Chapter Two-1
2164 Words
Chapter Two
As she made her way out to her car, she felt something strange build inside her. What was going on? She had just found out in the last hour that she had family she knew nothing about, and she’d inherited a huge estate. Her luck was finally turning up, and she whistled as she made her way to the car. Hopping in, she turned the radio off and made a U-turn in the parking lot before pulling off in the other direction. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought of what was happening.
Her thoughts took a path of their own as she drove down the one-lane road ahead. What should she do? Should she stay in this little town? What about her career? She couldn’t see spending her life laid up with a drink in her hand doing nothing. That just wasn’t the kind of person Amanda was.
The town was small, and she didn’t even know if they needed a veterinarian. What would she do if they didn’t? She brushed off the questions that bombarded her head and ran through her mind at a million miles a second. She would have to think about it tomorrow. Then, she might be able to think straight. Right now, she needed to just get over the shock of everything she had been told. She needed to find out just who she was, and the estate was the best place to start looking into it.
On the road up ahead, she saw a disturbance but couldn’t make out if animals or humans were causing the problem. She could have sworn that she saw a tail or two swinging in the air like some kind of dog fight. Leaning forward, she applied pressure to the middle of her steering wheel, honking her horn loudly a couple of times. They all seemed to scatter into the surrounding woods.
She began looking frantically around in the woods around her. Something wasn’t right. It was the same feeling she had gotten back home before she had gotten chased by the creature with yellow eyes.
She should be coming up to the driveway of the cabin. If it wasn’t for the wooden sign that said Timber Wolf Lodge, she would have driven right past it. There were no street signs anywhere, and all the roads had turned into dirt roads a while back. She pulled up to a little one-floor stone cabin, and saw with relief that the porch light had been left on for her.
She got out, grabbed her bag, and walked to the door. The air around went silent. Something was going on. Maybe she just wasn’t used to the quiet, or maybe it was too quiet. Shouldn’t the crickets be chirping or some frogs croaking into the night? It was as if someone had pushed mute, except there wasn’t even the static that came from the television.
Something made her turn around. It was her gut feeling again, and she quickly bent down. Her hand fumbled under the mat, but there was nothing there. She was frantic now as she looked around in the growing dark.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. Then it happened again on the other side. Her fingers went numb, and she ran her hands over the porch flooring hurriedly. Unexpectedly, the front door jerked open, and she was hauled across the threshold by the front of her shirt. She screamed as loud as she could, but she knew there wasn’t anyone nearby.
Why didn’t she get her pepper spray out? Well, probably because she had been more scared of the four-legged monsters in the woods and not the two-legged ones. As the door slammed shut, she spun around in time to connect her little right fist with the chest in front of her. Her father had taught her early on how to defend herself in a situation like this. She had to breathe and think straight under pressure in order to accomplish what she wanted to do, and that was to get the hell away from whoever was now holding her.
“Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you think you are doing?” she seethed as she slowly raised her head and threw silent sparks at the bright blue eyes meeting her own with amusement. Her eyes climbed up the wide expanse of chest enclosed in a flannel shirt that would have been impressive if she wasn’t so pissed off. He had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top three buttons were missing, showing an even more impressive display. She was shaking with rage, shock, and fear.
“Saving you,” came his deep but simple reply.
“From what? Well, never mind, I’m saved. You can leave now.” She knew she was being rude, but something didn’t sit well. Maybe she should have waited until tomorrow to come.
“I am Romeo; owner of the cabin and at your disposal,” he announced with a slight bow of his head and a grin across his face.
“Well, thank you, Romeo, for... according to you, rescuing me. But get out! I did rent the cabin for tonight, right?” she asked, hoping she didn’t mess up somewhere. That would be embarrassing after being such a b***h. Hopefully, she was in the right place. She’d followed the directions on the little piece of paper that Mr. Montgomery had given her.
“No, you have it right. It is rented through Sunday actually.” Before she could wonder why the attorney booked the cabin for so long, he continued, “The bedroom is down that hall and to the left.”
She raised her eyebrows in a gesture of frustration. He did not think she was going to go to bed with him, some stranger, staying in the house?
“And yes, I’m staying. I have people all around guarding us. You will be safe for tonight, but I’m not going anywhere.”
She looked at him with wide eyes. Was he serious? “Fine, then I will. I will be expecting a refund for my stay, since I won’t be staying. Have a good day, or night, rather.” She tried to skirt around him.
Of all the things to happen...
Her thoughts were cut off short when Romeo gripped her elbows and lifted her completely off the floor. “You’re not going anywhere. You are staying here, and that is final.”
“That is final?” she sputtered. “Look here, buddy, I don’t give a rat’s a*s who you are. I haven’t had a father in a while and don’t need one now. Let me down!”
He looked at her without flinching and set her back on her feet. “Go to the bedroom,” he ordered flatly.
“Go to the bedroom? What is this, caveman? Me Jane, go to room. Fine.” She was furious at this point. He was blocking her only escape at the moment, but hopefully the bedroom had a window she could crawl out of.
She walked into the bedroom and set her bag on the bed. Shutting the door and realizing there was no lock, she slid the little desk chair over to rest underneath the knob. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet for some noise then walked over to the window and tried to push it up. The window wouldn’t budge. She tried again harder and still not a c***k. When the third time produced the same results, she realized the windows were nailed shut. Of all the crazy s**t in the world, what had she gotten herself into?
She flung the chair to the other side of the room and stormed through the door. This asshole was going to hear a piece of her mind.
Amanda walked into the next room and came to an abrupt stop. The man standing there was not the man who had been there before. This man had long brown hair and a smile on his face. He must have heard her in the other room, trying to open the windows and throwing the chair.
“What? Is my door open to everyone? I really need to find somewhere else to stay. Who are you?” she asked with exasperation.
“My name is Joseph. Younger brother to Romeo. You will meet the others shortly,” he said with a bow.
“Others? You mean there are more of you?” Amanda looked at him with a heavy frown. How many more would walk into her door?
“Yes. Five brothers and two sisters. There is Romeo, the oldest, who you have already met, Sebastian, Elijah, myself, Bryce, and the twins; Aurora and Audri. We are a dedicated group.”
“My goodness, I guess I will have the pleasure of meeting everyone,” she scoffed. This man had a carefree humor to him that the brooding Romeo did not share.
“Yes, there are a total of 214 wolves,” he said.
"Wolves?” What in the hell was he talking about?
“Joseph! You can go. Tell Audri to give us some time. I have to explain things now,” Romeo interrupted loudly.
Amanda turned and looked at him. He stood there with his hands on his hips. He wore low-slung, light-colored jeans and a black T-shirt that fit snug across his large biceps. She had to admit he was an excellent specimen if she ever saw one.
What was she thinking? This man broke into her rental and was pretty much holding her hostage. As Joseph slunk out the door with a broad smile, she turned to look into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Romeo had an annoyed expression as he stared at his brother. What an a*s!
“Can I leave now?” she asked rudely.
“No. Sit. We need to talk,” he said a little more sternly than necessary.
“No, I will stand. It will make it easier to leave that way.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Romeo heaved a long sigh before grabbing her by the arm to push her down on the couch. Electricity sizzled up her arm where his hand had touched. He must have felt it too, because he looked at her warily. He sat beside her. She quickly rose but sat back down at his next words.
“We will start with your parents.” He must have known it would get her attention.
“What do you know about my parents?” This man she had never seen in her life was talking about her parents. Had she walked into the Twilight Zone? First, there was all this about an inheritance, and now, this man was talking about her parents? What was going on?
“Your parents were part of our pack,” he stated with a shrug.
“How do you know who I am, and how did you know my parents?” She could feel the panic welling up inside of her. First, she found out that she had family she didn't even know about and an estate was left to her. Now, this man was saying that he knew her family. Or at least, knew of them, and that they were from this small town she'd never been to.
She thought about it and knew instinctively that it made sense. That would explain why her parents never went through the mountains. But, wolves, really? Come on. Did she look dumb or something?
“First, let’s start with me telling you that you are in danger and cannot go anywhere without me or one of my brothers. Others will find you, and you will not like the consequences.” He sounded serious.
“What do you mean, the consequences? Just what the hell is this? Look, I have been on my own since I was seventeen. I don’t need your help or your guidance or whatever the hell you are trying to do. I want to leave!” she cried desperately, feeling trapped. Was she ever going to wake up from this strange nightmare?
“Let me tell you the story, and then we will decide what to do after,” he said sternly as he patted the seat beside him. She knew he was getting angry, but she didn’t give a rat’s a*s. She was fuming. What gave him the right to keep her prisoner?
“Fine,” she said as she sat stiffly beside him.
“Many centuries ago, a man by the name of Fenris was living in the Carpathian Mountains. Some legends say he contracted a virus. Other legends say that God himself made him the way he became.”
“What did he become?” she asked hesitantly.
“Fenris had two forms; one man and one wolf. On full moons, his body would change into that of the wolf for the night until the sun rose back over the sky. He met a woman by the name of Lilith. The two fell in love and soon he told her of his secret. Their male children also took on the gene to transform at the age of eighteen, but their daughters did not. This continued until centuries later, when one of the women of the line and one of the men from the line mated. This produced a new line. Not only could the men transform, but so could the women. The line has lived on, and we are the current generation.” He sat back and let her take it in.
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