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“Don’t worry about the money, Rebacca. The Lupine Government gives every wolf a stipend and since you were forcefully changed, you also get that wolf’s stipends. His family agreed to it, they said they were appalled by what their son did and hopes the money will help you settle into the life you never asked for. They want to see you, if you’re willing of course. They feel terrible about how everything went down. Of course, no one will force you to see them, but that is an option if you’d like it. Also, you need a nickname. Rebecca is the human you, you need a wolf name.” She gently taps her finger against her chin before a wide grin spreads on her lips. She snaps and shoves a finger into the air. “I’ve got it. Becca! Please tell me I can call you Becca!”
Her words leave my head spinning. I do think I want to meet his family at some point. Maybe not right now, I need to figure out this new life before I face them, but I'm curious about the wolf that changed me. Was he always crazy, or was this a one off? What was he like before that night? Was he kind like Abby or grumpy and hard to be around? All these questions are spinning around and around in my thoughts and I have to force them away or I’ll get overwhelmed again. I have to think about this as a positive thing or I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life. Smiling back at Abby and gently squeezing her hand, I answer the best I can.
“I’d like that some day. I don’t think I can do it right now, but eventually, I’d like to give them my condolences for the son they lost. I feel terrible that he died. Also, I don’t really know how to feel about the stipend, but I’ll accept it until I get my bearings around here. And, you’re right about Rebecca being a human name, I’d love it if you called me Becca, no one has before.”
“Oh Becca, you are so fucking sweet. You let me know when you’re ready and I’ll set up that meeting. And, you have no choice but to accept the money. We all get it, even if we have a job. Us wolves have had centuries to amass a fortune under the humans’ noses. So now, the alphas in charge are giving back to us. Just roll with it!”
Laughing, I nod and watch the picturesque town roll by. We leave the main town and head down a two lane road. I can see the waves crashing in the ocean in the distance and my heart leaps with joy as we drive closer to the coast. The ocean is my home, and apparently, Abby’s home rests on the shores. We pull into a little bungalow style house. The whole backyard is a sandy beach and before I even open my door I can hear the cry of seagulls and the lulling crash of waves. My cheeks burn from smiling so wide and as the car comes to a stop, I throw my door open and rush around the house to take in the beautiful sight of the beach. The water is so blue and even from a hundred feet away, I see the little bright fish playing in the shallows. As I watch, a pod of dolphins jump the waves in the distance, their clicks are music to my ears. Abby lays her arm across my shoulder and watches the water with me. I feel rude for not addressing her and ditching her in the car, but the call of the ocean has never been one I could ignore. Just seeing the water makes me want to draw.
“I love the ocean. I used to walk from my house through the woods at night to draw the ocean in the moonlight. Thank you for giving me my home back, Abby.”
“I’m glad you like it here. I’m heading inside to start lunch, but feel free to spend as much time out here as you’d like. If you don’t come in before lunch is ready, I’ll bring it to you.” She kisses my head and leaves me to my peace.
I spend hours sitting on the sand and watching the water. Abby brings lunch out and sits in silence with me as we eat. For a while, we sit together, watching nature at its finest. When the sun starts to set, we go inside. Abby promises I can come out as much as I’d like. As I glance back at the water once more from the back glass sliding door, I can’t help but feel like I’m finally home.
Abby’s house is cute. It's cozy and perfect. The kitchen is dine-in, with a little booth that has a window that faces the water. All of her appliances are stainless steel and the wooden cabinets and countertops blend in perfectly with the light pink walls. She has fresh flowers sitting in the middle of the table and as she leads me into the living room, I gush at the soft fluffy white carpet she has throughout the rest of the house.
Her couches are white with pink seashell throw pillows on each corner. She doesn’t have a TV. Instead, there is a massive bookshelf covering the wall from the front door to the other wall. The fireplace in the center of the bookshelf is probably the biggest I’ve ever seen. I ask her how she keeps the books safe and she laughs as she points to a metal tube inside the brick fireplace.
“There’s a fan that pulls the smoke up and out and the air flow keeps the flames safely inside.”
“Genius!”
From there, she takes me down the hall. There are only three doors down the hall.
“That,” she points to the door on the right, facing the front of the house. “Is my room and the other is yours. We each have a bathroom and the door at the end of the hall is the laundry room. Feel free to make the place yours. I already have a family that applied to be your caretakers once you’re ready to leave here. Of course, you can also stay until I get another assignment or you find your own place.” Nodding, I make my way to the room she pointed out as mine. I do love it here, but I don’t want to burden my new friend. Dr. Lycan said that all new wolves stay with an established family for a while, I just hope I have a chance to meet the family before I go stay with them. “I’m going to make dinner while you go through the boxes. Make a list of the things you need and we’ll go shopping tomorrow. I put your new Lupine card in your wallet already and over dinner, I’ll start explaining more about the way we work as wolves.”
Smiling to let her know I heard her, I push open the door to my temporary room. The whole room is nautical themed. The queen size bed has a blue and white striped comforter with little red anchors and the decorative pillows each have a different sea creature stitched on the front of them. On the back wall, there is a giant window with a breathtaking view of the ocean. Red curtains are tied back, and I imagine at night they can be untied and closed to keep the morning sun out of my face. There is a plain white four-drawer dresser beside the window and a matching desk across from the bed with boxes stacked on it. There's not much I had at my old house, mostly just art stuff and clothes. Opening the door by the bed, I can see my meager amount of worn down clothes hanging up. There’s one other door by the desk that I find out leads to the bathroom. The duffle bag from the hospital is folded up in the closet and all my shower supplies have been put in the bathroom along with my toothbrush and what little makeup I own.
Going through the boxes, I'm relieved to see all of my sketchbooks are there along with my collection of charcoal and paints. Someone, I’m guessing Kathy, took the time to wrap all my framed sketches in a newspaper. I could kiss whoever did it. My art is my life force and being without it would kill me. There’s also a few half full notebooks and a couple of odd-and-ends I had around my room, like the seashell bracelet one of the girls I watched made me. I put everything away and store the boxes in the closet. Once I have that handled, I grab a notebook and make a list of things I need. Mostly clothes and shoes, but I also note to grab more sketch pads and a few more notebooks.
Chapter Six
Wolf Lessons
Takingmynotebookwithmy list and a pencil to write notes with, I go to the kitchen. Abby is standing over the stove, stirring something in a pot. Sniffing the air, I pick up hints of butter and cheese. I can also smell bread and some sort of meat. All the scents in the room make my stomach growl. I’m obviously a bit more hungry than I assumed I was before coming in here. Chuckling, I put my stuff down on the table and go to the sink to wash my hands.
“Can I help with anything?” Abby smiles at me as I make my way over. She looks like she was made to be in the kitchen and judging by the smell of dinner, I think she was. Her smile is genuine and her eyes seem to always dance with goodwill and joy.
“You can make the salad for me.” She points at the big empty bowl on the counter and then at the double door fridge at the end of the counter. “Everything is in the fridge. Grab the lemonade as well please.” Nodding, I take off to do what she asked.
We chat about nothing while we work, well nothing pertaining to wolves. She tells me about going to culinary school and then switching majors to Humanity and Social Work. As we talk, she finishes the mac and cheese and pulls steaks and biscuits out of the oven. The salad is simple, but I make olive oil and garlic dressing to go with it. She asks me about what I want to do as a career and I admit that I haven’t really thought about it.
After putting everything on the table, I sit with Abby to eat. We’re only a few bites in when I think she may dive into the discussion about my new culture. I’m a bit nervous to get into the wolf talk, but I’m excited to learn more as well. So much of this culture is kept from humans. I’ve always been curious about how they work as a society and how that society works with human governments and hierarchy. I wonder if they have a structure similar to wild wolf packs, or if they’ve blended human structure into pack structure to make a unique culture. Everything I’ve seen so far is no different than how humans work. I haven’t seen any wolves running down the street or people walking around with fuzzy ears coming out the top of their heads. For a while, we eat in a comfortable silence, but when we’re both almost done, Abby clears her throat to get my attention. When I look up, she is smiling at me.
“So, you must have so many questions, but I want to give you a bit of information first, then you can ask anything. I’m an open book and nothing is too small to ask, okay?”
Nodding, I open my notebook, then smile at her so she’ll start talking. She seems impressed and a bit in awe that I’m taking it so seriously, but I love to learn. I want to know everything, but I’m also aware that I can’t learn it all in one night, so I have to figure out what I need to know right now, and write down any questions that come to mind.
“So, the first thing to know is there are two types of wolves, born and Chosen. We never call a Chosen wolf ‘changed’ or ‘turned’.” She watches me closely as she starts explaining about how saying a Chosen Wolf is changed or turned or infected is derogatory and mean. She says that they have yet to find a difference between born and Chosen wolves. Then she explains that being Chosen doesn’t make a person any less of a wolf then being born one does.
“The only quirk of being Chosen over Born that we have found so far is that no Chosen wolf has ever manifested as anything other than Beta. Which brings us to the next thing to know. There are three manifestations of wolves: Alpha, Beta, and Omega.”
Similar to what wolves in the wild are like. My mind starts listing everything I know about each manifestation. Most of it is from wild wolves or shifter books I’ve read. I know that there isn’t an actual Alpha in wild wolf packs, just a more dominant male that tends to make all the pack decisions. And according to books I’ve read, there is a distinct social difference between manifestations, but it isn’t always so clear what a person is. I don’t speak my theories out loud. I just wait patiently for Abby to explain them. She’s good at saying stuff and making it easy to understand. No matter how outlandish it may be, when she is saying it, it seems perfectly reasonable.
“Any questions so far?”
“Only about a dozen!” Both of us chuckle at my response, but I wave my hand between us as if I’m trying to erase the words. “Nothing right now. Explain about Alphas, Betas, and Omegas and I’ll keep writing down anything that comes to mind. We can talk about it more once you’ve explained it.”
