The Wolf Who Saved Me

By around 04:45 PM, Nana Lolita started preparing for the barbecue and bonfire later. I saw her cutting and marinating almost all kinds of meat pork, beef, and chicken. I helped her do it, and it was fun. It makes me miss my mom.

“Why the sad face, senorita?” Nana Lolita said.

I forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing, Nana Lolita. What should we do after?” I replied.

“A face like that doesn’t mean nothing. Are you missing your family?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I paused and said, “Yes, I do. But I don’t think I will see my family again.”

“Why?”

“My mom and dad are both dead. My brother, I don’t know if he is alive. He asked me to run to save myself while he tried to fight ten members of my pack. I don’t think he will survive, though I am still hoping.”

“Oh! You poor soul! Those who tried to harm you are a disgrace of our kind. They should be ashamed of themselves. I wanted to hug you, but my hands are dirty.”

“That’s okay, Nana Lolita. I feel better now.”

Then, Reule appeared in the kitchen all of a sudden.

“Nana, is the marination done? Can I take them so I can let the boys start grilling it before we run?” Reule asked.

“What time does the run start?” I asked.

“Quarter to six, and it takes about half an hour.”

“I see.”

“You can take this, Rolito. It is ready; give it another 5 minutes before putting it on the griller. I want the marination to soak inside the meat. And take the potatoes, too.”

“Gotcha, Nana!”

“Senorita Wren, let’s cut some veggies for the salad.”

“Sure, Nana Lolita.”

After we made some salad, I helped Nana Lolita take it out. I saw that the tables and chairs were arranged already. Some men had already started doing the barbecue. Others, including Reule, are putting cans of sodas and beers inside the cooler.

Reule has a large green yard. The houses are not close to each other. And it is near the forest, which is where they will probably go later.

“Senorita, go take a shower. I won’t be joining the run, so I will be with you later. But we might have to take over doing the barbecue when they run.”

“That is fine, Nana Lolita! I am glad that I am of help.”

“Still, you don’t have to overwork yourself. Now, go and prepare.”

“Alright, Nana! See you later.”

I went up and took a shower. As soon as I was drying my hair, I looked in the mirror. My bruises are still there, but it feels much better now than last night.

I went to the clothes that I had. It is hard to choose what to wear. Shall I choose a dress or better off with jeans and a blouse? It makes me wonder what the ladies would wear later.

I decided to go for the jeans and blouse. I wanted to feel comfortable and not feel like I was showing a lot of skin. After I put it on, I looked at myself in the mirror. I am not satisfied wearing this floral blouse, blue jeans, and dirty sneakers, but it’s all I have.

I went downstairs and saw Nana Lolita with a lady. It’s probably her daughter Adriana that she talked about this morning because they have a similarity. And I looked around, and the members were many more than I thought they would be. It is undoubtedly more compared to the pack I used to belong to.

While walking and heading to Nana Lolita, my eye caught Reule talking to a tall, slim, blonde lady. I think it was Lila. Looking at them makes me remember what they were doing last night. It made me stop for a second. Then, I continued when Reule started to notice me.

“Ah, there you are senorita, Wren! This is my daughter, Adriana,” Nana Lolita said when I reached in front of them.

“Nice to meet you, Adriana!” I said.

“Seniorita Wren, it’s great to meet you finally! Since yesterday, I have meant to meet you, but you were still not feeling well. How are you now?”

“I am better. Thank you so much for asking. Nana Lolita told me about you earlier; you look like her. You are beautiful and kind.”

“Oh! Not as beautiful as you.”

We laughed, and I felt like someone was staring at me. When I turned, there was no one.

It’s 05:35 PM, and after 10 minutes, the evening run will start. Reule started calling the attention of everyone.

“Gather around! Listen up! We always do this as part of our routine for the safety and well-being of the entire Gray Pack. The usual drill is we leave five people here to guard the house and the food. But today, I wanted to change something. As we know, we have a newbie here named Wren, and she still cannot join the run. So, it is my humble request for the ladies to stay. Would you please entertain her and make her feel comfortable? Teach her also about the ways of the pack. Is that alright?” Reule announced.

I interrupted him by saying that he doesn’t have to change things. I am okay being alone here. But before I could even talk, Nana Lolita spoke.

“That is a great suggestion, Rolito. It would not hurt the pack to do something different tonight. And we need to be with Senorita Wren, so she doesn’t feel alone,” Nana Lolita said.

Almost everyone agreed except the blonde lady Reule talked to earlier. She looked at me with annoyance and disappointment. I am sure that that woman is Lila. I know she doesn’t want to babysit me, but instead, she wants to run together with Reule.

Adriana came close to me and whispered, “Don’t mind, Lila. She is just too obsessed with Reule that everyone hates it.”

“It’s fine. I don’t care,” I whispered back, and Adriana smiled.

I was right. She was indeed Lila. I better watch out for her because I could feel that she hated me a lot.

“Then, it is settled. Come on, boys. Let’s go for the run.”

One by one, the males started removing their shirts, leaving either just shorts or jeans. My god, all the men here have great bodies, I thought. Sure, werewolves usually have great bodies, but they are near perfection in this pack.

“Enjoy the run, boys!” Nana Lolita shouted.