Looney Tunes

RHIANNON

I wake up in a warm, soft bed. As I slowly open my eyes, I see a man pacing with his back turned to me.

I quickly close my eyes.

He’s on the phone. He sounds exasperated.

“Just...please. I need your help, man.”

...

“No, I’m not pawning her off on you!”

...

“Listen, fucker, you know how hard this is for me to say, but you guys are stronger than us. You can protect her.”

...

He sighs loudly. “I already told you. I. DON’T. KNOW.”

...

“The people that dropped her off said it was in the best interest of wolves that vamps do not find her. That’s all.”

...

“No, it was a favor for Syb. She called me. Then, they just showed up with the girl.”

...

“I’ll owe you, man. Please.”

...

“Thank you. See you in a few days.” He drops his phone on the foot of the bed. “~Thank fuck,~” he sighs to himself.

“I know you’re awake. Your breathing pattern changed.”

I purse my lips but keep my eyes closed.

“You’re safe. We aren’t going to hurt you, Annie.”

My eyes snap open. “Hey! How do you...” the words die in my throat. It’s Hunter, from the library. “You! What’s going on? Where am I?”

“You’re on my land. Do you remember anything from last night?”

“I was at the mini mart and two weirdos attacked me.”

“Anything else?”

“Um,” my voice shakes, “the weirdos were attacked by wolves and then...a-and then they melted into the street. Then the wolves turned into people.”

He nods his head quietly.

“Um, sir?” I whisper. “Am I...experiencing a psychotic episode?”

He chuckles. “No. Look, maybe you’d better talk to Flo.”

He quickly leaves the room. I look toward the window and only see the sky. Damn, I’m not on the ground floor.

Standing from the bed, I start to panic.

Wolf people? People getting their heads ripped off then melting away into nothing? It had to be some kind of hallucination.

He never actually confirmed that what I saw was real.

The door clicks open and Flo comes in with Hunter.

“Oh, honey,” she rushes to me and hugs me tightly. “You must be so frightened and confused.”

“Flo, what’s going on?”

She bites her lip and looks at Hunter.

“Honey, I don’t even know where to start.”

“Wolf people,” I whisper quietly. “Let’s start with the wolf people.”

Hunter chuckles behind Flo.

“Not ‘wolf people.’ Werewolves.” He says like that’s a completely normal thing to say.

“Right now, you’re on pack land. Hunter is the alpha of this pack. We’ve been protecting you since you woke up from your accident,” Flo says gently.

“Whoa, okay, break down each of those things further, please. Werewolves? The alpha? Protecting me from what?”

Hunter explains, “Nine months ago, my cousin called and asked for a favor. A few weeks later, some people showed up with you. You were in a coma.

“They rented your apartment from us—we own the building—and set it up for you. They said you wouldn’t remember anything when you woke up.

“They asked us to watch out for you. We asked Flo to give you a job at the library so she could watch out for you too.”

“Who were the people that left me here?”

“We don’t know,” he says quietly.

“So, everything about my life…is fake? The apartment, my job, everything?”

“We don’t know. We don’t know what is real or fake about the information you have about your life.” Flo’s voice is soft.

“What are you protecting me from?”

Hunter blows out a harsh breath. “Vampires.”

I let out a loud manic laugh.

“Right! Vampires. Of course you’re protecting me from vampires. Just some werewolves protecting me from vampires. That’s super believable and not at all insane!”

I start marching toward the door.

Flo grabs my arm lightly. “Sweetheart, I know it seems impossible. Trust me, when I found out about wolves and vampires, I didn’t believe it either.”

“Seems impossible? This is absolutely looney tunes!”

“Look, Annie,” Hunter tries again, “we don’t know why they wanted us to protect you, but we were told that, for whatever reason, vamps want you.

“If they get you, it will be very bad for you and very bad for wolves.”

“So the guys that melted into the street were vampires?”

“Yes.”

“Were you one of the wolves?”

“Yes.”

“For the sake of argument, let’s say I believe you. I don’t, but let’s say I do. What happens now?”

“Ever been to Vegas?” he asks.

“How am I supposed to know?” I deadpan.

“Oh, right, sorry. A friend of mine, an alpha from Las Vegas, is on his way here. He’s going to protect you.”

“Wait, wait, wait a minute! I have to just pack up and go to Vegas with a stranger?!”

“They found you here. It’s only a matter of time before they come back around.”

I huff and run my hand over my messy, tangled braid.

“Your cousin, the one who called and asked you for the favor. Can you contact them? I need to know who dropped me off here.”

“Sybil’s…difficult to reach. She’s a rogue and we only hear from her when she contacts us.”

“A rogue?” I’m getting frustrated.

“A packless wolf,” he explains. “Look, I’ll reach out to some people, see if I can get a handle on her.”

I sigh deeply. “Thank you.”

He nods. “Any more questions?”

“What’s an alpha?”

“The leader of a pack. Each group of wolves lives together in a pack. Each pack has a leader, kind of like a boss, a father, and a brother rolled into one.”

I nod my head. “And you’re the alpha here?”

“Yes.”

“Did they, like, vote for you?”

He snorts. “No. Being the alpha of a pack is a gift from the moon. We are selected. As soon as an alpha is born, you can tell.

“We’re bigger, faster, stronger, and generally more interested in training than other kids. It’s something wolves can sense.”

I have so many more questions, but I decide to leave it alone for now. I walk over to the large window. The view is beautiful.

There is a large open field with a playground and people are playing soccer close to the building. Beyond it, there is a forest that looks like it goes on forever.

From where I’m standing, it’s treetops as far as the eye can see. Just as I’m about to turn away, four wolves walk out of the tree line. They stop and change into women.

“Oh shit,” I whisper.

Turning around slowly, Hunter and Flo both have small, nervous smiles. They think I’m about to freak out. I inhale and hold my breath for five seconds, then exhale.

“Okay then,” I say as calmly as I possibly can.

“Would you like to come eat with us? We eat together, like a family.”

I’m starving. Sighing deeply, I nod my head.