Missing Star

Chapter 14

Thomas

Over the past few months, I spent half my time between Marissa and the Pack. I had leased a small apartment less than five miniatures from her. Things had been settling down until the Game Warden decided that he wanted her and wouldn't take no for an answer. He had been tracking her since the day they met. Mis Mary and I had worked overtime these last few weeks to keep her safe. But somehow he was finding ways to get to her.

I answered my cell on the first ring. Before I could even say hello I heard Mis Mary “He found a way to get to her again”

And just like that my blood went cold “what happened?”

“He found her after her class. She was really scared and shaken up. But he is getting braver at this point.” She took a deep breath “I need you to know that he bruised her arm grabbing her when she tried to walk away.”

I growl rumbled deep in my chest. “I’ll kill him”

“Now who would that help you stupid pup? I think that it's time to tell her.”

With a huff “She has gotten close to you. I want her to move forward but I'm not sure how she'll take things. But if you think she's ready, let's go for it.” With a click on the other end of the line, it was agreed to.

I really hoped that she was ready to learn more about her gift and past. She had been healing slowly. By trusting Mis Mary and now looking to her for advice. She was opening up and coming out of her shell that she had hidden under for more than half her life. She was learning to trust and with this, I hoped we didn’t mess that up.

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Later that night I was doing my normal petrol run around the mobile home community. When I came around the backside of Marissa's trailer I saw that her back door was open. Red flags went off and before I knew it I was approaching the back cautiously looking in. All my senses were on high alert. The first thing that came across was a burnt smell and as I came closer I saw her on the floor of the kitchen surrounded by what looked like black bread rolls.

She was a cute mess sitting on the floor. There was flour everywhere. In her long braided hair, there were white streaks of it going from the top of her head to the tips. She also had flour on her forehead, cheeks, and chin. Before I could stop, a laugh caught in my throat. It came out in a half howl and gurgle. It was loud enough for her to pick up her head and look directly at me. And without missing a beat her smile came through.

“Are you laughing at me?” she asked playfully

Turning my head to the side I looked over the whole mess and in my head, I answered her, “ looks like a bakery exploded in there”.

Then I heard her suck in a breath and her eyes got wide. “What did you just say?”

I knew for a fact that I hadn’t said it out loud but yet she had heard me. Somehow she heard my answer. “You heard me!” was my next thought.

“Ohh…. crap I've gone and lost my mind now. This is just the thing I need. I'm hearing animals talk to me now.” she said getting up from the floor and slowly approaching the back door. When she hit the first step she sat down. She never took her eyes off me. gray eyes had me and it was like she could see straight through me.

We were about 3 feet apart and both of us just sat there looking at each other for what seemed to be forever. Her eyes held mine and I remembered the first time I had looked into them. Her gray eyes had me and it was like she could see straight through me. God, she was beautiful inside and out.

“Okay so now I'm officially crazy. But I've seen you before. You were in the woods the night I left. I saw you there. But that can't be possible over 400 miles away and ....” She was now talking under her breath going over all the reasons why it was impossible for me to be that same, Wolf.

As she was going on and on about the possibilities and wolf patterns. I couldn’t help but walk up to her. I set my head on her shoulder and her hair fell over the top of my head. As I did this I felt her take in a deep breath and hold it like she was waiting to see if I was a danger to her. But the smell of her was just amazing. It was like I had been left in the heat all my life and she was the freshness that I needed to move forward.

Slowly she reached out and placed her hand on my fur. She moved slowly from my shoulder down to the side of my paw. To finally feel her touch me sent a calmness through me that I had never felt before in my life. Slowly she brought her hand back to her side and I reluctantly pulled away from her shoulder.

“What do we do now?” she asked, looking at me.

“ Friends?” I asked hopefully.

With a thoughtful pause to think things over. She looked up at the sky and back down at me. “while it never hurts to have a friend.” Then the smile that I loved came out.

I moved back and sat down, while she got up and went inside to start her clean-up. No one said anything else For the rest of the night, but there was peace settling in with our new status in life. I was no longer outside of her life looking in. I could now be there for her to start the steps to be what she needs for right now.