Chapter 4 The Run

Today was the pack run and there was not a lot to do at the school. Everyone was pretty relaxed and excited about the run. Teachers were teaching halfheartedly and students had no interest in listening to the lecture at all.

The ground staff could be seen outside my class windows preparing the grounds for the weekly pack run. While I was dreading this. I had always dreaded going to pack runs since I had not found my wolf yet, as my parents always told me that I am a late bloomer, but I will find it when I get of age. I couldn’t roam free in the woods in my wolf body hence I couldn’t enjoy it. And then there was always this new threat of school bullies looming over my head so I decided to lay low in the woods as always and plus didn’t want to give the bullies a chance who would be out there looking for me.

My parents had found a perfect hiding spot for me deep in the woods near our pack borders. It was a beautiful lake covered from the top with trees. Nobody dared go near the borders so I was pretty safe here. I liked the quiet and peace near the lake. It was my favorite place whenever I wanted to get out of the eyes of the world.

I was chilling as usual at a lake near our borders, my head rested peacefully against the bark of the willow tree, my back floated on a bed of grass and my feet were gliding in the calm water of the lake. It was the perfect atmosphere to have a little nap. The cool breeze was soothing on my skin. It refreshed me after a long week of humiliation in school.

Then out of nowhere, I heard leaves rustling in the distance and I got scared because nobody had ever been able to find me during pack runs this was the first time someone had found me and soon enough I saw eight wolves all different shapes, sizes and colors the only wolf I was able to recognize was Sam’s brown one.

I knew they didn’t come here with any good intentions. I panicked and started shaking because I knew something bad was coming. My gut was telling me to run away, but my feet had stopped listening. I had no strength left in my body. I stood there frozen, staring at my bullies and wondering how I can get out of this.

They changed their shapes. They were all naked, but then again it was ok in the pack to be naked we were wolves after all.

“Hello, little princess, what is her highness doing this far from the pack”? Regina asked mockingly.

“I ….” I had no words, I was scared of them.

“Then again it’s better that freaks like you don’t become part of the pack”

“I am no freak, why do you guys say that”

“Oh poor little girl doesn’t know it yet, should I tell her Sam?” Regina looked at Sam, who nodded in agreement.

“Why don’t you try shifting, I’m giving you a hint”, Regina said tilting her head sideways and mocking me.

“I can’t yet”, I answered.

“Oh you can’t yet, wow, you guys hear this, little miss perfect can’t shift yet”, Regina started laughing, and the whole group joined in. They had formed a circle around me leaving no room for me to escape.

“So, here is the thing, we as concerned classmates of yours want to give you a little extra help so you can shift, you know”, Regina said with malice. I could see in her eyes, she meant no good.

“Listen, Regina… I don’t know…,” I was in the middle of my sentence when Regina glided without any effort and got behind me, and ran her fingers through my long hair.

“You know, we are very best of friends, right? I don’t want you to miss out on being a wolf”, Regina said still running her fingers through my hair. I jerked away from her, she looked really creepy up close. Her eyes had crazy in them.

“Ok, your choice princess, no more mister nice guy,” Regina said with rage in her voice. She repositioned herself in front of me so she and I looked eye to eye.

“Listen you little bitch, anyone without a wolf has no place in our pack, and is a freak of nature” Regina answered.

“And that’s why you are a freak amongst us and we want wolves only, so I guess it is time we put an end to this farce”, Regina’s voice was getting louder and louder with each passing second. The whole group was listening to her. I could already see some of them flexing their muscles. Oh God, what were they planning to do with me?

“But I am a late bloomer, it is common”, I was sure of it, my mother wouldn’t lie to me. I tried to defend myself.

“ha, ha, ha, you still believe that little fairy tale your mother tells you, you’re a freak Eve and Sam didn’t wanted to be with a freak”, Regina said. I looked at Sam and he didn’t meet my gaze, he simply looked away.

Everything was now making sense to me. I was almost eighteen and I hadn’t found a wolf, I was always told that I was a late bloomer, I will find it. And I believed it, every girl my age had found their wolf a long time ago, I was the only wolfless and Sam left me because I had no wolf. All this was too much to handle for me. It was like someone had put a dagger through my heart. My head was spinning, I really was the freak of the pack. I deserve all the abuse from them. How could I believe my mother’s lies? Her lies had destroyed my life.

I was no wolf, I was not worthy of staying in the pack. I was nobody. I was the freak of the pack. Why would anyone want me? That’s why I meant nothing to others and that’s why didn’t have any friends. All of my years of believing lies led me to this point in my life.

My head started aching again and I fell to the ground everything that I ever knew turned out to be a lie, I was living a lie. My whole life was a sham.

I felt lifeless, nonexistent, and dead….dead inside. The grass on the ground was wet and cold, but I didn’t care anymore. My life had come crashing down in front of me.

“And you know what we do with freaks like you, we banish them,” Regina said and took a handful of wet soil from near the lake and chucked it at me.

It hit me square in the face, some of it went into my mouth and it brought me back to the present. I stood up trying to clean up the soil from my face. My black top and jeans were wet.

Then someone from the group got behind me and took my hands behind and held them there. I could not move now. I struggled but his grip was strong.

I heard Sam laugh at this, which gave Regina and others encouragement and they started throwing wet soil at me. Sam simply stood in the corner against a tree laughing.

“Die freak, Die” They chanted in unison.

Dirt was hitting me left and right. I was yelling and crying out for help. But no help was going to come.

“Sam please make it stop” I pleaded with Sam.

“You deserve this, you low-life piece of shit” Sam barked at me.

“Sam my love, don’t get angry, after all, we are all here to help our little princess,” Regina laughed out loud with the others.

“You know dear since I am your best friend I don’t like all this, so everybody just stop”, Regina gestured for everyone to stop and they did. My arms were still in the grips of the person behind me. I was covered with dirt from head to toe. I could barely see anything, wet soil was dripping down from my face.

What was going to happen, I thought to myself. Is it over, are they going to let me? I wanted it to stop too. Please have mercy.

“After a lot of thinking you know, I have come to a conclusion, let’s end this”

“You see this lake behind you princess, I bet you would look so cool bathing in it, it might help you get your wolf even, so what do you say….huh?” Regina asked me.

“I am waiting sweetheart, I am trying to help you here, so what do you say we help you clean,” Regina again jokingly asked me. I couldn’t breathe properly let alone answer her.

“Ok, times up”

“Let’s throw her in the lake” Regina suggested and everyone chimed in and they got closer to me.

“No, please don’t, Regina please….” I started to plead with them.

It was of no use and all of them took a hold of me. They lifted me above their heads like a lifeless doll and threw me into the lake. The cold water took my breath away as it entered my mouth and nostrils. I was gasping for air. The lake was not very deep but it was cold as hell. My body was twisting and turning in the water, I needed to get out of this nightmare.  And then they decided to do the worst to me.