Free Werewolf Dreams by Katie Lee O'Guinn

another glimpse of the dog, but gave up when her eyes began to droop.
    She washed her face quickly, changed into a tank top and silky shorts and tunneled under the soft covers. She dreamed that night of the moon. She chased it, running as fast as she could, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t catch it. In her dream, she took a running leap, her arms outstretched, almost touching the light before falling. She woke up right before she hit the ground and sat up, her hand on her chest as she gasped for air.
    As she looked toward her window, she saw the form of a man standing in the shadows outside and squeaked in fear, covering her mouth in terror. As the moon came out from behind some clouds though, she could see it was just an innocent shadow. She grinned tiredly at herself and her vivid imagination and then flopped on her stomach. She went back to sleep almost immediately and this time, her dreams were of vivid splashes of color dancing around her eyes, grabbing her and pulling her into a frenzied dance. And for the first time in years, she dreamed of the light golden brown wolf, running free.
     

Chapter 6 – The Secret
     
     
    Ava woke up early and got dressed in a pair of cut off shorts and a plain white V-neck t-shirt. She slicked her hair back in a ponytail and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. Her dad was already eating breakfast and talking to Patricia and Tobias.
    When they saw her they immediately stopped their conversation and looked somewhat guilty. Ava frowned. Did anyone ever like being discussed behind their back? She didn’t.
    She gave her dad a piercing look before sitting across from them. “What are you guys talking about?” she asked in a friendly, lighthearted voice.
    Tobias and Patricia looked away, but her father cleared his throat and met her eyes. “ You , sweet heart. We’re trying to figure out what to do with you. I initially wanted you with me down at the lake, but the work I’ll be doing is painstaking and tedious. There won’t be anything for you to do until later. You could stay here with Patricia, but she runs the pharmacy in town, which means you’d spend a lot of time in town with her.”
    Ava frowned and looked away from her father and out the window. “Give me a ride into the next big town and I’ll be on the next flight to California Dad. It would just make things easier on everyone. You can concentrate on your work and I’ll be out of your hair. No offense, but I don’t think me wandering around your town would be good for my health,” she said, glancing at Patricia’s worried face.
    Harry shook his head, closing his eyes in frustration. “ No Ava . I’ve put things off for far too long. For reasons you don’t understand now, you need to be here this summer. There are things you have to know. Things I have to tell you and show you,” he said sadly.
    Ava felt anger rip down her spine and she bared her teeth, wanting to smash the plate in front of her with her fist. She counted and breathed and gained control before talking. “Would you just spit it out already? Tell me so I can leave! We’ll spend Christmas vacation skiing at Sundance or we can spend it in Hawaii, but this, this is not good. Like you said, there’s nothing for me to do. So, I’m begging you. Just spit it out. What? Are we descended from German Nazi’s? Because if that’s the case, gag , but I’ll deal with it. Whatever it is, I’ll deal, okay?” she said, pleading with her father with her eyes.
    Harry looked torn and gripped his hair in both hands, looking down at the table. Patricia stood up and moved behind her father, patting him on the back in sympathy. “I don’t envy you Harry,” she said and moved to the kitchen.
    Tobias sat at the end of the table, just staring at his friend, his eyes wide as he looked back and forth between the man and his daughter. Cyrus walked in, just then, his hair slicked back from a recent shower. He smiled at her, nodded at his mom and then sat down