Wolf Like Me

Fatin POV (Age 7)

Fatin was an alpha, as such she was not meant to fear things. No, Fatin was born to protect. However, as she wandered into the creepy dingy place that was the school library, she held her breath. 

Easy peasy. All she needed to do was hand the book to the librarian and explain the fry-related ‘accident’ that had taken place. 

Taking in an uneven breath, Fatin held the damaged book to her chest and trudged towards the desk where the librarian sat. It was a different one today. There were two but not one was different from the other. Both were women -who to her appeared old- with glasses that dangled from chains. 

Neither would hesitate to pin a wolf by their foot for any slight incident. Fatin had even heard stories whispered in halls about one girl -Miley Hain- who had returned a book late and had lost her fangs to them. 

The truths of these fables were of course uncorroborated, in fact, no girl by such name was known to ever have attended the school. Regardless the whispers left her skin covered in goosebumps as she approached, swallowing against her dry mouth. 

Fatin cleared her throat as she reached the desk; coughing once, then again when she went unnoticed. The desk itself was mahogany and almost as tall as Fatin, meaning her eyes barely peered over the top like a surfacing mermaid. 

“Can I help you?” she asked in a voice so rough it spoke of the twenty packs of cigarettes she had blundered through that week alone. 

“I need to return a book.” 

“Very well.” Her hand reached out, snatching the book from Fatin’s grasp. “You are not Leah Rilke,” the librarian said as she scanned it in. Eyes peered up at her, judgemental and hard.

“Well, that’s the thing. I um- I needed to say sorry because the book got a little… messy.” 

“Messy?” 

Fatin reached over the counter with only half of her vision, fumbling to open the book to the page a bit of paper stuck out of as a reminder.

“It’s covered in grease stains.” The librarian adjusted her glasses, shoulders squared. “I take it that Leah Rilke couldn’t return the book she damaged herself?” 

“She didn’t damage it.” Fatin’s palms sweated profusely as she fought the urge to cry. She was an alpha dang it. “I- It-It was me. I dropped fries on it.” 

“May I ask how one drops fries on a book?” 

Rocking on the balls of her feet she forced her shaky hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I threw them at her. They landed on the book accidentally.” 

The librarian stiffened, lowering the damaged book. “Do you throw food at omegas often?” 

“No, never.” 

“So why throw fries at Miss Rilke? Just because a wolf is quiet does not mean they are not hurt by such actions. You may be young, but your parents would do well to tell you it is most improper to bully someone. Let alone of another standing.” 

“I didn’t-” Fatin swallowed back the tears; teeth clenched as her throat ached. “I didn’t want to bully her. Leah is my mate, and she wouldn’t eat. I really did not mean to hurt her or the book. I promise.” 

The librarian softened, though not enough for Fatin to note through her tear-blurred eyes. “You are Leah Rilke’s mate?” 

“Yes.” 

Rolling her eyes, she stamped the book. “Then you can tell her that she has one book overdue. I have renewed it, but she needs to get it back eventually. Regardless of what she believes other students here do use the library. I will need to take your details; your parents will have to replace the damaged book.” 

Nodding quickly, Fatin gave her name to the woman as well as a letter Rana had written to corroborate the story and apologise on behalf of her daughter. 

“You can make amends by taking these books over to the science section. Topics are marked by the signs at the top of each row. Place them on the floor please, I will put them away later.” 

Fatin tried to pick up the stack but swung unevenly, the books piled so high she could no longer see. 

“Two trips Fatin,” the librarian noted with exhaustion and the slightest bit of humour lacing her tone. 

Taking half of the books was far easier. She could now see where she was going as she walked down the centre of the room, looking for the sign that read ‘science’. 

Eventually, she found it, placing the books on the floor with a huff then returning for the next set. When she made it back there was not one librarian but two, both appearing so similar that Fatin struggled to tell them apart. 

“This is Fatin who damaged one of the books with cafeteria fries.” 

“Hello. I’m sorry.” 

The other librarian sighed, looking at her. “I would hope that in the future you hurl fewer carbohydrates at your mate.” 

Frowning, she nodded. 

“You may go now. Thank you for placing the books in the correct aisle. We do not wish to see you here again with another damaged text though, is that clear?” 

“Very.” 

“Good.” 

Fatin was too hurried to get out of there that she missed the way that the librarians both broke out into hushed laughter, commenting about how odd the pairing was. Though both librarians hoped it was for the best- knowing Leah Rilke needed to be brought out of her shell by someone. 

The next day Fatin took a seat by Leah. She smiled, passing her a plate of food as she began stuffing her own in her mouth. “I returned your book,” Fatin said around a mouthful of macaroni. 

Leah stared at her mouth, looking mildly repulsed by the scene in front of her. “Thank you. Were they angry with me?” 

“No.” Fatin finally swallowed the unholy amount of pasta she had crammed into her mouth- young alphas were always incredibly hungry. “I had to put some books away and my mum is buying a replacement. They were upset that I threw fries at you though.” She did not mention the tears to Leah or her mother.

Placing the book in her bag, Leah finally ate a spoonful of macaroni. “That’s because it’s mean to throw things at people.” 

“Yeah, but you needed to eat.” Fatin was exhausted with this argument. She never ate- Leah spent all of the lunch period absorbed in a book. Sometimes she would eat some cheese or pick at her grapes but that was it. 

It annoyed Fatin so much that she had reached a breaking point, eventually throwing a fry at her. It was intended to be caring, not cruel, so when Leah became saddened by it the guilt weighed down on her like a heavy anchor. 

Leah’s tears in the bathroom had hit Fatin like a hand clenched around her heart, leaving her feeling low the rest of the afternoon. Against her better judgment, she had thrown grapes later. They wouldn’t damage the book and she heard Leah’s stomach rumbling from where she sat. However, the grapes drew more anger from her than the fries.

Fatin would not throw food at her mate again. She would find other means of feeding her though. There was nothing that left her more on edge than Leah hungry.

 She had concluded part of Leah’s issue was that she didn’t like the food packed, but Fatin had seen her eat on occasion and knew some of what she liked. 

It took an evening of debate, but her mum had agreed to let Fatin use some of her pocket money to buy Leah lunch to stop her daughter from lobbing potato projectiles. Fatin had more than enough pocket money and she wanted to do something for her mate. She wanted to provide.

“The macaroni is nice, thank you.” 

Fatin beamed, sliding across a banana milkshake. One Leah took a sip of only to scrunch her face up in repulsion. 

“You don’t like banana?” 

“It’s too sweet.” 

Quickly Fatin pulled it away, swapping it with her own orange juice that Leah sipped without complaint. 

Not a fan of banana milkshakes, Fatin thought, storing the fact in her brain for the next lunch. 

The rest of the week Fatin did a similar thing each day. 

For herself, she always bought macaroni and orange juice. For Leah she bought something different, figuring out what she liked and disliked, exchanging the disliked items for Leah’s comfort macaroni or orange juice. 

The ones she did like she added to a crumpled list that sat in her pocket- a list her mother found when washing her hoodie. 

“Fatin, why do you have a grocery list in your pocket?” 

“Oh.” Fatin jumped to snatch it away from her mother, holding the cherished piece of paper in her palm. “That’s what Leah likes and doesn’t like.” Reaching for the red pen that signalled didn’t like, she marked down another line. 

Meatballs
Sprite

“You’re keeping track of what she likes?” 

“Leah’s picky with food. If it’s something she doesn’t like she won’t eat and gets hungry in the afternoon. This is the list I have that tells me what to get. When she’s really upset, she only eats cheese sticks or salty crisps. So, I keep some in my drawer at school.” 

“What are the things in blue?” 

“Things Leah hasn’t tried yet I think she might like. She likes cheese a lot so I think she will like mozzarella sticks.” 

Rana smiled at her daughter, ruffling her hair. “You will be a good mate, Fatin.” 

“The best, duh.” Fatin tucked the paper in her jeans, heading to her room.