The Bitten Wolf

Chapter 2: Strangers On The Doorstep

   I heard him move somewhere off to the side of me a split second before he hit my side with his strong paws, pushing me over onto the sparkling snow, my breath coming out in a huge, misty cloud. I lay there for a second, steadying my racing heartbeat before turning to the light brown wolf sitting beside me, green eyes sparkling with amusement. I gave him a sad look to show him that I didn't feel the same way about the surprise attack, at which he shrugged his shoulders.

   I sighed, my breath puffing out. I knew this was part of my necessary training, but it got so boring at times. Then, I'd let my guard down, get distracted by something and, next thing I knew, I was on the ground, pinned down by another wolf.

   The light brown wolf, Matthew, walked past me, brushing his tail over my nose, causing me to sneeze. I shook my head to clear it, then got up to follow him. This was the part of my training that I was actually good at.

   Matthew began to quicken his pace, first to a trot, then a slow run, and then to a steady lope. I kept up with him easily, my long legs moving over the snow-covered ground at a steady pace. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matthew flash me a challenging look and I quickened my run in response. At that, he broke into a sprint and I followed, overtaking him just as we reached the edge of the trees. From there, I covered the few metres of open ground between the forest and the fence in a few bounds, then jumped over the fence in one powerful leap.

   I turned in time to see Matthew open the gate, walking through it calmly. I tilted my head to the side, sticking my tongue out in the process.

   He rolled his eyes at me, "Alright, you win again." I smiled a wolfish grin, then began to change.

   Let me tell you, changing is one of the weirdest things I've ever experience. It doesn't necessarily hurt, it just leaves you with a sense of... loneliness. Slowly, I felt the wolf side of my brain melt away, receding to a corner of my mind, waiting to come back the moment I changed again. My claws shrank into fingernails and my fur fell away, leaving me standing in the snow in a pair of jeans, brown boots, and a brown long-sleeve shirt.

   "There you two are!" I recognized the voice of the female alpha, "Come in and eat breakfast!" Disobeying an alpha's orders is forbidden, so I obediently followed Matthew into the house. My stomach growled at the smell of bacon and eggs and I realized that I hadn't eaten anything before training.

   "Good job today, but maybe tomorrow you won't be so distracted?" Matthew winked at me before sliding into his seat at the head of the table beside Kiera, kissing her on the cheek lightly. She turned to swat his head away, but he caught her arm and gently kissed her on the lips. Beside them, Jared sat with an amused look on his face, grey eyes flicking to the clock every few seconds. With a jolt, I realized it was almost eight.

   "Hazel, can you come help me out?" Maya called from the kitchen. With a sigh, I walked in the direction of her voice, deciding not to find out what happens if you disobey an alphas orders. In the kitchen, Maya was standing by the stove cooking bacon and eggs, while Eggo waffles jumped out of the toaster beside her. On the counter were heaping plates of still sizzling bacon and warm waffles.

   "Switch out the waffles, will you?" Maya turned to me, a tired expression on her face. She wasn't wearing any make-up and her blonde hair was a mess, but standing there with a spatula in hand, she still looked pretty. Obediently, I took the ready waffles from the toaster and put them on an already overflowing plate, popping four more into the jumbo toaster.

   "Thanks sweetie." she said with a smile, "Do you think you could round up some of the others and set the table? Take Tommy, maybe Luke?"

   "Isn't it the girls' turn today?" came a voice from the doorway. Jared walked over to Maya, slipping an arm around her waist, "How's breakfast coming? I have to be in town in an hour."