Silver Kiss by Naomi Clark Read Free Book Online Page B

ill.”
    Dad set down his cutlery and sighed. “She
had an abortion.”
    “ Oh.” I set down my cutlery
too.
    I suppose I should have suspected something
like that. There was no law against abortion in the Pack, same as
there was no law against homosexuality. But there was an unspoken,
acknowledged rule that it was not done. In the past few
generations, birth rates amongst wolves had dropped dramatically.
There were lots of theories why—pesticides, pollution, too many
vegetables in our diet…You name it, someone blamed our decreased
fertility on it.
    Most wolf couples nowadays produced one cub
in their lives, more than one child was a celebrated rarity. Twins
were unheard of. So it followed that abortion was a pretty big
deal. Obviously there were always times when it was the only
option, but I guessed that wasn’t the case with Tina or she
wouldn’t have been outcast.
    Still, it unsettled me. Given my situation,
I hated the idea of the woman being judged so harshly for her
choice. Shouldn’t the Pack be past the age where this was such a
big deal?
    “ Oh,” I said again.
“That’s…bad.”
    We all resumed eating in silence. I churned
Dad’s words round in my mind. Did this help Shannon? Not really,
unless Molly’s disappearance had something to do with Tina having
an abortion several years earlier, which I doubted. I shoved my
vegetables round my plate glumly, barely noticing when Mum whipped
the plate away and replaced it with a bowl of trifle.
    I didn’t stay long after dinner, which–after
the turn the conversation had taken–seemed to relieve my
parents.
    I’d walked over straight from work, knowing I’d probably want to
run home to work off the masses of food Mum always insisted on
feeding me. I stripped off on the doorstep and left my clothes with
Mum. We said our goodbyes and Mum told me to bring Shannon next
time. I thought she even meant it.
    Nightfall brought a light snow shower and
flakes melted on my skin like cold little kisses as I stretched,
preparing for the bone-popping pain of the change. Although the
waning moon was obscured by thick snow clouds, I could still feel
her energy firing through my blood. I threw my head back and howled
as the change took me, relishing the answering howls that echoed
through the night. Other wolves, other Pack members, ran tonight
and I was one of them again. Despite all my reservations, the glow
of that knowledge hadn’t diminished yet.
    I padded through the streets, claws clacking
on the pavement. To my wolf senses the night was alive with sounds
and scents that were muffled and dull to my human body. I could
smell the gravy from the meal I’d just eaten, hear the slam of a
back door a few streets away. An owl hooted softly somewhere nearby
and a cat yowled in response. As I passed through the estate, a few
dogs barked and snarled at their windows, upset by the presence of
a werewolf.
    I picked up speed as I left the estate and
entered the city again. It was getting late and most people were
inside. A few small groups drifted past me, snapping photos with
their mobile phones.
    Snow dusted my black fur as I paused to
sniff a discarded pizza box. A few shreds of pepperoni remained in
the box and I gulped them down before moving on. The change burned
through a lot of energy, so despite Mum’s massive meal, my stomach
was already growling. As a human, I’d have turned my nose up at
cold pizza, but as a wolf it was a nice little treat.
    I headed west, out of the city and towards
the park that bordered Foxglove. I could get a proper run there
before reaching home. I could already smell the slightly sickly
perfume of the flowers that gave the estate its name and hear the
muted yaps of two other wolves rough-housing together. The sound
tugged at me, urging me on. I wanted to join in, tussle and wrestle
with them.
    I found the pair of them a few minutes later
as I entered the park. One adult wolf, one younger—a tawny
adolescent—chased each other round,