Jana says.

Jana and I sprint up the hill and into the woods until we come to a breathless stop in a clearing, it's the furthest into the forest I've ever gone. The trees tower higher here, I can no longer smell any remnants of the village, no farms, no little old ladies, no teenage boys reeking of hair gel and body spray. Instead, the sweet fragrances of flowers and pine trees swirl around the air, entrancing my senses.

"Here?" I ask, running my hands along the trunk of a tree. She nods, and we drop are bags. I follow Jana to the middle of the clearing.

"Follow what I do," she smiles and crouches down, placing a hand on the ground. I do as she says and copy her. "Close your eyes and focus on the rest of your senses. Touch, smell, sound." 

I feel cold blades of grass and wet mud under my fingertips. Without looking, I know there is a patch of bluebells nearby, and I picture them swaying in the wind. Birds chirp to each other in the trees above, leaves crunch slightly under the soft footsteps of wild rabbits, wind whistles through hollow trees. The forest is alive, and it's singing.