Only Human Page 4

  Chapter 1

  Anna lifts her muzzle higher, sniffing the dewy morning air before running at full speed straight through the middle of the thickest part of the woods. The adrenaline rush overtakes her, and she can’t help but tilt her head even farther back to let out a long, low howl. She can immediately hear her howl answered by others coming from varying parts of the forest. She is hyper-aware of everything around her. Her paws touch the ground below her, snapping small twigs and tamping down the grass. Tall, damp weeds graze her stomach, and the occasional leaf attached to small low-hanging branch dances across her face.

  Anna thinks, This is what I’m meant to be. This is where I’m meant to be. She pushes down the dread that invades her as she thinks about having to shift back into human form and sit at her father’s right side while he conducts the weekly council meeting.

  ‘An Alpha’s daughter has certain things expected of her.’ She can hear her father’s voice in her head. ‘An Alpha’s daughter must carry on the legacy and get herself mated up properly. You’ll be sitting here in this seat someday with your husband and children at your side.’

  She tries to push her father’s voice from her head. It’s no use. Instead, she fixates on how much she wants to please him but how dreadfully much she doesn’t want to marry one single one of these wolves in the community. She’s sure there’ll be plenty of parents at the council meeting dropping little hints, offering up their sons to her. She thinks it’s all ridiculous. She wants to feel that spark she’s read about in poetry books; she wants to know, in that instant that her eyes meet with her mate like she’s seen in movies and TV shows, that this is the one.

  Her father doesn’t understand. He found her mom at age 14, and they imprinted upon one another immediately. They had the kind of love detailed in the lines of love poems. He’d had 20 years with the love of his life when cancer struck and then five more painstaking years after that. Anna had been 10 when her mom had first gotten sick and 15 when she and her father had laid her mother to rest forever. The last 3 years had been difficult, but she and her father had managed.

  We are still managing, she thinks to herself. We are still okay.

  Thinking of the mournful, devastated look in her father’s eyes that day at her mom’s funeral drives her on to finish her morning run and return home to shift back to her human form and shower so she can be prepared for the council meeting.

  At 11:58, she slides into her seat beside her father for the noon meeting, fresh faced and ready to take on the onslaught of whatever this meeting might hold. Her father shifts in his seat and turns his head toward her the moment she sits down. “So nice of you to join us, Anna.”

  He tries to sound firm, but there’s a playfulness in his voice, a tenderness that Anna has only ever heard him give to her and her mother. Anna lets her eyes flit momentarily to the empty chair on the other side of her father. During these three years, and even longer when her mother was too sick to attend meetings, he has never dared even to let another person touch her chair let alone remove it from his side. “Wouldn’t miss it.” She leans up and lightly kisses her father’s cheek before settling back down into her chair.

  As the meeting commences and her father sets in to talk about things like graffiti in the park and public fights between young wolves too eager in their newfound puberty, Anna lets her mind wander. She’s more than a little apprehensive to thinking about what it means that she will someday be sitting in her father’s chair as the only child of the fairest Alpha the community has seen in 50 years. She knows that more than a couple of the elders are uncomfortable with the impending news that someday, possibly even in their time on this earth, there will be a female Alpha leading the pack. Of course, there has been discourse over it after her mother died and the idea had resonated through the community that there would indeed never be a son on the way to fulfill the Alpha spot. Her father had fought the elders for her rightful place as his successor, and though she had been proud and grateful for his support, she had come to realize that it had also bound her to the duty in a way.

  Anna studies the faces of all the people she’s known her whole life crowded into the town hall, all of them rapt by her father’s words whether they are trivial or serious. He is a well-respected Alpha. Her heart swells with pride, and she gently squeezes her father’s hand sitting on the chair arm between them. As long as they maintain some physical contact the two can communicate freely with only thoughts. While old Mrs. Peterson stands up to talk about her boys vacationing near Yellowstone and pass photos around the crowded town hall, her father gives her gentle warnings in her head. “Be prepared Anna; there will be some eager wolves offering up themselves.”

  She smiles straight ahead but answers her father silently. “I’m ready, ready to turn them all down. You know none of them seem right for me.”

  “Baby, I know, but be polite. There has to be someone at least worth giving a chance to.” Her father breaks contact so that he can hold Mrs. Peterson’s photos. He smiles his wide, infectious smile and chuckles at the pictures as he flips through them.

  By the time the meeting had concluded, Anna reluctantly agrees to three different dates, all with guys she has grown up with, all guys that never expressed an interest in her before it became widely known that her father was trying to get her mated up. She knows it will all be a disaster, but a glance at her father and a look into his grateful eyes makes her realize she will be able to push through it.

  After the crowd has died down and everyone has gone back to whatever their afternoons hold, Anna and her father shift and go for a short run together down to the water hole, cooling themselves and washing away the stresses of the morning. At 2:30, they reluctantly run back to their house along the edge of the woods and shift back to human form so Anna can get ready for her shift at the diner at 3.

  Anna stands in the backyard, letting a rare, cool June breeze blow her chestnut colored hair back away from her face. She can feel her father approach, though his footfalls are silent. “My beautiful daughter, your mother and I did well.” He hugs her and kisses the top of her head.

  “What if I never find something like you had with mom? I mean, I just don’t feel anything. I’ve known all these guys my whole life, and I know none of them are special like mom was for you.” Anna looks up into her father’s kind and patient eyes.

  “Just let it come, baby, you’ll know when it hits you. It’ll knock the wind out of you. No one knows what it feels like to imprint until you’ve done it.” Anna’s father straightens the bow tie on her work uniform and smiles proudly down at her. “You better get going before you need to shift just to run fast enough to make it there.” He chuckles and leans back against the railing running across the back deck.

  “I’m sure Peggy would kill me if I ruin another one of these uniforms like that.” Anna joins in on her father’s laughter and bounds off the deck. “I’ll be home about 11:30 after we’ve closed up for the night.”

  “Be safe, have a good night.” Anna hears her father calling after her as she runs off into the woods. Anna isn’t really concerned about being late; she has ten minutes, and even without shifting, she can run much faster than your average human. She remembers her father’s warm touch and tells herself that everything will be okay. They’ve been through a lot, and this whole finding a suitable mate thing is just one more notch to put on the belt.

  Chapter 2

  Anna arrives to work just in time and without incident where her work uniform is concerned. Peggy is standing in the back doorway, smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke out into the alleyway beyond the employee entrance.

  “Cutting it close, honey.” Peggy winks, talking louder than necessary, so the other employees will think she is chastising Anna for her lateness.

  Anna plays along, apologizing loudly and profusely. Peggy’s forehead crinkles as she struggles to hold in a deep, gravelly laugh. Anna begins pulling her hair back and then stacks clean glasses by the soda fountain in anticipati
on of the oncoming dinner rush.

  “I’ve got news for you.” Peggy shuffles over, limping on the bad leg that got caught in a snare years ago when she and her friends were out partying and decided to shift and explore land beyond their community. She helps Anna, handing over another stack of glasses to add to the one she just put out.

  When she doesn’t continue on immediately, Anna turns to her, “What’s the news, Peggy?”

  “Olivia’s coming home while school’s still on break for three weeks. She just got done with that trip to Nepal. She should be here in the next couple of days.” The smile on Peggy’s face is one she can’t contain as she talks about her daughter and Anna’s best friend. “She wanted to surprise you, though, so work on your acting skills, kid.”

  Peggy limps away to check on the clam chowder she’s been prepping all day for the dinner special. Anna can’t contain her smile any longer either. She and Olivia have been best friends as long as Anna can remember. Olivia is three years older and left for college right around the time Anna’s mom passed away. She almost didn’t go so she could stay home and be there for Anna, but in the end, Anna wouldn’t let that happen. Olivia had worked hard all through high school and had a full scholarship to Brown University, no way could she pass that up. She had come home for the past two years for the entire summer, but a trip to Nepal had kept her away so far this summer. Anna had been afraid she wouldn’t see her at all until fall break.

  Anna smiles to herself as she works, rolling silverware into napkins. Everything will be okay with Olivia home. Olivia has always had a way of calming her down. “Anna, orders up,” Peggy yells to the back from the counter, startling Anna out of her revelry.

  “I’m so happy.” Anna squeezes Peggy’s shoulder on her way up to the front to deliver the readied food.

  “So am I, honey, so am I.” Peggy arranges a generous amount of fries on four different plates with varying sandwiches already placed. “I took care of their drinks already, honey, just make sure to see if they need refills.”

  “I know, I know, how long have I worked here, Peggy?” Anna smiles at Peggy to let her know she’s keeping it lighthearted.

  “Oh, one more, thing,” Peggy calls Anna back. “I haven’t seen this family before. I would say they were hikers that got lost or something , but they’re wolves. I can smell it from here. Just be careful, you know how it can be with opposing packs sometimes.”

  “I will, Peggy.” Anna heads off toward the table of newcomers fearlessly.

  As Anna approaches one of the booths by the front windows, she can clearly make out the strange family, and the closer she gets, she knows just what Peggy is talking about. They definitely smell like wolves. It’s a family of four - a middle-aged man and woman and a teenage girl and boy. Her eyes are instantly drawn to the girl; they must be about the same age. The early evening light is streaming through the windows, creating a halo of sunbeams around the girl. Her straight blonde hair has a darkness underneath only visible where the light makes tiny spotlights about her head. She has these intense green eyes that almost seem to glow or sparkle, maybe with the tiniest flecks of gold scattered around them. Her nose and her lip are pierced, and she’s wearing a faded black Alice in Chains t-shirt with black and gray plaid shorts that hang right at her knees.

  Immediately, Anna has this feeling that’s never come over her before. Maybe this is what happens when you meet other wolves you’re not familiar with. The only wolves she’d ever met from other communities were still distant family and still had blood in common. Anna can’t breathe properly; she feels winded, and her heart is beating fast. There’s this tingling sensation all over her body. She shakes her head and focuses on the few more steps it takes to deliver the food safely.

  When Anna looks up, she catches the girl’s eye, and for a moment, they look straight into each other’s eyes. All the symptoms come flooding back, and she quickly sets the trays down on the nearest table even though it is two tables away from her destination.

  The girl immediately hops up and rushes over. “Do you need a hand?”

  Anna's knees try to buckle involuntarily. What in the hell is going on with me? Anna questions herself silently. “Um, thanks, I just got dizzy suddenly. I don’t know what happened.” Inexplicably, she is also overcome with something that feels a lot like embarrassment. She can’t quite put her finger on any of the things she’s feeling.

  “That’s odd, me too actually.” Anna has almost forgotten the girl is standing in front of her even though she is the cause of all these strange things that Anna is dwelling on. “I thought it was the altitude or something. I’m not used to being in the mountains.”

  “No, not the altitude, I’ve been in the altitude all my life.” Anna smiles at the girl, feeling like she must look like an idiot. Seriously, what is this feeling?

  “Well, I’m Jade.” She sticks her hand out in front of Anna.

  Anna’s mother always taught her not to be rude, and even though she worries about what might happen actually touching the girl in front of her, she extends her hand as well, holding her breath as she does so.

  When their hands connect, Anna has this overwhelming feeling like she has accomplished or completed something. Still a feeling she cannot explain, but she hasn’t exploded or burst into flames, though she’s feeling rather hot behind the ears. “I, um, I’m Anna.”

  “Right, I noticed.” Jade motions to the name tag clipped onto Anna’s uniform. “The little pink hearts are a nice edition, a splash of color with the black and white uniform.”

  Anna just smiles and tries once again to shake herself from the stupor. “Okay, so who has what?” She picks up two of the plates, not trusting herself to carry all four, and Jade falls behind her carrying the other two plates.

  By the time everyone at the table has been served their plate and refills on their drinks, the evening supper rush has begun, and the nearly empty diner has come to life with the bustle of various customers. Anna has to pull herself away from Jade and her family so that she can wait on other tables. By the time she has a moment to breathe and look around for Jade again, Gloria, the other waitress, is showing another customer to the table once occupied by Jade and her family.

  The night flies by quickly afterward, once the customers thin out after supper all the tables have to be cleaned, napkins, salt, pepper, and ketchup has to be refilled, and all the dishes have to be done.

  At 10:45, Anna is wiping a clean rag across the last dirty table when Peggy hobbles over and places a plate with a serving of crinkle cut French fries and a piece of cherry pie in front of Anna. “Sit down. Take a break, and eat something. We’re almost done with everything, I’ve got Gloria on the rest of the dishes.” Peggy sits in the booth seat across from where Anna is still standing.

  Anna reluctantly sits down. It’s been a busy evening, and she knows she’s not going to want to get back up and walk home after sitting down and getting her belly full. Still, she knows if Peggy is offering to feed you and sit down with you, then you eat and sit down. She digs into the French fries, and her stomach growls, announcing its appreciation for the food she hadn’t noticed she needed. When half the fries are gone, and no words have been spoken, Anna looks up and says thank you before digging in once again.

  “Something about you looks different, maybe feels different.” Peggy’s eyes burn holes through Anna’s skin as she scrutinizes her, trying to take stock of what it could be.

  “Nothing’s different, Peggy; might be that I’m excited about Olivia coming home for a visit.” Anna starts on the cherry pie and secretly wonders what it is about her that has changed. She knows it’s more than likely something else besides her excitement over Olivia.

  “Now, seems like something else to me. What did you learn about that family, the strangers?” Peggy has an odd glint in her eye and a far away look.

  “Not much, by the time I got their food and refills to them, the supper rush was coming in.” Anna’s cheeks color at the memory of the
strange feelings elicited by Jade, but she keeps her mouth shut.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you imprinted on that handsome young boy.” Peggy grins from ear to ear. “I sure can remember what it felt like when I imprinted on my Bill.”

  Anna pretends she doesn’t know what Peggy is talking about, though there’s been a nagging in the back of her head, making her wonder if it could be Jade and not her brother that has made her feel so strange. Actually, if she’s really honest with herself, she knows it was Jade making her feel these strange feelings. She’s just not sure if what she’s feeling is due to imprinting.

  “Ah well, you’ll know soon enough; you can’t ignore it.” Peggy picks up Anna’s now empty plate and starts to shuffle toward the back of the diner. She stops and turns toward Anna again when she reaches the counter. “I got the new schedule up; you’re off tomorrow, but you better not miss the next day for anything. Olivia will be here first stop, and she thinks she’s going to surprise you.”

  “I wouldn’t miss that, Peggy.” Anna gets up and starts wiping the remaining crumbs from the table she was eating at. Her eyes already begin to wander around the diner for the next job she’s going to tackle so they can all get out of there as soon as possible.

  “Go on home. We’ve got it here; everything’s almost done.” Peggy sweeps her arm in a wide arc across the diner as she speaks.

  “Are you sure? My shift’s twenty more minutes.” Anna stands on her tip toes, waiting for Peggy’s response, hoping she doesn’t actually change her mind.

  “Yeah, get outta here before I do change my mind; you know I can almost read yours without even touching you.” Peggy lets out a boisterous, gravelly laugh, finishing her laugh off with a little coughing fit as she usually does. She takes a long drink from a glass of ice water she’s been keeping behind the counter and waves Anna off again. “Go on.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Anna is already loosening her bow tie as she walks out of the diner. As soon as she pushes through the diner door, a pleasant cool breeze greets her. She stops for a moment and tilts her head back, letting the wind catch her hair and enjoying the feeling across her face. She considers shifting into wolf form and running home to save time, but instead she decides she’d really like to take a more leisurely walk.