Wolfbound

Chapter 1: Zane

Chapter 1

“You don’t believe me?” I couldn’t believe my ears, although I should have expected this from my foster parents. No mere mortal could have seen the signs.

”Honey,” Sue said. “Enough is enough.”

Levi came and sat beside her. “I think you’ve said enough, Zane. Off to your room, now.”

I could tell he was restraining himself from raising his voice. He kept his tough-cop persona on even when he was home. He traced circles over Sue’s palm, silently reminding her that he was there for her.

I knew I’d put them through hell in the last seventeen years. They didn’t deserve this, but I couldn’t help what I was. I stomped off to my room and slammed the door. The news was still on in the lounge and I could still hear clearly the news reporter talking about the disappearances. I felt so useless, unable to tell the world what I knew. Like Sue and Levi, they wouldn’t believe me. To most of the world, creatures like me didn’t even exist.

Outside, the light was fading from the sky as the sun disappeared. I opened the window and felt the chilly night air rush at my face. The outside air smelled from the sweet aroma of damp pavement from down the street. Levi’s police car backed out of the driveway, leaving a spotlight from its headlights on the garage door before they span and disappeared down the road.

I was about to climb out the window when footsteps approached my bedroom door.

”Zane?” Sue said, softly.

”Yes?”

“Are you okay? Is there anything you would like to talk about?” She asked.

“No.”

She sighed. It killed me how I was hurting her. “Okay…”

“I’m going to sleep.” I lied.

“Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I waited for her footsteps to recede before climbing out the window, my bare feet landing on the lush grass outside. The trees were dark and inviting, I wandered forward until I was engulfed in their darkness. The sun was gone now and the moon was peeking out from behind a cloud, full and gleaming. To some, the moon was full of beauty, but to me it symbolised night full of pain and hunger.

A hot iron burned at my ribs from the inside out as the wolf rose within me; my spine tingled, a thousand tingles running up and down my back, and finally, a deafening crack. I screamed, sinking to the forest floor. My spine cracked again and my back arched, my skin sprouted coarse hair from every pore. Air rushed in and out of me in heavy pants, I felt my fingernails curl into the earth, gripping anything they came across so I could brace myself. I closed my eyes and rose to my full height on all four. My hands were exchanged for paws and my face had changed to that of a wolf. I sat back on my haunches to catch my breath.

Then I howled.

Everything was so much sharper; I sucked in the night as if I could consume it. Lifting a curious ear, I heard the sounds of light paw-falls, miles into the forest. I began to chase the sound, running so fast through the trees, I was almost a phantom. It felt like freedom. Cold, crisp air rushed past me, scents filled my nose, each gone before I could even think about it.

I reached a clearing in the forever-long forest, and I wasn’t alone. In the fringe of the trees, wolves gathered silently. I could only see the front line but I knew the rest were waiting, invisible in the shadows. Two wolves advanced slowly, they weren’t defensive, but respectful. They each had a squirming human clamped between their teeth. I wasn’t surprised. I had been expecting this. The last two freshmen. One was a boy, with sandy blonde hair, the other a girl with jet-black hair that flowed all the way down her back. The wolves dropped the humans on the ground in front of me, bowed their heads, and retreated back into the trees. The humans stared up at me in fear. This was my favourite part; I felt my lips curl back into a cruel smile at the thought. I lifted my head to the dark clouds above and let out an ear-splitting howl. The humans shrunk back and tried to crawl away, but my wall of soldiers stood between them and their escape.