Page 26 of The Wolf Slayer

The soft voice came from a woman by the door. She had her hand on Blake’s shoulder, patting him in a calming manner. Her long, dark, curly hair was held back by a red ribbon. She looked just like Blake. They had the same brown eyes and Blake had inherited her sweet smile.

“I’ll let you two be. You have much to talk about.” She turned around and walked back in the house.

Blake sighed and massaged his temples, seemingly having a lot to process. He looked just as tired as she felt. Dropping his hands, his eyes met hers. “Would you be okay if we walked a bit?”

She nodded, unsure if she would ever be able to find her voice again.

Instead of going back to the road and down to the village, he walked past the house and toward the tree line. He didn’t say a word, seemingly trying to find the right ones to say. Holding hands, they walked next to each other for a while.

“I don’t know where to start or how to explain all of this to you without frightening you.” He stopped and took her face into his hands. “I just need you to understand that…”

“…It’s all a secret and I can’t tell anyone?” Niev interrupted him.

His thumb caressing her cheekbone, he nodded. “Yes, that too. And that no matter what I tell you can always walk away from this. With or without me.”

She opened her mouth to disagree, but he put his thumb on her lips and continued.

“Wait until later to make any of your decisions. Even if you think you’ve made one, you can always change your mind.” After taking a deep breath, he continued, walking with her hand in his. “You know how you entrusted me with your secret healing ability?”

“Yes.”

“I have a secret too. I’m not what you think I am. I’m not human, at least one half of me isn’t. There are two sides to me, one is human and the other…” He paused, looking for the right words again. “Well it’s wolf. Not like a half-man, half-wolf monster, but an actual wolf.”

Blake stopped in his tracks again and looked at her, his eyes full of fear. At first, she didn’t understand why he would be frightened. It took her a few moments to realize that he was afraid of her reaction, just like she’d been afraid of his reaction after sharing her secret with him.

After she found out about herself, she’d had her suspicions that she couldn’t be the only one. Blake had planted that thought into her mind after he hadn’t seemed surprised or even a little bit worried about her ability. If she was different, there must be others like her. Of course, she hadn’t expected him to be a werewolf, but it at least explained why he was so secretive and kept his family shielded from the rest of the world.

His behavior was no different from hers. Him being a werewolf also explained everyone’s reaction to her appearing here. They were afraid of her. Not because she was so terrifying, but because she could reveal their secret to the rest of the world. Not that she thought anyone would ever believe her, but she had the potential to destroy their lives.

Trying to keep her face soft and reassuring, she looked up at him. “Are all of you werewolves?”

His face muscles relaxed a little, she’d been so deep in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed how tense he’d gotten. “Only the men.”

“All the men who live here are wolves?”

He nodded. “And so will our child if it’s a boy. It’s a very small chance but it’s real.” His voice was shaking, as if he was truly afraid of that possibility.

“Why does that scare you?”

“Because he’ll be cursed like me.” He avoided looking at her and stared down at the ground.

She took his face in her hands and gently lifted it up forcing him to look at her. “Why do you say that? Is it a curse to be a wolf?”

“Not under normal circumstances, but I’m different. And if we have a son, he’ll be too.”

“What makes you different from everyone else?”

“Wolves live in packs and each pack has a leader called an alpha. It’s not just a title, rather a lifelong commitment to lead the pack and keep it safe. Each alpha leads his pack until he dies or is no longer in the right shape to lead, physically or mentally. He takes control over it, protects it, and rules it with all his heart. It’s in his blood, his DNA. Alphas are dominant and the rest of the pack submits to them. There can only be one alpha, which is why alphas can only have one true heir, one son who will rule the pack after they are gone.” His voice broke off and his hands started shaking again.

She remembered the authority she’d heard in Seth’s voice, and she started to understand what Blake was trying to explain to her. She took his hand, led him to a fallen tree, and sat down. When she tugged him closer, he followed her lead and sat down next to her. They had a beautiful evening view over the little village. The sun was hiding behind the trees of the forest to the west and only a dim light lit up the little log-houses.

“Your father is the alpha, isn’t he?”

Blake nodded, his shoulders slumped as if a heavy weight had been placed on them.

“And Seth is your father’s heir because he’s the oldest?”

He nodded again.

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