Derailed
Episode 1: Derailed
His eyes were familiar, but I wasn’t sure if I could quite place him. They were brilliant grey with a dark halo outlining them, a halo I had once thought was unique until I learned that all wolves possessed them. According to lore, the halo represented Luna, the bright star goddess in the sky and creator of all Lycans.
Though the eyes seemed familiar, I didn’t recognize the face of the devilishly handsome wolf who continued to gaze in my direction as we rode the subway.
Not only have I not yet adjusted to city life, but I have not yet become accustomed to seeing so many of my kind living their lives out in the open.
I was raised on a farm in Iowa by my human adoptive parents. The tiny town we resided in was lovely, though it was populated by humans that I’m sure would have surrounded our farmhouse with lit torches and raised pitchforks if they had discovered my odd nature.
My parents were wise enough to realize that I wouldn’t be widely accepted by humans, and that is why they went through such great pains to keep my condition secret.
They had not known I was a werewolf, not until my adoption was finalized, though, in hindsight, they should have been suspicious when the adoption went through with little oversight.
My parents had not been a gullible pair, but they had been desperate for a child, and therefore, I assumed that they had turned a blind eye when they were presented with red flags.
The farm in Iowa was abundant with allergens. My parents had no cause for concern when I was plagued with sneezing fits during my first spring, but when the blooms produced a spore that activated my defense mechanisms and brought forth my inner wolf, there was cause for alarm.
My parents, of course, had been horrified when their baby girl shifted into a wily pup, and I am sure that they had considered being free of me, but in the end, they had made the loving decision to continue to parent me, even though they knew it would be a challenge.
Except for my occasional shifting outburst, my parents had managed to rear what appeared (at least to those who were not paying attention) a perfectly normal little girl.
I missed my parents. Unfortunately, they had passed away a few months prior in a vehicular accident. The town sheriff believed they had veered off the road to avoid hitting an animal that had wandered into their path.
My parents’ death left the town baffled because everyone in the area knew that an animal’s soft body was preferable to hitting a solid, rooted tree. My parents’ accident had shocked most, but not me.
My neighbors may have been confused, but I had developed a theory on my own.
It had been a full moon that night, and from the time that I had hit puberty, the impulse to shift had become urgent.
Knowing that I would have trouble resisting my animal urges, my parents had erected an electric fence around the property to prevent me from straying.
The fence was compelling, and even in canine form, I knew my boundaries. So, I suspected another wolf had wandered into the road that evening and my parents had mistaken it for their daughter.
Though this was only a scenario, I had not escaped the guilt I felt over their death when I packed up and moved to New York.
The train stopped a few blocks from the apartment I shared with my roommate, Brandon. At first, I had been flattered by the attention, but now the wolf’s eyes had begun to bore holes in my back, and I was desperate to escape his intense gaze.
I did not indicate that I was about to exit, I eyed the crowd, and once I saw an opening, I weaved around the other passengers in a hurry. I brushed shoulders with an elderly lady as I stepped onto the platform.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled, resisting the urge to glance over my shoulder, afraid I would meet the gaze of my admirer.
The elderly woman responded by hitting me with her large bag, “I’ll bite you,” she warned me with a shake of her fist.
Not knowing how to react, I simply muttered, “Sorry, Ma’am,” before trotting up the stairs to exit the station.
I had been holding my breath as I ascended, unable to exhale until I was above ground.
My senses had not yet adjusted to the city's odors, so I often held my breath when I rode the train to avoid gagging from the mix of unhygienic smells wafting through the passenger cars.
The cool air dampened the smell of vehicle exhaust, allowing the scent of warm pretzels and hot dogs to trigger my saliva glands. I lifted my gloved hand and dabbed at the drool that threatened to escape the corner of my mouth.
The city was designed on a grid system, so it wasn’t difficult to navigate once you knew what part of the city you were presently occupying. The signs indicated I should go west, so I pivoted in that direction, hoping to escape the tempting aromas filling the markets.
My intentions were halted by a hand seizing the crook of my elbow. I could feel my nose twitch as the beast within was alerted. A prickle ran down my spine, threatening to shift at a moment’s notice.
I spun around to face my aggressor and found myself face-to-face with the wolf with an ardent gaze.
I sputtered as the scent of his cologne hit my nostrils in full force. He was so heated that steam was rolling off his shoulders, and though I had no idea what I had done to offend him, his expression told me that he was not pleased to see me.
Before I had a chance to react, the corners of his lips turned down, and his brow furrowed. “What you did at the Pack Plot the other day wasn’t cool.”
I was caught off guard as I recognized those blazing globes and that musky, though not unpleasant, scent. He was cross with me, but his angry demeanor did nothing to stifle my arousal. I pressed my knees together, pleading with my hormones to cut me some slack.
“You’re not welcome there anymore,” The Alpha said in a menacing voice as he flashed his incisors. “If you’re caught sniffing around there again, you will have me to deal with.”
City folk can be fierce, but I had grown up farm girl tough. My humility dissipated and was replaced with anger as I pulled my elbow from his grasp and narrowed my eyes, “I will go where I please,” I snarled, attempting to appear braver than I felt.
The wolf’s expression registered his surprise; I supposed he was accustomed to intimidating lone Lunas without any resistance.
I bared my teeth, but unlike him, I had not yet discovered how to control my incisors, so only my right one slowly descended. “Perhaps you should be more cautious about approaching strange wolves in public,” I scoffed unconvincingly as I lifted my fingers to my mouth to prompt my incisors to retract.
Fearing that I would continue to make a fool of myself, I abruptly spun on my heel and bolted around the corner. I glanced over my shoulder to ensure I wasn’t being followed. Once I was sure that he wasn’t giving chase, I slowed to a jog until I reached my building.
Though I had been blessed with plenty of stamina, a part of me wanted to relent and call a cab to carry me for the remainder of the journey. My feet were sore from a long day of traveling, and though I didn’t want to admit it, the interaction left me a bit shaken.
I nearly collapsed with relief as I entered the safety of my building’s lobby, but was slightly disappointed when I realized the elevator was out of order again.
Thankfully, I lived on the third floor, so it didn’t take long for me to scurry into my apartment and sink against the door as soon as I closed it behind me.
I buried my face in my hands in anticipation of the waterworks that had been threatening the entire trip. I was about to let the tears flow when I heard my roommate, Brandon, speak. “Anna, darling, what happened?”
Startled, I dropped my hands. “Brandon, I didn’t realize you were home,” I cried, and though I wanted to reiterate the entire scene to him, I noticed that he had a guest sitting next to him on the couch.
I didn’t know the young wolf visiting Brandon, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I had interrupted a personal affair. “I’m sorry,” I flustered as I gathered myself, “I didn’t know you had company.”
Before Brandon could press me further, I fled to my room.
After I closed the door behind me, I threw myself face-first into my pillow and screamed to unleash the anxiety that I had kept pent up since I exited the train.
My panic had just begun to subside when there was a tentative knock on the door.
