Chapter 73

Sophia did the only thing any self-respecting wolf would do after unexpectedly being knocked down and pinned on her back; she drew back her lips and snarled. Adrenaline surged as she lifted her head and snapped at her attacker’s nose, forcing the other to draw back. Before the wolfess could recover, Sophia twisted her upper torso while throwing her lower half in the opposite direction. The wolfess’s forelegs were pulled out from underneath her as Sophia rolled, and the wolfess was forced to jump off before she lost her balance entirely. 

Now, I’ll show this intruder that this territory and its male belong to me! 

Free of her assailant, Sophia continued her roll in an attempt to get on all fours. Unfortunately, her unwieldy human body lacked the dexterity and speed of the wolfess. As soon as the wolfess’s paws touched the ground, she pushed off again, jumping over Sophia while twisting in midair. Landing with a growl, the wolfess charged forward and rammed Sophia’s shoulder as the latter was still in the process of rising onto all fours. Sophia was painfully flipped onto her back for the second time. She was about to try again when she felt the wolfess’s sharp teeth dig painfully into her neck.

Submit!

Panic coursed through Sophia as she instinctively went limp, barely daring to breathe. For several agonizingly long seconds, the two remained frozen in that position.

This is it; she’s going to tear out my throat any moment. 

To Sophia’s surprise, the wolfess’s jaws relaxed and withdrew even as her amber eyes continued to regard the wolf-girl with a smoldering fury. The wolfess remained close to Sophia’s neck even as her nose began working furiously as she sniffed Sophia intently. A few moments into the wolfess’s investigation, a low series of rumbles and growls punctuated her investigation.

‘What is this?’

Sophia blinked. She speaks Wolfish?

Very slowly, the supine wolf-girl dared to take in the unfamiliar wolfess’s scent. At first, she only registered the wolf’s breath, which smelled strongly of recently-eaten prey. But then she caught the scent of the wolfess herself. It was feminine and lupine as she had already ascertained, but there was something else about it that drew her attention.

Why does her scent remind me of Shadow?

Despite the danger she was in, she tried to surreptitiously bring her nose closer to the wolfess. She had barely started moving when the wolfess snapped her head back towards Sophia and growled threateningly. Sophia quickly abandoned the enterprise and let her head sink back into the snow.

If she’s not going to kill me, then what does she want?

‘... NO!’

Shadow’s panicked bark brought both Sophia’s and the wolfess’s heads up in time to see him charging out of the trees towards them. Relief flooded through Sophia despite the wolfess’s continued proximity. 

Get her, Shadow! Show this wolf this is our territory! However, her relief was quickly replaced by a new worry. He’s going to see her as a better mate!

Despite the rapidly approaching male, the wolfess stood her ground and drew to her full height with her head high.

‘You … … two-leg, Mischievous Nose?’ She growled and barked.

What…?

Shadow didn’t answer until he was a few feet away. ‘... you (having?) here, …?’

Sophia struggled to understand the exact words, but their implications were obvious. They know each other?

The wolfess placed a paw warningly on Sophia’s stomach even as she directed her attention towards Shadow and addressed him. ‘I … sniffing … you … I … you …  in (Sophia distinctly heard something that included ‘pack’) territory!’ The fury remained apparent in the wolfess’s body language, but it was no longer directed at Sophia. ‘You … (cannot? No, that didn’t make sense, don’t?) ... (return? Come back?) here! … (The wolfess finished with something too fast for Sophia to catch, but she did notice the wolfess’s anxious ear flick as she said it) … !’

Sophia’s understanding of Wolfish was still too rudimentary to understand much of what was said, but pieces of it were familiar. Between what she knew and observing the wolfess’s body language, she could at least infer some of the overall meaning.

Has Shadow been here before? Sophia’s mind reeled. He never said anything about it!

‘(If?) you hurt … (whatever was said obviously referred to Sophia) …!’ Shadow’s menacing growl chilled Sophia’s blood as he continued to advance towards them. ‘(allow?) (“her” Sophia guessed) go!’

‘You … attack … … two-leg?’ The wolfess responded, her body showing disbelief and anger, but also a hint of fear.

She used that expression Shadow addressed her with earlier; it feels formal, yet familiar, and I don’t think it’s a name.

‘I would,’ Shadow answered, his lips pulled back to reveal his canines. ‘Let. Her. Go.’

The wolfess finally removed her paw from Sophia as Shadow came within a foot of them. Realizing she was being released, Sophia quickly scrambled onto all fours alongside her mate. Keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the wolfess, she bared her teeth.

‘Are you hurt?’ Shadow rumbled softly as he gave her a tender lick-kiss on her cheek.

“I’m okay,” Sophia replied between clenched teeth without taking her eyes off the strange wolfess.

Who is she? Shadow seems almost… respectful?

‘What … (afflicted? seized?) you?’ The wolfess growled. ‘You (are aware? know?) … … … … … death (whatever she said, it was apparent death was a risk for Shadow) … two-legs!’

Did she just threaten him? Sophia’s fingers curled into her gloves as she watched the wolfess. No, she’s warning him.

‘You … (made?) territory,‘ the wolfess continued. ‘... … you (aware? know?) … (take? claim?) territory … a bond-mate!’

‘I have a bond-mate,’ Shadow countered, his body proud.

‘... where is your…?’ The wolfess’s ears flicked back in horror as it dawned on her. ‘...! ... … is a two-leg!’ Her body-language turned contemptuous.

‘... you not smell the wolf in her scent?’ Shadow asked in surprise. 

Wait, her scent… Sophia’s arms nearly buckled under her as she finally put two and two together. Is this Shadow’s Mother???

‘... (The wolfess said something Sophia intuited to be her taking offense). ... (change?) … … … two-leg!’

Tell her I’m a wolf no matter what she thinks, Shadow!

Gauging by the heated argument that followed, Shadow did just that, although Sophia understood very little.

Damn it, they’re speaking much faster than Shadow usually does with me!

‘This … ,‘ Whatever his mother called Sophia prompted an angry growl from Shadow. ‘Is not a wolfess … (despite?) has our scent! … (unable?) … you pups and … smells … (strange? bad?) blood! … stop … … (return to?) … Pack territory; I have … … mate for you. She is (healthy?) wolfess … … … you … pups.’

No! Sophia growled angrily, her gloved hands reflexively pulling her forward. Shadow is mine!

The Wolfess’s ears pulled back in surprise as she turned to look at Sophia. Then, a feral glint appeared in her eyes that chilled Sophia’s blood. Before she could think to do anything, Shadow stepped in front of Sophia after giving her a reassuring nuzzle on her neck.

‘No, (Mother?), Many Scents is my mate,’ Shadow asserted. ‘We … … . She … be a … wolfess, and … we … (create? make?) a pack.’

‘Many Scents you (call? name?) her?’ Shadow’s mother stepped towards Sophia, sniffing. ‘... (Incomprehensible to Sophia, but she got the distinct impression the wolfess was making a concession) …’

Is she going to leave us alone?

‘... you … … ?’ Shadow asked cautiously, clearly as surprised as Sophia was.

‘Her wolf scent is stronger … …,’ Shadow’s mother said, her speech noticeably simpler and slower than before. ‘I know her scent ….’

What? When could she possibly have come across my scent before?

Sophia looked at Shadow in confusion; to her surprise, his head was lowered with his ears back, as though he were showing – no, begging for – submission. A lump formed in Sophia’s throat when she saw he was trembling.

‘Mother…’ He pleaded. ‘She … you.’

The wolfess ignored Shadow, sitting on her haunches. ‘She smells like the two-leg you killed.’

A tremor ran through Sophia’s body, and she suddenly felt queasy. 

Sophia, Mom was in an accident… She didn’t make it.

“What is she talking about?” Sophia asked, feeling weak. 

If there was ever a time to be able to form Wolfish words, it’s now…

‘(Was?) the two-leg … you attacked her mother?’ Shadow’s mother wondered. ‘I … the smell of her blood … her … (car, Sophia assumed) … bluff.’

Her car was found rolled at the bottom of an embankment.

“No,” Sophia said desperately, her voice shaking. “Sha- Mischievous Nose, please tell me she’s lying.”

But when she looked at Shadow, he failed to meet her gaze.

His tail curled between his legs as he rumbled and yipped. ‘It was …!’

He did it. Tears started to stream down Sophia’s face as she started to shiver in the cold. It’s his fault my mother died, that my human life was ruined.

‘... ?’ His mother spoke up. ‘... … you smelled her scent, you … … (make?) her into a wolf, …. I (warned?) your (father?) ... dangerous.’

‘My (father?) died…!’ Shadow started to argue.

‘Your (father?), my lifemate, died … to stop you,’ Shadow’s mother finished, her lips pulling back in a snarl. ‘And you … death … returning here. … you…?’

Whatever his mother had started saying was interrupted by Sophia wretching and then vomiting into the snow. The smell of deer, chicken, and bile filled the air as memories Sophia thought she had buried flooded her mind. Memories of her mother taking her on hikes… Reading about wolves and nature with her… Taking time to play games and talk, even when she was busy… Talking to her about college and children…

My mother raised me to be human, and I was going to throw it all away for the wolf who killed her.

‘I couldn’t (tell?) you,’ he whined. ‘I love you, Many Scents. I (didn’t?) … hurt you.’

Sophia looked at him, trying to feel something, anything, towards him, but only found a yawning void in her heart.

“You thought that I wouldn’t find out?” Sophia bit out. “That you could keep it a secret that you killed my mother?”

‘I…’ He started towards her.

“Stay away from me!” Sophia yelled as she scrambled backwards. “Please! Just leave me alone!”

She stumbled as she tried to stand, fell, got back onto unsteady legs, and ran as fast as she could from the two wolves.