Page 26 of The Wolf

Meg freezes, her eyes narrowing. “How the hell do you know that? Have you been stalking me, you psycho?”

Julia gives her a sad, understanding smile. “You’ve probably spent most of your life wondering where you come from, who your parents were, why they left you, and if there was something more to it than you were told.”

Meg’s jaw tightens, and for a brief moment, the suspicion in her gaze shifts to something rawer, something vulnerable. But she shuts it down, her expression hardening again,her fingers tapping irritably on the arm of her chair. “Oh, the nerve on you! You think you can manipulate me by talking about my parents? You don’t know anything about me.”

“You’re right. But I do know what it’s like to grow up with questions. I know what it’s like to feel different, even when you can’t explain why. And I know that some part of you has been looking for answers—whether you admit it or not.”

I watch Meg closely, and I can sense her defenses cracking, bit by bit, but she’s not going to make this easy for us. She gives a hollow laugh again, shaking her head. “That’s it. I’m calling the cops.”

“If you call them, Meg, you’ll be handing yourself over to the very people who want to find you.”

“But why in the hell should I trustyou?”

Julia looks at her, her voice almost a whisper when she says, “Because I’m just like you.”

Meg rolls her eyes, but there’s an underlying curiosity in her now. “Right. And I suppose you’re going to show me the proof?”

“I don’t have a lab report, if that’s what you’re asking,” Julia replies gently. “But I’m a granddaughter of Nancy Carter, a former U.S. senator. You can fact-check that.” She snarks. “I also dated a son of the current West Virginia governor. They tried to capture me and force me into this experimental… um, breeding program run by the secret government agencies and funded by the world elites.”

“Oh God. You’re one of those crazy tin foil flat-earthers, aren’t you?”

I laugh on the inside.Can’t wait for her to meet Satan, I tell Julia, and she bites her bottom lip not to crack up.

Meg rubs her temples, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I really don’t have time for this. I have a night shift at the bar, and I’d like to take a nap before, so…” her words trail off as she stands up, pointing to the door. “Bye, bye now.”

“It’s all real.” Julia isn’t giving up.

“You’re unbelievable! What does it take to get rid of you?” Meg complains but pulls out her phone and focuses herattention on the screen. “Nancy Carter passed away from cancer a few months ago. But you do look like her granddaughter… minus the bad wig, of course. Red suits you better.” She concludes, then returns to her research. “Governor’s Simmons eldest son, Dean, dies after a tragic bear attack during a hike,” she reads out loud, looking up at Julia suspiciously.

A bear?I sneer.Oh, he wishes it was a bear!

“Sure, that.” Julia shrugs.

Meg’s eyes pan over to me and her face loses some color when she realizes. “I see.”

“You deserve a choice in what happens to you, Meg. A chance to live freely, without being hunted. And we just want to protect you.”

“We?” Meg catches Julia’s slip-up.

Julia glances at me, and I nod slightly, urging her to go on. This is the moment of truth. “This lineage…. Um, the gene mutation is…” she stumbles on her words before she finally exclaims, “Werewolves are real!”

There is a prolonged silence in the room while the weight of the revelation sinks in.

Finally, Meg’s eyes zero in on me. “Prove it,” she challenges.

I give Julia a look.

“She asked for it,” she says, her voice laced with excitement.

I step back, giving myself enough room, then let go. My body begins to shift, my bones cracking and muscles expanding, and everything happens in just a blink of an eye for them. I rise to my full height, towering over both of them with my ears scraping the ceiling, my fangs exposed in a low, rumbling snarl.

Meg only stares—wide-eyed, her face frozen in sheer horror. The color drains completely from her warm skin, then she lets out a strangled scream and faints, collapsing to the floor in a heap.

“Damn it.” Julia exhales, leaning over to check her pulse. Next, she secures her head and elevates her legs.

I crouch on my haunches next to her as she hovers over Meg. “See?” I say, unable to hide the smirk. “This is a normal reaction.”

Julia rolls her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, shut up.”

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