Call of Shadows - Book 1

Chapter 29

Lauren

I laid on my bed preparing to open my mind to Phoenix not really knowing exactly what to expect. It began slowly; not her memories at first, more a basis of what would be shown. She had been born December 31, 1649 at 11:59 pm to Poppy and Vince Aldolfo - two revered Alphas. As the time turned to the new decade howls around the world could be heard welcoming their new baby Alpha.

Small memories began to flood my mind. They were blurry, not really thoughts. 

Two faces repeated over and over, I guessed they were her mother and father. They were all so happy. Pictures of skating and running through the yard. Patting a wolf on the head for the first time, seeing and meeting the whole pack. Them bowing to her.

Then it changed. Sadness and not understanding why flashed through her mind. I didn't see the woman after that. The memories got worse. She was growing up and her father began to hate her. He beat her senseless some nights. He would go to a tavern many nights, getting drunk and beating her again. The pack tried to help but not much could be done as the father's Alpha powers were too dominant on their minds. He laced his drinks with wolfsbane and slowly he lost his mind.

The pack slowly lost theirs as well being so integrated with him. They lost themselves. Phoenix watched her family and life fall apart. At just 13 she watched her father kill himself and most of the pack follow. She and two others were the only survivors - I recognized them as Ezikiel and now Alice. Eventually Phoenix ran from her home and the small town that was just being developed.

She kept running. She was terrified of the world. For the first time, she let her voice be heard. My heart broke watching her memories of sitting there for hours, till the sun rose, her howl carrying for miles. She howled her pain and soon she heard shouts in the distance. After she shifted to her wolf form she didn't leave it not wanting to interact with humans. There was a feeling of belonging as a lone wolf, but even still the loneliness she felt began to take over. She tried over and over to hurt herself to feel something but her rapid healing made that impossible. She wasn't meant to be alone. She had been born an Alpha to a pack.

After months of living in wolf form she finally decided to take her life. It was a clear night, a full moon shone when she stopped on the cliff ledge. The sorrow was killing her; the pain of what she had done to her father and the pack. That she was lost and alone. She was done. She had had enough. Her front paws lingered over, claws off the edge when the Spirit came. Leto talked her down and showed her what she was meant to be. This new purpose set her in the direction of the midwest in search of her pack. When she finally shifted human again she was shocked to realize she hadn't been gone for a few months, but almost a decade. The times had changed and Phoenix was a stranger to it. She rarely even had schooling back in her old pack. She also found a few things had changed in her appearance as well. She looked more 17 or 18 instead of 13. She was between youth and adult, but her mind was only that of a 13 year old - maybe less. She had nothing to guide her in this new time and knew enough that she couldn't ask anyone for help. When she needed to eat and sleep she did so in her wolf form. She traveled by foot between villages but when there were long roads she'd stretch all four legs.

Now she had a concept of time and her travels taught her more about the world. She learned etiquette by watching reactions and actions in the towns. Her vocabulary began to expand. A few months after she had traveled she felt a pull toward a farm in a small town. When she entered she sat down at a bar and adjusted the bar keeper's mind to believe she was old enough to drink. She sat undisturbed and watched.

A younger version of Quincy walked into the Tavern. No, Lauren thought, he was just dressed extremely differently. He wore a plain white tunic buttoned to the neck, his breaches were made from a thick wool fabric tucked into white socks below. As soon as everyone noticed him the Tavern went silent. He stood for a moment to look around and then began a slow, silent walk to the bar keeper. Whispers began to follow, unknowing Quincy could hear everything being said. Ignoring them, he sat in the back corner and faced the door. Slowly the chatter began again but darting eyes and quick glances continued to the corner.