*Delilah*With Flora and Kyle happily playing in the living room and Cody running around the house entertaining himself, I walked into the kitchen to fix myself a snack. I had to do so while they were distracted or else they would want something too. I didn’t mind making them a snack normally but it was so close to dinner, I couldn’t risk spoiling their appetites. Plus, I wanted a little treat for myself, something that they weren’t allowed to have. My feet pattered against the tile floor as I walked into the kitchen. I went to the cabinet to get a glass and my hidden stash of chocolates. When I closed the cabinet door, it groaned louder than I had expected. I paused to listen, just in case any of the kids had heard me. Thankfully, after a few seconds, no one came running so I knew I was in the clear. I grabbed an already-opened bottle of wine and filled the class a third of the way and took a sip before popping a delicious chocolate into my mouth. The flavors together were del
*Delilah*The nightmare wouldn’t let me wake up. I knew it wasn’t real and that I was asleep but I was stuck. I was stuck in this horrible sequence of events. I kept seeing the same thing happening. It was a warning, the most terrifying warning. Something horrible was coming and it was coming soon.I woke up with a start. My heart was beating out of control and I couldn’t find my breath. I jumped out of bed and started pacing the room. I spun on my heel and walked into the bathroom to splash water on my face. The water helped a little bit but I could still feel my heart beating out of my chest.I stood in the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked pale and I was shaking. I braced myself against the counter, my fingers gripping the edge of the sink. It felt cool against my skin but it made me shiver.The bathroom was dark and eerie so I decided to go back to the bedroom. Andrew was sound asleep and I wished I could join him in that slumber.I climbed back int
*Delilah*Everything had played out exactly like my nightmare. The other pack was sneaking in but now we knew. We could see them coming and after the first wolf was spotted, our pack had sprung into action. Thankfully, we were able to catch them mid-sneak attack. We weren’t as prepared as we would have wanted to be but once everyone knew what was about to happen, they were ready and they were not going to let another pack infiltrate ours and destroy everything Andrew and his family had worked so hard to build. They were not only fighting for everything Andrew’s family had built but for their family as well. The pack was starting to feel like one big family and I knew they would do anything to protect that family. I was still worried about our children though. They were at the forefront of my mind. I had spent so many years alone with them, protecting them all by myself, that I felt weird leaving them behind while I went to fight. It was so stressful but I knew I had to trust
*Delilah* The race to the children’s room feels like the longest distance I have ever had to cross. My heart was beating out of my chest as I shifted once again to get there faster. I bounded up to their room, taking on my human form once more as I arrived in the doorway. It was empty.I had to be sure it was empty. At first glance, there was no one there but the children were good at hiding. I began to frantically search the room.“Children!” I called out, my voice high and scratchy, showing off how worried I was.“Flora! Please respond,” I begged, needing to hear their beautiful little voices. “Kyle! Answer Mommy!” I tried again, calling for a different child. “Cody! Please, I won’t be mad. Stop playing games,” I tried to keep myself from sobbing as I called out, louder each time. “Please, someone answer,” I said with a quieter voice, looking around the room and searching the rest of the house for them. I called out each of their names, multiple times as I des
*Flora*Walking through the woods, following Aunt Kendra, had grown tiring. I wanted to go home to sleep. She had woken us “Flora.” Kyle nudged me. He had been the quietest during our journey through the woods but I don’t think he was playing the same game Cody way. “Flora.” Kyle nudged me again and I shot him a look before glancing back at Aunt Kendra.“Shh, Kyle,” I said to him. I wanted Aunt Kendra to like me and if she was trying to help keep us safe then I needed to listen to her and keep quiet. “Flora, listen to me,” Kyle insisted with a harsh whisper. I grumbled but let him pull me back, slowing our pace to distance us from Cody and Aunt Kendra. When we were far enough away from them, Kyle leaned toward me and I leaned into him. “I don’t know how to explain it,” Kyle started.“Just try, Kyle,” I encouraged, smiling at my brother. “Aunt Kendra,” Kyle paused again, thinking about how to phrase it for me. “Aunt Kendra, well, her colors are off.”“What do y
*Andrew*I focused on the wolves around me. The Carter pack wasn’t small, and it seemed like they’d brought a large force with them. I had to admit I was impressed by their determination to defeat us. But it wouldn’t grant any of them mercy. I didn’t care why they were here, only that they learned that they would pay for daring to invade my territory. I didn’t know how many wolves I’d downed at that point, but it wasn’t a small number. I whipped around as a wolf tried to attack my hind leg. I jumped, pinning his back with my front paws as I leaned down and snapped his neck in my jaws. I dropped the wolf to the ground and looked around, snarling. My wolves were doing well, and it looked like we had very few casualties. Some wolves were dragged away from the battle by others and healers were quick to attend to their injuries. It seemed like the Carter pack might have been retreating. I was slowly but surely moving toward the leader, making sure to take out whoever came into my
*Delilah*I fled away from the fighting as fast as I could. I smelled the children in the forest that bordered our lands. What on earth were they doing there? I picked up another familiar scent as I ran but I ignored it. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was my kids.I sprinted, leaping into the air as a wolf tried to attack me and landing on his back, sprinting away as another member of the Blackwell pack came up and finished off the wolf.My nightmare had prepared me for this happening and it at least had managed to help me remain calm. This was the second or third kidnapping attempt on my children in less than a year. I couldn’t imagine what they must be feeling at that moment. The thought spurred me on and I increased my speed as I cleared the battlefield and darted down a trail. As I ran the kids’ scents got stronger and stronger and I knew I was on the right path. Whoever was trying to take my children better have an army because I was ready to run like a
*Delilah*I quickly whirled around, scooping the kids with my back leg and tail and flinging them as gently as I could behind me. My attacker pulled up quickly, snapping her jaws shut short of my neck as I bit down. Shock coursed through my veins like ice as I took in the sight of the snarling wolf that was my sister. I crouched low and growled, gnashing my teeth at her. She backed up and shifted into her human form. “Why did you have to come back?” she all but screeched at me, desperation filling her eyes.I shifted as well and looked at her with wide eyes as I threw my hands in the air. “Why are you doing this, Kendra? Was tormenting me in high school not enough for you, you had to try to hurt my children?” I roared at her. I was done being nice to her, done trying to reason with her. She’d gone too far and I would make sure that after this day, she never thought about even looking at my children again. I chanced a glance at them and she took that opportunity to sh