The Lost Wolf

CHAPTER FIVE

Val fluttered her eyelids open and lunged up, crashing her forehead with something solid.

"Ow!" she and Alex both said in unison.

The short girl was hovering over her with one eye shut and a hand rubbing at her forehead.

"Val," Daphne breathed out in a rush.

"The one and only," she snorted and sat up. Her hands went to clutch at her throbbing head when flickering images halted it. Slowly, she turned her head back to Daphne. She wanted to scream. "You need to tell me what's going on."

"Rest for a little while longer, we'll explain everything la—"

A pointed cough cut her off. They both whipped their heads behind them, to a man sitting calmly in the armchair.

Val eyed the stranger curiously as he stood up. He was a tall man, with brown hair and warm, brown eyes. He had broad shoulders and a slender-but-solid build, with muscles flexing under the dark blue fabric of his shirt. He turned his attention to Daphne. "You can't keep putting it off." He nodded. "It's time she knew."

Val resisted the urge to shrink back on the couch. He wasn't exactly intimidating, rather there was some sort of power repressed in his frame. As if his muscles could burst at any given moment.

"It's time I knew." She nodded, agreeing, still watching the stranger with uncertainty. If she could, she'd laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She felt like a child, sinking deeper into the couch while she let the grown-ups do the talking. But she was no child.

Daphne glared for a moment before speaking. "I'm not sure how exactly to say this without sounding like a complete lunatic..." her voice trailed off. Val pushed her brain to go through all that she'd heard, trying to put the pieces together. She doubted she'd take light of anything being said at this point.

"You're a werewolf," The tall man sighed and stepped closer. "And you need to learn how to control it before you rip someone's throat out without even meaning to."

"I thought we were supposed to be gentle," Alex hissed.

"You were taking too long," he deadpanned, "and she needs to get to grips with the situation; sugar-coating it is not going to help her. The sooner she begins her training the better."

Val couldn't speak past the lump in her throat, pulse thudding loudly in her head. Her mouth hung low, eyes whipping from one face to the other; silently begging for one to come out and call it all for what it should be — a prank. But she knew what she saw out there. Daphne read her trail of thoughts and shook her head solemnly. She couldn't deny what was right in front of her eyes.

"I know this must be confusing for you, but it's true..." Alex came a little closer. "Most people in this town aren't human."

Human...

An echo of memory had her looking up. They had called her human.

"Sam and Erik are werewolves, like you." She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear nervously. "And the rest of us are vampires."

"Us?" she finally mumbled, lips pursing. Alex looked away for a second before fixing her gaze back on her.

Val gasped as two sharp fangs protruded from her mouth. A small red glint blended into the green of her eyes, swirling around the pupil in thin, bright threads. It would have been beautiful had she not been so terrified. Her hands were grasping the ends of the sofa, unconsciously trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

Alex lowered her head, almost shamefully, and Val instantly regretted her actions. Her fangs disappeared just as fast as they'd appeared, and she mumbled a quick "sorry" before running out of the house at a speed unthinkable for any human.