A Wolf Affair (Book One a Wolf Affair Trilogy)

I was approaching my sixteenth birthday when my father, Walter Cramby, walked out on my mother, Maryanne Cramby, and our lives were forever changed. My brother, Josh, was at the end of his thirteenth year. To add to my mother’s woes, she was laid off not long after that from her job as a fifth-grade school teacher in the suburbs of Detroit.  “Cut backs,” they said.Fortunately, my mother was in possession of a recent, sizable inheritance from her grandmother who managed to survive her husband.  My grandparents were killed in a car accident when mom was in her teens.  My great grandmother finished raising her.   She was a spry old woman who we thought would never die.  In fact, we wondered if she might outlive us all.  Because of that inheritance, we weren’t destitute while she searched for work.Unfortunately, it took mom a while to get her act together to even look for employment.  She spent

My sleep that night was riddled with unsettling dreams. I’d wake up from one and, when I finally managed to get back to sleep, dive into another.  The dreams were both different and the same. They were different in the respect that I was in various locations. The sameness was in the fact that, no matter where I was or what I was doing, I ended up in the company of a very large wolf. In the first dream, I was riding Roger through the woods at dusk when a large black wolf with dark beady eyes came at me from out of nowhere. Roger reared up and I fell; hitting my head on a rock.  I remember the pounding of my heart as if it had really happened when the wolf began to lick the blood from my wounded head.  Something tall came up and the wolf craned its neck to look up at it.  I have no idea who or what it was because that’s when I woke up.In the next dream that I recall, I was walking through my old neighborhood in the Chicago suburbs w

Surprisingly, I slept like a baby that night; for which I was grateful.  I attributed it to the busy day and strenuous walk I took; added to an already exhausted body. Whatever the reason, I was glad.I spent the day caring for the horses and daydreaming about what it would be like to meet Kenton when I was looking my best.  Upon my mother’s request, I rode in the ring instead of on the trails.  I didn’t mind. Admittedly, I was a bit shaken by being so close to the tree line when the wolves howled.  Think me a wimp if you want, but they don’t have wolves in Chicago and that howl was just plain scary.Mom was a little out of sorts at dinner.   It wasn’t until we’d cleaned up and Josh went to his room to play on his Xbox that she asked me to sit with her on the patio.  She had something disturbing to share with me that she didn’t want Josh to hear.Even if I was old enough to drink

My mother’s bellowing from the bottom of the stairs for me to wake up came all too soon.  As much as I would have liked to lay in bed for a while longer and fantasize that Kenton was in bed snuggling me, I had responsibilities to tend to.  The horses would be expecting their morning feed and fresh water. I could be a few minutes late, but not a few hours.I dragged myself out of bed and splashed cold water on my face to help rouse my body. The minty toothpaste that I used to brush the night scum from my teeth did wonders to help me feel fresh and functional.  I quickly ran a brush through my wavy locks and pulled them into a smooth pony tail.   Although, I doubted that it would stay smooth for long, at least it would start out that way.“Did I hear you up in the middle of the night?” mom asked as I entered the kitchen.“I couldn’t sleep, so I had a snack,” I said, quietly.“Outside?”

The day of the picnic came around and I was both sad and frustrated.  Not only had my mother invited a few dozen people that I barely knew or didn’t know at all to it, but I hadn’t seen Kenton since the night I’d asked him to come and mom scared him away.I did my best to be pleasant and amiable to the guests as they arrived, but, let’s face it, they were my mother’s guests, not mine.  To add to my angst, Michael Jefferson arrived with his two sons and his niece in tow.  I was definitely not in the mood to meet and entertain people of my own age.My mother’s voice grated every nerve I possessed as she walked up to me with Michael and his offspring following like baby ducks. “Missy, honey, this is Michael Jefferson.  His farm is on the other side of the reserve.  I’m sure you’ve seen it while riding.” Michael vigorously shook my hand while mom continued to introduce me to the newcomers.