Chapter 4

Elena POV “I am imagining this”. I muttered to myself. “I have to be imagining this.” I stood with my mouth wide opened in shock as a pair of wolf cubs had made a mess of my living room. Suffice it to say, this was not normal. I mean, for a while now, a lot of things have not been normal in my life, not since the twins were born but this takes the cake. Wolves, werewolves are only able to transform on their sixteenth birthday. This is to allow them to bear the pain of transformation while also having the ability to control their urges. So, why, pray tell, are my four - nearly five - years old children in wolf form? There was no warning, no inkling that they were going into transformation. I had left them asleep on the waterproof mattress and came back only to see the room flooded, glass broken, and two cubs having a tug of war with one of my silk pillows. I got down to my knees slowly, hands outstretched as I called out to them. “Kanu, Kiana, come to mummy now. Come now.” At my voice, they abandoned the pillow and ran with full speed to me, colliding into me and sending me sprawling to the carpeted floor, all the while sniffing and yipping at me. I managed to get my balance and bring them to my lap to get a good look at them. One of them has a shiny gold coat, it practically glitters in the sun with silver eyes while the second has a striking silver coat and gold eyes. Like I said, nothing about this is normal. “How long has this been going on?” I asked quietly. The only response I got was two pairs of expressive soulful eyes, staring back at me. “Can you… can you turn back for mummy… please?” Before I can even finish the question, they have both transformed into my two beautiful babies. No cracking sound or snaps. No whine of pain. Just from one fluid movement to another. With clothes intact. So this was not normal. “Do you like our wolf mummy?” Kiana’s babyish tinkering voice broke me from my thoughts. “Yes… yes, it was… beautiful. Both of you. I'm, how long have you… since when could you…” “Is mummy okay? Are you okay mummy?” Kanu asked with a little tilt of his head. “Mummy is fine,” I said, assuring him. “Mummy is just confused. How long have you been able to… bring out your wolves?” “A while”. Kiana answered as she got interested in a loose thread on my sweater. “How long is a while?” I insist. “Hmmm, it happened that night. The night we… you… and Aunty Marie did a sleepover together.” Oh, my goddess. That was months ago. Five months to be exact. Marie, a neighbor and one of the few friends I have made here, had helped me with babysitting that day because I had a job that would take me out of town. Fortunately, I had managed to make it back home but it was quite late and there were reports of a violent storm coming in. I had insisted that she spend the night here and we had slept in my room, telling the kids when they asked that we were having an adult sleepover. I remember that night, the storm… It was violent. Unusually so. Green and red lightning as it flashed across the sky and the thunder shook the house. I remember checking on the twins and being surprised at how soundly they were asleep. I just thought they were growing up. And now this. Again, the nagging thought told me to contact Alice, their grandmother, to ask her about any unusual traits in their family. There have been way too many unusual things that have happened around my children. The way that no matter what season we are in, the flowers never stop blooming. Or how nothing, absolutely nothing ever wears out in the house. Of how they are always talking as if there was someone else with them. I had chalked it all up to my overactive imagination, but this… this is one, I can't ignore. This is not normal. “Is it a badge mummy?” Kanu’s voice brought me out of my thoughts and I looked down to see him staring at me with that usual, so familiar, knowing eyes. He looked so much like their father. They both do. They have all of his traits except for the hair. The hair was mine. Without my permission, my thoughts stray to Rex, wondering how he is doing and if he is happy with his new, perfect family. Does he regret it? Does he even think of me? Have they all forgotten about me? “Mummy?” I looked down again to see that this time both of them were watching me. “What?” I asked with a gentle smile. “I asked if it was a bad thing,” Kanu answered. “About our wolves.” “Of course not,” I said as I pulled them up to me. “Your wolves are beautiful and perfect just as you are beautiful and perfect,” I told them as I littered their faces with kisses. Soon, the sounds of delighted laughter and squeals were heard in our living room and they were trying to fight their way out of my hands. “How about we go to the park?” I asked as I set them loose. “We can play with our frisbees and see some of your friends.” And allow the cleaning crew I am about to call to do their job in peace. “Yay!” “I will go get my shoes.” I watched as they run out in excitement while I dialed the number. Soon, a truck is pulling up and I am handing the keys to the house to one of them. “Leave it in the potted plant when you are done”. I told them before walking away with the twins holding each of them by the hand. The park was filled with kids and their accompanying parents or sitters, with laughter, joyful screams, and running feet. In a matter of seconds, they both let go of my hands and run to join their friends. “They are a delight, aren't they?” A familiar voice asked from behind. “Marie!” I exclaimed with a smile. “What are you doing here? Did you have a shift at the store?” “I got fired.” “Again?” I asked with mocking disappointment. “It is not my fault!” “It never is,” I said as I walked to a bench. “It really wasn't. A customer was being deliberately rude to one of the teens working with us. She deserved that punch.” “You punched her?!” “She deserved it!” “Oh, Marie. What am I going to do with you?” “You can love me like you always do- wow!” “What?” “Who is that with your kids?” I turned to see who she was talking about and felt my stomach drop in horror. Crouching at their level, a familiar man can be seen talking and smiling at the twins, shaking their hands and laughing with them, and like as if he could feel me, his gaze locks onto mine, with deadly accuracy. “Do you know him?” Marie asked me. How would I not know him even though we've not seen each other in five years? Rex, the man who rejected and chased me out of his pack, to be with his ex girlfriend because I was barren.