The New Wolf

The pounding headache brought Clara back to consciousness. She pushed her hands to her head, hoping to relieve the pressure. As if on cue, her stomach tightened, forcing her to lean forward and pull her knees to her chest.

Clara's shoulders began to involuntarily pop out of place making her throw her neck back. It seemed like her entire body was on fire causing more pain than she ever thought possible. If she were able to focus on anything but the pain, she may have noticed someone else in the room with her.

"Alpha Bishop, you should get in here."

The pain leapt from joint to joint. Clara threw her body off the bed and landed on all fours. A face appeared right in front of hers. She bit back the screams when a powerful voice filled her ears.

"We didn't think it would be this quick."

Clara looked up through her blond hair to see a nice looking man with a soft smile on an otherwise gruff face. He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry, it will be over soon."

Where am I? Who are you? What did you do to me? These are the questions that Clara should be screaming, but instead she felt a wave of calmness come over her. For some reason, she trusted this man and knew he was telling the truth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A chirping bird made Clara's eyes flicker open. She rubbed them a few times before turning over and clutching the pillow. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet and when it did she planned on hitting snooze. Every muscle in her body ached and she rolled her shoulders hoping to loosen them up.

The sheet slid down her bare back. Clara winced. She never slept naked, where was her shirt? Then like a ton of bricks reality came crashing down. Clutching the sheet to her chest she shot up in bed.

Her heart raced when she realized this wasn't her tiny home. Instead, she was in a decent sized room that looked like it was featured in an L.L. Bean catalogue.

Everything was wood, the walls, ceiling, doors, bed, even a chair in the corner looked carved from oak. Her eyes focused on the chair, placed on top was a stack of clothing. Diving off the bed Clara went for the pile. She pulled on the shirt and pants and started looking for shoes.

She told herself she drank too much the night before and this must have been a one-night stand. Her first week in Wyoming and already she'd gotten so drunk she went home with a mountain man. A whispering voice in the back of her head tried to force the truth on her.

Clara couldn't even remember the last time she'd had a drink, why would she decide to black out and sleep with a stranger? Did she even know where a bar was in her new town?

A knock on the door broke her thoughts. She debated hiding or looking for a weapon. The door creaked open before she could make her move, so she froze. A man with a familiar face walked in. He matched the décor of the room in a flannel shirt and jeans. Clara looked down at her clothes and wondered if they were his.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was hypnotic, as if it were trying to force Clara to relax.

Her mouth dropped open, but no words came out.

"This can be difficult. Why don't you have a seat?" He walked over to the chair and sat down, signaling for her to sit on the bed.

His voice continued to force stillness on her, but her internal monologue met common sense. She willed her legs to move and took off towards the open door.

She reached for the doorframe when powerful arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her momentum and hoisting her in the air. She started screaming, kicking her legs and pulling at the arms. The man was as immovable as a mountain.

"CALM DOWN."

Clara froze in the man's arms. He let out a sigh and carried her over to the bed, plopping her down. What just happened? Why did she listen to him?

Clara sat up on the bed and pulled her legs to her chest, hugging them like a child who needed some sense of security. She forced the tears away, not wanting to appear weak or broken. The reassuring smile returned to the man's face as he pulled the chair closer towards her.

"Please don't kill me, I'll never tell anyone about this place okay? I promise, let me go home and I won't ever bug you again?" Clara mumbled into her knees as a lone tear ran down her cheek.

"Nobody is going to kill you." The man shook his head. "Clara Carlson you have my word."

She lifted her head and her eyes went wide. How did he know her name?

"Close your eyes." His voice was like velvet.

Without knowledge of what was to come Clara couldn't honor his request. He sighed and shook his head.

"You're a strong one," he said. He dropped the smile and narrowed his eyes on her. "Close. Your. Eyes."

Her lids snapped shut immediately. It was almost magic. She knew it was still her choice, nothing was forcing her, but she wanted to listen to him.

"What's the last thing you remember before this morning? Concentrate and tell me about it."

Clara couldn't see anything but a blank canvas. She shook her head.

"Go back further," he said. "Start where you feel comfortable."

The image a taxi dropping her off at the airport came to mind. Clara knew she went too far back.

"Tell me what you see," he said. "Walk me through it."

"I'm in New York. I'm getting on a plane to move to Wyoming. No more crowds and I have a dream job."

"Move forward. Tell me about your arrival."

"I got off the plane in Denver. I used some of my savings to buy a car before I arrived. The seller is waiting for me at the airport. The car is way worse than the pictures, the guy was definitely a smoker and the vehicle reeks, but I don't care it reminds me of my father. I miss him, but I take the gross smell as a sign I'm doing the right thing, that my dad is watching out for me."

"You can tell me all about your father later, keep going with the memories."

"I arrived in Cheyenne a few hours later. I know I should stay the night but I decide to drive through to Laramie. I want to see my new home. I arrive at the house I'm renting. The landlord meets me outside and gives me a key. He apologizes for the size, but it's an actual house! I've been living in a tiny studio apartment for years, I'm so happy to have space and a yard I could cry."

The man gave a chuckle and Clara felt a smile spread across her face.

"The place has furniture and I plop down on the bed. It has an old quilt that smells musty and it makes me want to go find a smoker so I can smell my dad again."

"You're delaying. Keep going. You're safe."

Clara frowned, she shook her head and moved forward.

"I wake up the next day. I don't start at the museum until Monday. I have the whole weekend to explore. I researched some amazing trails in the mountains and decide to go check those out."

The images of the beautiful landscape fill Clara's head. The lush forests, mixed with the rocky terrain. It's beautiful.

"What next?"

"I heard about this secret waterfall online. I decided to try and find it."

"Keep going."

"I'm off the trail, daydreaming about my new life. I'm not paying attention. Before I know it, it's dark out."

Clara's voice caught in her throat as the fear she felt came rushing back. She continued on with her story, voice shaking with anxiety.

"I don't know what to do, I've never been hiking before. I've lived in New York my entire life! I'm going to die out here, lost in a state where nobody knows me. My job and landlord will think I skipped out. Nobody will even come looking for my body."

Clara felt herself start to hyperventilate. A hand touched her shoulder and a feeling of warmth spread through her.

"I know this is going to be difficult, but please tell me what happened next."

"It's so dark and it's getting colder. I decide I have to try to start a fire. I'm looking for sticks trying to stay focused. Someone jumped on me from behind, pushing me down on my stomach. I try to stand up, but they're pinning me. I feel...fur. It's an animal. It's going to eat me. Then I feel it bite down on my leg. The pain...it's unbearable. I can feel it chewing my muscle. I wish it would have started with my neck, so I wouldn't have to feel this."

Clara's voice caught in her throat. She took a shaky breath and continued.

"I'm trying to move, but it's too heavy. Then out of nowhere it's gone. I don't care what happened, but I know I need to get moving. I try to stand, but my leg gives out. I'm too scared to look at it, but I have to see what the damage is. I can hear the animal. It sounds like it's fighting with something else. I realize they're fighting over who gets to eat me. Then I see my leg. A giant chunk is missing. My hands are covered in blood. I pass out looking at my bloody hand, hearing one of the animals yelp. A winner has been picked and I'm the prize."

Clara didn't try and wipe the tears streaming down her face. Instead she went for her calf. It was fine. Was it a dream or was she dead? If she died why wasn't her father here to greet her? A question formed in her mind and Clara started to open her eyes.

"Not yet. Keep going. Do you remember anything else?"

Clara shook her head, but an image flashed before her. The memory of intense, fiery pain, her bones cracking. Then this man walking in, soothing her, helping her.

Next they were in the woods, running. Clara felt amazing, better than she ever had in her whole life. She wanted to run forever, but then she glanced down and saw her feet weren't feet. They were paws. Her eyes shot open and she turned to look at the man.

"Welcome to the pack."