End of the Underground

Oliver

It had been four hours. I really hoped he had a handle on where she was by this point. For the first time in a long time, I actually called Trevor. The phone barely had a chance to ring before it connected. 

“Yeah?” His voice was gruff.

“Update?” 

“Oh, y’know, pulled an all-nighter. Not the fun kind, either.” I waited for him to continue. This wasn’t exactly a joking matter. “It’s bad, and we will be headed to you as soon as we can.”

“We knew it was bad,” I pointed out. “What other information do you have?”

He sighed. “Do you want to know now, or wait for her to tell you?”

“Now.”

“Well, her mom at least clearly had no idea what she could be. I don’t know if it was a one night stand or she was adopted, but clearly her dad isn’t in the picture, because the wolfiness could have come from him and he wasn’t around to help her.” 

That bombshell caused pause. Werewolves don’t let humans adopt their pups for this very reason. It’s too dangerous to go through a first shift and try and navigate a new identity by yourself, especially outside of a pack. 

“She hates her wolf. Calls her a parasite and the demon in her head.” My own wolf growled at this comment. Your wolf was a gift, not a curse. 

“She’s tried to kill herself multiple times, but y’know, wolf healing - it didn’t really work. So she just slashes herself up with a silver knife to keep her wolf at bay. Wears a silver bracelet, silver earrings. It’s…” Trevor’s voice caught. “It's barbaric. This should have never happened.”

“It’s why we have laws that prevent this,” I stated. “The last time something like this happened, our entire existence was almost found out.” The last time - only time, to my knowledge - this had happened, scientists had gotten their hands on the pup, which could have resulted in the public knowledge of our existence. Humans think they are myths. If only they knew the truth. The rescue mission failed, he got away, and a hunter took him out. At least all the people that knew about his existence were dealt with. Her lack of knowledge left her at too much risk and made her a risk to us for her to be left a rogue, nevermind the fact she would have never learned how to properly integrate with her wolf. 

I sat and thought. As angry as I wanted to be, it was hard to feel anything other than sorrow. She had been given none of the tools to even get by and understand who she was, and because of that was a very, very real threat. There was the easy route where we just neutralized the threat, but I only hoped we had gotten to her in time for it to all be fixed.

My wolf curled up and hummed. Wolves are pack animals - we need each other and look out for each other. We care for our own, as much as we can. No matter how the media tried to present us in fiction, we are a very peaceful bunch, and enjoy the quiet lives in nature with our kind. Sure, we have become quite civilized - it was the only way to survive without being discovered and eradicated - but we aren’t monsters. 

“How old is she?” I asked. 

“Twenty-four. She first heard her wolf when she was fourteen.”

Ten years. Ten years alone and scared of herself. Ten years of hating half of who she was. Ten years of trying to kill herself and keep her wolf away. My wolf let out a whine. Both of us, as leaders of the pack, it was hard to just sit quietly and wait. We wanted to jump up and fix all of this. 

“Does she know anything?” 

Trevor scoffed. “Oliver, she doesn’t even know the name of her wolf, she hates her so much. And I think her wolf is getting so angry about it, she is starting to take over. The only thing Lya knows is how to keep the wolf side quiet for a bit. She said tonight was the first time she had shifted since she moved here two years ago.” 

I was quiet. None of that was natural.

“We will be there by noon your time. We will leave here soon. Hopefully I can get some more information out of her on the drive.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “We need to know more about her lineage, and we need her to at least accept her wolf. And anything about the hunter family she had ties to.” 

Trevor was quiet for a moment. “What are you going to do with her?” he finally asked. 

I sighed. “I don’t know. She needs help. But keeping her here will be dangerous for us…” my voice trailed off, thinking of the hunters that would inevitably be at our doorstep if they found out she was here. 

“She’s my friend, Ollie,” Trevor choked a bit. 

“Mate?” I asked.

He was quick to disagree. “No, and even if she was, I don’t think someone raised human and so disconnected from their wolf would even be able to stomach that conversation.” 

“Good point.” This situation was getting more and more difficult to manage.

“See ya soon.” And with that, Trevor disconnected the call.

I sat in silence for a moment. My wolf, Adair, whined in my head. 

'What do we do?' I asked. The wolf always knew best. 

'She will run from us,' he said. 'She cannot even accept her own, how will she accept others?'

'I would hope that being surrounded by her kind would help her accept herself.'

That’s one thing we would need to get through to her. Your wolf was you. 

A light knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. Rose peaked in. She was tall and lanky, quiet. Typical for a shifter whose best talent was tracking. 

“You wanted to see me?” she asked.

I glanced up from my desk. “Yes, please sit,” I said, motioning towards one of the chairs across from my desk. I never understood why the Alpha had an office before I took over the role. Now, seeing how many people sat in those chairs every day, I was endlessly thankful for this place.

I sat back and looked at her. Piercing ice blue eyes stared back at me. Not the pretty ice blue; the seeing right into your soul with no real depth blue. “How are you enjoying your scouting work?” I asked. Rose had been a top student when going through her training; I had high hopes for her and what she could do for the pack.

“It’s been great!” she said ecstatically. “I’m so excited to be put on a big project! I have just loved testing myself and solving so many things. I know none of the stuff I have been put on has been of any real importance, but someday, right?” 

I nodded, a sad smile stretching across my face. “Just like the warriors, it’s a position you train hard for in the hopes to never need,” I reminded her. “But we need you now.”

Her face lit up. “Really?” she exclaimed. “When? Where? What are we doing?”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk. “I will remind you just once. After that, it is on you to remind yourself.” I paused, for gravity. “We never want our pack to be in a position of needing to make use of your training.” 

“No… of course, that makes sense,” she stammered. “Of course we don’t want breaches to our security. I’m just anxious to prove my usefulness and my worth.” 

I chuckled. “Rose, I would much rather sign a paycheck for someone who has only been able to train and not work, than someone who has to prove their worth. I’d much rather you be useless and an expense.” That was a hard concept for new grads to get their minds around. We didn’t want to need them, but we wouldn’t be caught with our pants down and not have them.

“Exactly. I get it.” She nodded, the disappointment clear on her face.

“That’s not to say it’d be a useless expense,” I quickly added. “But it looks like you’ll be earning your paycheck on more than the training grounds work now.” 

She nodded again. 

“So how do you feel about a road trip?”