Page 44 of Wolf Cursed
I didn’t look at Oscar as I spoke. If I had, I would have given in to the tears that burned my eyes as I spoke of those last moments. Instead, I stared blankly at the red toolbox against the far wall and did my best not to feel anything about what I was describing.
“He didn’t look like the wolves tonight. His change was different. And it seemed to cause him a lot of pain. The monster that came through was deformed or something. Not quite wolf and not human either. Bones sticking out. Snout half-formed. It was like something out of a horror movie.”
Oscar muttered a curse.
I swallowed hard and forced my gaze to Oscar’s. “What happened to him?”
“It sounds like your dad probably stopped shifting when he left,” he said. “It happens. If wolves aren’t around their own kind, the ability to shift recedes. Becomes suppressed. If he hadn’t shifted in a long time, he was probably unable to complete the process.”
“Like, he got stuck or something?”
He nodded, a pain flashing in his eyes. “I’ve seen it a few times. It isn’t pretty. And the beast becomes more monster than animal.”
“So, he did it to himself?” I asked.
“More than likely.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. My dad had always made it sound like someone else was after him. Some threat hunting him down who wanted to harm him. To know he’d denied his nature—as unbelievable as this all seemed—and done this to himself, was a hard blow.
We both fell silent.
But all too soon, more questions bubbled to the surface.
“How have I never…? I mean, I’ve never changed into—into that.”
“If your dad’s wolf was suppressed, it probably kept yours from rising in the first place. It happens.”
“Does that mean I’ll never…you know, shift or whatever?”
Oscar frowned. “If you hadn’t come here, I probably would have said yes.”
My temper flashed. Once again, he made it sound like this was all my fault.
“I didn’t ask to come here,” I snapped.
I huffed. He had a point, but that didn’t help my mood.
“You could have told me,” I said.
“From the moment you walked in, I tried scenting your wolf, but it’s not there, kid.”
“So?”
“So, I am not going to just spill all my secrets to an outsider. And a human one at that. You might be family, but so are those wolves back there. And I won’t put my people at risk, not even for you.”
I looked away, fighting tears again. Everyone had someone—except me.
Instead of the piercing loneliness, I embraced anger. It was safer. Less vulnerable.
“I get that you think I’m a risk,” I snapped. “But you’re at fault for this too. Especially after deserting my father and leaving him alone all those years.”
It was a dick move, blaming Oscar, but my emotions weren’t exactly playing nice right now.
Rather than act offended, Oscar shook his head sadly. “Your dad left when he was twenty-six and never came back. I searched for him for years but never could find a trace. I didn’t know you existed until the moment you walked into this shop two days ago.”
“So, that’s your excuse for not telling me you’re a …”
“You can say it.”
