Glancing over my shoulder, I bit my lower lip in annoyance. The view of my security guard was just beautiful! The floor covered in long ragged claw marks. The same marks on the walls, accompanied by hanging pieces of wallpaper. A wardrobe smashed to pieces ... Hmm ... And, unlike me, his instincts and scent have long been developed, and it will not be difficult for Oleg to understand that I was a weirdo in the second incarnation.
Lowering my head, I silently waited for my verdict. I'm sure he has clear instructions from the leader, just in case I suddenly remember everything. I doubt about the change of hypostasis - after all, I have not heard about alpha girls, nor about the passage of initiation with such a long delay. But what exactly they will do with me - they do not know. Maybe they will kill, or maybe they will erase the memory again.
I grimaced at the thought of waking up in the hospital again, remembering nothing. No, it's better to die than to go through this again. The wolf inside snarled in agreement.
- Maria, are you okay? - Tired of waiting for an answer from me, Oleg again decided to ask. - You look frazzled.
“Uh-huh,” she muttered back to him, not taking her eyes off his polished black boots. - Repair started. All night I smashed the apartment, so I was tired.
Grunting the first thing that came to mind, I expected anything but his quiet laughter in response. Raising my head in surprise, I looked straight at the guard, waiting for an explanation of his amusement.
- Repair, - still chuckling, the werewolf spread his hands, - yes, this is the case. Noisy!
“Very,” I nodded seriously, expecting that Oleg would just stop laughing and say that he had exposed me.
Just a little more, and he will grab me, saying some nasty things, and drag me back to the community, where they will erase my memory again. Or even worse. But Oleg, with his further actions, brought me into a real stupor.
“Since everything is in order, I don’t dare to detain you anymore,” continuing to smile, the man walked towards his apartment, turning to me over his shoulder in front of the door. – Be careful with repairs, Maria .
The intonation with which he pronounced my false name left no doubt - he understood everything. And about the return of memory, and about the awakened she-wolf. And why didn't you get it? Why did he leave?!
The wolf inside stirred anxiously, bringing me to my senses. Quickly slamming the door and closing it with all the locks with trembling hands, I slowly slid down to the floor, leaning back against the wall.
Maybe Oleg just followed Igor? To capture me along with my brother? Silly, of course, he can easily cope with me alone, but what if? I have no idea about the rules for looking after the banished. I only know that they keep an eye on all those exiled, without exception, in order to avoid their relapses. But what kind of relapse can be expected from me? That I will rush to look for Arthur and demand to declare me his couple? Brad some in the head climbs! However, this is exactly what I want to do...
No, most likely, Oleg is now contacting the leader in order to receive instructions on further actions regarding me. So, they say, and so, I remembered everything and spread ...
The she-wolf pretended to faint, diligently shaking her hind legs, pretending that these were convulsions. A thought flashed through me and now I’ll fall apart on the floor, but I’m afraid that this won’t help me in any way.
Run? The she-wolf opened one eye, but again returned to the imitation of unconsciousness. She is right! Nowhere. You can, of course, try, but it is doomed to failure in advance. Firstly, all my money, inheritance, and so on - all this is a cartoon. A legend, just for everything! After all, there were no dead parents, to whom I went to the cemetery in the hope of feeling at least some semblance of kindred feelings and trying to regain my memory. It was all made up specifically for my oblivious personality. The money is actually transferred from the community budget, and as soon as I leave, I will be left without a livelihood. I have almost no cash, and what I have is enough for a maximum of a month, and even then, with a very economical approach. But all the same, I won’t be able to run, because, secondly, they won’t let me go far. Igor and Oleg in the pack were in good standing, so no chance here. They'll catch up. And what is left for me? To sit here and wait for the arrival of these punishers? Obscurantism!
And suddenly, it worked out? I understand that there is almost no hope, but suddenly Oleg believed in my nonsense about repairs? And before that, did not feel the change of hypostasis? And no one will come to me, and in vain I'm panicking now. Therefore, Oleg did not touch me. Yeah. And he laughed, probably because he remembered a funny anecdote! And he called me Maria with indescribable intonations just like that!
Having risen from the floor, and walking along the hallway, I almost stumbled when I saw my reflection in the miraculously survived mirror. My heart skipped a few beats, my breath hitched as if from a blow, and a cold sweat broke through my body. This is the end. Then only a blind man would not understand that I was throwing myself at night. My eyes were now wolf! In the literal sense of the word! With an elongated pupil. Hoping that they have just changed when I was left alone would be the height of stupidity. The thing is really bad. Apparently my attempts to spread still yielded results. But neither I nor the she-wolf had any joy about this at all.
One wolf, and even the one in the bush howls hungry,
or problems with solving problems.For almost a week now I have not left the apartment in anticipation of reprisals. But she was not and was not! I shuddered at every rustle in the stairwell. She froze if she heard the elevator open on the floor, or the doors of neighboring apartments slammed. Every time, accidentally looking out the window and noticing a car driving up to my front door, I was horrified to expect a knock at the door. Or that this very door will simply be demolished from its hinges. But, despite all my fears, nothing like that happened. Every day the waiting became more and more unbearable. Our nerves with the she-wolf frankly could not stand the strain. It is rightly said that the expectation of punishment is sometimes worse than the punishment itself!
Trying to reason logically, I found only two reasons for the inaction of the leader. Either he was not informed about the metamorphoses that were happening to me, which is unlikely, of course, but possible. Or the leader simply does not see me as such a threat that needs to be eliminated immediately. There was also a third option, that Arseniy could leave the pack on some business of his own, and he would take care of me a little later, when he returned to the community. This answer made me very nervous, but it was quite similar to the truth. A crazy assumption that Oleg really didn’t notice anything, and that I’m winding myself up in vain - once again swept aside. He is far from stupid, and he has a lot of experience. And the vision is excellent. And he could not fail to notice my vertical pupils, which distinguish wolves from ordinary wolves.
And I would have continued to sit in the apartment, going crazy with horror, if the food had not run out. All. I even ate semolina porridge (which I boiled with difficulty, managing to burn most of it), although I never ate it. Since childhood, I can not stand it! And it's a miracle that I even had a bag with this cereal at home. But everything comes to an end, and when this morning met me with an absolute absence of any edible products, I faced a difficult choice.
In fact, everything was quite simple - I had to go to the store. But the thought that I would not have time to leave the apartment, as they would grab me and drag me to the leader, did not give me rest. And like the mind I understand that this is very stupid! Well, if nothing has been done to me so far, then it is unlikely that something will happen or go wrong with a simple trip to the store! But my heart clenched anxiously at the thought of going out into the street.
When my stomach once again rumbled throughout the apartment, and the she-wolf defiantly began to probe her ribs for excessive thinness, I realized that it was pointless to pull any further. Pulling on denim shorts and a T-shirt, she slipped a bank card into her pocket, took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure her pupils were normal and found nothing unusual in her appearance, sighed and headed for the exit.
The clicks of the lock on the door were unbearably loud, echoing down the landing. The keys that fell out of trembling hands several times while I was trying to close the door of my apartment did not give optimism either. It seemed that at any moment Oleg would jump out of the apartment opposite and grab me, laughing at the remnants of my hope that there would be no punishment.
Contrary to all my reasoning, I went out into the street without incident. Except for the yard cat that slipped through the door of the entrance I opened, which scared me out of my wits and made me squeal. Nerves to hell! Since I still got out of the apartment, I need to go to the pharmacy, buy myself something sedative. Otherwise, it’s not the leader who will kill me, but I myself will bring myself to a heart attack, being afraid of everything around. I wonder if nineteen-year-olds have heart attacks at all? However, I'm a werewolf! Initiated, moreover. My regeneration should be at the level, so you don’t have to worry. Yeah, I can shy away from everything until the end of my life and not worry about the state of the cardiovascular system. What a charm!It didn't take long for me to shop, so about an hour later I was back at my house, loaded down with two heavy packages. Usually I buy products at a minimum, but now the situation is a little different. I wanted to treat myself to deli
Yielding to the persuasion of the she-wolf, I decided to go for a walk in the forest. The risk, I do not argue, is huge, but if you do not go far from some small town or village in the region, then everything can end well. I hope. There were several reasons for panic. Despite the fact that the cities were mostly inhabited by ordinary people, the chance to stumble upon someone from my former community was great. Especially if I'm "lucky" to choose a town for a walk near the habitat of my flock. And I'm afraid, if this happens, my acting skills, so as not to give myself away by recognizing anyone, will not be enough for me.Well, do not forget about Igor and Oleg. Guards are assigned for a reason. And even if they sometimes go about their own business, instead of spying on me, they are still the main problem. Even if I manage to catch a moment when they are not around, I strongly doubt that they will ignore the fact of my long absence.If, before the return of my memory, I wandered arou
To be afraid of wolves - do not go into the forest,or the first useful acquaintances.- Good afternoon, Maria Viktorovna! the girl at the fitness center reception greeted me as she handed me back my club card. - Have a good workout!Squeezing out a benevolent return smile, I slowly walked towards the stairs leading down to the pool.I've been going here every day for a week now, and for five hours straight I've been going crazy from the smell of bleach! Gods, my whole idea of going to the forest through the pool does not seem so brilliant to me anymore! And if it weren’t for the she-wolf, who also suffers with me, but constantly cheers me up, I would have given up a long time ago and would have given up on everything! That's right at the moment when I first came to this damned pool! Even a nose plug did not help me get rid of this smell! But you also had to swim! Damn!But, despite the distinctly smelling minuses, there were pluses. Igor and Oleg accompanied me to the fitness cente
Unable to resist, I ran my hand over the runes on the door frame. What a huge mistake people made when they adopted a strange faith a little more than two thousand years ago. How much pain and suffering it brought. And I'm not talking now about werewolves who were skinned alive when they refused to be baptized by their prince. And not about other magical creatures who, after all the persecution, will never come out to meet with a mere mortal. What did the people get? What good did someone else's faith bring them?Knowledge that has been passed down by word of mouth for thousands of years has been washed away by the new religion. Divine creatures, who from the beginning of time lived side by side with man, were forgotten, and now they can only be mentioned in fairy tales. And what did people get in return? Churches where money is pulled from believers at every opportunity? Priests who go around draped in gold, not embarrassed to tell poor parishioners what to believe and endure? But wh
A frightened wolf is afraid of bumps,or a little bit about harsh reality.The week went by like a blur for me. I automatically went to the store, visited the pool every day, catching myself thinking that in anticipation of a meeting with Stanislav, even the smell of bleach had become something ordinary and not worth my attention. The beast was also in a state of stupor, occasionally drawing my attention to the presence or absence of guards nearby. But if during the day I was a little distracted, behaving like a person for the sake of appearance, then the nights turned into a real nightmare for me.Sleep did not go, just like when my wolf was dying inside me, causing an unbearable feeling of loneliness and longing. But now the reason was not in it. I was afraid. I was scared to death of being refused help from Stanislav and being left alone again. No, I don’t argue, Bestia will now forever remain with me together, but will we ever be able to live fully with her? Spread? Don't hide? Wh
- What will you do when you are convinced of his involvement? Stanislav asked me when we passed him. - To study, as I understand it, there will be no desire anymore?Stopping, I thought for a moment. Nonsense, of course, utter, in Arthur I am sure, as in myself, if not more. But, let's say Arseny acted on the orders of his son - what then?“I will study,” the answer came by itself, as soon as Bestia and I imagined for a moment that the sapphire wolf could really do this to us. I was able to deceive and betray in the most cruel way. “To cut their throats one day.”Stanislav only grunted at my words, shrugging vaguely, and I continued to follow Anya into the house.- Wow! What a bloodthirsty baby! - Andrei's voice flew into my back, followed by the sound of another slap in the face. - Ai! Dad! For what?- For childishness and posturing! - came the answer of Stanislav, and I could not help smiling.Once upon a time I had a family. Jokes, friendly teasing, caring for each other... It's ha
- I hate you, I hate, I hate ... - I whispered, looking at one point, trying to kill all my feelings for Arthur, - I hate, I hate ...The beast howled piercingly, echoing my words.Wolf habits, robber tricks,or how to become a real wolfdog.- Mira, it seems to me, or are you sleeping? - Stas's insinuating whisper invaded my dormant thoughts at the same time as Andrey's loud laugh.“I’m not sleeping,” sharply opening my eyes and stumbling upon the alpha’s gaze full of doubts, I realized that he didn’t believe me. And he does it right!After sobbing for almost a week in a communal apartment, feeling sorry for myself and cursing the former leader and his son, I realized that was all. Enough. And for almost a month now I have been regularly coming to Stanislav, where he is trying to teach me how to switch. But if only it were that easy!"I'm sorry," I confessed, trying desperately to hide a yawn. - I really concentrated, or rather, both of us. But…- But not enough! - Stas imprinted. May
- You can not inflict mortal harm on uninitiated werewolves. This is a law, for the violation of which Veles punishes instantly, - Stanislav answered me quite seriously. – And the death of the beast does not change anything, because there was no initiation anyway. That is why you have created acceptable living conditions. But why they simply didn’t wait for your initiation, and didn’t beat it later - I don’t know. But, in this case, seeing that you are an alpha, no one would get rid of you.“Wait,” I was completely confused in his explanations. “But I had an initiation. And I'm alpha! The guards feel this, you yourself said that ordinary wolves recognize who is in front of them - simple or alpha. And why did the leader and his son ignore this?- The guards don't feel you, - Stas rose to his feet, looking disapprovingly at his dozing son. “For them, you are still a normal person. And ahead of the flurry of your questions, - he raised his hand, laughing, as soon as I opened my mouth, -