Wolf Lover by Forest Ostrander (best english novels for beginners txt) 📕

"If that's the case, then why do you have all those bruises and cuts on you?" My hopes slumped at thinking he didn't.

"I fell, they're nothing really. I should really be going back, my dad doesn't like me talking to boys let alone being outside of the house, and my mom would surely have the cops called on me for being missing," and before he could say another word, I ran back to the house, I didn't want to go back but fear about what would happen gave way to my sense of wanting to get away, I just hoped they hadn't noticed I was gone yet.

Reaching the front door, I heard movement in the house and my father hiss at my mother.

"She's gone, where did she go wretch?" I cowered a bit, they had noticed and I was now in for a beating of a lifetime and what's worse, this time I don't think I will make it out with just bruising and cuts.

"I don't know," my mother hissed back. "She was supposed to clean the house today."

"When I find that bitch, I'm going to make her pay for running away," my father spat. I whimpered and backed away, quickly heading back to the trees. I couldn't go back home, I was surely going to get more than a beating and I couldn't go back to the cave either because that boy would surely know something was up, I was torn between decisions and had nowhere else to go.

Finally I reached the deeper part of the woods and slumped down next to a huge pine tree, laying my head on my knees and wrapping my arms around them I let the tears finally come once more, I wished my grandmother was here, she was the only one who was nice to me and cared for me, she protected me from my mother and father and I could always find refuge with her when my parents were at it or my father came home when I was home alone drunk and raped me. I imagined her warm arms wrapping me up in a hug and her favorite perfume smell stuck in my nose, a light flowery scent that had a calm feeling to it. I remembered her soft voice as she murmured condolences to me and tried to make me not care so much, that she was here and she would never leave me, yet she had. Cancer had claimed her life and the beatings came worse as my parents blamed her death on me, nothing was ever the same since then, I was alone in the world with two abusive parents and a school of peers who would like nothing more than to bring me down even more. Every doctor I went to diagnosed me with severe depression and gave my parents the medicine to help me but they only smashed it up into powder and sold it to druggies for money so they could go out and buy more alcohol leaving me with those painful thoughts that only offered a smooth release from this world. A small smile came to my face as I thought about death, I knew my grandmother was on the other side and seeing her would make everything all the more better, I would once more have the only person in the world I loved back in my life, I would be safe and taken away from this abusive world, I would finally be free. Then a thought occurred to me, I could end it all, all it would take was a step off of the bridge in town and landing on the pavement, the bridge was high enough that impact to the ground was sure death in itself, I could end it all and I could go see my grandmother, I could finally be free.

Whipping the tears from my eyes, I stretched out my cramped legs, standing up, I whipped the dirt off of my pants and headed to town, I knew my plan was full proof, I just had to make it happen fast enough that no one could stop me.

"Where do you think you're going?" That smooth, honey silk voice came from behind me and I spun around in shock.

"Nowhere, I was just heading to town for my mother, she wanted something from the store," I lied again. The boy crossed his arms across his chest and gave me the don't-thin-you-can-fool-me look.

"If that was true, why are you once more back in the woods and so far from town? Someone on an errand run to town won't be out here." Damn, I was caught red handed.

"I wanted to take a stroll before going into town," I lied again. The boy just stared at me.

"Tell me what is really going on, and I want the truth. I can smell your lies on you." I sighed.

"Ok...the truth is I-" then I recalled what he said and blurted out. "Hey! How could you smell anything on me? What are you? Part dog?" This I realized caught the boy off guard and I felt a smirk threaten to pop on my lips.

"No, it was just a figure of speech. You're face gives your lies away," he quickly said and I knew he was covering something up.

"Well, if you won't tell me then I won't tell you why I'm really out here," I said with a humph and crossed my own arms, the movement made me wince in pain some but I was determined to not let it show on my face.

I heard an exasperated sigh and looked at the boy once more.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," he said and I could sense the air of defeat on him.

"Try me," I challenged more.

"I'm...a werewolf," he whispered out the last part.

*************

I shuttered when I finally told her my secret, I didn't know what she thought of me now, hell, with me being able to find her she probably already thought of me as a creepy stalker but there was something about her that I needed to protect, wanted to protect. I shyly looked up at her from under my eyelashes and seen her starring at me with a blank expression and doubt of her believing me pushed down my confidence. I knew revealing my secret to her would probably ruin the both of us, but there was just something about her my wolf took a liking too, something many generations of pack members had called 'the mating call' but I had never expected it would be with a female human. After a moment of silence, I decided to break the tension between us by holding out my hand.

"My name's Matt, what's yours?" I finally asked. I watched as she snapped out of it and took my hand.

"Forest," she said giving me a firm hand shake but I could feel her body trembling slightly.

"Please don't fear me," I said finally pulling my hand away, "I won't hurt you."

"Believe me, I've been through worse fear than encountering a werewolf," she said and I was surprised she was so calm about it.

"You mean you believe me?" I asked shocked.

"Quite frankly, I don't know what to believe. But hell, I'm open for anything at the moment," she said shrugging her shoulders and I noticed a slight wince on her face as she did so.

"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" I asked worriedly.

"It's nothing, just a little bruising from my inability to not run into things," she said half heartedly. I could tell she was lying again.

"All right, so now back to our deal. I told you about me, now tell me about you. Why are you out here? And why were you in the woods last night?" I watched as she put her guard back up and looked me over before saying.

"I told you why. I wanted a walk and as for why I'm out here its the same thing as for why I was in the woods last night. Besides, what does it matter to you anyway?"

"It matters because the woods aren’t safe. You're lucky it was me who found you and not another werewolf, had another found you would be dead," I said, letting a hint of a growl creep into my voice.

I was amazed that she didn't flinch, most humans would when confronted by a predator but she just stood her ground.

"I can take care of myself thank you. I'm not afraid of some creatures that go bump in the night," she hissed through her teeth, once more crossing her arms across her chest. I sighed again, this was one stubborn human.

"Come on, let's get you back home," I said and noticed she tensed up when I reached for her.

"Don't touch me," she said with a hint of fear in her voice.

"What's wrong? It's not like I will hurt you," I said but I could smell the fear rising on her now.

"Just don't touch me. And I don't want to go home, there's nothing to do there anyways, I'm going to stay out here," and with that she sat down on the ground and crossed her legs.

"Why don't you want to go home? Is something wrong there?" I asked sitting down next to her and frowned a bit when she moved slightly away.

"No, I just don't feel like going home, that's all." I looked at her more closely, I could just see slight trembling from her body. Sitting down next to her, I waited for a few minutes before asking.

"Are you in danger at your house?" I knew instantly my question caught her off guard by how fast her head whipped towards me.

"No, why?" She asked with a guarded tone in her voice.

"Well, its all the bruising you have, no one who isn't in trouble has that much bruising." I felt bad for her when her head bowed and she closed her eyes, instantly I regretted asking my question.

Publication Date: 04-20-2014

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