Wolf Silver

In This Life

In This Life

Layla's POV

I came in early to see Sam. The house was still sleeping, but I knew she was awake, or at least waking up. It did take some time but I learned to feel and control when these vision feelings occur. The wolf in me knew that she would wake up just before I stepped into the room.

Walking quietly so not to stir the rest of the house I slipped into the room she was in. As I suspected she was sitting straight up in bed staring at the picture of Mike on the far wall. "All the rooms are like that." I said looking at Mike smiling in his grad tux. It was the best picture of him we had even though he was 20 when he died. "That's my brother." I stated flatly. Thinking of my brothers still brought a deep ache in my heart.

"Why do you have them there?" she asked. I let the corners of my mouth curl up into a sad smile. Walking around the bed I took a seat beside her, resting my back against the head board.

"All of my brothers, and my parents died when I was very young." I started. She looked at me shocked. "All but one, John is my only brother to survive." She nodded and looked back at Mike. "Mike Blake was his name. The oldest, he was the fastest runner out of all of my brothers. John was the most protective, Sam was the quite one, he was the most like John. Louis was the silent one, Ben and Harry were the obnoxious twins, and Jake was... energetic."

"What happened?" Sam whispered. I felt a shiver run up the length of my spine resting at the scar that marked the bullet that had handicapped me for ten years.

"When I was little, six years old, long before I could even think about shifting the hunters attacked our home. Here actually, I don't remember much of it I was so little at the time, but I remember the pain and fear that was holding the whole night. I remember watching my brother's body's fall lifeless before my eyes." I shuddered. "At one point in time I started running, wanting to get away as fast as I could. Run for my life. That was when I first shifted. Many years before I should have."

"That still so strange to me." She whispered. I nodded.

"After that I was injured by a hunter, damaging my spine. I couldn't shift human after that." She turned to me in shock. "So I ran and hid in the woods, fearing they would come for me again. But they never did. I survived as a wild wolf, losing my sense of humanity and living truly wild. Then someone found me." I smiled.

...12 years ago (aprox)...

I'm going to get you deer. I thought chasing the doe through the thin trees. I wanted to catch it but the throbbing pain in my back refused to let me move any faster. It got away from me. I growled frustrated and turned back to my den. That was when I heard a sound. Out from the trees, carrying the doe I had just been chasing around came a large wolf. It was stunning, dark brown fur from its head to its shoulders, and the rest of its body covered in light brown fur.

It dropped the doe in front of me and backed off. I dipped my head, this wolf was big. It shifted, so I knew it was no wild, and a tall woman stood before me. She had thick wavy brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. "Hello little one, is this what you were after?" she asked bending down and holding a hand out to me. "Where is your pack?" she said and looked around. I whimpered and lowered myself so that my belly was on the ground. "Awe you don't have to do that." She insisted coming closer. I got up and backed away. "Oh please don't do that, let me see you." She insisted waving her hands. I took a cautious step forward, slowly until I could smell the tips of her fingers. She smelled like forest flowers. "There there little one." She whispered and scratched my ears.

"Monica?" A male voice called through the trees. I snapped my head up and backed away, and a big man broke through the trees.

"Francis..." Monica started waving at me. I didn't wait to hear what she had to say, I turned putting my tail between my legs and running away as fast as I could, leaving the kill behind.

The next day I found the doe, still lying where she had dropped it. Taking the food it fed me for many days. And for some reason I kept finding another kill lying in that spot. Sometimes Monica would be there waiting for me to show up. She was always so nice, and accepted me even though she thought that I was a wild wolf.

Then one day she never came back. I waited for her for a few days. But the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months.

After a few months had passed I knew she wasn't coming back. I gave up on her. Sometimes Francis came with her, and Beta. They came a few times but Monica never came back. I learned a lot of the pack who I was living near, even though they never thought me as a shifter. Then the day came when I saved Francis's life, and in turn mine changed.

... Present...

"After that battle I joined him, found my last brother, avenged my family and brought peace to our valley." Sam stared at me shocked. "It's strange I know. John and I re-did the house, and each room was dedicated to our lost brothers. This was Mikes room so we have an image of him, human and wolf and a short story about who he is. All the rooms are like that except my old room." I chuckled. It was the only room in the house that doesn't hold a specific memory for me.

"That is truly incredible. You go on each day knowing that they are all gone and still seem to smile. You are a strong person, stronger than me." She mumbled. "I'm just some lost kid that no one cares about."

"You feel lost and alone?" I said smirking she nodded. "I know how that feels. I've been there, when I first shifted human for the first time in ten years I woke up in a place I didn't know surrounded by people that I hardly knew and not even knowing about the world I was in. It's taken me a long time to let go of my brothers and even now it's hard." I let out a shaky breath, if I held it any longer tears would have started falling down my cheeks.

"How does this connect with my life?" she asked.

"It doesn't. Not really." I replied. "You asked me." I chuckled. She smiled, finally a real smile the corners of her lips turning up in a small but happy smile. "Why don't you tell me your story?" I offered. She stiffened.

"There isn't much to it." She whispered hoarsely. I nodded.

"That's what we all think." She stared at me for a moment before turning to the wall.

"I remember pain. A lot of it. It would always start in my arm and slowly  my whole body would feel like it was on fire. There were always faces hovering above me, under a bright white light. I only ever caught scraps of conversation, but it was always the same thing. Purification." She shuddered at the word and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "When I wasn't under the bright light I was in a small dark room, with no light. It was cold and damp. There wasn't much to the room that I could see. In there I pretended to have a family who loved me and took care of me all of the time. Sometimes I would have dreams if I was lucky enough to fall asleep. There's one, it's a memory, that I always see. A girl is being dragged away from me screaming my name. Every time I see it I want to help her but I can't move." She shuddered and dropped her head into her knees hiding the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm alone." She whimpered.

I put my arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "I felt like that once." I said "When I first woke up as a human."

"Lost and alone." We said together. I lifted her shoulders and gave her a hug.

"It may not seem like it now, but you are meant to do great things. You'll see it someday, always believe in yourself." I tapped her nose and got up. "John will be up soon, so if you want to do a little hunting." I grinned at her. "I wouldn't mind taking you out."

She gulped. "Hunting?"n This LI