Wolf Marked by Alexis Calder

14

“Lola? Lola, it’s time to wake up,” a gentle voice called.

My eyes fluttered open and I saw Sheila sitting on her cot. She stretched, lifting her arms above her head. “You were out.”

Surprisingly, I slept like the dead. I didn’t even remember falling asleep and I’d had no dreams. I rubbed my eyes, then sat up and stretched before standing up. “How long were we asleep?”

“Few hours,” she said.

My stomach growled and I covered it with my hand.

Sheila laughed. “Let’s find some dinner.”

I pulled on my combat boots, which looked amazing with the shorts Sheila procured for me, and then the two of us emerged from her tent. The sky was purple and I couldn’t even see the sun anymore. It was that magical time of evening right before it changed from day to night.

There had been people around the common area every time I’d passed through, but as we got closer, I realized I’d only seen a fraction of the shifters who lived here.

There were easily a hundred or more shifters gathered around the massive pile of wood. It wasn’t lit yet, but as the sky darkened, I had a feeling we were close.

A group of children ran by. They were carefree and joyous as they weaved around adults. The older people just moved aside for them, unconcerned. Some of them even smiled or laughed when the kids passed by. That kind of interaction didn’t happen where I grew up. Kids played, but always away from the adults.

Sheila dragged me to a table lined with food and we piled up plates. It was the first real meal I’d had in days and I enjoyed every bite of grilled meat and fresh vegetables and even a slice of cake. I had no idea where the food came from, but I wasn’t about to argue.

There was movement near the bonfire and the chatter of conversation quieted. My heart raced and I tensed. “What’s going on?”

Sheila grabbed my hand. “You gotta see this.” She led me through the crowd, taking us closer to the fire.

Greta and an older male I didn’t recognize were next to the pile of kindling Sheila and I had added to earlier today. It had been pushed up under the larger pieces of wood. Newspaper and other flammable items were also mixed in with the sticks.

“They’re going to light it,” Shelia whispered. “The tradition is that the oldest male and female of the group light the fire. Then we get to party.”

Greta lit a match, and held it to a torch of some type the older male was holding. Once it caught, she stepped back and shook out her match. The male lowered the torch until the newspaper and kindling caught. Then he stepped back.

The fire ate through the sticks and newspaper, moving and dancing and growing as it climbed up the larger pieces of wood. A cheer rose up through the crowd. Sheila joined in, yelling with the others. I was swept up in the excitement, joining in with whoops of my own.

The fire crackled and wood shifted as the bonfire took form. It was on its way to being a massive fire and it had enough fuel to burn all night. No wonder Sheila had recommended the nap. It was going to be a late night and giddy anticipation rolled through me. This was already more fun than any gathering I’d been to in my old life.

The shifters around me backed away from the fire and the yelling gave way to howls. The energy around us felt electric, like there was a collective sense of joy and elation. It was exhilarating and I was loving every second of it.

Then the clothes started to come off. Shirts thrown aside, pants tossed to the ground, underwear and bras flew through the air. There wasn’t a speech or any announcement. They were just naked. Though, that didn’t last long, because as soon as their clothes were piled off to the side, they ran toward the woods, shifting while in motion.

I stared, open-mouthed, as they flawlessly changed. None of them seemed to convulse or struggle. It was fluid. Beautiful and seamless transitions from human to wolf.

Something deep within me felt like it was waking. An energy that wanted desperately to get out.

For the first time in my life, I knew with absolute certainty that I was feeling my inner wolf.

Soon.

At that moment, I knew I was going to be joining them in the shift. It would be my turn soon enough. I wanted it. For real wanted it. Not just a passive longing. I was determined to make it happen.

“I’m going to run with them for a bit. Will you be okay here?” Sheila asked.

“Yeah, go, have fun,” I said, making sure I hid the disappointment in my tone. I wasn’t upset that she was leaving, I was discouraged by my lack of ability to shift.

“I’ll be back soon.” She already had her shirt off and quickly removed her clothes before running after the rest of the shifters.

I watched them leave, longing to join them.

“You can feel it, can’t you?”

I turned to see Alec, shirt off, walking toward me. His gorgeous eyes pulled me in right away and I had to fight to break eye contact. Fortunately, there was plenty to look at. All those muscles. Holy hell, he was easy on the eyes. My gaze drifted down to his rounded shoulders and his biceps, then I moved lower, checking out his six pack which took me right to his happy trail. Finally, I was staring at the bulge in his pants.

And let me tell you, it was an impressive bulge.

“My eyes are up here,” he said.

Fuck. What was wrong with me? I looked back up at him. “I see you’re making a habit of not wearing a shirt.”

“Shifting with clothes on isn’t a great idea. I’d ruin too many shirts if I did that,” he said. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

“I grew up in a pack of shifters, naked people don’t bother me,” I said.

“No?” He raised a brow. “Good.”

Alec didn’t waste any time unbuttoning and dropping his jeans. Turns out, the man didn’t bother with underwear. Not that he needed to be concerned about what he was packing. I might be a virgin, but I’d seen my share of dicks. Alec’s was right up there with the largest I’d seen.

“You can close your mouth now,” he said.

I knew my face had to be as red as my hair. I’d seen almost everyone I knew naked at some point. But Alec was different. Seeing him naked awakened things inside me I thought were dormant.

All this time, I thought I wasn’t big on sex. Turned out, I wasn’t around the right kind of male.

There were attractive members of my old pack. Tyler was gorgeous and I knew it, but the whole regularly trying to kill me thing eliminated the attraction.

I didn’t have that issue with Alec. If anything, he was even more alluring because he’d technically helped save my life. That had to be it. The whole Prince Charming, damsel in distress thing.

“I suppose it was only fair that I return the favor,” he said. “You look pretty good naked, too.”

“Uh, thanks.” Internally, I was wondering if the two of us could be naked together.

He turned but I called out to him. “Wait! You owe me an explanation from earlier.”

“Later,” he said.

“You gotta give me something,” I demanded. “Where were you all day?”

“Trying to figure out if your life is in danger,” he said.

“You’re messing with me,” I said.

“Just trust me a little bit, okay?” he said.

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you,” I replied.

“Forget I said anything earlier today. It wasn’t a big deal,” he said.

“You’re lying,” I said.

“Look, I don’t want to concern you if there’s nothing to worry about. You said it yourself, I get paranoid. I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said.

“Then tell me,” I said.

“I already warned you that your pack would come looking for you,” he reminded me. “I thought they might be close. But now I’m not sure.”

My heart felt like it fell into my stomach. “Are you going to send me away?”

“You don’t stand a chance out there if you can’t shift,” he said. “I can at least buy you that much time.”

So much for fitting in and finding a place I belonged. My time here was a ticking clock but that was all I’d ever been promised. I nodded. “Thanks.”

Alec nodded in return, then took off at a sprint, following the others. His long legs moved quickly over the earth and after a few strides, his body started to change. Just like the rest of the shifters, he seemed to melt into his wolf form with ease.

Whatever they were teaching here, it looked far more comfortable than the shifting I’d seen in the past.

I watched until I lost sight of him and then I realized how quiet it was. The sound of the bonfire was deafening in the silence of the night.

My inner wolf felt like she was whimpering and scratching at my bones. She wanted out, but she didn’t know how to make it happen. I’m sorry. I wished I could follow them into the woods, run free and then transform back at will.

Why don’t you?

I wasn’t sure if the question was coming from me or from my wolf. Though, I suppose it didn’t matter which part of me it was. We were supposed to be the same; two halves of a whole. But I didn’t feel that connection yet, which is why I hesitated.

I could try to shift. I might even succeed. But then what? I didn’t know what I had to do to become human again. Last time I’d been a wolf, I had no memory of it. What if the wolf part of me gained full control and ran back to Wolf Creek?

I couldn’t risk it. I had to learn how to do this properly or not at all. Learning how to shift was the only help I’d get while I was here so I had to do it right. Once I mastered it, I was on my own.

My inner wolf seemed to whimper again, defeated. Then I didn’t feel her at all.