Chapter 3

IANNA’S POV

I muffled my cries trying not to make too much noise, but the pain was too much. Bones cracked and twisted in different directions. It was so painful that I cried out in pain. I knew shifting for the first time was painful, but I didn’t know it was this painful.

I wished I had my mother or father by my side to help ease the pain. It was too much that I was sure I was going to die in that forest, and no one would know. After what felt like forever with me reeling in pain and crying the pain stopped.

I fell to the ground feeling exhausted, I closed my eyes wanting to take a nap. But before I could do that, I heard a voice in my head. “Hello Ianna, my name is Sandra, your wolf.” A smile crept into my face.

I had a wolf, at least one good thing happened to me today. I had my wolf. I got up excited and Sandra laughed. “It’s good to see you are excited to meet me, do you want to see want we look like in wolf form?”

The excitement I felt when she said that was unimaginable. “I would love nothing more.” She chuckled and said. “Listen to that, can you hear it?” I closed my eyes and listened. The light breeze brushed and caressed my face. Then a heard it.

Water running not too far from where we were. I followed the sound until I got to the stream. The water was clear and clean. “Go on now, have a look.” I took a cautious step forward then stopped. What if I look ugly, what if my wolf is as small as a dog, what am I going to do then?

I am already the laughingstock and the curse of the pack. How much more humiliation will I have to suffer if my wolf is nothing like the others. “You are going to drive yourself insane Ianna.” Sandra reprimanded me but I could not help it.

I was already a disappointment to my mother I can’t be something more. “Just take a step forward and look. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Trust me.” Sandra encouraged.

Well, I might as well look and if my wolf is something disappointing then I will make sure never to shift in front of others. I took a deep breath then took a step forward but with my eyes closed.

I was really scared; I did not know what to expect and I did not want to get my hopes up like I did with school only to get disappointed. I don’t think my fragile heart can take that.

“Ianna open your eyes.” I took another deep breath then opened one eye first and I could not believe what I saw. Dear Goddess, what is this?

I opened the second eye just to make sure I was seeing right. In the clear water, I could see a big white wolf with bright emerald eyes.

The eyes looked like mine, but I could not believe something as ugly as I was, could have such a wolf. “Please tell me this is not an allusion.” I pleaded with my wolf. I did not need such sick jokes, not right now. I have been through enough for the day. “Look down at your paws and tell me if it is an allusion or not.” I cast my eyes to my paws and there they were. Huge white paws. I jumped around and they moved as well.

I laughed in my head happy that it was me, it was my wolf, the most rare and beautiful wolf of all. The one we only heard about in stories but never got to see. I am that white wolf. Dear Goddess, what does that mean?

Does that mean I am really a curse, is my wolf the reason I will bring chaos into my pack and the people I care about? When those thoughts entered my mind, I stopped jumping around and playing in the water.

“Ianna, shift back to your human form. We must talk.” I did not argue with that, I could not let anyone see me and confirm to everyone else that I was, indeed, the cursed wolf.

I sat there naked just feeling down. “Just a few feet back, on the trees there should be clothes there. Go and get them.” Yeah, it would be weird for someone to find me naked here alone. They might think I was a witch this time.

I did as Sandra instructed, I kept looking at the trees until I found a sweater. It was big on me, I could tell it belonged to a man, a big man. I wondered who he was.

“You will need to go back to school and get your bag. But before then we must talk.” I only nodded, the Goddess forbit I get home late. My mother would tear me from limb to limb.

“What is there to talk about?” I asked my wolf as I got up from the ground. “You must hide to everyone that you have a wolf, we don’t want you to get into trouble. I will tell you when the time comes for you to reveal yourself.”

I scoffed; I was not planning on telling anyone anyway. I did not want to be weirder than I already was. Already people called me the curse of the pack and others the cursed child. I don’t want to add the witch into that.

“You don’t have to worry about that Sandra, I have no one to tell anyway. Even if I did, it would make things worse for me.” My wolf didn’t say anything further.

I walked back to school and when I appeared. The bus was leaving the school premises. Great! Now I must walk home. Can this day get any worse?

I waited until all the students left before I rushed inside and went to my last class and took my bag. I got out of the school yard before anyone could see me and accuse me of stealing or something.

It was already late, and I knew my mother was going to have a fit. I ran on the way home. When I got home, my mother was waiting for me. “Where have you been?” she asked but before I could answer she continued.

“What are you wearing, child where the hell have you been? You were with a man, right? you are only sixteen years old, no wolf and already you are sleeping around. Oh, dear Goddess, why would you give me such a curse!”

My mother continued to scold me as I stood there taking it. Lissa was standing behind her laughing. “That is not all mom, today she tried to seduce my boyfriend and when he rejected her. She ran away from school. I saw her going to the woods with a boy from the Crescent Moon Pack. She must have slept with him that is why she is back so late and looking like that.”

I glanced at Lissa who was busy pouring fuel into the fire but that was all I could do. I knew better than to talk back or try to explain myself. It never works and I end up getting a beating. Not today.

“I am not surprised by that; she takes after her father after all. A useless thing who only knows how to spread her legs! I can’t wait until she leaves this house just like her father did.” A lone tear dropped from my eyes when she said that. She wanted me gone; my mother really didn’t want me around. ‘Remember, you must not tell anyone.’

Sandra reminded me and I wanted to chuckle. Who did she think would believe me here, even if I showed them, they would find a way to make my wolf seem evil. “What are you still standing there for? Lissa is hungry, go make the food!”