I don't have a mother

Charlotte

The soldiers arrived, and I was ready to find them and finally end the nightmare that had been going on for years. Logan signaled, and I started running, following the fresh trail of the invading wolves. They all moved together, which was their biggest mistake because as soon as we entered the forest, Logan also picked up the scent and started running a little ahead of me.

The trail took us east and then south, into territory that Logan hadn't yet invaded, so the wolves who lived there didn't owe him obedience, but I knew they would pay with their lives for allowing invaders from overseas to get their paws on King Alpha's territory. As we advanced, the packs in our path dispersed, and the wolves fled, not even the alphas daring to stand in Logan's way.

As we got closer to the enemy camp, we slowed down our run. Logan stopped ahead of the group, watching the movement from the top of a large tree as the soldiers prepared, setting up camp and organizing themselves into specific groups, such as the front line and the rear.

I moved away from it all for a moment, watching the forest. There was no sound apart from the wind that passed through the trees, rustling their leaves and bringing the most varied smells. Nocturnal animals, large and small, moved away when they sensed our presence, but others seemed inattentive and approached carelessly. I spotted a large deer grazing in one of the few clearings, and with the body I had, it would have been straightforward to jump on it and take its life, but I preferred to watch it.

The deer then raised its head, and our eyes connected, and then I felt something strange. The feelings and thoughts of that animal invaded me. It knew who I was, so it wasn't afraid of me. A loud sound startled him, and he ran away, breaking the connection. Logan approached and sat down next to me.

"A soldier has gone to map the surroundings. We'll attack as soon as he returns." Logan said, looking in the direction the deer ran. "I can get him for you," he said in a neutral voice, then looked at me, waiting for me to answer him.

"It's not necessary, but thank you for caring," I said as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

It was strange for me to be interacting with Logan in my wolf form, I spent more time in human form, due to the laws of the capital, but I always escaped into the forest to run free occasionally, usually when Logan was away. An affliction began to grow inside me, I looked at Logan who was calm beside me, and tried to calm down. I was looking forward to meeting Diane and Gabriel after so long, maybe even for the last time. I couldn't believe that Logan would give them the chance of a second escape that night.

Furthermore, I snuggled closer against Logan's side, and he wrapped his arms around my neck. I thought of Fenrir in the castle and prayed that the Goddess was protecting him in our absence. At the thought of Fenrir, my heart squeezed, and an almost unbearable longing took hold of my heart.

The soldier returned, and we went to the camp, he knelt before Logan and gave his report. "My king, there aren't many of them in the camp. They seem to have staked everything on attacking the castle, believing that they would succeed. There are no patrols around, either."

Logan looked at me. I sensed that he was reluctant to allow me to take part in the attack.

"I'll go, Logan," I said to him in my thoughts, and he growled in response. "I have to go, you know Diane must be a dentist even more than Gabriel. If she escapes, she'll find someone else to manipulate and attack us."

"You know what I think," Logan said, turning to me.

"I know, but we have no choice. She'll feel at an advantage when she sees me and she'll let her guard down," I said, trying to hold firm to my decision.

"What about you?" Logan asked, then he bent down and looked deep into my eyes. "Are you going to let your guard down for your mother?"

I had never really thought that my mother's death would be through my claws and teeth, but I needed to protect those I loved, to protect my family from wolves like her. I held Logan's gaze, determined to convey that I would not weaken when the moment came. He just nodded and turned to the wolves, waiting for his orders.

"Let's attack!" he said, and they all cheered, already taking up their positions and advancing, pack after pack. As I stepped forward to follow them, Logan stopped me. "You should only look for Diane, don't get involved in any other battles, and don't wander around among the soldiers, go to the sides and try to avoid enemies."

His clear instructions were his way of showing that he was worried that I would end up in the middle of the battle and get hurt. I didn't want to be a burden to him or the others, so I agreed and intended to follow exactly what Logan had told me. He looked around, then came closer and touched his muzzle to mine for a long moment, then put our foreheads together and took a deep breath.

"Wait for me by that car, I'll come to you." I nodded in agreement, and we set off.

The battle was already at its height when I approached, looking for a safe route to follow which would lead me to Diane. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gabriel launching himself towards Logan. My body turned towards him, but I knew that the one who would never need my help was Logan, so I kept my focus on finding Diane.

I followed the riverbed, her trail moving further and further away from the focus of the battle, until I saw her, near a waterfall, cornered. She was in her wolf form, desperate and with no way to escape, she turned on me, baring her teeth and arching her back. I analyzed her carefully, her small, thin body, her weak paws, and her sparse fur. Was this how I looked when I arrived at Logan's castle, as weak and pathetic as my mother looked before my eyes? Diane suddenly stopped growling and took a step towards me.

"My darling, my daughter," she said, her voice filled with despair. "You've grown up well, the goddess has looked after you, just as I've been asking for all these years. Now we can leave this place, be free at last."

I would never be free with her, I knew that, but she still seemed to hold out some hope that I would follow her. I could see what her plans were, to sell me out to the next wolf she could manipulate into trying to destroy Logan. Furthermore, I took a step towards her. At first, she smiled, but as she realized my intentions, fear dominated her eyes. Diane tried to move away, but behind her, there was only a drop of tens of meters, fatal for anyone.

"How can you side with him and against your mother?!" she shouted "Everything I've done, all of it, I've done for you Charlotte, you bloody ungrateful child!"

I came closer, my size towering over the one I had once called mother, she now stood with her ears back, tail between her legs, and body curled up like a ball on the floor.

"You're not my mother," I said in my thoughts, and she understood me, her eyes going wide with shock. "You sold me out more than once, stole my world, and tried to take everything away from me. You're not worthy of being a descendant of the Aurora Wolves, that's why the Goddess abandoned you." With those words, Diane shed tears and whimpered on the floor, knowing that her fate was sealed.

It was shameful to kill something so fragile, but I had to do it, I couldn't weaken. Then, with one swift movement, I drove my teeth into her throat, and blood gushed into my mouth, hot and pulsating. Diane struggled and screamed, I tightened my bite and the popping sound echoed through the silent forest. Her body went still, there was no more beating, and the bleeding stopped. I let go of the body, the eyes open and opaque, the tongue sticking out.

I sat there watching the scene, trying to search inside myself for the pain of losing my mother, but it wasn't there. Furthermore, I felt calm and at peace, as I hadn't for a long time. I looked at the waterfall, its turbulent waters crashing hard at the end. I pushed Diane's body into the water and watched it being carried by the current until it disappeared into the waterfall. It was over, finally.