A Wolf From The Other Side

Chapter 4 - Amara

I stood. A trembling mess. I needed to steady myself against a tree, as I watched Wyatt’s silhouette fade into the darkness of the forest. And with him went every plan I had allowed myself to dream in recent weeks. Only a short while earlier, I had been envisioning being his Luna! Yet now I was discarded. And the one I considered one of my closest friends had been about to use me . . .

I had stood up to him, and for that I felt proud. Yet now reality was hitting home. Tears stung at my eyes as my fists trembled. My nails dug into the skin of my palms in a bid to distract my mind. But nothing could distract me from the pain radiating through my body at that moment. So many thoughts ran through my mind about how naive I had been. Wyatt had used me like he had used all the girls before me, despite telling me what we had was something special. Something different.

I stumbled aimlessly away from where Wyatt had walked. Needing to be alone. If I were to head home there would be the risk of being seen. Then there would be the questions. So many questions . . . and none of the answers would be well received by my brother or my father, our pack Gamma. Neither one would approve of what had passed between Wyatt and me. f**k . . . how did I find myself in such a mess? I had, until not all that long ago, laughed about his over-the-top charm with the ladies. Yet, now, here I was, having fallen for it, and not only that, been hurt by it. I felt like a damn fool. More tears filled my eyes. Tears of shame? Humiliaton? Who knew, but my vision was blurred with the tears, and my attention was distracted with the mess my life had quickly become as my feet ambled on.

Everything had gone. Every stolen glance. Every night we had spent talking until the sun came up . . . or the nights we fell asleep talking . . . so many moments that had felt like so much more. Or, that I had thought they had been more. And I hated to admit that I had been wrong. So very, very wrong. It just hurt to think that to Wyatt that this appeared to be little more than a game. Another tick upon his list . . .

I think what hurt most, was that I had not just been wrong in us having our future, but perhaps in the possibility that Wyatt cared. He was not some random boy. He had been a lifelong friend. He was one of my brother's best friends. It felt devastating to think that he could have been so willing to use me for his own pleasure. Could he do that if he truly cared?

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Then another. Soon I was sobbing, and my legs gave way beneath me. I hated to show weakness. Yet I knew here there was nobody to witness me falling apart.

I might have promised Wyatt I would not beg. But I never said anything about not breaking. The only thing I would do was make a promise to myself that he never saw me break . . .

And break I did. There upon the forest floor. I dropped to the floor, bringing my knees to my chest as I hugged them and allowed my tears to fall upon the leaves that lay there. Sobbing away my pain and my dreams until darkness found me.

I shuddered as I thought felt a nudge to my shoulder. No, surely not. I was sleeping, right? Maybe it was just a dream . . . Suddenly, a shiver of cold passed over my body. I moved slightly, my body aching and feeling uncomfortable, as I realized where I lay was not the comfort of my own bed. It was the floor of the forest . . . A sudden wave of confusion washed over me. Sleepy confusion as my mind began to throw questions at me. What had happened? Then as I grew slightly more aware, the painful reality of everything came rushing back to me, and pain washed over me as I pulled my eyes closed even tighter.

But then what sounded like footsteps sounded close to me, making me freeze. I was not alone . . . then there was another nudge, telling me I had not imagined the first. And this time it was to my side, making me jump in shock. A nudge meant I was not alone . . . and being not alone in the forest meant danger.

I had clearly fallen apart. But, my plan of not allowing anyone to see had evidently failed. Had Wyatt come back for me? I thought, as eternal hope seemed to peek through. I slowly pryed one eye open. Tentatively glancing in the direction of the source of the nudging. Only, I was not met with the heroic sight of the man I hated yet adored all in one mixed bag of emotions, I was met with the near glowing amber eyes of a deep grey wolf . . . s**t . . . I think I would have preferred Wyatt.

I shuffled backward swiftly in a bid to get away from the looming presence of the wolf. His aura was dominant. His wolf form strong. Yet he did not move toward me. He merely tilted his head slightly as if in curiosity. This wolf was eyeing me up, I was sure of it. Did he think I was his evening snack? I thought with panic.

My eyes were adjusting to the dim sky, telling me the nighttime was passing me by. I had fallen asleep upon the forest floor where I had fallen. Cried myself to sleep, no doubt . . . how shameful. I allowed my eyes to wander, to allow myself to determine how far I was from my home, only I did not recognize where I was. None of the surrounding forest looked familiar, and I began to panic. I knew my pack well, every inch of the forest had been like a playground to us over the years. If I did not recognize where I was, then surely it was not within my own pack.

My eyes tentatively looked back toward those inquisitive amber eyes. Had this wolf snatched me from my pack?