The Little Wolf They Left Behind

At the Silverpine Pack's annual winter market, Dad bought a Christmas chocolate bar for Chloe and one for me. I accepted mine happily, but Chloe burst into tears. "Why does she get the same thing as me? Ever since she came along, I haven't been your only baby anymore!" Mom immediately took the chocolate bar from my hand. "Chloe can have this one too. You can eat something else later." But I wanted a chocolate bar too. Dad had bought that one for me. I started crying, and Mom suddenly lost her temper. "You've already taken half of your sister's love away from her. Now you can't even let her have one chocolate bar? You're already competing with her for attention at your age. Who knows how selfish you'll become when you grow up?" Frightened, I stopped crying and grabbed the hem of her coat. "Please don't be mad, Mommy. Ella won't eat it." Mom stared at me for a few seconds, but her expression only grew darker. She returned to the stall, bought an entire box of chocolate bars, and shoved it into my arms. "You wanted chocolate, didn't you? Sit here and finish every one of them. You're not allowed to leave until the box is empty." With that, she took Chloe's hand and walked away. Dad did not follow them immediately. He crouched in front of me and stroked my hair, looking uncomfortable. "Stay right here and be good, Ella. Once Mommy calms down, Daddy will come back for you." I unwrapped one bar, then another. The chocolate was so sweet that it began to taste bitter. I had just picked up the fifth chocolate bar when a piercing fire alarm rang through the mall. People screamed and rushed toward the exits. I stayed on the bench. Instead of running with them, I ate faster. Mom had told me I could not leave until I finished everything. I could not make her angry again. Chapter 1 Thick smoke poured from a fourth-floor storage room. I learned later that faulty wiring had ignited illegally stored wolfsbane solvent. The fire also burned through old insulation containing silver compounds—a material that had since been banned in all pack buildings. My nose and throat burned, and my body grew weaker by the second. The wolfsbane smothered even the faint instincts of the wolf still sleeping inside me. I could no longer tell which direction was safe. Even then, I did not leave. I lowered my head and forced more chocolate into my mouth. Faster. As soon as I finished, Dad would come back for me. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms lifted me from the bench. It was the woman from the chocolate stall. She covered my nose and mouth with her coat and carried me toward the exit with the fleeing crowd. Flames had already reached the holiday decorations in the center of the mall. Ribbons burned overhead, and glass ornaments shattered in the heat. The woman carried me outside and set me down beyond the police line. Then she bent over, gasping for breath. "Stay here. Don't move." She held my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes. "I'm going to find a police officer and ask them to help locate your parents. No matter what happens, you must not go back inside. Do you understand?" I nodded obediently. Then I saw Chloe in the crowd. A firefighter's blanket was wrapped around her. Soot darkened part of her face, but she was not hurt. I ran over and grabbed her hand. "Chloe! Where are Mom and Dad?" Chloe shook me off. She rolled her eyes. "Mom and Dad think you're still inside the mall. They went back in to save you." A loud buzzing filled my head. Mom and Dad were still inside the fire. They had gone in because of me. I immediately turned and ran toward the mall, which was still pouring out clouds of black smoke. I had to find them. I had to tell them I was already safe. The woman from the chocolate stall spotted me and ran after me. "Come back! Where are you going?" I did not stop. I only had time to turn and wave at her. "Thank you for saving me! I have to find my mom and dad! They're still inside!" While the firefighters were moving equipment, I slipped through a gap beside the barricade. A wave of heat struck me. I ran back to the place where I had been eating chocolate. "Dad! Mom!" I shouted through my coughing. No one answered. Melted chocolate leaked out of the box and smeared my coat and fingers. Mom would probably be angry when she saw the mess. I wanted to tell her I had not ruined my clothes on purpose. I had not disobeyed her either. I was only in such a hurry to find them. The contaminated smoke made my eyes water and erased every familiar scent. No matter how hard I searched, I could not find Mom and Dad anywhere. A burning decoration frame collapsed behind me. I tried to dodge it but tripped over the debris scattered across the floor. My knees struck the scorching tiles. I tried to stand, but there was no strength left in my arms. Fire and smoke soon surrounded me. All I could do was curl up on the floor and hold the unfinished box of chocolates against my chest. Before I lost consciousness, I was still praying. "Mommy, Daddy, please make it outside safely." The pain and suffocation soon disappeared. My body became light, and I slowly floated away from the burning floor. It was so strange. I only had to think about Mom and Dad, and in the next second, I was beside them. Outside the mall, Mom was kneeling in front of Chloe and carefully wrapping the blanket around her. "Don't be afraid, Chloe. You're safe now." Dad held a hot drink to her lips. "That must have been terrifying. Drink some of this. It'll help." I was so relieved. Mom and Dad had already escaped. They had never been trapped inside the fire. I floated toward them happily, but Dad turned to the firefighters rushing past and gestured anxiously at my height. "Have you seen a little girl around six years old? She's about this tall, with brown hair and a white puffer coat. She hasn't had her first shift yet. She can't run very fast." Dad was looking for me. I rushed toward him and tried to hug his leg. My arms passed straight through his body. I froze, then tried again. I still could not hold him. "Daddy, Ella is right here!" I stood in front of him, waving both arms. "I made it outside. Please look at me!" Dad did not react. He repeatedly lifted his head, searching for my scent amid the chaos, but found nothing. He could not smell me. He could not hear me either. I lowered my gaze to my nearly transparent hands and began to understand what had happened. At that moment, Chloe tugged on Dad's sleeve. "Dad… I think I saw Ella a little while ago." Chapter 2 Dad went rigid, and Mom immediately turned toward Chloe. "Really? Where did you see her? Was she hurt?" Dad grabbed Chloe's shoulders, his voice tight with urgency. Startled by his reaction, Chloe shrank back. "She left with a woman." "What woman? What did she look like? Which way did they go?" Dad fired the questions at her. Guilt flickered through Chloe's eyes, but Mom and Dad were too focused on finding me to notice. "I think it was the woman from the chocolate stall. Ella was always crazy about chocolate." Chloe lowered her head, making her voice sound increasingly hurt. "She ignored me. She didn't even ask whether you had made it out. That woman took her away, and Ella just went with her." The urgency slowly disappeared from Dad's face. He released Chloe and stood there, gray and stricken. That was not what happened. I had not abandoned them. I ran back into the fire because Chloe told me they were still inside. I circled them desperately, trying to explain, but no matter how loudly I shouted, they could not hear me. Mom trembled with anger. "She left without even asking whether we made it out?" Mom held Chloe tighter. "After we went back inside looking for her?" Dad stared at the smoke pouring from the mall entrance. His wolf remained restless, urging him to find his missing pup, but he could no longer pick my scent out of the chaos. Across the chaotic street, I saw the woman who had rescued me. Firefighters had stopped her behind another barricade. She sat on the ground, sobbing. "That little girl… I got her out. I carried her all the way outside! But when she heard that her parents might still be in there, she ran back inside! She was so young. She could have lived." I floated to her side. "I'm sorry. Thank you for saving me. But I couldn't leave Mom and Dad in there." Dad seemed to hear her cries. He took two steps toward the sound and narrowed his eyes, trying to see the woman behind the crowd. Hope rose inside me again. Dad would recognize her. Once he found the woman from the chocolate stall, he would know Chloe had lied. He would know I had gone back into the fire. But the space between the two barricades was crowded with firefighters and injured survivors. Smoke obscured his view, and paramedics soon helped the woman toward the emergency treatment area. Dad never saw her clearly. He stopped and turned back to Mom, looking devastated. "Did you hear that? A child had already been rescued, but when she heard her parents might still be inside, she went back for them." Dad sighed softly. "I wonder whose pup she was. She must have loved her parents very much." He hadn't recognized her. He didn't know that child was me. Chloe quietly relaxed. Mom gave a cold laugh. "You said it yourself. That was someone else's child." Mom looked away from the mall. "Ella chose a stranger over her own family." I stood beside them, wounded and confused. I was not someone else's child. That little girl was me. I was their Ella. Dad rubbed his face wearily. "Maybe she really did leave with that woman. Let's go home. She knows where we live. She may come back later." Mom told a nearby pack officer that her missing daughter had left with a vendor she knew and that no search was necessary. The officer asked her to confirm this several times, but Mom insisted it was a family matter. In the end, they took Chloe and left. My spirit followed them home without my willing it. Everything looked exactly as it had that morning. The colored lights on the Christmas tree glowed quietly. Paper snowflakes I had cut out still clung to the windows. Four stockings hung beside the fireplace, and the smallest had my name embroidered across it. Dad opened the refrigerator and took out the turkey he had bought for Christmas dinner. Mom saw it and frowned. “Why are you taking that out? None of the three of us likes turkey.” Mom glanced toward the empty doorway. “She isn't coming home for it.” Dad sighed and returned the turkey to the refrigerator. After hesitating, he took it out again. "I'll cook it anyway. Maybe she only went off to play with that vendor. She might come home tonight." Dad spent a long time preparing dinner. The roasted turkey came out golden brown, surrounded by potatoes, carrots, and cranberry sauce. It looked exactly like the ones I had seen on television. But I could no longer taste it. I floated around the table, trying to touch the turkey. My fingers passed through the plate again and again. Mom suddenly lifted her head and looked in my direction. Startled, I waved at her. "Mommy, can you see me?" Chapter 3 Her gaze did not follow me. She was only looking through the window. Night had fallen. She stared at the front gate for a long time, then slammed her fork onto the table. "I knew it. She isn't coming back!" Mom shot to her feet, picked up the untouched turkey, and threw it into the trash. “If she wants to stay with that woman, let her. I'm done waiting for her.” "No…" I floated toward the trash and tried to retrieve the turkey. Dad had made it especially for me. But my hands passed through the platter over and over. I could not touch anything. Dad gently patted Mom's back. "Don't be angry anymore. We still have Chloe." Chloe immediately threw herself into Mom's arms. "Don't be sad, Mommy. Chloe will always love her own mom and dad. I would never leave with someone else." Mom held her tightly. "That's right. I still have Chloe." Dad raised his hand and stroked her hair. The three of them embraced beneath the flashing Christmas lights. I stood beside them and watched the stocking with Ella embroidered on it sway near the fireplace. This was supposed to be my home too. But they did not need me anymore. The next morning, Dad went straight to my bedroom as soon as he woke. My bed was still empty. The storybook beside my pillow had not moved, and the stuffed wolf on the windowsill remained where I had left it. Dad's shoulders slowly slumped. Mom stood behind him and gave a cold laugh. "You're still waiting for her? If she cared about this family, she would have come home last night." The television in the living room was reporting the latest news about the mall fire. "Search and rescue operations at Silverpine Mall are nearing completion. Most victims have been identified by their families, but the body of one young girl remains unclaimed. She was found near the children's play area on the fourth floor. She was approximately four feet tall and between five and seven years old. Contamination from the fire destroyed most of her scent, and pack trackers have not yet identified her family. That was me. I rushed toward the television and waved desperately at Mom and Dad. "It's Ella! Daddy, please come and take me home!" Dad approached the television, staring at the news footage. The reporter did not show a photograph of the victim. The screen showed only the sealed mall and a medical examiner's vehicle slowly driving away. Dad's fingers twitched. Then someone knocked urgently on the front door. Mom and Dad both turned. "Is Ella back?" Dad hurried toward the entrance. Panic flashed across Chloe's face, and she rushed ahead of him to open the door. My best friend, Mia, stood outside. She held a beautifully wrapped present. The winter wind had reddened her cheeks, but her eyes were bright. "Good morning, Chloe. Is Ella awake? It's Christmas, and we promised to exchange presents." Chloe blocked the doorway. "She isn't coming back. You don't need to visit her anymore." Mia stared at her. "Why? Where did she go?" Chloe curled her lip. "She liked the woman who sold chocolate. She thought she could eat candy every day if she went with her, so she decided that woman was her new mother. She doesn't want this family anymore." "No!" Tears immediately filled Mia's eyes. "Ella would never leave without saying anything. Even if she had to go somewhere far away, she would say goodbye to me first. She promised." I floated to Mia's side, warmth filling my chest. Someone still believed me. Mom sighed, went into my bedroom, and dragged two large boxes to the door. They contained my favorite picture books, building blocks, and the stuffed wolf Dad had given me on my birthday. “You can take these,” Mom told Mia, pushing the boxes toward her. “Ella won't be needing them anymore.” Mia refused. She crouched beside the boxes and searched carefully until she found a small wrapped package. Two wolves holding hands were drawn on the paper. That was the special symbol Mia and I shared. "I found it." Mia held the present gently. "This is the Christmas gift Ella promised me." She placed the gift she had brought into the box, then looked up at Mom. "These belong to Ella. I can't take them. I'll only take the gift we agreed to exchange. When Ella comes back, I'll give her mine myself." Mom said nothing. Mia walked several steps away, then turned around. "Mrs. Parker, my mom says trust is the most important thing in a family. Ella isn't a heartless child. There must be a reason she can't come home." Mom slammed the door. "A child who knows nothing thinks she can lecture me?" The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She grabbed one of the boxes and dragged it toward the door. Dad hurried to stop her. "Rachel, what are you doing?" "Leave me alone!" Mom shook him off. "If she doesn't want this family, then I don't want her either. Throw everything away. I don't want to see any of it again. From now on, we'll act as if she's dead." But Mommy, I really was dead. Chloe hurried over to help, dutifully carrying the second box for Mom. Together, they threw everything from my bedroom into the community trash area. Chapter 4 Several children playing nearby gathered around the boxes and began rummaging through them. They opened Mia's present to me. Inside was a beautiful ceramic wolf pup wearing a red scarf and holding a tiny star. "What kind of junk is this?" One child threw it onto the pavement. The ceramic wolf shattered. I lunged forward instinctively, trying to protect the broken pieces. But I was weaker than a breath of wind. I could only pass through the children again and again. Soon, they took the toys they wanted and ran away, leaving a mess behind. I floated home in silence. My bedroom had been emptied. The stuffed wolf was gone. My clothes had disappeared from the closet. My drawings had been torn from the walls, and even the stocking with my name on it had vanished from the fireplace. Everything connected to me had been thrown away. Mom truly did not want me anymore. Over the next few days, the house gradually returned to its usual rhythm. No one mentioned my name. It was as if Ella Parker had never lived there. Then my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Carter, called. "Mrs. Parker, Ella hasn't been at school for several days. Is she sick?" Mom's voice was cold. "No. She won't be coming back. I'll withdraw her from the school in a few days." The line was silent for several seconds. "Mrs. Parker, is there any chance Ella is the child in the video from the mall fire?" Mom frowned. "What video?" Ms. Carter sounded relieved. "If you haven't seen it, perhaps I was mistaken. Someone uploaded a video from the day of the Silverpine Mall fire. A little girl had already been rescued, but when she heard that her parents were still inside, she ran back into the building alone. The video doesn't show her face clearly, but she looks a lot like Ella from behind." Mom's voice rose sharply. "It wasn't her. We heard about that child too, but Ella doesn't care that much about her family. She fought with her sister over a chocolate bar. I scolded her, and she left with the woman from the chocolate stall. She still hasn't come home." Ms. Carter's tone changed immediately. "Are you saying Ella has been missing for days and you haven't contacted the police?" "Why would I call the police?" Mom interrupted impatiently. "Chloe saw her leave with that woman. Ella isn't missing. She simply doesn't want to come home. Chloe would never lie." "Ella is six years old," Ms. Carter said firmly. "Even if she willingly left with a stranger, you should have reported it immediately. There has to be some misunderstanding. Ella is not the kind of child you're describing." Mom leaped up from the couch. “Do you think being her teacher gives you the right to tell me how to raise my own daughter? You only know how Ella behaves at school. You don't know what she's like at home.” Mom ended the call. That evening, there was another knock at the door. Ms. Carter stood outside with two officers from the Silverpine Police Department. Mom's expression darkened. "You actually brought the police to my house? I told you this is a family matter. We don't need outsiders interfering." Ms. Carter struggled to remain calm. "I taught Ella for two years. I know what kind of child she is. She has been missing for days, and her family never filed a report. I need to make sure she's safe." Mom folded her arms and glanced at the officers. “Chloe saw her leave with the vendor. We believed she was safe.” Mom folded her arms. “Ella knew how to come home. She chose not to.” Chloe, who had been hiding behind Mom, suddenly rushed forward and pointed at Ms. Carter. "Ella hates her! Ella always told me Ms. Carter favored the other children and hit her when no one was watching. She never liked going to kindergarten." She was lying. I loved Ms. Carter. She had never hit me. Ms. Carter did not become angry. Instead, she studied Chloe's face for a long moment, as though confirming something. Then she turned to one of the officers. "Officer, please look closely at this child. Is she the girl standing outside the mall in that video?" Chloe's body went rigid. The officer studied her for several seconds, then found the video on his phone and handed it to Mom. "Mrs. Parker, please take a look. Are the two girls in this video your daughters?" Mom accepted the phone impatiently. "That video again. I've already told you, the child who ran into the fire could not possibly be…" Her voice stopped. The opening frames showed Chloe's profile. She stood among the crowd wrapped in a firefighter's blanket, violently shaking off my hand. Then her cold voice came through the phone. "Mom and Dad think you're still inside. They went back in to save you." In the video, I froze for two seconds before turning and running toward the mall, which was still pouring out black smoke. The woman from the chocolate stall chased after me. "Come back! You can't go in there!" I did not stop. I only looked back and waved at her. "Thank you for saving me! I have to find my mom and dad!" As I ran, the pack pendant beneath my collar slipped into view. A crooked little wolf was engraved on its face. Dad had carved it himself when I was born. Mom's hands began to shake violently. The phone slipped from her fingers and struck the carpet. Dad staggered. His eyes remained fixed on the small figure frozen on the screen. A long time passed before he managed to speak, his voice almost breaking. "The child who ran into the fire… That was Ella."