Chapter 10

“Jessica, before you open your eyes, please listen carefully,…” Mr. Ondrink said, about to explain to her what she was about to see but before he could finish Jessica lifted her face from her knees and opened her eyes.
Jessica looked around her in a panicked state. Her chest tightening, making her feel as if she cannot breathe. She stumbled around trying to step back, but every time she does; she bumped into a man. When she looked around, she stared into a Spirit-wolf with a man bowing down to her. She tried to focus, trying to control her breathing, but the smoke and the stuffiness inside the Igloo were making her more panicked. She noticed the way she came into the Igloo was clear and she ran towards it, shoving men out of her way. When Jessica got out of the Igloo, a wall of villagers stopped her.
Jessica, in full panic mode, felt a great deal of pain in her bones. Jessica cries in pain as she fell in agony to the ground. She felt her bones breaking and healing back again.
“Give her some space!” Mr. Ondrink demanded the villagers, pushing them away from her.
Jessica, completely transformed into her wolf form, no longer in pain with eyes still close got onto all fours. She opened her eyes to the cheering and clapping of hands. She looked around, bewildered, and looked down at her paws. ‘what happened to me?' she asked herself.
“You are a Werewolf,” she heard Mr. Ondrink’s voice.
Terrified, she looked around and finds a grey wolf looking at her. Panicked, she gave a couple of steps back. ‘I must be dreaming,’
“No, you are not dreaming. I am Mr. Ondrink in my Werewolf form. Because we are from the same pack, we can hear each other’s thoughts,” Mr. Ondrink tried to explain.
“What did you do to me? This is not real,” Jessica mind talked back to Mr. Ondrink.
Mr. Ondrink could hear and feel the anxiety in her mind.
Jessica ran, making her way through the crowd of villagers.
‘Follow her but don’t approach her, let her calm down first, and lead her back here when she is ready,’ Mr. Ondrink instructed a dozen of young girls Jessica’s age through a mind link.
The girls changed into their wolf forms and kept a safe distance from Jessica. They all also stay silent in their minds as they don’t want their Alpha Princess unnerved by their thoughts.
Jessica ran fast, not knowing where she was going, but picked up a smell that, for some reason, smell familiar and safe to her. She realizes it was the smell of the sled dogs. ‘It must be the way back home,’ Jessica talked to herself in her head.
‘Alpha, it is not a good idea to go home right now, you have…’ one of the young wolves tried to warn but before she could finish, Jessica interrupted her.
‘Alpha? I am not a wolf! This is all in my mind,’ she answered the voice back. Jessica stopped running to look around for the wolf that was talking in her head.
‘Princess, it is true, you have…’ another wolf tried, but got interrupted again.
‘First Alpha then Princess?’ Jessica laughed at the idea and the nonsense in her head.
She spotted the wolves in the distance. She contemplated the idea for a moment. “We can communicate at such a far distance?”
‘Yes, only to your pack and family if you choose to.'
'How can a female be an Alpha?' Jessica asked.
'If she is the firstborn of an Alpha, then she is the next Alpha,' one wolf answered.
“Can the entire pack hear my thoughts right now?” She asked worriedly.
'Yes, but if you come back with us, Mr. Ondrink can teach you how to keep everyone out of your head.'
'How is this possible? My parents seem so normal. If they are Alphas why are they not here? How can I be an Alpha? Are my parent not young enough to still lead?' Jessica’s mind raised with questions.
'Princess, please calm down. Come home with us and Mr. Ondrink will explain everything to you,' a young female wolf tried again.
'Why do you keep on calling me that?' Jessica asked, and walked in the direction of the sled dogs.
'Because you are royalty, the only daughter of Queen Jovita and King Juno.'
'Come again?' Jessica laughed in her head.
'Your parents live at the higher council, alongside other royalties, but they once were native to our pack. But to keep you safe, they handed the pack over to Ondrink until you come of age.'
'My parents are at home! I am dreaming!' Jessica ran. She felt a sense of power when she ran. The dozen young female wolves found it hard to keep up with her.
Mr. Ondrink felt in his mind what Jessica was up to and made his way towards the sled dog kennel to intersect Jessica. He decided to not talk to her in her head just yet.
As he caught up with the female wolves, he sends them home with a disappointing tone.
Mr. Ondrink was carrying some animal skin attire in his mouth for both him and Jessica in the hope that he can coach her into shifting back into her human form.
He could see after a long run Jessica had reached the Kennels and he could feel that she was exhausted. He was thankful to see her collapsing and passing out from exhaustion. He reached the Kennels and found a pass-out, Jessica, thankfully still in her wolf form.
Mr. Ondrink changed back into his human form and put on some clothing. He picked up Jessica in her wolf form and carried her inside the small one-room building. He laid her on the sofa and turned on the stove to warm some water for coffee. He lit the fireplace and patiently waited for Jessica to wake up. He covered her with a blanket in case she shifted back into her human form.
As he watched Jessica sleep, he thought back about the day she was born, and how everything changed that day, from his wife dying and saving Jessica to her own mother being in a state of having just lost her own sister and having to give up her firstborn child to keep her safe from the hands of the council.
Mr. Ondrink wondered if the crowned heads ever had more children and if it is known to the council that they have a child. How abruptly they got forced to leave the pack and rule the council as the next in line to represent the Lycan Werewolves. He has so much to tell his niece, that was the split image of his deceased wife. He wondered if his wife were still alive, if they would have had children of their own. Because Mr. Ondrink was not of royal descent, he and his wife did not qualify to represent the Lycan Werewolves at the council and for that he was grateful. Mr. Ondrink looked at the Spirit-wolf still attached to Jessica. The Spirit-Wolf returned his loving gaze, looking at her husband that has led a life of solitude. She never wished for him to continue alone.
"I know what you are thinking. I should get young again and find a woman, fall in love again,” Mr. Ondrink assumed what his wife, Jessica’s Spirit-Wolf, was thinking. He sips his coffee, looking at his wife in Spirit-Wolf form.
Jessica startled, opening her eyes and then closing them quickly again. ‘I am still dreaming,’ she told herself as to what she just saw hovering above her. She slowly opened her eyes again, but the glowing wolf was still there. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Mr. Ondrink.
'I want to wake up! I want to go home!' Jessica demanded, sitting up.
'I will take you home, but first, you need to be trained on how to deal with all the new info,' Mr. Ondrink said.
'How can this even be real?”' Jessica asked, finding it hard to believe.
'Let me start at the beginning,' Mr. Ondrink started.
'Eighteen years ago, your parents got ordered to leave the pack and represent the Lycan werewolves at the council, as they are the last werewolf royals. Your real mother had a twin sister, she died saving your life. She is the wolf above you. She protects you from vampires.'
Jessica looked up at the Spirit Wolf. 'w\Why did she die, saving me?'
'There are many groups of this world of ours trying to wipe the other off the face of the earth. They mistook your aunt for your mom, as she was the one holding you at the moment. The Hybrid-Clang that tried to wipe out your bloodline knew that if they killed one of your parents, the council will be forced to replace them with a Hybrid royal couple. There are many Hybrid royals, but your parents are the only royal couple right now. You are the last female pureblood royal. At the council there are a couple of pureblood royal men, brothers, whose parents were the previous royals, representing the Lycan Werewolves. Their parents were killed by the same Hybrid clang, the Hybrid clang has been executed since then. The council is patiently waiting for your parents to produce children so that they can marry them off to these men. I have not been to the council since your birth, so not sure if they did, but cannot imagine they will give you up only to put another child through it.'
'What about me then? Why am I not with my real parents?' Jessica asked.
'Your parents wanted to protect you from the council. So, they left you here with your human parents, we swopped you out with their stillbirth,' Mr. Ondrink said, rubbing his brow.
'So, the council don’t know about me?' Jessica asked, realizing she was still in wolf form.
'Um, how do I change back into a human?' she pointed out.
'You just have to relax and think about yourself in the human form and accept the pain that comes along with it,' Mr. Ondrink said, wondering if she will be able to stand the pain again.
'Ok, sure,' Jessica agreed, nervous, remembering how painful it was shifting into a wolf.
'I will give you some privacy. Here is some clothing,' Mr. Ondrink said, pointing to the pile of animal skins.
Mr. Ondrink left the small one-room building, waiting outside. He heard a great painful howl that turned into a human scream. After a short while, he heard the door open behind him.
“Really? I look like a wild villager,” Jessica said, looking at the animal skins.
“We have to get back to the village. It is the safest place to teach you how to block out your pack and mind link to them when you need to,” Mr. Ondrink said.
Jessica only had one thing on her mind and wanted to find her actual parents.
“It is best you don’t do that. You will just put yourself in danger, and besides, you will be forced to marry one of the royal brothers and make babies,” Mr. Ondrink warned, after hearing her thoughts.
“Let’s get going. Would love to get you out of my head!” Jessica said, eager to get rid of Mr. Ondrink.
Mr. Ondrink ready the Sled Dogs, and Jessica helped him. Soon they were back in the village. In the village, the atmosphere was happy and joyful. Jessica noticed that everyone had a Spirit Wolf over them. One of the village men placed a War Bonnet on her head.
“That War Bonnet was last worn by your father, it can only be worn by pureblood royalty,” Mr. Ondrink said, admiring it on Jessica. He got a flashback of a memory, where his own wife wore it.
“Wow, I really do look like my mother and her twin sister,” Jessica said when she saw Mr. Ondrink’s memory.
Mr. Ondrink gave a smile and lead her back into the Igloo. The scenery inside had changed. Next to each man sat a woman, around a feast of food laid out on a woven carpet and what looks like handmade pottery bowls and cups.