Page 123 of Wolf's Mark

Well, since I’d gotten lost in the woods and told my fabulous tale about creatures assisting me. “Mom. Just because I’m calling you doesn’t mean something is wrong. I just wanted to… say hi.”

“At seven in the morning? You never do that.”

“Getting an early start.” My lies were thin even to me.

“If you say so.”

“Early bird catches the worm. Right?”

“Well, how are you? Liking your job?”

She always asked the question early in the conversation with hopes I’d say how much I hated it, which could mean I was returning home. That wasn’t going to happen. “I love it, Mom. It’s exactly what I wanted. You’d love Cartersville. There’s an ancient history about the small town. The people are very close.”Yes, I was leading her on, in a way. She hadn’t wanted to hear a thing about the city. That had always bothered me. Why?

Maybe now I knew why.

I glanced into the rearview mirror as I’d been instructed to do, ensuring I wasn’t being followed. As if dead people returning to life as man-eating beasts drove vehicles. I knew he hadn’t told me everything about all his meetings with his wolf brothers and sisters.

But then again, I’d told him I wasn’t ready to hear anything else.

I was on toxic overload at the moment.

“Well, good to hear. Your dad and I sent Britney a birthday gift. Did she get it?”

“She loves her Barbie dollhouse, Mom. Thank you so much. She had a great birthday.”

“I hope you took pictures.”

Sighing, I could barely stand lying to her. My stomach was in knots.Go for it, chicken shit. You need to know the truth.My inner voice was going to get flogged later. “I’ll send you some. Mom, I need to ask you a question and it’s serious.”

“O-kay. I know something is wrong.”

“Not wrong. Well, I’m not certain at this point.” I cleared my throat, kicking myself mentally and emotionally. “Mom. Are one of you part or all Wolfen, which would make me a hybrid? Part wolf, maybe capable of shifting, and part human?” I spit it out as if I was asking something with no bite to it.

Needless to say, I was hoping she’d burst into laughter, asking if I had a fever.

She didn’t.

She was very, very quiet. And for anyone who knew my mother, that wasn’t her. She was a Chatty Cathy.

“Where did you hear that?” she asked in a tiny voice, one so small I had to strain to hear her.

“Does it matter? I’m living in Cartersville, the beginning of the Wolfen pack, subsequent packs forming and moving to every other part of the world.”

Now she tried to laugh it off, but it was too late. “That’s nonsense. Your father and I love you very much.”

“This isn’t about love, Mother. I know you both do. Was there a chance I was adopted? Or maybe Daddy isn’t my biological father?”

“How dare you! We are your parents. Period.”

Her indignation was as much an answer as anything else could be. “I know you’re my parents. But did you give birth to me using my father’s sperm?” That was just about the worst way I could design the question. I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming. I gathered this was going to be tough, but it was like pulling teeth.

“You don’t understand.”

“I think I’m beginning to. I’ve seen them, Mother. I’ve been in a room full of Wolfen. I watched a dead man come back to life, another turning into a gargantuan beast who wanted to rip out my throat. I’m a scientist. I’ve processed. There are thousands of species in the world. The Wolfen just decided to remain a secret society because humans tried to annihilate them generations ago. I get it’s not a death sentence, at least from what I’ve learned. But you need to help me with this. I am supposedlysome king poo-bah wolf’s mate. Since they aren’t allowed to mate with full humans any longer, some Wolfen law put into place to keep their numbers growing, that means I am part wolf. Right?”

I sounded entirely nutso. If anyone overheard our conversation, they would call for an ambulance to cart me away in a straitjacket with a police escort.

She offered nothing but silence.

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