Isabella
Isabella quietly walked through the forest, making her way to the clearing. It was the anniversary of the great battle and despite all her attempts to sleep, Isabella couldn’t. So here she was, strolling through the forest, enjoying the cool breeze. She was almost to the clearing when she heard someone talking. She slowly crept forward and saw Dominique standing there, talking to Elder Lawson standing in front of the memorial.
Dominique was tall, handsome, and broad. He had hazel eyes and a beautiful olive complexion. The sight of him made Isabella’s heart beat faster, for more reasons than one. She slowly crept back and started walking towards the edge of the forest, lost in her thoughts. As she neared the end of the forest, the sound of the river grew louder. She stopped near a huge tree and knelt down. On the ground was a head stone that bore a single engraving, “Gerald.”
Isabella softly ran her hands on it, feeling tears well up in her eyes. “Dad,” she whispered. “I am here, Dad. I haven’t forgotten you. It’s been twenty years without you, but I still miss you. The pain of losing you feels as raw as it did then. I trust you, Dad. I won’t let anyone blemish your memory.”
Tears clouded her eyes and she openly wept, clutching the necklace she wore around her neck. It was the last gift her father had given her. It was the last time she had ever seen him alive. He had placed the necklace around her neck and tenderly kissed her forehead. He had then given her a note and told her to run to Elder Lawson. The next time Isabella saw him, he was in pool of blood on the forest floor. His body had been ravaged by bullets and his majestic eyes were vacant.
Isabella sobbed and then whispered, “It’s so hard, Dad. I feel so lonely. The pack ignores me and shuns me. They turn their backs when I pass by and look down on me. No one talks to me, no one even looks at me. They all act like I don’t even exist. Did you know they haven’t even taken me officially into the pack? It’s so hard, Dad. Why did you do it?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Isabella continued to sob quietly. After a while, she finally composed herself and got up to leave. As she made her way back into the deep parts of the forest, she smelled a human. Frowning to herself, she tried to figure out where the scent was coming from. She let out a growl, following the scent towards the old well. There was no one there, even though the smell hung in the air. She slowly looked around, when a small whimpering attracted her attention into the well.
She walked over and gazed into the dark well. The wolf in her could see well in the night, and she spotted a little baby squirming in the bucket. She quickly raised the bucket and pulled the baby out of the bucket. It was a human pup, bundled up in a cloth. It was whimpering and squirming. Isabella frowned, wondering how a human pup got into the forest.
She could sense something was very wrong, and cradling the little thing close to her chest, she thought of what to do. She could return the pup back to the humans, but interaction with the humans was strictly prohibited. She thought of leaving the baby near the human town, but then animals might attack the little one.
The baby was whimpering, clearly from hunger. Isabella knew she had to hide the baby; the pack had animosity with the humans. If they found out she had a human baby, they would label her a traitor and kill it. She thought of leaving the baby where she found it. After all, the matters of humans were not her concern, but at that moment the baby opened its eyes. It looked up at her, his beautiful green eyes shimmering in the moonlight, and he smiled.
Isabella put her finger on its cheek, and he grabbed it with both of his hands. The baby let out a laugh, smiling up at Isabella. Its legs moved as it blew a spit bubble, clearly excited. Isabella slowly tickled it, and an enchanting laughter burst from its lips. At that moment Isabella knew, leaving the baby alone in this dangerous forest was not a possibility.
She cradled it to her chest and started walking into the forest, as taking him back to the humans was not a possibility and showing it to the pack would result in its death. She knew hiding him would be difficult. The pack would smell him out. Only one thing seemed possible, and Isabella wasn’t sure she wanted to do it.
Running out of ideas, Isabella finally did the only thing that might work. She swallowed hard and made her way deeper into the forest. She knew she must hurry; the sun was about to rise. She walked till she spotted the cabin she was looking for and crept in. As she held the baby closer, she really hoped her plan worked.
After a while the door opened, and Isabella felt herself catching her breath. She hadn’t met him since that fateful night of the great battle, and she didn’t know how he would react. The door stood ajar and he stood at the entrance frozen. Isabella tried to creep out when there was a sudden shadow and the next thing she knew, a hand clutched her throat.
***
Back in the town, the sun had risen, and the air was filled with the screams of a mother. The empty cot had been discovered.
Chapter 3
Dominique
It was almost morning when Dominique returned to his cabin. He sat with the elder, discussing some hunting measures, and was now making his way back. The sun was starting to rise. Dominique climbed the stairs when he caught a strong scent of another wolf. Dominque cast a gaze around and then concentrating his senses, he tried to find the exact source of the smell.
As the leader of the pack, his senses were a lot more powerful than others, but it took him a few seconds to pinpoint the location, inside his cabin. Someone was hiding there, probably trying to ambush him. He slowly opened the door and stood there for a minute, waiting for the wolf to reveal themselves. Hearing movement, Dominique lunged, pinning the wolf down, clutching their throat.
He looked down to see who the wolf was and was surprised to see it was a girl. Her eyes were a beautiful green, with a beautiful olive complexion, her luscious thick lips parted in surprise. It took him a moment to recognize her as Isabella. The traitor’s daughter. She had never been formally accepted into the pack, but Dominque had given her a place to live with them and accepted her into his protection.
Dominique pressed down on her throat. “Why are you hiding in my cabin? Are you trying to attack me? You would betray us, like your father?” he growled, baring his teeth.
She gasped for air and then pointed toward the corner, chocking. Dominique saw a bundle on the floor, which was squirming, making whimpering noises. Dominique let go of her throat, but keeping his senses alert, he slowly approached the bundle. It smelled… human. He crouched down, looked inside, and saw a human pup.
“I am sorry. I don’t want to attack you. I found him in the well in the bucket. I didn’t know what to do. If the pack found out, they might kill him. I don’t know about his parents…” Isabella started to explain, her voice sweet and melodious.
Dominique stood up, his mind in overdrive. “What were you doing near the well? Isn’t it near the edge of the forest?” he asked, his voice stern.
“I… I went to visit… Dad’s grave,” she whispered. Gerald had been the traitor who had sold out the wolves, resulting in the great battle. He had been buried at the edge of the forest, away from warriors that had fought in the battle.
Dominique sighed, his mind already accessing the situation. “What is it?” he asked.
“It’s… a human baby?” Isabella replied, confused by the question.
“I mean, is it a girl or a boy?” Dominique asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Oh, that. It’s a boy, I think,” came a curt reply from her.
