Lone Werewolf Duology (bxb)

53. Good News

For all Volya's longing for love, the weight lifted from his heart after Liam had left. A human loving him wasn't as simple as he'd imagined it. He didn't know if it was just him, or his experience was typical, but between guilt, lust and apprehension, love became a spider web. Alone, he didn't have to react to every thread of silk tingling because something hit it.

Now that his heart no longer darted between Liam and Toshka, he settled into his ancestral Sanctuary. 

For three days and three nights he prowled it. The grass under his feet, the puddles, the wildflowers, the songbirds and the hares weaved a perfect environment. There was no one to upbraid him for truancy, so whether he made long chains of daisies or stalked hares in a werewolf form, it didn't feel like a waste of time.

He called to the Walkwe until his throat was raw from all the howling. Alas, no matter what shape he took, his cries for help echoed emptily between the moon and the Earth. Boy or wolf, they didn't want him, so he had to learn from his father and the mist-wolf. They were terrible teachers, but Volya got the basics of harnessing the magic that filled his cells along with the cytoplasm.

"It's not like I needed anyone else," Volya announced to the standing stones before leaving the Isle. "But I would like to meet my family. I'm Akrum's son. Tell them, will you?"

Then he dressed and bowed to the four corners of the world. Maybe when the Walkwe returned, they would get his message. Or maybe he'd just made a fool of himself, but he didn't feel embarrassed about it. He walked through the mist back to the human's shore with his head held high.

***

Lydia's scientists had worked together for so long and on so many projects, that when Volya walked into the camp, it didn't look like they'd missed him at all. He stopped, enjoying a second of anonymity.

Liam plucked guitar's strings, then typed something one-handed on a phone balanced on his knee.

Marina waved a stack of print-outs stricken through with red into Damir's face.

The others kept the banter going, pointedly avoiding glancing at Damir and Marina.

The scene would have gone on forever, if Anabelle didn't gallop down the side of the gentle hill.

"Volya!" she yelled. "Volya is back!"

The adults jumped up, watching Volya like he was about to sprout horns and hooves. The smile slipped from his lips. He wasn't a biblical devil, but a devil nonetheless.

After alerting the others, Anabelle bolted away to a safe distance from him, but at least she didn't collapse.

Volya's mind cast about for the English words. PIE dominated his self-talk on the island, mixed in with Russian, except for swearing. He preferred the salty words in the tongue of great Shakespeare. Cusses didn't fit the occasion, so he kept his mouth civil.

"Hello, everyone! I can undo what Akrum had done."

Liam set his guitar down. His rich, velvety voice cracked. "When?"

"Not even a hello? Out of sight, out of mind, eh?" Teasing Liam came naturally to him. The downside was that when Liam looked this flustered, Volya itched to hug him. And he swore to put an end to these ‌impulses before something horrible happened. Liam came into his life to wake the werewolf in him. They succeeded, but the price was that this ancient side of him now pushed him to bend Liam to his will and it was just... no good.

"Hello," Liam said.

Volya's resolve cracked a little. He bit his lip to shore it up and peered at the sky. The afternoon sun told him absolutely nothing, but the gesture was pregnant with meaning.