Amelie’s spa has changed me in ways I cannot define. I train and train, pushing myself harder to the edge of my limits. I read alone in the spooky library, unafraid of any attack. At dawn I am out for a run and at dusk I am out for my solitary walks. I move and move but my life has come to a standstill. I do not know how to get out of this hamster wheel.

Around me, the world has changed, too. Everyone is nicer to me, more lenient and understanding. John keeps telling me not to train too hard. Jeff has stopped calling me weakling. He is more careful talking with me, as if one harsh word would send me to an early grave.

“It’s not that serious.” I tell him one day after the breakfast. Everyone has left and I am with Tina doing an early lesson. “As long as I take my tablets, I am fine. You do not need to walk on eggshells around me.”

“Still. I won’t call you that again.” Jeff looks uncomfortable. “I just want to tell you that it was inadvertent. I never meant to taunt you about your condition.”

I smile and shake my head. The revelation of my condition has had unexpected benefits. The other day Phyllis came offering me a little job at the local school. They need an assistant teacher who could help around if any of the teacher was off sick or a child needed additional help. I obviously jumped at the opportunity. It’s not a regular occupation but I cannot complain. There is only so much training I can do, and I have to fill my days with something.

The accounting role at the pack office did not materialize for obvious reasons. I too am not interested in it anymore. Some distances must be kept for the sake of my sanity. I do not know if it’s the effect of Damien’s spell or Amelie’s spa. I have started getting these weird hallucinations.

Sometimes I run through a dark forest untethered and untamed, the wind whistling through my sleek fur. Sometimes I am featherlight, gliding through the starry sky as the world underneath slides in a hazy blur. One night I stood in a pool naked with two powerful arms around me. They caressed me with such tenderness, my heart ached with joy. Some nights I am in my bed lying with a male figure. An earthy, musky smell envelopes me as rough, wet lips invade my mouth. Incessant, urgent hands touch me at places I have never dared to touch myself. The rough, lusty affair unravels me, taking me places I have never been before.

In those vivid dreams, my body reincarnates into someone else. It’s my alter ego with boundless energy, strength, and vitality. It’s limitless with no constraints, as if the entire universe channels its power through me. In those dreams, I am not a weakling. I have never been.

As the morning arrives, I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart hammering in my chest. My skin flushes with raw excitement. My body rebels with an unknown hunger.

That’s when I realize it’s just a dream. The moon grants me those wishes, but the sun takes them away. I lie in my lonely bed, with empty eyes and heart. I am back to being my lesser self, so diminished, it feels I am fading.

It tires me out. Having those dreams and then waking up mourning them. Days have become a drag; I feel like a dry leaf of autumn withering away in the cold wind.

“It’s the effect of the vampire’s spell.” Tamara says when I tell her about them. She is my only companion now, the only one I can confide into without any filters. “The hypnotic effect lingers, preying on the victims long after the spell has worn out. You just need to hold out and take Arome’s potion.”

I smile and nod. I am not taking Arome’s potion. I do not want the dreams to fade away. They are my only escape from reality; I live them as they are my only hope.

Days pass in a haze. Weeks follow them. I have set myself into a routine. I train, run, walk, and read. The library has become my second home. The eerie darkness is a soothing companion. I do not care who I meet there. It will be a welcome distraction.

Sometimes the school calls me, yet I have time at hand to spend. I do not know how to occupy myself, so I have gone back to sketching. Two days a week, I set up a stall in the square to draw people.

The idea is a hit. Tuesday are market days and Fridays are…well, Fridays. It’s the two days when the entire camp spills onto the main street. I get a lot of customers and have also made some money. More than that, I have made some new friends. People know me now; they don’t treat me as a stranger.

“I do not understand why you are overworking yourself, Danny.” Tamara frowns as I stand on a Friday afternoon, sketching away an old man. “This is not good. You need to watch out for your health.”

“I am absolutely fine.” I smile at her, shrugging. “And I don’t like idling, it bores me out.”

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

“You are not idling. You are getting tangled in too many things. And what is it exactly that bores you out?”

Just…life. I shrug, continuing my sketch.

“You look so pale. You are taking the potion, right?”

“Of course I am, Tammy. You are worrying unnecessarily. As you said, I just need to give it some time. Everything will fall into place.” I throw her words back into her face and turn to my sketch.

It will be over soon… the chant again goes in my head. I had believed it a few days ago. Now I am not so sure.

*****

It’s been a month since Amelie’s spa. The day has just broken, and I am out on my usual run. I rush ahead on the uneven ground, jumping over rocks haphazardly. The hamster wheel turns like a tornado, spinning me with it. My head is in a whir, body is in a mad rush. The ground slips beneath me with alarming speed. I storm ahead, not caring, but stumble and fall.

My knee hits on a pointy rock, and blood starts oozing, staining my grey leggings. I sit on the ground to stare at the wound. Something tells me to try myself. Something urges me to do a little test.

Pursing my lips, I stare at my knee, calling on my first wolf credentials to heal myself. I focus hard, calling upon grandpa, invoking the moon goddess, trying desperately to wake up the quarter wolf in me. But it stays hidden. Nothing answers my pleas.

Blood trickles down my knee to smudge my legging. The stain gets bigger and bigger. A weird burble erupts my lips.

I laugh. I laugh like it is the greatest joke of the year. Like I am the most comical creature on this planet. Slowly it turns into sobs. Tears roll down my pallid face as I bury it into my knees.

It takes me some time to come back to my senses. Tired, I slump on the rock and close my eyes. Luckily there is no one around to see my spectacle. This is one of the more secluded places on my running route. It’s a new path I have charted, running along the camp boundary, just staying inside of the wall.

I lie back on the rough surface as the canopy of rustling leaves opens up to an azure sky. It’s the last few days of summer. Sunlight dances on my body as the breeze sways those delicate leaves. I close my eyes as a serene quiet washes over me.

My mind wanders to the others. I wonder how Olly is doing. And Gabe and Myra and Jeff. I see them only at breakfast nowadays and then too I do not linger there for too long. I have seen Olly looking a bit peaky; it could be too much training. She is on the fields all day long with Myra, both testing each other’s patience to see who gives up first.

John is holed in his office most of the days. Adam is in and out of the camp; I barely see him anymore, which is a blessing. Gabe… I do not know how he is. The boys are busy nowadays, as is the entire camp. The rogue trouble is increasing day by day, it’s not just our pack, but many others are getting affected.

They are still looking for Mrs. Bates. I never knew the woman could be so special. I wish she is found by the wolves before the rogues get their hands on her. To tell the truth, I miss her. Throughout my childhood, whenever I was ill, the woman was constantly with me. Granted, she kept it professional, and no true affection ever grew between us, but her being there was my solid rock, I get it now.

“Mrs. Bates. Be safe for me. And come back soon. I need you.”

A silent prayer leaves my lips as I lie there as in delirium. I do not know how long has passed. The pain from my knee has faded into a dull throb. A breeze hums in my ears and I get up to limp the rest of the way back home when I see him.

The black wolf.

Our eyes meet over the grassy outcrop as he stands a few feet away. His massive form is hunched, his emerald eyes trained on me as a gruff voice sounds in my head.

“You should not be so close to the boundary.”

Wait, how is he communicating if we share no bond? But maybe this too is one of his powers, useful in the fighting fields.

I shrug and smile.

“I would rather be on the other side of it, Beta. In fact, I am planning to go back to LA. This camp life is not for me.”

In a flash, the wolf jumps to land right in front of me. Its great front paws press on the pointy rock I hurt myself on. I wonder if he too feels the hurt. But then, he can heal himself, no problem.

“You cannot leave, Danny. It’s dangerous.”

“I must. I get bored here. There is not much to do, and it makes me feel useless. I’d rather be where I am needed.”

“You are busy enough.”

“Not nearly enough.”

“You know I cannot allow you to work in the office, Danny.” The voice turns poignant. “We get all sorts of people there. I cannot take the risk.”

“Of course. That’s why I think it’s best for me to leave. We have better security in LA. The law and order has never been a problem. Maybe you can take a leaf out of their book.”

I keep my smile as the wolf bristles in agitation.

"Such insolence..." A guttural growl leaves his throat as his emerald eyes dilate threateningly. I meet them with defiance. For moment we lock eyes, as the air suddenly heats. A spark shoots down my tummy and my legs involuntary clamp shut.

His eyes glint as they drop to my legs.

“You are hurt. Let me…”

“No thanks, Beta.” I get up, patting my bum to shake off any dust. “You have already done enough. I must learn to look after myself.”

I leave him there and limp back, taking a short-cut that unfortunately goes via the central road. On the way, I pass the training fields that are teeming with soldiers. There are hundreds of them, not just from Silver Shadows, but from some other packs. Each of the pack has some distinct marker to tell each other apart.

The Night Howlers wear black combat vests, while Moon Rangers wear navy bandanas. The Red Paws wear a symbolic red armband, and the Grey Hides are all in grey.

All this knowledge I have gathered from Tamara, who is at this moment on the fields, training with the guys. I wave my hand as I pass her, and she jogs towards me.

“Danny. You need to go home immediately.”

I frown. “Why, what happened?”

“Mother just linked me asking for you. Olly is suddenly taken ill. They have taken her to Arome’s.”

***** *****