Authors: Starla Silver
Charlie looked into Nina’s eyes with deep respect, but also apprehension. “What will happen to you?”
Nina smiled majestically. A goddess in Charlie’s eyes. But she always had been. At least physically. Now in a spiritual manner as well.
“I get to be reborn. My soul will get to live a human life, in a new physical body. I’ll experience things as humans do, and when that human life is over, I will be called into Guardianship again.”
She stepped close to him, cupping his head in her hands. As she did, the golden glow engulfed both of their bodies, hiding them from view to the outside world.
“Don’t dwell on my loss, Charlie. Live. Live fully and freely as you did with me.”
Charlie could not speak. The love and gratitude he felt for Nina overwhelmed him beyond words.
“I regret nothing,” she told him, laying her hand on his chest.
He took her hand in his, holding it against his cheek.
“It is time,” she sang encouragingly. Her lips pressed against his for just a moment, and she leaned into his ear. “Just let go, Charlie... give in to the wolf.”
A low growl rumbled in Charlie’s chest and with his next blink, his bright blue eyes dazzled her with brilliant silver. His lips swept over Nina’s one last time, the thrill and exhilaration of total surrender passing through his body.
Nina let go of Charlie, her eyes dancing playfully.
“There’s my big bad wolf.” Her voice faded, her golden silhouette dissolving into the darkness. She was gone. Had sacrificed herself for Charlie.
He gazed at the ring and looked into the wide-eyed faces of his friends and family.
A devilish grin spread across his face. “Don’t follow me!” he warned.
He looked up into the sky, his chest heaving in the anticipation of surrender.
He outstretched his arms and bayed at the full moon; it transformed into a chilling howl as Charlie Howard surrendered to the wolf, for the first time completely shedding his human skin.
With an explosive force that took but a second, Charlie Howard’s human body disappeared, morphing into something much larger, and stronger. He gnashed his teeth, peering at the moon, which no longer held any sway over him. It was just a moon. Nothing more.
His skin was dark gray, his arms thick and muscular. His nails jagged and elongated.
Most importantly though, his mind was sharp and his own. All the power without the loss of control.
His head dropped, his piercing silver gaze threatening the woods with its glare. He was going after the alpha. He let out a snarl, preparing to start his hunt. The alpha would not see another sunrise.
He let out a roar, it echoed far and wide across the Isle, warning the alpha he was coming. He sprang on all fours into the woods, in pursuit of his prey. The alpha’s scent caught in his snout, fast. He followed, picking up speed.
Not far in, another scent hit his nostrils.
Eva Jordan
… at first, he feared this scent might overpower him, but the ring did its job and protected Charlie from this danger. It was still a pleasant smell, but it no longer gave him the urge to kill her. His next thought, however, was
Why do I smell Eva?
He skidded to a stop as the woods came to a clearing.
Eva’s house, near Mermaid Point.
He had never been here before, but he could tell she lived here. Her smell was everywhere.
This is also where the alpha’s smell ended. It was here, hiding somewhere nearby. Was this woman a magnet for trouble? It followed her almost like death was stalking her.
He snarled, casting his silver eyes into the darkness, searching for some sign of where the alpha was hiding, surprised it no longer spoke to his mind. Had it given up so easily? Or had the ring blocked this, too? Severing the connection between him and the alpha completely.
He sauntered into Eva’s backyard, one muscular heave at a time.
The alpha flew at Charlie out of nowhere, sinking its teeth into Charlie’s shoulder. The same shoulder it had bitten ten years prior. But this time Charlie fought back, taking a bite of his own. He tore at the alpha’s throat, sinking his knife-like teeth into its thick skin.
Something seemed different. The alpha seemed crazed all of a sudden, as if it had decided to give up on controlling Charlie and just wanted him dead, instead of its partner.
It charged Charlie again.
He lunged at the alpha, their bodies colliding in midair. They fell to the ground with a thunderous crash. Charlie took the alpha into his muscular arms and threw him across the ground, slamming its body into a tree. The trunk cracked, and another crash followed when the tree thudded to the ground.
A light came on at the back of the house. Charlie saw Eva looking through her screen door. Her eyes were wide with bewildered fear and awe upon witnessing the werewolves fighting in her yard.
“Stay inside!” Charlie snapped at her.
The alpha picked itself up, shaking itself off, thrashing its way toward Charlie, again.
Charlie stood his ground this time, waiting until the alpha was just a few feet away, and jumped to the side, using his arm to cut down the alpha. Charlie’s sharp claws caught the skin of the alpha’s shoulder, digging in. It howled murderously as blood spurted from the wound.
Charlie wasted no time, lunging on top of his downed prey. Its eyes looked crazed. Its arms and legs flailed, scratching, hitting and kicking. Its teeth chomped at Charlie’s body, but missed his skin. The alpha’s mouth opened up wide enough that Charlie could see all of its blood-covered teeth, including the one that was missing. The one it had left behind in Charlie’s shoulder.
Charlie roared viciously and in one swift movement, ripped the alpha’s jaw in two, tearing it completely out of its body. One last final cry erupted and the alpha’s body went limp.
He’d expected the body to revert to its human form once it had died, but it did not. Did he care? Not really… it was done. Finished. Over.
He stood erect, howling into the night sky, basking in victory. Savoring his freedom.
He closed his silver eyes, breathing calmly, reveling in complete elation.
He had succeeded.
There had been a price… the life of the Guardian. Nina.
But he had killed the alpha. It wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again.
And now with the ring, he no longer needed to fear the wolf. He wouldn’t lose his family and they would not lose him.
A cool breeze against his skin gave him a shiver. He opened his eyes remembering he was standing in Eva’s backyard. His eyes snaked down his naked body, human again; his elated fervor cooling as he darted behind a tree.
“Charlie,” a voice called out faintly. “Is that you?”
“Um… Eva, hi.” His head popped out to the side of the tree. “Yes, it’s me.”
She held a flashlight in her hand. It shook a little. “What the hell is going on out here? I was crawling into bed and heard these crazy ass noises and then I saw…”
“You know, Eva, when you hear strange noises, you should never investigate them. You should always run the other way.” He wondered why her instincts seemed to draw her closer to danger.
“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard to crawl into bed when it sounds like an animal is being tortured outside your fucking window!”
“Okay. Yeah. I can see your point.”
“Charlie, why don’t you come out from behind that tree? So I can see you.”
He let out a flustered grunt. “Um… Eva, you don’t happen to have a coat, or blanket, or clothing of some kind.” He could practically see the grin spreading across her face, even from his hiding spot.
“Charlie,” she said with an air of
you are not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.
“Look, Eva. I will explain everything. I promise.”
“You’re not going to try to attack me again are you?” Her voice was teasingly distrustful.
He gazed at the ring, shaking his head. “No, Eva. I swear that will never happen again. And if you give me the chance, I really want to make it up to you… but I sort of need some clothes first,” he pleaded.
“Just stay put, I’ll be right back.” She sounded as though she was holding in fits of laughter.
She returned with a tee shirt and sweat shorts, tossing them to Charlie.
“So, you’re a werewolf,” she stated. “I could have guessed as much, but I wasn’t entirely sure.”
“Um, yeah, I guess I am.”
“You guess?”
“It’s a long story, but yes, you’re right. I’m a werewolf.”
After dressing, he stepped out to face her. The intoxicating smell still poured off Eva freely, and though he enjoyed it, the smell no longer held the same mesmerizing effect it had previously. He glanced at the ring, amazed and thankful.
She noticed and questioned him about it. “New? I don’t recall seeing that before.”
“Just got it today.” He motioned for her to follow, taking her to the dead werewolf.
“Holy fucking shitballs….” she let escape upon seeing the dead werewolf on her lawn. “Wow! It’s so…”
“Dead,” said Charlie, kicking its leg.
“I was thinking, gigantic… huge… and really, really terrifying.”
Of course it would be. Charlie’s adrenaline was still surging. He should have been more cautious in showing her. Prepared her for what she was about to see.
“Do you think I’m terrifying?” Charlie asked her, curiously.
Eva shrugged. “I honestly don’t think you enjoy hurting people, Charlie. But if you were lying here dead on my lawn, looking like that…” she looked at him as if to say,
sorry.
“It’s okay, Eva. I don’t blame you, at all.”
He continued to explain what had happened that night with the alpha, and how he had chased it through the woods tracking it to her yard. He did not go into great detail about Nina, only that he had been given a gift to help him control the wolf.
She glanced at the ring.
He just waved his hand; it was apparent it was the ring he spoke of.
Eva daringly, but gently, ran her fingers across the ring with great admiration. She let go, biting her lower lip, as if unsure what to say next.
“Look,” said Charlie. “What happened in the woods earlier today, I can’t even begin to apologize for that. But I can guarantee you it will
never
happen again.” His voice was steady and sure. “That said, I completely understand if you don’t trust me, Eva. I’ve given you little reason to. Just say the word and if we ever cross paths, I’ll go the other way.”
She shifted her body, considering what he had said.
“Considering that you saved me from a possible, horrific death via the dead monster lying in my backyard, and you did save me from drowning, I wouldn’t say you’re a lost cause… not completely.”
He chuckled, impressed with her ability to move on from terrible events.
Michael was right… she does recover freakishly fast…
“Now, to figure out what to do with this thing…” He nodded toward the dead werewolf.
“Do you think it would be weird if I kept it?” she asked.
“You want to keep it?”
“Well, not for me. For my dad. I think he’ll get a kick out of it. And who knows, maybe he’ll learn something new about werewolves.”
Charlie stared coolly at Eva. He supposed it would save Mack the trouble of taking care of it. And Michael respected her father’s research.
“Just show me where you want me to put it... I mean, where you want the werewolf,” he clarified, clearing his throat.
Eva just motioned with her finger to follow him.
Charlie dragged the dead alpha’s body onto a cement floor at the back of her father’s laboratory, which was actually just the garage, renovated into a temporary lab.
“Let me know if you guys find out anything of interest,” Charlie told her, with an exhausted breath. “Can’t help but be a little curious, seeing as the same blood runs in my own veins.”
They walked outside again, standing under the starry night sky.
“I guess I should probably get going,” he said. “I’m sure my family wants to know that I’m okay, and I’ll be sure to return the clothes.” He started for the road.
“Eh, don’t worry about the clothes. They were left by a previous tenant and I was about to get rid of them anyway. Are you okay walking home? I can give you a ride.”
“Thanks,” he said gratefully. “But I think I could use the walk.”
“Long night, huh?” Her eyes filled with some unsaid understanding.
He returned with a half shrug, half nod.
“I’ll see you around then,” she said.
“Yeah, see you around, Eva.”
“Night, Charlie.”
He waved, jogging into the darkness.
When Charlie was out of sight, the smile dropped from Eva’s face, turning into a scowl. She leaned over the dead werewolf’s body.
“Thank you, Caleb. It was definitely fun catching up.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tooth, throwing it onto his dead body. “You can have that back now…”