The Wolf and the Were

Chapter 28

At three months old, Ashwin and the pup were eating meat. Salali, on the other hand, barely had teeth and was not close to being weaned. Why is it taking her so long? I'm tired of breastfeeding her. It doesn't help that Ashwin gets jealous. Ashwin sometimes bit.

While she nursed her daughter, she watched as Ashwin played with the other boys, young wolves hopping around them. She'd become used to Ashwin was weaker than the other boys, yet occasionally having those bursts of strength that exceeded them, too. It was at one of those times that she heard a snap, and saw his arm bend in an odd direction, his elbow broken.

Ashwin came crying to her, his arm flopping about uselessly. Anxiety spiked in her while her mate calmly watched their boy with interest. She felt a prickle of irritation at him as she took Ashwin in her free arm and held him close. After a bit, his crying ceased and she inspected his arm. What the...? It was no longer broken, but perfectly normal.

She heard a chuckle behind her as her mate picked up on her confusion. "He's a slow healer, but still impressive by your standards, isn't he?" There was amusement in his voice as he gently made fun of her panic.

With a glare, she asked, "How did you know?"

"The bursts of strength. They hurt like crazy, but if you know you're going to heal, ripping your muscles and bones for that extra push isn't always bad. He just overdid it this time and snapped his elbow." With that, he ruffled Ashwin's hair and shooed him back to the other boys.

"And the silver?"

He frowned. "Werewolves were made with magic, merging us with wolves. The silver... purifies? It sort of pushes out the wolf that was merged in. There are stories of werewolves who were exposed to silver too long, and were forced to become completely human again. It's a horrible torture to go through. I don't remember the details." He scratched at the back of his neck, looking a bit embarrassed.

He glanced at her, then continued. "Like I told you earlier, we're sort of rescued witches. A few of us have extra powers, but mostly we're enhanced people. Wolf instincts just complement human nature, I guess."

She shook her head slightly. "What do you think she'll be like?" she asked, hefting up Salali in her arm.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I still don't fully know what's normal for you, but Ash seems like he's Lycan, with a bit of werewolf tossed in. Maybe she'll be werewolf, with a bit of Lycan tossed in. I don't know," he finished with a thoughtful frown.

Hialeah could only nod.