The Rider of Rosewood

Present-day...

For the second time in his life, Theo had a rifle pointed directly at his face. Except for this time, it was his stepfather threatening to take his life. He had hoped he would be free of his curse sooner and his stepfather would've promptly forgotten all about the wolf and found something else to hunt down, yet alas here they were, staring each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. He glanced over at Rosalind. She still hadn't moved despite being ordered to.

"Rosalind? What are you doing? Get away from that thing now!"

He growled loudly. Theo detested being called a thing. He couldn't bring himself to look Rosalind in the eyes. They both knew the only thing keeping his stepfather from putting a bullet in Theo’s skull was the risk of accidentally hitting her. Once she was out of the way, he would finish the job.

Rosalind didn't move out of the way. She knelt beside Theo, wrapped her arms around him, and entangled her fingers in his mass of golden fur. "Please don't shoot him," she begged. "He's my friend."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I'm not! I know this is gonna sound crazy, but this is Theo. He's a werewolf."

He lowered the hunting rifle and ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated. “I guess your family always did have a history of going crazy."

"Excuse me?" Rosalind was indignant about what Mr. Fowler had just said to her.

"I'm going to call your Gran," he threatened.

"Go ahead, she'll agree with me." She held Theo tighter. "Tell him I'm not crazy."

Theo didn't answer. Too many people knew his secret already. If word got out that he was a werewolf, he would be forced to go on the run again. He was starting to like Rosewood, or maybe he was starting to like Rosalind's company. No! He couldn't let himself get attached to anyone. He was going to leave on his own terms once he was cured. Either way, he shouldn't reveal himself as a werewolf. It was too risky.

"I've heard enough!" His stepfather pried Rosalind off of him. The way he grabbed her made Theo's blood boil.

Rosalind broke herself free of his grasp. "He deserves to know the truth about you. If you don't tell him he'll kill you."

She was right. He couldn't be concerned about the long-term right now. If he died today, there'd be no long-term plans to worry about. He took a few steps towards Rosalind.

"Stay away from her!" Mr. Fowler warned the creature.

Theo stepped back. "She's telling the truth, I am a werewolf."

Mr. Fowler’s eyes widened. "Oh my God! The wolf is talking! I've gone completely insane haven't I?"

"Don't worry, you wouldn't be this self-aware if you were completely insane," Theo reassured him.

He began to hyperventilate. "The wolf is talking. The wolf is talking!" He repeated the phrase over and over.

Rosalind sat on a slightly damp log beside them. "I know it's hard to believe, but Theo can turn into a wolf."

"So, I'm just supposed to believe my stepson is a talking werewolf?"

"It would appear that way," Theo responded

"Okay, prove it!" he said, beginning to pace back and forth frantically.

"Your name is Steven Fowler, your birthday is March sixteenth, you always steal ketchup packets from restaurants and keep them in the bottom of the fridge, and you sing along to country music in the shower," Theo said. "Are you aware the entire town can hear your off-key vocals?"

His stepfather just stared at him, dumbfounded. The sun was setting on the horizon. The skies were painted bright shades of pink and orange. A cool breeze filled the surrounding air.

Eventually, Mr. Fowler spoke up. "It's getting late, and I have a lot to think about, so I'm going to bring you kids home."

"But Theo needs the cure as soon as possible!" Rosalind protested.

"I'm going to be alright," Theo comforted her.

Rosalind and Theo followed him to his pickup truck. The vehicle only contained two seats. "I wasn't planning on giving anyone a ride today," Mr. Fowler gave Theo a forced look of sympathy. "You don't mind sitting in the back, right?"

Theo said nothing, but he jumped up into the cargo bed like he was asked to. He was used to being treated like an animal. In a way, he was one. It didn't matter, soon he'd have the cure. In the meantime, Theo had every intention of shedding all over his stepfather's truck.

The rusty beat-up truck rocked and rattled as it drove down the rocky country road. The bumpy roads made Theo queasy. He didn't feel any better once they finally reached the house because he knew his mother would be furious when she found out he'd revealed his secret to not one, but two people today. He couldn't bear to lose what little freedom he had.

He anxiously trailed behind Rosalind and Mr. Fowler into the house. His stepfather kicked off his muddy boots in the kitchen where Theo's mother was putting away dishes. "You're home early," she pointed out, as she put the silverware back into the drawer.

"Something came up. We need to talk. NOW."

"Is something wrong?" Charlotte was confused.

"See for yourself."

Theo didn't make eye contact with his mother as he entered the kitchen, but he could feel her stern gaze follow him to the sofa where he collapsed. He was going to shift back to his human form soon. He wished his transformations were less erratic. He watched as his golden paws morphed into pale hands. He was human once more.

"So it's true!" his stepfather said. His tone was sharp and confrontational.

She massaged his shoulders. "Steven, you need to calm down."

"Why didn't you tell me, Charlotte?"

"What was I supposed to say?" She began to raise her voice but managed to calm herself. "I think we all have some explaining to do." She glared at Theo.

"I agree," Rosalind chimed in from the doorway where she was hiding.

"Rosalind! You're here! What a pleasant surprise!" she stammered, glancing back and forth from Rosalind to the broken door to the basement.

"What? Are you surprised I managed to break out of the basement you locked me in?" Rosalind shot her a wink and plopped down on the sofa beside Theo, who sat dead silent with his head down.

Mr. Fowler's jaw dropped. He clenched his fists. "Tell me it isn't true Charlotte! Please don't tell me on top of all the lies you've told and the secrets you've kept from me, you locked a teenager in our basement?”

Theo glanced up. "Actually, she has locked two teenagers in your basement if you include me." His mother shot him a horrified look.

His stepfather seethed with anger. "Explain this Charlotte!"

"It seems Theodore has already told you about his little condition." Theo shuddered. His mother called him by his unabbreviated name. Whenever his mother called him Theodore it meant all hell was about to break loose.

"It's not like he had a choice!" Rosalind protested. "He was going to get shot if he didn't reveal himself!"

He squeezed her hand signaling for her to stop. "I'm sorry, Mom, I should've been more careful."

"You're right, you should've been more careful! There's nothing we can do about it now." His mother said, trying to mask her distress. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. I first met Theo's father twenty years ago, when I was on a family camping trip. One night, I couldn't sleep, so I snuck out and went for a little walk around the campsite. That's when I found an injured wolf caught in a bear trap. I felt bad for it, so I decided to help set it free.”

“Once I finally managed to pry the trap open, the wolf transformed into a man before my eyes. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but he was real. I took him back to camp where I treated his wounds and he told me everything about lycanthropy and werewolf culture.”

“We spent the entire summer together, and it wasn't long until I realized I had feelings for him. The love between humans and werewolves is strictly forbidden, but that didn't stop us. We both knew the risks of our relationship and were willing to take them soon after I found out I was pregnant with a Mixedblood cub.”

“Theo was born underneath a full moon. That night I promised I would do whatever it takes to protect him. As Theo got older, he became harder to control, and he became increasingly vicious when in his wolf form. Since his father passed away we've been forced to live on the road. I received word from one of my husband's former associates that there was someone in Rosewood who could cure lycanthropy, so that's why we came here."

Theo glanced over at Rosalind. She wasn't buying the sob story, but most of it was true. His mother just made it a tad more dramatic. Mr. Fowler stood up and began to storm out of the room.

Theo's mom chased after him and clutched his arm. "Where are you going?"

"I need some alone time. I have a lot I need to process." He jerked out of her grasp.

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know." He slammed the door behind him.

His mother stared at the closed door for what felt like forever, then she spun around to face Rosalind. "This is all your fault!" Her words were as sharp as daggers.

Rosalind scoffed, "My fault?"

"Theo was a good boy who always listened to his mother until he met you. You've poisoned him against me! Now he lies to me, so he can run off with you and do God knows what. After all that you still refuse to give him the cure!

He squeezed Rosalind's hand tighter. "I hate to break it to you, but I don't have it. You locked me in the basement for nothing."

"You're lying, Rosalind. I know you have it!"

"I don't have it with me right now," She pulled the note out of her pocket and handed it over. "But I know where to find it."

His mother skimmed the note, then tore it to pieces. "This isn't real. You think you can trick me this easily?" Rosalind was about to argue, but she bit her tongue. This conversation clearly wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't want you to talk to Theo again unless you plan on giving him the cure." She ushered her towards the front door. Rosalind let go of Theo's hand, stood up and began to leave.

Theo's heart shattered as she walked away. It was then he realized how much he enjoyed her company. Without thinking, he ran after her and hugged her from behind. His face flushed bright pink once he realized what he'd done. "I'm so sorry...it's just...I'm really going to miss you."

She turned around and hugged him back. "I'll miss you too." She took off her silver heart-shaped locket and placed it around his neck.

"You're giving me your necklace?"

"It's the least I can do, Theo. I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

Theo's eyes wandered to the shredded remains of the note. "You've done more than you'll ever know.”

Theo had no intention of sleeping that night. He would wait until his mother fell asleep, he would go get Rosalind, and they would finish what they started.

Sneaking out was a challenge because his mother eyed his every move, not letting him out of her sight for even a moment. She'd suspected he'd try something like this. She claimed she would stay up all night to watch him and make sure he didn't try to escape, although she fought valiantly in the battle against fatigue he eventually succumbed to exhaustion.

He crept out of the house and walked straight to Rosalind's house. This time he decided to knock, as opposed to tearing it down. Rosalind answered the door looking a disheveled mess. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to go find the cure, but I need you to guide me there."

"What about your mom?" she asked.

"She'll change her mind once I'm cured."

Rosalind thought for a moment, then grabbed her hoodie off the coat rack and threw it on over her pajamas. "Let's go."

The pair hiked deep into the woods with nothing but moonlight lighting their path. By the time Daggerfall Ridge was within view, their limbs felt like they would fall off.

Theo admired the ridge. The snow-tipped hill surrounded by fog and illuminated by the light of the moon was truly a sight to behold.

“Where do you think we should begin our search?" Theo asked.

"Don't waste your time," a voice growled from behind them. They spun around to see four werewolves surrounding them. "You just walked right into our trap."