The Rider of Rosewood

“I suppose you would like an explanation.” Theo sat at their table, sipping on a cup of coffee. Gran had cleaned and bandaged his wounds, but he still seemed a bit shaken.

“Yes, I would like an explanation! Starting with what the hell just happened?” Theo was the wolf!

Theo set down his coffee mug. “I suffer from lycanthropy.” Rosalind gave him a puzzled look.

“I am a werewolf,” he stated, so nonchalantly she couldn’t tell if he was joking.

“You’re an actual werewolf? Like in Twilight?”

Theo scoffed. “I suppose you could say that.”

“How is this possible?” she wondered out loud.

“No one knows exactly where we came from. Some legends say we were cursed by Zeus, others say we are descendants of Loki. All I know is that wolf blood has run in my family for generations. My father was a werewolf and so were my grandparents.”

“What about your mom?”

“She may be crazy, but I can assure you she’s one hundred percent human.”

“How have werewolves managed to stay a secret all this time? Shouldn’t someone have figured out werewolves exist by now?”

“Most werewolves join packs and hide out deep in the forest, away from human contact. The Silver Huntsmen take care of the rest of them.”

“The Silver Huntsmen...those are the guys who beat you up last night, right?”

He nodded. “Ya, that’s them. The Silver Huntsmen are a worldwide organization whose sworn duty is to hide the existence of werewolves from the rest of the world, by any means necessary. The thugs we met last night are just a small fraction of them who have been sent to cleanse the forest of packless werewolves.”

“Why don’t you join a pack?”

“Joining a pack is a lifelong commitment. I want nothing more than to be rid of this wretched curse. Your Gran has been working on a tonic to help me control my transformations, but so far it hasn’t made much of a difference.”

“Does anyone else know?”

“Just you, your Gran, my mother, and I. My mother has gone to extreme lengths to make sure no one finds out.” He tugged subconsciously on his sleeve, revealing scars that resembled the imprint of chains.

That was when she remembered the broken chains in the basement. She traced his scars with her fingertips. “Your mom chained you up in the basement didn’t she?” He must have hurt himself trying to break free.

He flinched under her touch and pulled his arm away. “Everything my mother has done, she did to protect me!” Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He quickly blinked them away. “It doesn’t matter, as soon as we get the cure, I’ll finally be free.” His face fell at his own mention of the nonexistent cure.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the cure you’re looking for.”

He stood up. “Tell your Gran I said thank you for everything.” Just like that, he was gone.

Rosalind collapsed onto her bed. She wasn’t sure how to process all of this new information. Not only were werewolves real, but they were living in Rosewood.

She pulled the Silver Huntsmen’s business card out of her sweatshirt pocket and traced her finger over digits engraved into the card. There was no way she could be certain Theo wouldn’t betray her. He broke into her cabin, after all. Maybe she should call the Silver Huntsmen and tell them Theo was the wolf they were looking for. Then everything in Rosewood would go back to normal. That was the responsible thing to do. Why did it feel so wrong?

She rolled onto her side. That’s when she noticed a broken picture frame resting on the floor. She picked it up and examined the photo. It was a picture of her and her older brother Chad. In the picture, they were sitting on a dock at the lake. That was the first and only family vacation they ever had. Chad died a few months after that. She didn’t even remember him being sick. One day he was here the next day he was gone forever.

Their father ran off not long afterward. She desperately wished she could remember anything about her brother. She was only three when he died. Sometimes she’d lie awake at night and try to remember his face, but she could never picture it. He felt so distant to her, sometimes he felt like an imaginary friend she’d grown out of.

This was the only photo of him left. Her mother had thrown the rest away. She said it was better to forget the past. In the photo, he was wearing her now signature red hoodie. Something about it always comforted her. When she wears his hoodie, it makes her feel less alone, almost like he was watching over her.

The glass picture frame was severely cracked. She frowned and removed the photograph from the frame. That was when she noticed a wrinkled sheet of paper hidden behind the photo inside the frame. After unfolding it, the paper was revealed to be a note.

Dear Gregorio,

I’ve finally done it! After all this time, I’ve finally discovered the cure for Lycanthropy! I can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands. I’ve hidden it beneath Daggerfall Ridge in Rosewood. I’m counting on you to keep it safe.

Yours Truly, The Pack Mother.

Why was this note here? How long had it been there? And who was Gregorio? More importantly, the cure is in Rosewood! Or at least it was. This could be what Theo’s been looking for.

She couldn’t explain why she was beaming, but she didn’t really care. In a moment of impulse, she dropped the Silver Huntsmen’s business card in the trash.

She flipped through Gran’s business contacts until she found Theo’s number. She dialed the number, took a deep breath, and pressed call.

The phone rang for several moments before he answered. He cleared his throat. “I think you have the wrong number.” Theo’s voice was soft and cracked; it sounded like he’d been crying.

“No, I think I have the right number.”

“Rosalind?”

“Please don’t hang up. I think I know where to find the cure.”

“Theo darling, who are you talking to?” The sound of Charlotte’s voice on the other end made her blood boil.

“I was just notified my new medicine is ready.” He lied.

“It’s about time that old hag did something useful.” Charlotte scoffed. Rosalind bit her tongue to stop herself from saying something she’d regret.”

Theo lowered his voice, “Meet me at the general store in an hour.” Then he hung up.

The Rosewood General stood tall in the center of town, right between the town hall and the library. The inside of the store smelled like cinnamon. It was the only store in town, so the walls were lined with wooden shelves stocked with everything from snack food to snow shovels.

Theo stood leaned up against the wall, sipping on a blueberry slushy. “I was starting to think you’d never show up.” He handed her a cherry slushy.

“How’d you know cherry was my favorite?”

“I didn’t. I knew you liked the color red,” he gestured to her signature red hoodie. “So I made an educated guess.”

“Am I really that predictable?”

“Listen, you know why I’m here,” his face turned serious. “This had better not be some sort of sick joke!”

“It’s not a joke.” She passed him the note.

As he skimmed the note, a smile spread across his face and for the first time Rosalind noticed the fangs peeking out from the edges of his lips. “Where did you get this?”

“I found it hidden in my room.”

“This is it! Oh my God, this is really it, isn’t it?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Thank you for this.”

She glanced at the clock mounted on the back wall. “I don’t have anywhere to be for the next couple of hours. Do you wanna hang out?”

His smile widened. “I’d enjoy that.”

Together, the pair raided the snack section, grabbing one of almost everything. “So, what’s the first thing you’re going to do once you’ve been cured?” Rosalind asked as she stuffed as many bags of chips into her shopping basket as possible.

He tapped his fingers on his chin. “Well, I’d like to settle down, stay in one place for a while. Find a job and eventually get a place to live away from my mom. Who knows, maybe I’ll even make a friend or two along the way.”

“You don’t have any friends?”

He folded his arms defensively. “You don’t have to be so judgmental about it.”

“I’m not being judgmental. I just figured you’d be part of some book club or something.”

“My mother and I have moved fifteen times in the past ten years. Just when I’d start to get comfortable, someone would come too close to learning my secret, and we’d be forced to relocate again. If I become attached to anyone, I’m just setting myself up to get hurt.”

“That sounds like something my mom would say.” Rosalind grumbled.

“Do tell.” Theo raised his eyebrows playfully. “I’ve already told you my sob story.”

“Fine. I honestly can’t remember the last time my mom hugged me or said she loved me, or anything moms are supposed to do. She always said emotions were a distraction she didn’t have time for. She was always busy, though we never knew exactly what was keeping her occupied, but whatever it was more important than her family, apparently.” She clenched her fists tightly. “She didn’t even shed a tear when my brother died or try to stop dad from leaving!” She was about to punch the wall when he gently intertwined his fingers with hers.

“That must be very difficult for you. I guess neither of us won the mother lottery. You’re twice the woman she’ll ever be. You were still willing to help me find a cure after I broke into your house, after all.” His gentle words and soft grip relaxed her. It’s almost as if he could sense exactly what she needed to hear.

The sound of arguing in the aisle behind them startled the couple. They peeked around the corner to see what the commotion was about.

Duke and Chandler were fighting in the center of the aisle.

“I think we’re in over our heads, Chandler! The Mixedblood wasn’t working alone last night. We have no idea who we’re up against here. Why don’t we report back to base an-”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Chandler interrupted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since the day you first joined the huntsmen. You always try to make me look bad in front of the boss and never do what I tell you to! It’s obvious you’re trying to undermine my authority and steal my rightful place as leader! He opened a can of beer off the shelf and chugged it down in one gulp without paying for it. “Besides, it’s not like any pack would accept a filthy Mixedblood like him.″

The insult made Theo wince.

Chandler threw his empty beer can at them. His hand was tightly bandaged. Rosalind’s shot had done some damage.“What are you looking at!”

“Sorry for staring. You were just making a scene.”

“I am not making a scene!”

Rosalind began to turn away from them. “We have somewhere we need to be, so we’ll get out of your way.” Theo nodded in agreement. The pair was halfway to the door when Duke called out to them.

“Stop it right there!” He grabbed Theo by the shoulder. “Do I know you? Because something about you feels awfully familiar.

Theo jerked away, causing him to release his grip on his shoulder. “You must have me mistaken for someone else.”

Chandler cracked his knuckles. “Maybe you just need someone to help jog your memory.”

Chandler was about to throw the first punch when they were interrupted by the store manager. She turned to The Silver Huntsmen. “You two need to leave right now, or I’m calling the cops!”

Chandler growled at the manager. Heath parked right outside the store. There was a man Rosalind didn’t recognize sitting in the passenger seat. “Come on guys, let’s go!” He honked the horn repeatedly.

“Shut up, Heath!” He turned to Theo. “This isn’t over Mixedblood.”

Rosalind purchased her snacks and then left the store. Theo didn’t say a word after their encounter with the Silver Huntsmen. Rosalind was the one to break the silence. “Why do those guys call you Mixedblood?”

“Mixedblood is the title given to an individual who is half werewolf and half human.”

“Like you?”

He nodded.

“Why wouldn’t a pack accept you?”

“Because Mixedbloods have a tendency to go rabid. Some completely lose their minds with no explanation. Though some think it has something to do with DNA.” Rosalind didn’t know how to respond to this information, so she said nothing.

He forced a smile. “What’s the quickest route to Daggerfall Ridge?” Rosalind pointed to a dirt trail in the woods.

“Excellent! Let’s get going then!”

“Right now?”

His smile vanished. “I’m going to transform again soon, and I’d like to find the cure before then.”

“Let’s go.” They hiked through the woods until their limbs ached. Theo gasped for air.

“Are you alright?”

His pupils had shrunken into slits. His fingernails became something resembling claws. “I’m going to transform any moment now. You go ahead of me and find the cure. I don’t want to risk hurting you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You can stay. Please don’t watch me transform. It makes me uncomfortable.”

She placed her hands over her eyes and didn’t peek until she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

“Rosalind! Just slowly back away from the wolf.” Mr. Fowler stood in front of them with a gun pointed at Theo’s face. “It’s time to end this.”