I didn't have time to count the minutes before I fell over or at least prevent it from happening. Not even the creature in front of me. It had already lunged and had me underneath it.
Its saliva dripped almost on me. Disgusting!
"Get out of my face!" I screamed before trying to fight back. However, you must have known that I would never manage to put up any fight.
I was just a wolfless wolf that people had always considered useless. That was the reality.
"Ah! Lyla! Help me!" I screeched repeatedly, calling Lyla's name, begging for help. I didn't know what happened and what she did that she didn't come even though the growls of the creature above me grew louder.
Its sharp teeth were gleaming, ready to tear me apart. I couldn't die today. I couldn't. I had yet to get my wolf and prove to everyone that I wasn't who they thought I was.
"No, no, no. Get away from me!" Although not with all my strength, at least I tried. However, no matter how long since that creature had enjoyed fresh meat, it didn't leave.
Should I use my usual tactic, saying that I was the daughter of the alpha king and the sister of the strongest warrior?
No, no. That's disgusting.
How long should I going to keep hiding behind their big names?
That animal didn't turn into a human, which means it was a real savage wolf. I never knew that there were not only werewolves but also wolves in this world. I hoped this thing wasn't my wolf because it looked really bad and not attractive at all.
"Uncle Ray... help me," I muttered under my breath, both needing his help and wondering if he would come. In the past few days, he hadn't asked how I was doing at all. "Uncle Ray... please come."
If he didn't come, then no one else would. And my fate was on the line.
Grrrhh!
A growl sounded as if it echoed throughout the entire pack border and made me, who had closed my eyes, open my eyes and witness a large black wolf not far from us.
Me and the ugly wolf almost ate me and turned our heads towards the majestic creature, and then the nasty wolf began to let go of me and retreated in an orderly manner.
Unconsciously, a smile spread across my face.
I stood straight to wait for Uncle Ray to finish his business with the ugly creature.
He returned and stood before me as Uncle Ray, not Thunder, the wolf. His face looked sour, and his jaw tightened. I didn't think badly of his current mood because despite always being gentle with me, he was very moody.
"Thank you, Uncle Ray. I don't—"
"Are you out of your mind? What are you doing in this place, huh?" he snapped, which took my breath away. What had happened to him to be so rude to me?
"I-I just—" I stammered, unable to continue the sentence already hanging on my tongue. Was it important to explain to him what happened? A few days of his not caring how I was doing, and now he had the nerve to bully me.
"Don't look for excuses to defend yourself, Ioris. You came here because of your friend's information. You wanted to meet the man who said he could bring your wolf? Do you believe that nonsense?"
"Do you care? Didn't you not care about me for a few days? I felt ignored like trash. You also didn't come to comfort me when I was so disappointed and sad that I was the only one without a wolf. I took all the ridicule on my own, and you never wanted to know how I felt, so why do you come and scold me now as if you care?"
Uncle Ray was stunned by my words. I could no longer hold back the tears already falling down my cheeks and wiped them away roughly.
I had never been ashamed of crying in front of him, but this time, crying in front of him felt so embarrassing and made me look pathetic. I didn't want him, a man who didn't care about me, to see my weakness.
"Ioris, you have misunderstood."
I raised my hand to stop him from speaking. I didn't want to hear. No matter what happened today, I realized that maybe I was being deceived.
After being sure that Uncle Ray would never say anything again, I turned around and walked away from him. Whether Lyla's words were true or this was just a conspiracy, I no longer cared.
After all, to everyone right now, I deserved to be the butt of a joke.
***
Not finished with yesterday's misfortune, today the same thing happened. They all blatantly committed malicious acts against me.
I had just arrived at school and justified my backpack, which I had unknowingly torn at the bottom, causing the books I was carrying to fall. It wasn't an accident because a sharp object caused the tear in my bag.
While holding back my feelings, I picked up my books, and when I stood up, something hit my body, from my head to my whole body.
I don't know who had cruelly splashed paint on me, but I'm sure it must have been their gang who had just gotten a wolf and felt that a Wolfless wolf like me was a misfortune.
Loud laughter rang out. All eyes were on me, and I couldn't stand it.
You can probably guess what I did. Yep, of course. I just cried, and it didn't change anything.
Call me a coward because that's the truth. I was afraid to fight them because, supposedly, werewolves who have gotten wolves have extraordinary strength and will become even stronger after they regularly train and become warriors.
"Do you need help, Ioris?" asked the most wanted in school. Then, shortly after, a lot of water hit my body again. Their laughter was getting louder.
I looked at my clothes and books that were already wet. It's impossible to attend class in this condition.
Where was Lyla, my best friend, when I was going through something like this? Even yesterday, she just left. Was she one of those who did bad things to me? Although I wasn't sure, right now, it was the only possibility that made sense to me.
Someone was suddenly in front of me, rubbing my head with a cloth. I didn't dare to raise my face, even though I wanted to see who had been kind enough to help an unlucky creature like me.
"Put this on so you don't get cold." He took off his coat and put it on me. "Go home. Rest for a few days until you get better and they stop bothering you."
I shook my head. "They won't stop. Not unless I die."
The man fell silent. I no longer heard his baritone voice nor the soothing scent of his body, which made me feel calm without the need to hold him. Was he Uncle Ray? I didn't smell Uncle Ray's body on the man. Nor anything else familiar, like his voice or the warmth of his body. He must be a kind stranger who felt sorry for me.
"They should learn a lesson for what they've done," he said with his deep tone before I raised my face and found no one in front of me, not even those who had done evil to me.
Where had they all gone? Including that mysterious man... who was he exactly?