Kissed by Fire (Book 5 of Wolves of Milano)

Chasing an imaginary rabbit through your own room is not too bad for a first time shift. Luckily, the said room stretches all across the attic space of their home. It was so cool when father said it could become his room. His older brothers helped him get it fixed and even painted the walls with him. The one and only window at the far end never bothered him much. Who needs light in a bedroom anyway? He likes his bed in the dark and the desk he needs to do his homework can sit just under the window. Not that he ever does his homework. School got boring really fast. He’s just waiting it out, really. He knows what he wants to do in his life. He’s gonna be a lawyer. A great one. He can’t wait to grow up. Teenage years are awkward as hell. He avoids his classmates to the best of his abilities. He has no use for the girls and that is all the guys talk about lately. He prefers solitude in the library. It took him almost a year to convince Mrs. Larkin to let him into the advanced study section. She protested so much, she made him write a test too. He knows it was one of the old state tests for admission into college. He’s done all those for fun before. It’s amazing what one can find on the internet. That is how he decided he wanted to be a lawyer. Getting into law school should not be a problem, he just has to wait out high school and get good grades. It was never a problem for him. He’s got a photographic memory. And that other thing he can’t pronounce right. Auditory memory; hear it once and know it all. He stops by the window and looks out. He is sure that none of their neighbours can see him up there, so he doesn’t bother shifting back to human. There is something going on down below. He can see his mother in the garden, but he doesn’t know the man with her. That guy is strange. He’s definitely not part of the pack. He feels all wrong to him. Should he go down there? What could he do anyway? Show support to his mother? He had two lessons in self defence till now, he’s practically useless. ‘As a human, yes.’ His wolf chuckles. The sound is unnerving. He had never heard his wolf talk before. He knows you can communicate with the animal part after your first shift, but he never asked how that works. ‘Suggestions?’ He asks. Not sure that this is a good idea. What does the wolf part know? He didn’t exist a few hours ago. ‘You really think that? And yes, I can hear your thoughts.’ The wolf responds. ‘I feel like that man down there is wrong. He shouldn’t be here.’ He says quietly. ‘You don’t have to whisper inside your own head. Nobody can hear it, but me.’ The wolf scoffs. ‘I know that man doesn’t belong. He’s not pack.’ ‘We can creep down the stairs and through the kitchen. The latch on the back door is broken. That is a way out.’ He tells the wolf. ‘Mom is in danger.’ The wolf growls. That sound can be heard. It’s quiet though. The man outside probably didn’t hear it. The argument with his mother is loud. He pads silently down the stairs and thanks God for the runner. His claws would make too much sound on the wood. The carpet in the hall saves him again. No sound. He crouches low and slides behind the kitchen island. The door is right there. The lock is unlocked and he knows he only needs to push it out and he’s in the garden. The man is shouting now. He’s angry and too close to his mother. She is calm and answers in a quiet tone. She doesn’t want to agitate the man. She even steps a bit to the side. Never back down to an angry wolf, but sideways motion is not considered backing down. His mom has been Luna since his grandmother died. Father will take over the Alpha position soon. Is this what the argument is all about? But the man is not from their pack. The wolf lets out a silent growl. His canines are showing. He can see his own reflection in the glass of the back door. The dark red fur is magnificent, but the blood red eyes are a bit scary. He knows he’s looking at his own self, but the human part is slightly put off by the eyes. All wolves in their pack have golden eyes. Why doesn’t he? Maybe he should ask his mother later? He creeps a bit closer to the door. He doesn’t like how close the man got to his mother. Why doesn’t she shift and scare him off? She’s got more experience than he does. Why doesn’t she fight? He can see her wobble slightly. What did the man do? Was he holding something? He can’t let him hurt his mother! The wolf jumps up and through the door like a bullet. He is a blur of red and teeth. He’s on the man in seconds. He can hear a muffled scream. The man can’t do much, because he tore his throat out on the first bite. The blood is splattered all over his fur. The human part feels disgust, but the wolf revels in it. He tilts his head slightly and watches the man die. Then he turns to his mother. She is standing there, frozen to the spot. He can’t smell fear, but she is in shock. ‘Let me deal with her.’ The wolf says. ‘What will you do? Don’t kill her!’ He shouts at the wolf. He struggles for control, but the wolf is too strong. He can just sit back and observe. The wolf pads slowly over to his mother. He places one paw on her leg. A flash of fire surrounds her and she faints. The wolf rubs some blood on her dress and hands. He will make it seem like she killed the man in self defence. She doesn’t need to know it was him. It’s better that way. He licks her face and runs back inside. The change back to human happens in the bathroom. He cleans up fast and brushes his teeth. The taste of blood is gross. He gets dressed fast and runs downstairs. “Mom! What happened?” He shouts. He stands in the door and doesn’t set foot outside. The c*****e in the garden looks worse through human eyes. “Call your father. He’s at the Fire station. I’ll warn the Alpha.” His mother turns to him slowly. Her dress is smeared with blood, but she takes no notice of it. “We have a rogue problem. I think he’s not the only one.”