Charlie P.O.V

I sit on the deck for a while with Mikey the wolf. He hasn't come around for several days until tonight. It's nice to have him around.

"I wish you could talk to me," I mumble softly while scratching behind his ears.

The wolf leans his head back and pants happily. I smile as I continue to pet him. It's nice to have him around for company. My mother doesn't understand how this feels. She tries to help, but her solutions are for simple problems, not problems like this.

Mikey's ears perk up before immediately shooting back. He stands up and runs off the deck. I slowly get up and step back to the door.

It's hard to make out the details of what's going on in the dark. The porch light won't reach that far into the yard. I can vaguely see Mikey and another wolf, circling each other.

I go inside to watch from behind the small amount of safety the sliding glass door provides. It's harder to see what's going on, but it's better than being outside.

A loud howl suddenly breaks the silence of the night air. Both wolves run into the forest. I have a feeling like something is wrong, but I know that there's no way I can follow a wolf. That is asking for nothing but trouble.

It's getting pretty late, so I decide to go to bed. I brush my teeth before sneaking to my room. I don't want to wake up my mother. She gets rather irritable when it comes to her rest. She can't go without it. If she does, she becomes unbearable to be around.

I lay down on my bed and sigh. Another howl cuts through the silence of the night. I hope everything is okay. Just hearing such a loud howl sends shivers down my spine.

I wake up the next morning to see that my mother is all packed and ready to go. She's only been home a few days, but I suppose that's all she can afford. Dad is probably begging for her to come back.

"Do you want me to drive you to the airport?" I ask softly.

"No, Sweetheart, that's okay. I ordered for one of those casual car services," she tells me.

"Oh, okay," my surprise clearly comes through my voice.

As soon as I could drive on my own, my mother had me driving her everywhere, including the airport. It was a way for us to get a little more time together before she left. My father never particularly cared about those few extra moments.

A car honks outside. Mom hugs me and kisses my cheek. "Stay safe. I'll call you when I get back."

"Okay. Have a safe trip," I tell her.

"I love you." Now she's at the door.

"I love you too."

Just like that, she's gone. She's gotten into the car and it's driving away. I'm alone once more. Things are quiet again. I'm back to my old ways.

Having my mom around for a few days almost forced me to feel better. Now that she's gone, I don't have to keep that charade up. I'll just go back to feeling how I've always felt; alone.

The month ends and a new one immediately takes its place. Michael still hasn't called, not that I expect him to. He's probably forgotten I exist by now. He's probably moved on to someone else who can make him happy. I wish I could say the same.

I rest my chin in the palm of my hand and look out the window as I sit at the kitchen table. The sun has barely risen and is bathing the sky in its beautiful colors; purples, pinks, oranges, all of them beautiful.

I sigh and close my eyes for a few moments. When I open them, I see the wolf sitting outside the door. He looks a bit rough since the last time I saw him.

I get up and open the door to let him inside. He shakes out his fur and slowly walks inside. I pet his head and he whines. Upon closer inspection, he has visible teeth marks all over his body.

"What happened to you?"

Mikey whines and lays down at my feet. I sit down in front of him and attempt to look at some of his wounds. The bites don't look irritated, but they do look painful.

"You must have gotten in a fight," I mumble softly.

Mikey flattens his ears and blinks. His eyes show sorrow and pain. I would try to clean and dress his wounds, but I'm concerned he might lash out at me if I tried.

I pat the couch next to me and Mikey reluctantly climbs up. He lays his head across my lap and looks up at me with his mix-matched eyes.

"Poor baby," I whisper softly while petting him.

Mikey closes his eyes and falls asleep. I smile and continue to gently caress his head. It seems to lull him to sleep without causing him any more pain.

I lean my head back against the couch and let out a soft sigh. Eventually, I fall asleep.

I wake up several times during the day due to Mikey shifting on the couch. He curls up on my lap and continues to sleep. I suppose his joints were hurting him.

I return to my slumber, petting Mikey's head as I drift. He softly whines in his sleep but doesn't stir. I shush him softly as I continue to pet him.

Mikey and I sleep on the couch for nearly the entire day. I'm glad to have him close. I feel a little less lonely when he's around. It's not the same as having a person around. Somehow, it almost feels better to have Mikey around. He doesn't hurt my feelings. Out of everyone, he's the only one who comes back to me. The only one I can rely on is a wolf.