Chapter 5: Pain

Maria and Ann looked at each other, and then they looked at me. They were afraid to ask. We had all been waiting to find out what chaos we had inadvertently pulled ourselves into.

Normally, the only chaos a girlfriend gets into was the guy’s unruly friends, a mother who didn’t think she was good enough for her son, a father who thought she was a distraction, his sister who wanted to play dress up or spy and turtle tale or his younger brother who had a crush on her. We never expected to be attacked by a six-foot, two hundred, pound psycho ex-girlfriend-wolf, or the constant fear for our lives.

“Dad, they want to know about the wolves.”

He pursed his lips, his face tensed. He exhaled and spoke, his voice rigid, “I suppose you deserve the truth.” He sat upright in his chair. “The guys’ part of the history, they’ll have to tell you. I’ll just tell you as much as I know.”

We went quiet, waiting for the stories to begin.

“Ash is Alpha, the original werewolf. I never bothered to ask him how, but all I know is he wasn’t bitten.”

“What do you mean wasn’t bitten?” The moment I said that, Maria shushed me. My dad chuckled.

“Ash bit Billy, then Joe, then Sabrina.” Her name rolled off his tongue with venom, then his voice lowered to a whisper, “and then me.”

He stared at me, waiting for my reaction. I stayed quiet. I knew something was up, but this, it was turning into a major reality. I smiled at him. I didn’t want him to think I was uncomfortable because of the revelation.

“If that didn’t shock you, this will. Ash is over three hundred years old.” My eyes widened, but I didn’t say a word. I didn’t have anything to say to that.

Ash was really old…with such great skin!

He went on, “Billy died a rebel fighting in a number of the numerous civil wars America had, and Joe was a soldier in the First World War, he was a doctor too.” He laughed at our shocked expressions. “You are all dating people old enough to be your tenth great-grandfathers.

“And Sabrina?” Ann spoke, her voice broken and heavily bewildered. “How did she get to become an everlasting, gorgeous pain in the ass?”

Dad coughed, he looked very embarrassed. “Ash changed her accidentally. She was a prostitute in the nineteen thirties…well I think you can guess the rest.” He cleared his throat, his eyes darting away from me.

“That explains her charming nature,” Ann added under her breath as she looked at me from the corner of her eye.

I couldn’t understand why I was so furious and very jealous. Furious that the woman thought she had a claim over him considering her profession at the time, and jealous that he slept with someone else other than me. I finally knew how he felt when it came to Steve.

“Merilee, he never loved her.” My dad had seen the effect of his candid disclosure all over my face.

“I know. Have they always been together?” I felt like a jealous bitter wife spying on her husband.

“Merilee, that’s something you need to discuss with him.”

“Just answer me, Dad.” I was getting very impatient with him.

“I would tell you all sorts of things about their relationship just to get you away from him. I have never been for you two being together, it’s too dangerous for you—”

I cut him off. “Dad, the point.”

“It was a physical relationship that didn’t last long after I joined them. He loves you, and that’s all you should think about. You are all he thinks about. He almost took off my head when I forbade him to see you.”

I could tell he was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. The thought of Ash making love to her like he did with me made me sick. Especially since we’ve only been together once and he was with her for decades. With the kind of beauty she had, I bet every day.

“You get an A for the effort. Please continue.” I tried to control my voice, but it was shaky and full of rage.

“He changed me because he wanted us to have a life together.” His voice was softer, emotional.

I felt the rage simmer down. “You should have started with that one.” Ash has always had my best interest at heart, since I was young. Sabrina was right about that.

“I understand Ash changing you and the psycho, but why Billy and Joe?” Maria asked, breaking her silence.

“He needed help to take down Baku. He’s the one who ordered his people to kill my family.” The rage was back, but it was riddled with agony.

 Ash also had a history with him, but I wanted to understand exactly how and why. I also wanted to know this murderer, whether or not he intended on it, he just got himself a new enemy. I pressed my joined hands against my lap, trying to control the heat that was rising inside me.

“Why and who’s—” I was cut short by a sharp pain ripping in my belly. I clamped my lips together to suppress a scream.

“Lee, what’s wrong?” My dad was by my side. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to disappear, rubbing the ‘stone’ in my belly gently. It took a few minutes before I felt safe enough to talk.

“It’s okay. I’ve had this pain before. I might have had too much to eat, or Sabrina’s tackle did more damage than—Arrgh!”

There was no holding that scream, or the chain of them that followed. I was bent over, my fists clenched tightly against my stomach. It felt like someone was ripping my insides apart with a chain saw.

The next pain hit me harder. I screamed even louder. I coiled and fell on the floor. I could hear frantic voices call out my name. There were hands trying to uncoil me, but I rolled away from them. I bit down on my lower lip, trying to lessen the screams. I didn’t want to scare them more than I already had.

“Lee, where does it hurt?” There was a pair of hands holding me so that I wouldn’t roll away again.

“My…bel…ly!” That was all I could manage through my clenched teeth. My vision became blurry and my hearing got hazy. All my sense could register was pain. The only way I knew who was talking was by the familiar sound of their voices.

“I’m calling Ash!” That was Maria. I brought my knees up under my chin.

“No. We have to take her to hospital.” Ann, I reached my hand out for hers relieved. As much as I hated hospitals, today I would gladly go even on a donkey if need be. She took it and gripped my hand firmly.

“We can’t do that!” said Dad, his hands still on me.

“So would you rather watch your daughter writhe in pain?”

“It could be the venom.”

Ash told me about this, but I bet he never thought this would happen so soon. If he did he would have prepared me for it.

“What are you talking about?” Maria asked her hand on the top of my head.

“Venom or not, we are taking her to a hospital.” Ann stood up. Thank God for Ann.

“No!”

Couldn’t my dad see how much pain I was in?

“What if there’s something seriously wrong?” Ann’s voice was dangerously livid.

Before another word could be said, a piercing scream rang out of my mouth. The pain had me curved up backwards and my eyes wide open. I felt the pain shredding me apart, like someone had taken a lawn mower to my insides.

I couldn’t hear myself anymore. Black spots were in my vision, blocking the light out. Then I felt numb, the pain was gone and I was enveloped in darkness.