Shifting the Night Away (72 page)

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Little Red Riding Wolf

By

Wednesday Raven

Prologue

Her mother warned her about the wolves. Stay on the path. Never stray from it. And always, always, without fail, make it to where you need to be before nightfall. Tasked with the simple job of carrying a basket of bread, fruit, and wine to her grandmother's house, Lynx Charmer made her way through the forest from her own estate to her grandmother's cottage. The road was rocky and overgrown, but the teenager pressed on. Vines clutched at her feet as she walked the path. Briars ripped at her simple blue dress and tore her scarlet cape.
 

Night fell and Lynx was still miles from the house. Piercing howls thundered through the dusk, as she sought shelter in a cave. The cold dampness hung around her like a wet jacket. Though scared she kept silent huddled against the cave moss, drifting off from time to time. She dreamed of her grandmother being torn to bits by wolves, leaving behind only remnants of her nightgown. Shaken by the nightmare, Lynx started out at first light, moving faster to get to her grandmother's house.

Outside the house in which her grandmother lived, her hand shook on the doorknob. Flashes of the nightmare were vivid in her mind as she took a deep breath and twisted the knob. An overwhelming sense of dread filled her. She couldn't smell any fresh-baked muffins that usually greeted her when she visited. There were no soft hums radiating out of the door from her grandmother singing her favorite songs. There was stillness, an eerie silence that was louder than any noise. She exhaled and walked into the room. Moments later, her scream shattered the early morning air, as she took in the scene.

Her grandmother lay eviscerated by the bedside table, while pieces of her nightgown were scattered throughout the small cabin. Her reading glasses were still sitting on the table, on top of an open tale of Moby Dick, her grandmother's favorite book. Her coffee cup lay overturned, as a long-dried trail of coffee had steeped into the carpet. Blood was on the floor, the walls, with some droplets even marked on the ceiling.
 

Lynx surveyed the damage and silenced her screams. She breathed in deeply. She closed her eyes, seeing the nightmare replay again in slow motion. There, in her dreams, she fixated upon the wolf in question. When her eyes opened, she knew what she needed to do.

Chapter One: Rebuilding

Chapter One: Rebuilding

Five years had passed since that fateful evening, and Lynx was the sole occupant of her grandmother's estate. The cabin had been cleaned and refurbished since then, but the wolves still lurked in the woods nearby. Night after night, Lynx waited patiently. She honed her skills, grew stronger and waited for the opportunity to avenge her grandmother's death. She waited to sense the wolf responsible for the carnage she witnessed at age 15. The wolf responsible for the loss of one of the most influential people in her life, the only one that understood her and her true self.
 

Lynx knew she wasn't quite like other girls her age. While her mother always brushed the topic under the rug, it was her grandmother that explained the reason that she was so restless at night. The reason behind her being tired during the day and had insomnia in the evenings. Lynx was a changeling, found far from her pack, and brought to the cabin to live and strengthen. Her mother never wanted her to find out, but Grandma Ann knew the child needed to know.
 

Over the years, as Lynx grew, her grandmother helped her understand her life was not like others. She was different. Her anger was far more dangerous than other girls, and her dreams were not just dreams but visions. It was also explained that while she wasn't interested in anyone yet, one day she'd seek out her mate and that when she found him, she'd know. She'd know it deep down into her core and that nothing would be able to separate them.

The woods surrounding their ancestor's property were a crossover of sorts; home to two rival wolf packs. One of these packs was Lynx's home pack known as the Rafe clan, the one she was separated from so early in her life. The other was known as the Fenris clan; mortal enemies of her home pack. It was the Fenris pack that came to the cabin that night when Lynx lost her grandmother.

Over the years, details about that night emerged. Notes left behind by Grandma Anne told the story of how each year, on the anniversary of the night Lynx was found, the Fenris pack came to the cabin in search of her. Year after year, Grandmother Anne told the savages there was no such child to be found. The pack had clearly had enough of the lies and set forth to ensnare Lynx while they sacrificed her grandmother. Trouble was, Lynx showed up late; an entire day late which threw the timeline of events incorrect. Fenris needed to get to Lynx on the day she was found; else the planetary alignment would not be correct for a pack takeover. Any other day and Lynx would be much stronger and the Fenris clan needed her at her weakest to have a chance. After Lynx found out everything behind the reason her grandmother lost her life she felt responsible, and set forth to build a new legacy.

On the eve of the anniversary of her grandmother's death, Lynx had been careful to avoid the property and returned only days afterward to find scattered items and their attempt to track her. No matter where she stayed, she always sensed the wolves were near. It was this year that would be different. This year, she would be ready to finally have her revenge. This year, she'd stay in the cabin and wait to extract her own justice. The anniversary was only days away.

Chapter Two: Blending In

Lynx rarely went into the city, but found herself at a local coffee shop thinking about the battle that was to take place in the coming days. She had never used her skills in actual combat, never even so much as been upset with another human being. But that anger had been the driving force that kept her alive instead of giving up after her grandmother died. It was the reason she was here today.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" she heard, as someone bumped into her, almost spilling her coffee. She didn't even look up and waved him off with a flick of her wrist. She cared little for anyone these days, much less strangers at a coffee shop. She was, however, not oblivious to the coffee house patrons whispering and pointing at whomever had just bumped into her, causing her to turn.

"Miss? Can I get you anything? I really am sorry for bumping into your table and nearly ruining your coffee." She heard the gentleman say as she began to turn around to face him.

"I'm completely fine, honest, I..." she said as she looked up into the biggest, bluest eyes she'd ever seen."You're Grayson Lewis, aren't you?"

Grayson hated being identified in public. Typically, the encounters all went the same. They wanted advice, or they wanted to talk about those snappy Super Bowl advertisements. "Did you do this one? Did you do that one?" were common comments that grated on his last nerve. "Are you single?" he heard more times than he cared to admit and hope this time would be different.

"Yes, seems you recognized me." Grayson said, sheepishly.

"I read about you in People magazine. Very good trajectory in your advertising career. I'm sure your parents are very proud of you." Lynx said, genuinely enthused to meet him. Grayson was one of the richest advertising executives in the United States, and made People's 30 under 30 list. That wasn't what impressed her though; it was the fact that he used his money for environmental preservation. He didn't buy fancy cars or houses; he kept a modest lifestyle and used his money to better the world. He was one of the community's best known residents and gave to widespread charities and conservation efforts. Why, just this month he started a campaign to save red wolves from extinction, a cause very near to her heart.

"I wouldn't know Ma'am; I never knew who my parents were." He said to her, a clouded haze crossing those blue eyes that made them more gray than blue. There was something else she saw, but couldn't hone in on it without slipping a bit from her human self. She didn't want to risk a partial shift in such a crowded location.

"I'm so sorry. I can be a real bitch but I didn't know or I wouldn't have said that." She felt bad. She knew how it was not knowing who your real parents were. She wouldn't bring something like that up if she had known.

Grayson saw the distant look in her eyes as she apologized and sensed a kindred spirit. He took a moment to truly notice her. She had curves, which he liked, and wasn't afraid to speak her mind to him. When she knew who he was, she spoke of nothing more than the article she read, nothing about mindless corn chip advertisements. He sensed an old soul, a woman he could perhaps share his darkest secret with --that he was a werewolf.

It was then that Grayson did something he never did in public. He closed his eyes and went into his semi-trancelike state to get a more precise view of this enchanting woman. In that instance he saw the devastation in her heart, that night at her grandmothers, and the vengeance she harbored for the pack responsible. His pack or rather, Christian's pack. Christian was the alpha of the Fenris pack, the one responsible for the devastation. He took no part of it, but knew that small detail would mean little to her.

"Well it was lovely meeting you, Miss...?"

"Lynx. My name is Lynx." Grayson knew as soon as he had seen the carnage in her heart that she was Lynx. His pack had spoke of little else in the past years but her name. He wondered if she even knew the power she possessed, the power that his pack was willing to kill to stop. Legend had it that she was destined to be the true pack leader of Fenris despite being born into Rafe, and Christian couldn't relinquish being Alpha to a woman. It was Christian's plan to destroy her before she realized her true calling.

"Well Lynx, I'd love to spend more time with you if you're agreeable to it. Here's my card, please contact me." He said as he produced a fine parchment card with etched writing that highlighted only his name and a phone number. No writing of his accomplishments, his company name, or a website. Lynx noticed these little details, filing them away for later use.

"I'd like that, thanks." She said as she produced a rare smile.

"I'll be waiting to hear from you then. Have a pleasant rest of your day, Miss." Grayson finished as he turned to walk out of the shop and back home to assess finally meeting Lynx. She had been much different than he ever expected, and wondered if Christian would be able to sense her presence now more than ever. Grayson knew that the Fenris pack would stop at the cabin again, like they did each year, in only a matter of days.