Chapter 29

It was the night of the pack meeting. I was growing impatient by the minute. Callie refused to go out looking anything but tongue dropping. At first, she had on a brown jumpsuit that she changed in the last possible minute.
I didn’t want to keep Stephaney waiting. It was a little over an hour from the time I was supposed to meet him just outside our borderline. I couldn’t wait to show him around, to spend time with him.
I looked up at Callie; she had her hair in a curly braided Mohawk, dark brown frames and carried a heart shaped purse. She dressed in skinny red satin dress, brown faux fur boots I bought her on her birthday – being part animal herself I refused to buy real fur – and looked so stunning she could be a model off the ramp.
“Wow.” I said sagely. I’m sure my tongue was out. “You look-”
“Beautiful.” Silas interrupted.
I looked at him hoping to give him a glare but instead I was speechless. He looked just as grand in blue dirty jeans, white sneakers, purple tight fitting shirt, and matching cap.
“And you. You’re…” I couldn’t find the right words so I settled for “striking and-“
Again, I was interrupted but, this time by Callie. “Handsome.”
I blew my lips in thought. If only Peter and I didn’t have to hide our relationship….
“We should get going.” Callie said after a minute’s silence. “We’re already late.” She looked at me. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
I nodded thoughtfully. “Yes I’m sure.” I cleared my throat to make my voice sound sweet. “Now will you two leave already?”
“You’re not planning to have Milton over are you?” Callie said cagily. “Anyhow, that’s not my business.” She winked linking her arm through Silas’ arm. “If you know what I mean.” they walked to the door. She glanced over my shoulder. “Don’t you do anything I wouldn’t do? And that’s do everything.”
When I heard the car pull out the driveway I ran to my bedroom, pulled a jacket over my shoulder and jumped out the window. A cool breeze swept that made my teeth shutter. I looked up the third floor. I couldn’t go back to grab something warmer to wear. I sighed.
The cold wasn’t something a good ran couldn’t fix. I ran at wolf speed. It was amazing how the forest looked so good in my wolf eyes. I jumped over a branch and land on a pool of dirty water. I cursed, but it was worth it.
“Stephaney.” I said the second I could pick up his masculine scent. “Just open your eyes.”
When he did, I took a step back. He was a foot away from me. I placed a hand over my chest. “If I have a heart attack then you’re to blame.”
He smiled roughly. “One less werewolf to kill...” He sneezed. “This place stinks.” He placed a hand over his nose. “I can’t breathe.”
“Stop moaning.” I said taking his hand. “How do I smell?”
“At first you smelt horrible.” He said. “But now your scent is kind of pleasant to inhale.”
I smiled and beckoned him to follow me back to the house. “Why is that good friend?”
“You have Peter’s scent all over you.”
“Aha.” I nodded. “I knew it. You’d never say anything sweet to me.”
He shook his head. “Sweet is not in my vocabulary.” He kicked a rock out of the way. “I wasn’t raised to be sweet.”
“How does Peter smell now?”
“Like you?” he asked unsure. “You have quite a unique scent. It’s almost sweet but forestry.”
“Do you want to know why?”
“Why what?” he looked distant for a second. “This place is strange. I’ve never been on a territory like this before. You people live close to each other. The alphas house is just a foot walk away. Where’s the freedom in that?”
“It helps us not attract the humans to this side of the land.”
He shook his head. “Humans are actually smarter than you think. Hollywood is up high with werewolf novels. You only need one person to come this way and bam….”
I rolled my eyes. “That would never happen. The humans are smart, smart enough not to go too deep in the forest. They know that Yellowstone Park has wolves but I’m sure they think it’s the normal wolf.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “Maybe their subconscious tells them of the fate that waits if you go too far.”
“I agree.” I said unreservedly. “There has to be something, maybe an inner beast.”
He sighed. “I know what you mean. Everyone has an inner beast as you call it. That’s what keeps them alive. You never cross to these lands and expect to come out alive. “
We walked in silence. It was so comforting I could bath in it. I couldn’t believe that I felt at such ease with him by my side.”
“You don’t look scary.” I said breaking the silence in regret. “When we were growing up we were told that a Wendigo has horns, looks giant tall, and has green nasty staff coming out through the nose and ears.”
He laughed raucously in response.
“The stories were so bad that they were never told at night.”
“Is that so?” He asked amused. “If we’d known this we would’ve built costumes that resembled your kind of Wendigos. It would’ve been fun. I knew Phyllis was right when he said you wolves are cowards.”
I punched him on the ribs and he smiled.
“If I couldn’t see the glare you’ve giving me I’d have thought you were tickling me.” He said with pride.
“You’re a monster.”
“That’s why I was born a Wendigo.” He paused for a second. “I call it guardian angels.”
Confused I looked up at his face. It glowed beautifully under the moons light.
“Hmm?”
“What keeps humans alive? It’s their guardian angels and not the beast.”
I nodded. “I suppose.”
“So tell me more.” He sighed. “The myths are really fascinating.”
I focused in thought trying to remember all those bedtime stories about the creature of the night that I’ve found to be actually more human than beast.
“Well.” I said remembering a few. “There’s one about you guys having black tongues. It goes that the color represents a dark soul.”
He barked an ephemeral laugh. “That’s the worst I’ve ever heard.” He shook his head. “And I suppose wolves have white tongues.”
“Why would you come to that conclusion?”
“Assuming you’re the creatures of the day.” He grunted. “Not even humans have white tongues.”
I could recognize how that must be to them. Of course, werewolves were no saints so the insult was great or rather, it was harmless since both kinds were evil in their own rights.
“You know what I believe.” He said his voice free of any humor.
I shook my head and walked closer to him. I didn’t want to miss anything he said or maybe that was just a lame excuse to get close to him.
“No I don’t but you’ll tell me right?” I whisper pushing him lightly on the side.
He nodded once. “I think if there was heaven Wendigos would go there.”
“Wow.” I said truthfully immersed in what he was saying. “How so…”
“Well…” he initiated. “ To be stronger werewolves need to eat or drink human blood.” I nodded in agreement. What did this have to do with anything? “…And Wendigos need something stronger than just human blood. We have to feast on werewolves no matter how distasteful you are.”
I snorted and he sent a smirk my way.
“You see we’re doing a favor of killing you off.” He said with a smile. “Your kind is evil anyway. So, it’s no loss.”
“Well…” I said going over what he had just said. “If you put it like that…”
“You agree with everything I say.” He said ludicrously.
“Not everything.” I said shaking my head. “But your theories make sense.”
“Oh.”
“So there’s another famous story that’s told in every pack meeting.”
“Huh.” He said. “I knew there was more.”
“It says that a Wendigo has short big ears and bushy eyebrows.”
He smiled at me and ruffled my hair in a paternal gesture to show that I was right; he wasn’t even older by five years, if that.
“I suppose Keri outdid the fact.” I said luridly remembering her huge ears.
“Yeah,” He said. “She blew the whole thing out of proportion.”
I laughed. “You make it sound like she chose to be more Wendigo than necessary.”
“I’m sure.” He sighed. “…That when people discover about us it would all be her fault. Damn that girl has the ears.”
“Yours are quite huge.”
He laughed. “You know Phyllis once offered to chop them off.”
I sucked in a breath. “You’re kidding.”