Aspen Lance, a driven lycanthropy hallucinated teen, meets a lonely Arctic wolf that seems to find a fascination of staring at her as her life takes a wild turn of events.
Now, she's the threat and his weakest point, in which his destructed pack ta...
The darkness surrounds me, thorns that spread like a cornflower field stuck out under the gleaming night. Headless people are cocooned by the forest.
I'm in a navy dress with bloodshot eyes as I run steadily between the thorns like I am a wolf. Breathing in through the wooden scents that trespasses my nostrils, I lift my long dress in one hand as my bare feet edge through to the river in front of me.
A howl is heard as wolves align by my side, trying to get me back to Daniel, who is hot on my tail. I screech at the immense pain I am left with in his hold as he snaps my neck and-
"Wake the fuck up, Asp." Holland's voice cuts through my nightmare as I open my eyes with shaky sobs coming from my body as I hug my older brother in fear. He rubs my back as I cry on his shoulder.
"Shh, it's just a nightmare, sis." We stay in each other's embrace and I realize that my body is sweaty, but when we pull away, he frowns at the scar on my head. He traces it and I flinch, putting my hair on top of it.
"It's nothing, I hit my head on the desk." I make a fast excuse, and I avert my eyes to the clock that reads 3AM - Holland is not around usually by weekends, he either sleeps over with his best buddies or he goes for a weekly camping trip. I knit my eyebrows confusingly at my brother as he checks the place where I hid my scar.
"Why are you here?" My thought is heard by my brother as he scratches the back of his head with uneasy eyes.
"I felt like an ass leaving you here all the time, I may not be the best brother, but I do love you sis." His confession makes my heart warm as he takes off his shoes and I scoot over for our usual sibiling cuddle. A tradition we used to have as kids before whenever one of us has a nightmare, the other must cuddle.
Holland's big arm nearly chokes me as I giggle when he messes my hair in a chokehold. "Holland, stop, it took me an hour to braid it!" I exclaim, but it only made him do it more as I groan like a whale.
"I love you too, Holls." I respond to his earlier statement, and he gives my forehead a kiss as I lay my head on his shoulder, his arms are my source of comfort as I dive into sleep.
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The sound of the familiar wolf wakes me up at the crack of dawn, I am wearing my white nightdress that reaches my knee, I can't help the sudden urge to see him again. It's Sunday, it means that there's no school. I untangle my brother's arm around my shoulder as I sit up cautiously, afraid of waking him up. I glimpse at my snoring brother as I remove his hair strands from his forehead softly before I stand up to get my robe on and go to see him.
After I wear my boots and my robe, I stride faster towards the wolf that makes itself known in our backyard behind the broken ancient fence.
"Hey there, wolf," I desperately call out to him, and he raises his snout to sniff the air, his form pauses before he indignantly spots the scar on my face as if the scent leads him to it. He bares his teeth and growls when he pads closer to me. "I know that you know about the scar of death, you're the only one who can help me." I sit in front of him on the grass.
Tears brim on the sides of my eyes as I get reminded of the dream, I haven't had the time to console myself, and that takes a toll on me as I breathe in the crispy wind to calm my shaking soul. I brush the wolf's fur to make him know that I am not going to hurt him. He cocks his head as he stares into the scar that makes my body weaken. I feel a slight ache to my bones, and exhaustion takes over all of me.
"Asp, what are-oh, shit, get away right now!" Holland exclaims as he goes back and returns with a bat.
"No, Holland, he can help me-" it's too late, my irrational brother starts beating him with the bat before he topples over him with his canines on my brother's shoulder.
"Asp, run away right now." His voice gets louder, and I want to scream at both of them when I stand up, he just has to damage my plan. I only have one more day and it's over for me.
The Arctic wolf runs off after Holland's shoulder has cuts all over his ripped shirt, he will survive but I won't. I sprint after him as Holland calls me to get back. I know that he can't track me down due to his shoulder.
My legs feel numb as my boots shuffle through the tall grass, and into the woods. Desperately scanning through the trees, but there's no sign of him at all.
"Oh God, please help me," I scream out into the trees, "if you are hearing me, you're the only one that can heal me from this scar that Daniel gave me, I didn't even want it, I want to be there for my family, I don't want to die!" My screams reaches everyone but him as a group of wolves appear around me.
They don't look like the Arctic wolf; their dark fur emanate strength as their beady eyes harden when they see a troubled soul. I have been studying about them in the books, but I never expect to see them in real life. Canis Lupus. A large canine native to Eurasia and North America. They are dominant and dangerous.
Shit. I internally curse as I back away when they approach me like I am a meal to them.
