Rejected, Rebirth, and Second Chance

Prologue [The POV of Eight-Year-Old Adeline Russo] Christmas is tomorrow, I can’t wait. To open presents, to sing carols with mom and dad. And my big brother, Terry. I’m so excited that I can’t even sleep. I exhaled and slipped out of my bed. The whole house is quiet, my parents won’t know if I just open one present right? Convinced, I snuck out of my bedroom. Tip-toeing down the hallway. The sound of bells jingling, and something smashing makes my blood pump and my heart stop. Santa? Oh my god! I’m gonna catch Santa Clause. Oh, but he’ll hear me coming down the stairs. What do I do? I know! I rushed to my bedroom, softly closing the door. Then I pulled the window open and crawled out. The balcony to my dad’s study isn’t that far from here, and from there I can climb down the vines attached to the house. I’ve done this countless times, my brother taught me how to do it. Once my bare feet hit the bottom, I rushed towards the kitchen window. We always left the curtain open, but I found it shattered with the nearby door wide open. I thought Santa came in through the chimney. That sentence had just ended in my mind when I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from upstairs. Fear filled me, and I immediately ran in through the door. I didn’t care that I stepped on glass shards. The scream only got louder, and that sounded like my mother. A howl and a growl followed next. I hope she's okay. “Get off my f*****g wife!” My father yelled angrily, but his anger suddenly turned into a yelp of agony. I stopped by the bedroom door to find two wolves... no six. Oh my god. Really large wolves biting and ripping through the flesh of my parents. I screamed. I closed my eyes and willing the image to go away. This is just a bad dream. Or punishment for trying to see Santa. “A child?!” A woman spoke, when I opened my eyes she was standing there as the other wolves mauled my parents. Shock rang through me. Where did she come from? Where? Somebody grabbed me before I could ask any questions, and when I looked up I saw Terry. “Terry,” I call out, sounding so unsure that this was real. “Run. You run and never look back, do you hear me?” “But Terry-” “But nothing. When it comes to survival never stop to think. Do whatever it takes to protect yourself.” he shoved me out the front door, grabbing the shotgun our father always kept next to the TV. Terry slammed the door as I stumbled down the front porch. Falling to my hands and knees. A shot sprung some life back into me, and I dashed. Running down the streets, I spotted more wolves attacking the innocent people of my small town. My heart pounded heavily, my feet were sore and they bled against the gravel. Every howl reminded me of the torn-off limbs of my parents. Terry was probably dead too. We could never fight against creatures stronger than us. Especially the werewolves. My father would say this world wasn’t meant for humans. Tears rushed down my cheeks, and I sobbed, wiping my eyes to see where I was headed. I spotted the sign to the town only a few miles away. Just run. That’s what Terry said. Where would I go too? I have no survival skills. A man jumped in my way, he looked frightened. The sight of him caused me to trip, fall, and scrap my knee, and as I fell I realized the cause of his fear. The woman I’d seen, long black hair, a large X marked on the left side of her neck... pounced over my head. She crashed into the man. She was trying to hit me from the angle she came from. She shifted before my eyes, and I forced past the pain. As she snapped her teeth over the man’s throat I was back to running for my life. Werewolves are faster, stronger, natural-born killers, I don’t stand a chance. ***** [Present time, 22-year-old Adeline Russo] Heavy beads of sweat ran down my skin, I parted my eyes. I felt like I was being suffocated. The sight of the ceiling told me I wasn’t. It was just another nightmare. A memory of the night everything ended for the Russo family, and the small town of Widow's Creek. Arms wrapped around my waist, and a kiss was placed on my cheek. “Morning love,” a groggy male voice whispered against my skin. The race my heart was taking part in was due to the memory, but the comfort of the arms reminded me that not all werewolves are bad. “Morning.” I turned, pressing my face into his chest. While a pack of wolves had raided and taken everything from me, forcing me to fear them and anyone that wasn’t human. But Damien Slovak saw me on the streets, numb and homeless at the age of ten and he chose to help. He saved me. It may have taken years for my fear to subside but I see it now. Not all wolves are bad. The ones that attacked my town are downright evil, and I still flinch at the sight of a shifted wolf and blood, but I don't go into a catatonic state or pass out anymore. After all, I survived. And the best part, is I’m getting married tomorrow. Everything is going my way. I couldn’t be happier. And it’s all thanks to this man who loves me, and his family- and his scary strong strict rule abiding pack- who accepted me. An orphan human as one of their own.