The Wolf Child

Chapter Nine

Alorez sat beside her and gently caressed her hair as they both waited for the doctor. He sighed gently as the color in her skin faded.

Stay with me Malinda, I can't lose you after I just found you. Alorez growled softly as he thought of the fact that Lauren was out free as his beloved laid beside him, not knowing which shallow breath would be her last.

"Stay with me, Malinda." He stared down at her for what seemed like forever then he suddenly remembered that he had to find her father. So gently he pulled away from her and rushed to his small Overseer house. Where had he left off? Yes, three addresses of Plantations. He would start with the Jenkins' Plantation, standing up he left the house and ran to the man known as Robert Jenkins.

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While Alorez searched for her father the slowly dying Malinda's mind was still fast at work.

*Within Her Mind*

Malinda is a mother running after her children, laughing. As she catches one of her four Toddlers they turn in to wolf pups and she laughs as they all pounce her and start licking her face. As quickly as they turned into pups they transitioned back into Human toddlers and were kissing her face. 

"Mommy give daddy a chance. If you promise to give daddy a chance, we'll lend you our strength,  so that you can have a second chance." One of the boy toddlers said. Malinda gave a look of confusion to her son.

"Daddy?" Malinda asked and her only daughter pointed behind Malinda and she turned to find Alorez standing behind them, leaning against the doorway of their home with a smile painted brightly upon his face. She quickly turned her head back to her beautiful children and for the first time notice the lightness of their complexion and the even straighter texture of their hair.

"That's your Father?" She whispered her voice seemed trapped in her throat.

"Yes, so give him a chance Momma, He won't do you no wrong." Her second son said kissing her nose. She couldn't help but smile. They owned her heart even if it was from a relationship society would frown upon.

"So whatcha say mama," Her third son asked pouncing her roughly. She laughed at the four children and nodded her head as tears of joy spilled from her eyes.

"Yayyyy!!!" the boys shouted and her baby girl hugged her tightly.

As her dream came to an end the last thing she saw was all four of her children hugging her tightly and with that, her dream faded out.

*outside her mind *

"Doctor will she be alright?" Mr. Talon asked wiping the tears from Malinda's cheeks.

"I'm unsure her breathing is getting better so I suppose that she wil-" as the Doctor is speaking he is cut off as Malinda shot up from the bed and gasped for air.

"Ahhh.." she winced in pain, and relaxed back on to the bed she was laying on. She looked around she had been moved back into her childhood room.

"Malinda!" Her father exclaimed, a bit relieved. "Thank God you are awake."

"Urgh... what happened?" She asked her father, her voice was a bit hoarse as she winced in pain.

"What can you remember on your own, Malinda?" the doctor interjected.

"Remember?" she sat still for a few moments thinking. the only thing that she remembered was getting up and going to the field to work then meeting the her children. Her forehead creased, but that couldn't have been real so what was she missing in her memory? "I...I can't seem to recall, I only remember getting up and saying how I'd get to work early since I woke up late yesterday. I didn't want the others thinking I'm slacking off."

"Well sweetie, Lauren stabbed you twice and left you for dead in the fields." Her father informed her, his face was redder than she had ever seen in her life.

"WHAT!? Why in the world would Lauren do that? Where is she now?" She tried sitting up again and gave out a cry of pain. "Has she officially been sold?"

She settled back down onto her bed, her breathing a bit staggered.

"She ran away sweetie, but we have slave hunters ready to catch her." Her father filled her in.

"Oh no, please don't let them hurt her," Malinda begged as she grimaced in pain.

Her father looked quietly at his child as she laid in bed her skin so pale, one would think she was of pure Caucasian blood. What could he tell his naïve, pure-hearted, sweet child? He wanted nothing less but death for Lauren, but looking into her soft green eyes he knew he had to make sure the traitor was alive to see another day.

"She will be alive but I can not promise she will be unharmed," he said to her. Malinda understood and did not push her father any farther. She knew that her father was in a compromising situation being the kindhearted man he was. He had to be the man he was outside because that is what society wanted and expected. She knew if it was anywhere else and a different circumstance that he would be himself the way he had been with her mother till the townspeople hung her.

"Alright." She said simply and nodded her head.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Just remember to apply the ointment twice a day every day till she is healed and watch for possible infections." the doctor spoke once more before exiting through the bedroom door.

Her father carefully wrapped his arms around her and sighed " I thought I had lost you."

As her dear father is hugging her with his eyes closed her three siblings ran into the room.

"Oh good, she's awake!" Maribel clapped her tiny hands and climbed up on to the bed, taking Matilda's hand as she sat down on the bed.

"You look as white as the paper is." Marcus teased his older sister. Matthew pushed his brother aside and looked down at his sister's sadness painted upon his face.

"Why would Lauren do this? Is she not your best friend amongst the workers?" Matthew asked not understanding.

"She was quite upset yesterday and father had said he would sell her to the tobacco plantation," Matilda said.

"Why did you do that dad?" Marcus asked.

"She called your sister names I would not even use on women that work at a brothel." He said getting up and brushing himself off. " I'll be back later to apply your ointment, sweetie. Enjoy the company of your siblings, and you three should leave her to rest soon. "

All four nodded as he walked out of the room. The four continued talking till Matilda and Maribel fell asleep in each others' arms and the boys on the carpet near her.