Chapter 68

Abigail

The air in the lodge felt thick, like something was being kept unsaid. Mom was pacing, frustrated, with Dad in the kitchen and I could feel the tension all the way down the hall. Something was wrong—more than just the cold outside.

Since Mom and Owen came back from the brink, things had been off, especially after the doctor’s visit. But we missed most of it, falling asleep before they could explain.

I crept down the hall, past the kitchen, where I could hear Mom’s voice arguing with Dad. She sounded stressed, like when she’s trying to fix something broken but doesn’t have the right tool.

Owen was on the couch, eyes darting toward the kitchen. “Abigail,” he whispered, not looking up. “Stay away from the kitchen.”

I rolled my eyes. Owen was always so serious. He never wanted to eavesdrop during Mom and Dad’s arguments, but that was exactly when I wanted to know what was going on. I was good at sneaking—better than Owen, even though he thought he was the big brother.

I almost argued but stopped when I noticed the ice scabs on Owen’s frost bitten knuckles. I shook my head and crept closer. “Come on, aren’t you curious?”

Owen looked up, frowning. “Abigail. Don’t. You’re not supposed to—”

“They won’t notice,” I whispered, peeking around the door just enough to see their heads.

Mom was tense, her back to me. Dad leaned against the wall, arms crossed. They were both holding something in, not knowing how to let go.

“Mom,” I whispered, tugging on Owen’s sleeve. “I think she want to leave”

“What?” Owen’s voice cracked with worry. “Where’s she going?”

“Shh!” I pressed my finger to my lips. “She’s upset. I think she wants to go home.”

“But why?” Owen whispered, clenching his fists. “She can’t leave.”

I squeezed his sleeve for support. He was used to Mom leaving. But my mom—our mom—wasn’t like that.

“Come on,” I whispered, grabbing his hand. “Let’s talk to her.”

Owen shot me a worried look. “They’re not going to listen.”

But I was already pulling him down the hall. Something big was happening, and I wasn’t going to sit back.

As we reached the kitchen door, I saw Mom’s face. She was turning to leave, eyes filled with emotions I couldn’t understand—something more than just being upset.

“Mom,” I said, running toward her, feeling brave with Owen behind me, even if he was trying to stay quiet.

Mom froze, her eyes flashing with something—maybe surprise or worry.

“Abigail,” she said softly, kneeling down to my level, forcing me to look straight into her eyes. “Honey, go pack your things with Owen.”

I shook my head stubbornly. “But we just got here? I don’t want to go. This is our first family vacation! You’re leaving because of one mistake? It’s not fair! Is it dad!? Are you mad?” My bottom lip quivered, but I fought to keep the tears in check. No way was I going to cry. Not yet.

She hesitated, and I could see it in her face—it was tearing her up inside. “It’s not about him, sweetie,” she said, brushing a strand of hair from my face with a shaky hand. “We just… need to get somewhere safe, love.”

But I didn’t get it. If it wasn’t about Dad, why was she leaving now? Why was she doing this?

I glanced up at Owen, and he looked just as confused as I was. His brows were furrowed, his lips pressed tight together, as if he was trying to figure it out too. “Please, Mom,” I said again, my voice cracking. “I just... I want this to go right.”

Mom sighed deeply, her shoulders sagging like the weight of the whole world had settled on them. “This was never a vacation, Abigail,” she said, her voice trembling. “This was a hospital visit. We got our results.”

My stomach dropped. “So we’re leaving Dad here?!” Panic rose in my chest, making my throat tighten. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight.

“No, Abigail,” Dad cut in, kneeling beside us, his hand gently on my shoulder. “I’d come with. I’m always with you—”

I shoved away from them, unable to keep it in anymore. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them from spilling over. “No! We can’t leave! We never even took a proper photo!”

I didn’t even know why I was so upset, but the sadness in my chest was like a weight, pressing me down, suffocating me. Before either of them could say anything more, I turned and ran.

Owen was hot on my heels, his footsteps quick, just as fast as mine. “Abigail, wait!”

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to feel. There was this aching sadness deep inside of me that I couldn’t explain, but it was there, gnawing at my insides.

All I wanted was for everything to go right, to have just one thing go according to plan. Instead, I was running away from the only thing that felt real right now—family, safety, even though it was all slipping away.

“So, you’ve got claws and a tail now? Like, on command?” I squinted at Owen. “That’s how you got off the mountain?”

I reached out and grabbed his tail, pulling it gently, my fingers wiggling in the air.

His eyes went wide, and he yanked it away with a huff. His claws retracted, and the tail vanished. “I only showed you so you'd stop crying,” he muttered, flopping dramatically onto the bunk bed. “It’s probably why Mom and Dad are all... weird right now. It’s my fault.”

I raised an eyebrow and flicked some imaginary dust off his shoulder.”"Oh, so you're the reason they're moody? Nah, they just can’t handle how cool you are now.”

He rolled his eyes so far I thought they'd get stuck. “Yeah, real cool,” he deadpanned, flopping back onto his pillow. “I'm basically the coolest kid now. Half-furball, at your service.”

I elbowed him. “Don’t downplay it! You’re the only one with a built-in tail!”

“Uh-huh,” he said flatly. “Tell that to my claws.” He flexed his hands dramatically, making little “clawing” motions. “I’ll be signing autographs soon.”

I giggled, flopping onto my back. “Well, maybe that's why we were at the doctor’s today. Claws and tails aside, I’m a little jealous. Who’s your stylist?”

He shot me a look. “Abigail, please. This isn’t a ‘superpower’ thing. It’s just... weird. Wolves don’t half-transform. One minute, I’m freezing to death on a mountain with Mom, the next, I’ve got a tail and claws.”

“Well, clearly it’s in the family,” I said, raising my eyebrows. “Maybe we should talk to the doctor. He knows everything, right? He probably has the scoop on our whole family tree.”

Owen stared at me like I was nuts. “The doctor? At midnight? You wanna go ask him now? What are we, personal detectives?”

I crossed my arms, giving him my best ‘duh’ look. “Yeah, Owen, why not? It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do than sit here while Mom and Dad argue for the tenth time today. We sneak out, get answers, maybe find out why you’re growing claws. It’s like the ultimate mystery!”

His eyes narrowed. “You wanna sneak out... at night... in the cold... and in the dark? After what happened today?” He sounded like I suggested robbing a bank.

I shrugged. “Yeah, why not? We’ve got that unstoppable sibling bond, right? And the doctor’s like a werewolf Google. We’ve got questions, he’s got answers.”

He rubbed his temples. “Abigail, seriously, it’s freezing out there.”

I nodded, trying to look serious. “Look, Owen. We’re in this together. We’re practically superheroes now. You’re the tail guy, and I’m the sneak. What could go wrong?”

He stared at me for a moment, clearly thinking it over. Then he sighed dramatically. “Fine. But if Mom and Dad find out, you’re explaining it.”

I jumped up, clapping my hands. “Deal! But you’re the one with claws. You’ll scare everyone away with your cool lizard claws if we get caught.”

He gave me a sideways glance. “Yeah, I don’t think claws are gonna help with an angry Mom and Dad.” He slowly grabbed his jacket. “But I’ll go along with your crazy plan. You’re the only one who’d talk me into this.”

I grinned at him. “I knew you’d come around. I’m always the one with the best ideas.”

Owen shook his head as he grabbed his boots. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Crazy in a good way,” I said, already heading toward the door. “Now, let’s go talk to the doctor. I’m pretty sure he’s the only one who can explain why you’ve got a built-in tail and I don’t.”

He muttered something under his breath that sounded like “great,” but I didn’t care. We were about to unlock some answers, and nothing was going to stop me now.

“Just don’t drag me into any weirder situations than this,” Owen grumbled, but there was a tiny, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“I’ll try my best,” I teased, pulling him along with me. “But no promises. You know me better than that.”