Julian

Chapter 3: Terror in the night

"Alice!"

My eyes snap open. I catch my breath and see Charis looking at me with concern.

"What?" I question her as if nothing is wrong. I wipe the sweat off of my forehead and take a swig of water from my canteen bottle. My father had my name engraved on the side. He is such a kind man.

"You were running exceptionally fast. I was calling for you, but you ignored me. Everything okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. My thoughts were filled with the anonymous gift and the feel of my she wolf from our visit to the castle this morning. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something going on that was bigger than myself. But then again, maybe I am just being paranoid. Most wolves were.

"Let's get you back home, okay? It's getting dark and we shouldn't be out this late. Mom will kill me if I am not home in time for dinner."

Charis and I walk back to my house together, chatting amongst ourselves and making small talk. As we approach my front door, I invite her in. I know that my mom is the only one home. My father and my brothers are most likely out training and patrolling. Charis rarely comes to my house. It had been months since she was last here. But I can smell my mom's apple pie, and I know that Charis has a weakness for baked goods.

"Mom, I'm home!" I call out as we hang our coats by the door. "And Charis is with me!"

"Well hello, Chairs!" My mom happily greets as she walks around the corner with a steaming pie in her hands.

"Hi," Charis shyly replies. She has always been timid by nature.

"Come on in girls and I will cut you a slice before the boys get home. You know that your father and brothers will finish this off before the night is over."

"Unfortunately, yes. They most certainly will." I chuckle and roll my eyes. Charis giggles next to me.

We sit down at the dining room table where my mom hands us a slice of apple pie on small plates. I greedily dig into my piece and almost swallow it whole. There is nothing like having your mom's hand made pie. It's the best pie in the world. Charis nibbles on hers when she makes a funny look. She sniffs the air and I see her pupils dilate.

"What is it Charis?" I ask.

"I don't know. I just caught a wife of something and it smelled really good." She shrugs her shoulders and returns to eating her slice.

"Well there is an apple pie sitting right in front of you, you know."

"It wasn't the pie. I don't know... It's nothing, really."

"Oh, it could be the new scented candles I bought from the candlemaker today. She had some lovely new fragrances." my mom adds as she sits down next to us with her own slice. She pours us some milk and smiles warmly.

"Well they smell divine!" Charis exclaims.

As my mom and Chairs had their own conversation, I kept thinking about the portrait I saw at Udolf castle. Something about the man in the picture captivated me and I wish I knew why. But I also felt feelings of anger and remorse. And that was even more unexplainable.

After my mom and I saw Charis home, my brothers and father came barging in the front door demanding pie.

"Good evening, dear." My mom greets my father with a kiss on the cheek. He grabs her by the waist and kisses her passionately.

"Get a room!" my brothers shout as they begin feasting on the apple goodness.

My father scowls and says, "You two had better leave me some!" he rushes to the dining room and snatches Colin's fork and begins to stuff the pie in his mouth.

"Hey!" Colin pouts.

"I'm the head of this house, young man." Colin crosses his arms and huffs under his breath.

Later my brothers retreat to their room after giving me my birthday gifts. It was some books that I had wanted, and I thanked them graciously. They could be nice... Sometimes. I sit down next to my father and lean into him. He puts his arm around me and kisses the top of my head. But then he suddenly tenses and grips my tighter. I feel his chest vibrate as he growls for a long while. My mom rushes in the room with a panicked look. I freeze, unsure of what to do and scared at the way my father has suddenly changed.

"Jack," my mother says calmly. "You are scaring our baby girl."

I slowly tilt my head up and see that his eyes are pitch black and his fangs are elongating. He sniffs the air and growls even louder. I shriek and hide my face in my hands. I have never seen my father like this. But that must have been enough to snap him back to reality, because he lets go of me and his eyes return to normal and his fangs disappear. He looks at me, confused.

"What's wrong? What happened? Why are you crying, baby girl?" he reaches over to comfort me, but I shrink back.

"Jack, what has gotten into you? You just allowed your wolf to control you." My mother informs him.

"Oh, God. I don't know, Marie. It must be the stress... I don't know." he turns to look at me with sorrow written all over his face. "Forgive me, Alice. I am so sorry." He gets up and retreats to their bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"I'm going to go talk to him. He has been dealing with a lot of orders from the Monarchy. Goodnight, Alice." she hugs me and then turns to leave.

Feeling alone, I decide to go for a walk. It's dark, but the streets are dimly lit by hanging lanterns. The fall air is cool and crisp. I am sure that there are several wolves out for runs tonight. I take a small detour through the woods and head towards a small stream that I can hear running through the rocks. Dead leaves crunch under my shoes. I find a log and sit on it, holding my head in my hands. My emotions feel all over the place and I can't figure out why. But the haunting golden eyes of the painted man is engraved in my memory.

Just then, I hear a loud snap which catches my attention. I look over my shoulder to see a large mass heading my way. I shoot up from the log and begin to carefully back away. As it approaches, I notice the outline of a large wolf. The ears are perked and I am astounded by how large this particular wolf is. But then I see the golden tint of his eyes glowing under the moonlight, and I immediately become entranced. As it takes a few steps closer, I take a few steps backward.

The gigantic wolf then stops and crouches down, baring his fangs at me and growling ferociously. The fur on his back is standing up and he looks as though he is about to end my life. I put my hands in the air to show him that I am no threat. But right after, he pounces and head straight for me at full speed.