Chapter 23 Soraya

Walking through the forest was getting a tad boring. It’s not that it wasn’t pretty, it was just the same thing day after day.

Because I still couldn’t connect or feel my wolf, I started moving in the daytime. I wasn’t afraid of pack at this point. Logic said they thought I was dead and they weren’t looking for me.

Besides, moving at night put me as prey, not predator. I couldn’t see as well, my sense of direction was crap, and half the time my human nose was stuffy.

That and seriously, who was going to tell me otherwise? No one to tell me what to do…even my bossy wolf.

The bossy wolf that I missed terribly, but I decided that I couldn’t dwell on her.

This was my life now. I am nearly one hundred percent human. I wouldn’t go to a normal ER and let them draw blood, but I felt mostly human.

Wait. What happens if I get sick and have to go to a human hospital? It’s not like there’s generic shifter doctors scattered in the human cities.

Or are there?

I sat on a hill overlooking the river. I had to change direction when I came upon a barbed wire fence heading east. Not sure if that meant Silverpine land, but I wasn’t going to cross it and find out.

So I turned north and found myself following the river again. I had no idea how far I’d gone, but the landscape had changed and the air definitely got cooler.

My meager rations from the safehouse would be gone as soon as I finished this protein bar.

Foraging was plentiful though. There were mushrooms growing at the base of the tall trees, and I started to see bushes that had big red berries.

Hunting was out of the question without Ori. Maybe I could set up a snare to catch a rabbit, I’d have to check my pack to see if there’s some twine or something…

Doubtful, but I could pretend for a hot minute.

Pretending was something I was getting good at.

Like my new name. I smiled at my cleverness.

My new name was going to be Soraya Wayne. Like Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.

I couldn’t remember much of the movie, I only saw it once. We didn’t watch TV much in Wane Hall. Residents were usually out working or in their rooms. It’s not like we had family time on Saturday nights in front of the TV.

I didn’t resent it; it was just the way of things. You couldn’t miss what you never had.

That was another thing I was good at pretending about; I didn’t miss family time. The reality is, I could try to pass it off like I didn’t care, or didn’t miss what I never had, but it was always all around me.

Families. Love. Togetherness.

But that was yesterday’s life. Today’s life was making it to the city. Tomorrow’s life would be for Soraya Wayne.

Regardless of my old life at my Wane Hall, it totally works for me. I mean it’s the same name, just a different spelling. He was an orphan too!

But my new life, I’d be a rags to riches story though, instead of being born rich like he was. Making millions, if not billions with some fantastic new product.

No idea what the product was yet, but that didn’t matter.

I’d live in a grand house, with more rooms than the Pack House. It would be bright and airy with lots of smiles and laughter.

Maybe I’d have my own Alfred too. Maybe the Matron could be my Alfred. She loves me already. She’s a great cook.

Gosh, I missed her stew. When I closed my eyes, I could almost smell it. My stomach started to rumble in anticipation.

Bruce Wayne had caviar, and I had borrowed protein bars.

I popped the last bit into my mouth, and tucked the wrapper in my backpack and rummaged for anything that resembled twine or rope.

Nothing.

Not even fishing line.

I looked at the river longingly. I wasn’t taking a dip in that frigid water, even though my armpits would thank me.

Fish were jumping, upstream; I’m guessing they were salmon. My mouth watered. Salmon over an open fire would be spectacular. I saw how it was done online one time.

However, I didn’t think my skills for catching fish included bare hands, so I scratched that off my hunting and foraging list.

Maybe I could dig a pit and an animal would fall in. Then I could kill it, and skin it, and cook that over an open fire.

Ori could eat raw meat. I couldn’t stomach it. Way too chewy, never seemed to go down.

During the quiet times like this I really missed Orielle. She was bossy, but it was a good bossy. Most times she was right anyway. I learned to listen.

Well except going back to Lucien. What an asshole.

“I hope he is enjoying life with his chosen mate,” I thought sarcastically. “I hope she is a shrew.”

It gave me great satisfaction to think he might be miserable.

I let my mind wander back to my rags to riches day dream. Except in this version, I had Ori and we were Pack Luna. I had a mate who worshipped our bond as much as I did.

Lucien doesn’t deserve us Ori.

But he’s…our mate.

He lost that chance when he killed you.

His wolf….

No Ori. He killed you and one day he will pay for what he did to you.

Of course, Orielle wasn’t actually there.

But I was certain that one day Lucien Veyric would pay for killing my wolf and leaving me human and empty.

One day. But today I had to figure out where I was going and what to eat along the way.

With any luck, I’d come across apple trees on my travels. It was cool enough for them to be ripe and falling off the trees.

That would be a huge bonus to find.

Until then, berries and mushrooms.