Mabel

I spent the next week wondering if I had made the right decision by accepting my brother's offer. The crows had stopped sitting on my porch, and the black cats were now avoiding me, so I hoped that meant the universe approved of my choice.

On Friday night, I boarded the red-eye flight with a bag of makeup, a toothbrush, and a cheap dress I had picked up from the thrift store. The flight was long, and I got a few hours of sleep before we landed.

As my brother promised, the taxi picked me up from the airport and drove me two hours northeast, deep into the mountains. Seeing the familiar countryside of my childhood with its snow-capped mountains and evergreen forests stretched for as far as the eye could see was strange.

I had mixed feelings about going back to Cedar Falls. I never thought that I would return there - especially to the ranch. Even though Hector had been dead nearly a year, I could hear his voice drunken voice slurring in my head, "Mabel, didn't I say what I'd do if you came back? I got a silver bullet here with your name on it."

As we approached the town, my phone vibrated with an incoming call. The caller ID was withheld, but I knew it was my mother.

I answered the phone.

"Janine," I said.

"Oh, Mabel. I wish you would stop calling me that," she snapped disapprovingly. "I was only calling to check that you had landed safely."

"I landed safely - I'm en route to the wedding," I replied flatly.

"Wonderful, I can't wait to see you, darling. Now, tell me what you are wearing?" She said.

I gazed down at my plain navy blue dress from the thrift store and replied, "A blue dress."

"Don't be clever, dear. I want to know what brand - Gucci, Chanel, Armani?" she said.

"Salvation Army. It was five dollars from the clearance rack due to a mysterious stain on the front of the dress," I explained.

My mother fell silent on the other end of the line. So I waited a few seconds before casually adding, "Don't worry, I got the stain out with a detergent pen. Plus, I blasted the dress with a can of Febreeze, so no one should pick up on the weird smell."

The dress didn't smell. In fact, I had taken it to the dry cleaners earlier in the week to get professionally cleaned. Admittedly, there was nothing special about the dress, but there was nothing wrong about it either. I just wanted to make my mother sweat - it was the least she deserved after what she had put me through.

"That's not funny, Mabel. This is your sister's wedding. I will not have you mingling with our distinguished wedding guests in a stinking second-hand rag. We have a reputation to uphold in the pack," she snapped.

"Sorry, Janine. I can't afford designer clothes. My pack threw me out on the streets when I was sixteen, and since then, I've had to choose between heating and eating," I said.

"Good, that must mean you have gotten skinnier. Last time I saw you, you had such fat little thighs," she retorted and then quickly changed the subject. "Listen, when you get to the ranch, don't enter through the main gate - that is reserved for wedding guests only. Instead, enter through the service gate."

"Aren't I a wedding guest?" I asked.

"Yes, but the groom's family are a little sensitive about their son marrying the sister of a never wolf. We will want to sneak you in and out," she explained.

My jaw clenched. Sneak in and out? What was the point of even inviting me to the wedding if she was going to hide me from the rest of the guests?

"Fine, whatever, we'll enter through the service gate," I grumbled whilst thinking about the two hundred grand compensation that I would receive for this humiliation.

"Splendid. Security will pick you up from the service gate and bring you to Sebastian's office. He's asked to see you before the wedding," she added.

"Okay," I shrugged.

I didn't know why Sebastian wanted to see me before the wedding. It seemed odd that he and my brother were willing to pay so much for me to attend Amber's wedding. Clearly, there was an angle to this that I had yet to understand.

Half an hour later, the town sign came into sight. It was dusted with frost and read 'Welcome to Cedar Falls'. Below the lettering was a miniature painting of a grey wolf howling at a full moon.

Behind the sign, the rest of the town unfolded like a storybook village. Hundreds of wooden lodges with snow-covered roofs blend seamlessly into the backdrop of mountains and forest. Looming high above the town was Cedar Cross Ranch, my childhood home.

Ice spiderwebbed through my veins, and I felt an uneasy stirring in the pit of my stomach.

The taxi drove through the town up to the ranch. I instructed the driver to head past the main gate to the service gate.

"The service entrance is up ahead, next to those cow sheds," I said, pointing to the two enormous corrugated iron barns in the distance. "I'll only be a couple of hours. Can you still pick me up at six to take me back to the airport?"

"Sure," he said.

"Good, I don't want to be late for my flight," I replied.

There was no way I was staying in this hell hole any longer than I had to.

The driver dropped me off at the service gate and headed back into town to kill a few hours. I was left standing in the freezing cold, wondering who I needed to call to come and collect me.

The service gate was only ever used by farm machinery and suppliers. The back entrance into the ranch was only meant for the Help.

I tiptoed across the icy road in my heels and tried tugging the gate open. The gate didn't budge - it was locked.

I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Rollo, but there was no reply. The frozen wind whipped around me, seeping through the thin fabric of my dress and biting into my skin.

I looked over to the main house in the distance and wondered if I had the stamina and pain tolerance to walk half a mile to the house in these heels. Glancing about, I realised that I didn't have a choice. If I stayed put, then I would end up freezing to death.

I clambered gracelessly over the service gate and made my way up the drive. The road was uneven, covered in potholes and covered in cow manure. My heels pinched my toes and rubbed the back of my heels, but I kept going, imagining what I would do with that two hundred thousand pounds.

It took me thirty minutes, but I arrived at the back offices of the main house. My feet were screaming in pain. I could feel the blisters on my toes and on the back of my heels.

I ascended the back steps and tried the back door to the ranch manager's office. It was thankfully open. I stepped inside and collapsed into the nearest chair. Immediately, I removed my shoes and inspected the damage to my feet.

They were covered in blisters and blood - lots of blood.

Shit. I pulled out a pack of tissues and cleaned up as much of the mess as possible. The skin had been rubbed raw on my little toe.

"Mabel? Is that you?" A soft-spoken, feminine voice asked.

I lifted my head, and my eyes met a beautiful older lady standing before me in a splendid golden gown. Embarrassed, I quickly shoved my bloody feet back into my heels and jumped up.

"Ah, hi," I said.

She smiled warmly at me and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

I studied her face and then panicked - shit, this was Sebastian's mom and my ex-Luna.

"Julianne, I'm so sorry. I didn't recognise you," I said, respectfully bowing my head.

Julianne had been a distant figure in my childhood. She had been the long-suffering wife of Hector, who used to stand sullenly in the background as her husband raged.

The woman who stood before me now was completely different. In fact, she seemed glowing with happiness.

"Welcome home, Mabel," Julianne smiled and pulled me in for a warm hug.

I hugged her back, feeling slightly awkward. I didn't really know the woman, and yet she seemed genuinely happy to see me.

"I have been searching for you for such a long time," she sighed.

I blinked - she'd been what?

She pulled away from me and slipped her hand into mine, "Come, I want you to meet Sebastian. He is going to be so surprised!"

I frowned.

"Why would he be surprised? He knows I'm coming. He ordered me here," I replied.

Julianne shook her head, leading me out of the office into the hallway.

"No, he has no idea you're here," she said.

My heart dropped in my stomach. If Sebastian had no idea that I was here, then he had not permitted my return. That meant he and the other wolves could run me off the ranch or, worse, kill me.

I pulled my hand out Julianne's and said, "I need to get out of here. Sebastian will kill me."

Julianne grabbed my arm and gently pressed her palm against my cheek soothingly.

"Sebastian would never hurt you. Don't you remember the kindness he showed to you when you were little? He has been looking for you, Mabel. What Hector did to you has haunted him these eight years," she said.

"Then why not tell him that you had found me? Why bring me here under false pretences?" I replied.

"You'll understand soon enough," she said, taking my hand and pulling me towards Hector's old office.

I followed her through the corridors of my childhood home. The last time I walked these corridors was the day after my sixteenth birthday when my father brought me to see the priestess after I failed to shift. The visit to the priestess, along with Hector pointing a gun at my head, had been the two worst memories of my life.

"Don't be nervous," Julianne said, reading my expression.

Up ahead, a security guard came rushing forward toward Julianne. He stopped short in front of us and dropped to his knees.

"Grand Luna, I have failed you. Claudia is gone, and the alpha is furious," he said, staring at the floor.

Julianne let go of my hand and knelt next to the security guard, who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Bradley, it's okay. Claudia is a teenager - she is just going through a rebellious phase. And as for Sebastian, I have someone with me who will help cheer him up," she smiled.

Bradley tilted his head up and shook it.

"I wouldn't go into his office, Grand Luna. He's madder than I've ever seen," Bradley explained.

Julianne waved her hand dismissively and said, "Mabel will calm him down. She's always had a calming effect on my son."

I stared at her in pure disbelief. Was she crazy? I wasn't a cute ten-year-old kid any more. I was a never wolf - enemy number one to Sebastian's pack.

She reached out for my hand, and I recoiled in horror.

"Maybe this isn't the best time to be saying hello," I said nervously.

"Oh, it will be fine," she said breezily, tugging me along. "Between you and me, I think my youngest, Claudia, was sent by Artemis to test Sebastian's patience. She enjoys testing her older brother's boundaries," Julianne explained.

We continued up the corridor.

Hector's old office was now in sight.

The office door opened, and two more security guards bolted out of the office with their heads bowed. My pace slowed again, and I shot Julianne a 'should we really be poking this hornet's nest with a stick' stare. Julianne ignored me, and the security guards hurried past us without so much as a look of acknowledgement.

From inside the office, I could hear things being tossed and thrown about. Suddenly, the distant sound of smashing glass filled the air, followed by a hard, masculine "Goddammit!"

Julianne dragged me to the open office door, and I saw Sebastian standing in the middle of the room, with his back facing me.

He was leaning over his desk, cradling his hand. The remnants of a shattered whiskey tumbler lay scattered on the floor.

I couldn't do this - I didn't want to face Hector point two. I started to back out of the room when Julianne placed her hand against my back and gave me a good hard push.

My heels clicked noisily against the white tiles as I stumbled into his office. Sebastian swung around to face me, and our eyes locked.

It was an instant connection. 

********

Don't forget to vote, comment, and share the howls with your fellow readers. Let's spread the "Never Wolf" love like wildfire! 🔥