The Cursed Mate

Elena stood at her bedroom window, silently watching the snow fall outside. It made the world peaceful. She wrapped her sweater tighter around her body, hugging her arms to embrace the warmth.

She watched as the people outside walked in the cold, running errands and working hard to care for their families. She ran her hand through her long, wild brown curls before giving a sigh.

Her bright blue eyes reflected the light from the snow outside as she continued to watch the world below her, wishing she was anywhere but here.

Elena and her father lived in the last human colony in Idaho. They were hidden up in the mountains where nobody cared to look for them. It had been almost thirty years since the shifters came out of hiding.

They used to be the thing of stories, tales told around a campfire or made into a movie. It had been the shifters living in the human world, now it was the humans surviving in the shifter world.

They were bigger, stronger, faster, and more violent. The war between the humans and wolves had left the world in pieces. They were the dominant species and now the humans were either slaves or in hiding.

Elena was one of the lucky ones. The ones hiding.

Their colony was high in the mountains where the winters were harsh. They had a small village, hidden in the thick forest with a large stronghold built into the mountain, with hidden passages for escape and protection.

Most everyone lived in small homes made from whatever could be found. Her father was one of the colony’s advisors so, unlike many other families, they had a real home made of concrete. Not that they needed it. Her father was never home to begin with.

She spent most of her days alone, watching the world go on without her. She dreamed of a day where she could go to the movies or go to college. She could get out on her own, somewhere near the beach. She always imagined the beach to be wonderful.

“Elena!”

She turned her head at the sound of her name, quickly jogging out of her room toward the front door. “Hello, father! How was the council?”

“It was fine,” he grumbled as he handed his jacket to her, his large belly moving as he trudged down the hall toward his study. “Tell me when dinner is ready.”

She quietly replied with a “yes sir” before hanging his coat and walking toward the kitchen. She paused as she opened the refrigerator, staring at the picture of their family hanging on a magnet. She missed her mother.

She had died ten years ago, when Elena was eleven. Her father, John, had always been stern, but when her mother died he closed himself off completely. He had become hard and grumpy, always secluding himself in his study. So she had to grow up quickly on her own.

As she made dinner by herself, she was startled by a knock on the door.

She opened it, smiling when she saw Brandon. “Hey Brandon, what can I do for you?”

“Is your father home?” He asked formally, clearly only here in his capacity as a member of the council and not as her friend.

“Yeah, he’s in his cave,” she shrugged before showing him through to the study.

“Elena,” John hollered as she closed the door, “Set a place for Brandon.”

She huffed before walking back down the hall and into the kitchen. A while later they came out, chatting happily about some colony gossip.

Elena smiled at them, wishing she was part of the conversation before sitting at the table.

“Oh, this looks great Elena,” Brandon grinned, taking a large scoop of soup.

“Soup again, hmm?” Her father grumbled before taking a ladle-full.

“It is winter, there isn’t much else to make,” she replied, a little too much sass in her voice.

Her father gave her a dark stare, clearly unamused with her attitude. She lowered her face, nervously playing with the bracelet her mother gave her when she was young.

It was a thin, silver bracelet with little white stones in it. It was the only thing she had from her mother and it was her most precious possession.

She waved goodbye to Brandon as dinner ended and he left, leaving the house quiet once again now that her father had retreated back to his corner.

She walked to the back door and stepped outside, clenching her sweater tightly as she stood in the cold.

“E?”

Elena spun around with a smile. “Hey,” she whispered before embracing Brandon in a hug. He kissed her lips softly before stepping back, keeping his arms around her to keep her warm.

“How was your day?”

“The same as usual,” she grumbled. “Just sat here waiting for my life to actually begin.”

“Soon I’ll make my mark here and we can get married,” Brandon replied, squeezing her tightly.

She gave a small smile before turning to him. “Why don’t we run away? You and me... we could sneak off and make our way to California. I heard there’s a settlement down there... we could—”

“Are you crazy? This is our home. This is the only place we are safe from those animals.” He stepped back in frustration. “Your father said soon I could be made a permanent council member. I’ve worked so hard for this, for our future.”

Elena looked down, shuffling her feet in the snow. “I know... I just... he’s so indifferent.” She looked back at the house as she thought about her father. “He wouldn’t even notice I was gone until he didn’t get his dinner.”

“He’s your father, Elena,” Brandon said quietly.

“You wouldn’t know it...” she muttered before turning back to him. “I don’t want to fight over this. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She leaned up on her toes and kissed his lips before walking inside.

She walked down the hall and tapped lightly on the study door, opening it when she heard him hum.

She opened it slowly, stepping just inside. “Goodnight, father.”

“Goodnight,” he muttered, his eyes still focused on his book as he rubbed the stubble on his chin.

She gave a tight smile before walking upstairs to her room, the loneliness filling the house again.