About Patrimony
by Glyn Soitiño
23 pages / 10,000 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-979-8
Available file types -
html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony Reader pdf
After living abroad for the last twenty-one years, Matthew returns to his
native village in England for the reading of his estranged father, Gerald's,
will. Expecting this to be a mere formality, and that he'll be able to leave
it in the hands of the lawyer and return to his well-ordered life, Matthew
is shocked to learn the extent of his inheritance, and the responsibilities
it entails. The only good thing Matthew can see about the situation is the
chance to renew contact with his childhood friend, Jack, who now runs the
village inn where Matthew is staying.
Jack, who's now the village Pack Alpha, is delighted to see Matthew again
after all these years, but when he discovers that Gerald could not have been
Matthew's real father, a fact of which Matthew himself is unaware, he
unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that will end up changing both
their lives forever.
Sample
Joel growled and pushed away from the wall, then
crushed the cigarette end under his heel and advanced toward Matthew.
Matthew stood firm, facing him down. Joel pushed both hands flat against
Matthew's chest. Matthew dug his heels in. Joel pushed again, harder
this time, and Matthew ceded a step, then pushed back.
"Would you rather have a pissing contest?" Matthew said. "You never
know, you might even be able to win that one."
Baring his teeth in a snarl, Joel launched a fist at Matthew's face.
Unlike Jack, Matthew hadn't grown more than about six inches in height
since reaching puberty. In Paris, his mother had finally allowed him to
attend school. Being smaller than most of the other kids, Matthew had
soon learned that the only way to stop the bullies from making his life
a misery was to give as good as he got.
Now, drawing on the memories, he easily dodged Joel's blow and landed
one of his own, sending Joel to the ground.
Suddenly ashamed of himself at the sight of blood on Joel's lip, Matthew
reached a hand down to help him up. "Enough," he said. "I'm sorry, Joel.
Let's just call it a night, okay?"
Batting Matthew's hand aside, Joel pushed himself to his feet. "Oh,
you'll be sorry, all right," he growled. There was a shimmer in the air,
and suddenly Matthew found himself facing an angry, snarling wolf,
Joel's clothes lying empty on the flagstones.
What on earth? Matthew swallowed hard, glancing first toward the door of
the inn, then back at the beautiful, deadly creature standing between
him and salvation. There was no way he'd be able reach the door before
the Joel-beast took him down.
As Matthew hesitated, the wolf lunged toward him. Given no other option,
Matthew turned and ran.
The cool of the flagstones gave way to warmer asphalt as Matthew headed
instinctively for the woods, his place of sanctuary, the place he'd
always felt safe with Jack. Which is stupid, if you think about it, the
rational part of his mind kicked in. The woods are not safe. There are
wolves in the woods. Mother said so.
"Yeah, right," Matthew panted. "There are wolves out here, too!" Joel
was loping easily at his heels, playing with him, giving an occasional
nip at his ankles to chivvy him along. Matthew carried on running --
what else could he do?
Matthew's pace slowed as he entered the woods, the twigs on the ground
stabbing into the delicate soles of his shoeless feet. He gave a little
sob as he remembered his last flight through these trees, the day Jack
had hit him, the day his life had changed forever. Oh, God, Jack, he
projected silently. Where are you? I need you!
A low growl sounded behind him, and he felt the sudden weight of the
wolf on his back. Stumbling, he fell to the ground; his head struck an
exposed root, and the world went black.