Claiming My Wolf
Chapter 14

~~Sadie’s POV~~

After Logan walks away, my aunt turns to me with a nervous expression. “So what did Logan tell you, exactly?”

As soon as she asks me, I realize I’m absolutely exhausted. All the stress of the day hits me all at once and I just want to sit down. “Can we go inside?”

“Of course.” She looks embarrassed that she didn’t suggest it first. “Come on, I’ll get you some milk and cookies.”

That almost makes me smile. Are milk and cookies supposed to make me feel better? Maybe that worked when I was 5 and skinned my knee, but I’ve got bigger problems now.

Still, I follow her into the kitchen and sit down at the table. She busies herself making up a plate of cookies and pouring the milk before coming and sitting down across from me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself, Sadie,” she says, and I can see she really does feel bad. “I should have told you right away when you got here, I just thought you were already going through enough. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

I try to understand what she’s saying. She can’t actually mean that Logan was telling me the truth?

“What should you have told me?”

She gives me a sheepish smile. “That you’re a werewolf, just like us.”

I want to believe she’s lying, just like I thought Logan was, but why would she lie to me about this? It doesn’t make any sense. “Show me,” I demand, just like I did with Logan. “I want to see you turn into a wolf.”

I expect her to make up an excuse just like he did, but she doesn’t. She just nods solemnly. “Okay, if you want.”

She stands up from the table and I keep my eyes glued to her. Is this some kind of magic trick? What is she going to do?

“I’m just going to take my clothes off, honey,” she says. “Otherwise they’ll get torn when I shift, and I really like this blouse.”

This just keeps getting weirder and weirder, but I keep my mouth shut as she takes off her shirt and skirt and places them on the kitchen counter. She leaves her underwear on, at least.

Then her body sort of hunches over, and it’s like her back is getting longer, but I know that’s not possible. I blink, trying to make my eyes work properly, but all I can see is fur starting to grow out of her skin, and almost before I know it, there’s a real live wolf in front of me, right where my aunt was standing.

It takes a step towards me and immediately I shrink back, and just as quickly, it stops moving. My heart is pounding and I almost feel sick. This can’t be real. This doesn’t happen in real life.

But it is happening, right now in front of me. I can see it with my own eyes, so, as unlikely as it might seem, I have to accept that it really must be true.

The wolf steps back, behind the island in the kitchen, and a moment later, a hand appears, grabbing the clothes off the counter. In another minute, my aunt reappears, dressed again.

“Sadie?” She looks at me with concern and I realize my mouth is hanging open. Can she blame me, though? What am I supposed to be feeling right now?

“My mom was a werewolf too?” I manage to whisper, repeating what Logan had told me.

My aunt nods. “Yes. She grew up here in the pack with me and our parents. Then she met your dad, her mate, and they decided to move to the city. You came along a couple of years later.”

I look down at my own hands. Will I really be able to do that too? Just turn into a wolf whenever I feel like it? Why would I even want to?

“Why didn’t she tell me?”

I see the grimace that crosses my aunt’s face. “She was pretty angry with the pack after the way they treated her mate. Some people didn’t accept him because he was human, and you know your mom. She didn’t take any crap from anyone.”

That’s true. My mom always stood up for me whenever anyone tried to knock me down. I always thought of her as some kind of warrior, and maybe she was. A new wave of sadness hits me as I realize how much she never told me about her life, and how many things I’ll never get to ask her.

“I’m sure she would have told you soon,” my aunt continues. “Since you’re going to get your wolf soon. She would have wanted you to be prepared.”

How am I supposed to prepare for something like that?

Finally, something else makes sense to me. “Ava and Aaron are turning 18 this weekend,” I say out loud. “That’s why they’re so excited?”

My aunt nods again, a small smile on her face. “Right. They’re both going to get their own wolves, and maybe even find their mates. Did Logan tell you about mates?”

“A little bit.” I still think the idea of a pre-destined partner you’re supposed to be with is ridiculous, but I keep my mouth shut for now. “Do you mind if I go upstairs now?”

I have so much to think about, I don’t think I can take any more information right now.

“Of course,” she says. “Maybe Ava can come up and see you later if you want to talk more.”

I agree to that and head up to my room, trying to figure out exactly when my life took such a crazy turn.