Meeting At Sunset

Chapter 1

    I ate dinner outside in the dark by myself and my family let me since my father was proud and my little brother was already in bed by the time I started eating; as well as my mother and father.

The night was gorgeous. I could hear the owls singing and the breeze in the trees, and the howl of wolves in the distance, but one stood out; it felt closer and I felt drawn to the call.

Why on earth would I want to howl with the wolves? Why am I drawn to them, when I know nothing about them? I thought as I finished the rest of my food.

Before I went inside to clean my mess I heard something right behind me; a growl. I slowly turned around to face a large black silken wolf. The wolf had the red amber eyes that I saw before the chaos and the one that was watching as I went into the dining room.

I put my plate down on the bench slowly and I knelt down to face the wolf slowly too.

“I am not here to harm you,” I said not knowing if it would understand me, but I wasn’t afraid.

The wolf laid down in submission and crawled toward me. I put my hand on his head and petted it. The wolf whined before taking off over my fence and into the woods.

I stood there stunned and awed of what just happened. I wanted to follow the wolf, but that would be weird to follow something that was wild. I went back inside and hurried with cleaning dishes so I could look up information on my computer.

As I looked online for ‘Why do dogs submission to a person?’ it turned out that the wolf respect and trusts me. That’s odd. Why would a wolf that seems like the alpha respect and trusts me, when I have never been near a dog before? 

I finally decided to put that problem aside and deal with the real threat; getting rid of my father. I looked through the internet of how to deal with the situation as a teenager and all of them lead to calling the police. Since I told my mother that I would do it and told my father I wouldn’t, I realized that I had to fix this even if I said the opposite. 

Since it wasn’t a school night I walked out front to get into my dark blue car that looked like midnight black at night Mustang 1966. My brother rushed out and gave me a tight hug from behind.

“Don’t leave me here,” he said pleadingly.

“I am just going out to take care of something. I will be back, don’t worry. Plus I got dad’s back off the both of us for a while. You need to get some rest you will need it tomorrow,” I said seriously but kindly.

“Promise?” he said letting go.

“I promise,” I said as I opened up the car door.

My little brother watched me leave and I could see the worry in his eyes. I drove my way to town in search of the police station. 

The music that I was listening to stopped playing and started skipping like a record player that was done. 

A voice spoke, “Juniper trouble for you is right ahead.”

Then the music started playing. I became confused that I stopped because that voice sounded familiar but could put my finger on who it was that I could remember it from. I was about to start moving again when the same wolf I saw ran across the road and stopped right in front of me. 

“I don’t need this right now,” I whispered and it looked as if the wolf knew what I said. “Move!” I yelled at the wolf, but he didn’t listen. 

The wolf howled and it rang in my heart, and afterward I heard more wolves surrounding me.

“Crap,” I whispered again. “Are you trying to stop me from getting my father arrested!?” I yelled at the wolf again.

The wolf disappeared, but when I look around me I saw eyes glaring right at me. Oh, s**t! This is not good. 

Not long after did I hear someone knock on my window. I snapped back to reality and saw a boy about my age looking at me. 

“Sorry to scare you. Do you mind taking me home? I don’t live far from here,” his voice was deep, like the sea, but it sounded so sweet like the birds that would sing.

I shook my head before I went crazy and said, “Yeah, hop on in.”

When he walked in front of my car I saw the same eyes as the wolf and I got a strange feeling that he was a wolf.  That’s impossible! A person can’t be turned into a wolf.  That only happens in movies and books.

The boy opened the door and closed the door as if he valued the vehicle as much as I did. Weird how that worked, maybe that is a coincidence.

“Thanks for giving me a ride. My name is Michael. I think we went to school together in third grade,” he said, while I still couldn’t take my eyes off his eyes. “You’re staring.”

I snapped out of it and said, “Sorry. I just feel like I have seen you somewhere before. Third grade might’ve been where,” I chuckled. “Where do you live?”

“I’ll show you,” he said, turning back to the road.

I drove for about two miles before he told me to turn to the right, where only a dirt road that hasn’t been driven on in a while.

“Are you sure that you live down here?” I said a little anxious.

“Yes. I get home-schooled so I don’t drive places often and my mom died a couple of years ago. So it is just me and my father, and the pack that lives with me,” he said with what sounded like honesty.

“You mean family not pack,” I said feeling weird ed out that he said that.

“Sorry I am a little bit of a wolf fanatic,” he gave me a friendly grin.

“Well did you see any of those wolves when you got into my car?” I asked curiously.

“No.. Why did you?” he looked at me suspicious of something else than the question.

“Well I saw glowing eyes of all different sorts, but it could be that I am going crazy,” I said vaguely.

“I wouldn’t say crazy. Where were you off to before I came along?” he said curiously.

“The police station.”

“Oh… Can I ask why?” he said looking at me genuinely.

“I think you might know why?” I asked, knowing he was the wolf with the way he asked that question.

“I do not know what you are talking about Juniper,” he said, looking away from me.

“I didn’t give you my name and you couldn't have remembered it from the third grade,” I said, stopping the car in the middle of the woods.

“Uh… I really good guess,” he said stuttering.

“Hum. I must be going crazy because I saw this gorgeous wolf with the color of your eyes following me around tonight before you got into my car,” I said, looking at him seeing if he would react, which he did for a glimpse of a second.

“Wow, you must be lucky for it did not have the pack attack you,” he said with a nervous voice.

“Why are you getting nervous, Michael?” I asked curiously.

“Because I was going to tell you that you are in danger and I was the wolf seeing if I was right about my instincts and I was. But I didn’t expect you to be more intelligent than I realized,” he said what felt like spilling the beans.

“That is the second time someone has told me I am in danger,” I said whispering.

“Really?” he said shocked.

I was shocked myself because I didn’t really say them out loud, or did I. I looked into his eyes and I saw different emotions swirling in those eyes like I could feel them myself. It was intriguing and I had to see up close. I moved closer to him and he did the same as if he was feeling the same. I could see more of his features. His hair hung right above his brow and his eyes had more specks of gold in them, and his lips were full and looked as if they would take me away. I panicked from his motion to move even closer and I backed away from him and started to drive again.

He noticed my motions and look disappointed, but then said, “Turn here and go about another mile and stop.”

For the rest of the drive, it was silent.

I was the first one to break the silence with a question that kept gnawing at my brain, “Why am I in danger?”

He looked at me in sorrow and said, “The police. They think that you are the one beating up your family and your father said he was the one trying to stop you.”

“What!” I said pissed and my blood bowling.

“That is why I am offering for you to stay here with my pack and I. I know more about you than you do yourself. I know that you can feel the connection we have, especially when I am a wolf,” he said, looking at me with something that I have never seen anyone do, but when my old boyfriend when I finally caved into giving up my virginity.

I looked away and got out of the car and started walking. I didn’t know where but I needed to get my head straight again and it never happened to me before.

“Did I do something?” he said, rushing to my side.

“What are you doing to me?” I asked, and turned right into him.

He was a lot taller than me, but I didn’t care.

“Doing what?” he asked in complete confusion.

“You are making me feel disoriented and feeling like we are more than strangers.”

“That’s what happens when someone has been mated with an alpha,” he said, smiling broadly.

“No, you must have done something. Werewolves are not real and I am not supernatural. I would’ve found out about now,” I said, disbelieving myself.

“You will believe soon. I promise, I will explain everything, but we must get into the house before my pack starts to disbelieve my authority,” he said persistently.

“What about my car?” I asked, worried about the one thing I loved that my family gave me.

“I’ll have someone drive it to our parking lot and hide it,” he said impatiently.

“No one drives Midnight, but me,” I said seriously.

“All right then. I’ll have someone with you to take your car to the parking lot,” he said as we started walking.

The walk was long, but the sound around was the only thing I heard was the distant owls and Micheal and my feet moving on the ground. This went on for a couple of minutes before I heard cheering up ahead.

“Whatever you do. Do not disrespect anyone,” he said, stopping me by the arm.

I felt the tingle and warmth of his hand go up to my arm to my chest. I felt my knees trying to give in. I looked up into his red-amber eyes and I saw awe and lust in them. He pulled me in so close that I knew everywhere my body touched his. He was looking at my expression of a sigh. He made a move to kiss me, but I pushed him away and started for his house.

“Juniper wait!” he yelled, when I entered the clearing of the house.

I turned around in anger, “Why in the hell do you keep doing that? I don’t even know you!”

He slowed down and walked toward me cautiously, “I really don’t mean to Juniper… It’s just something that happens when I am near you. You are a lot stronger at resisting me than I thought possible, but I can also feel the power that makes me so drawn to you.”

I was still infuriated, but when I looked around everyone was staring at me like I was about to be their next kill and I said in a calm voice, “Before you make another move get to know me first, besides whatever you say about how powerful I am.” 

Micheal closed the gap with only two feet between us. My breath caught at the sight of him again, but I had to take control of what I felt for him.

“I remind you of someone that hurt you. Don’t I?” he said reading me.

I didn’t say anything I just turned around with a lump in my throat and wanting to cry. I felt Micheal right behind me, but not touching knowing how I would react. 

“Please get to know me as well,” his voice rang so low and sweet it rang through my soul and making the lump go away.

“I will. I never judge a person until I get to know them, never.” I turned around to face him and I could see a smile in his eyes, while his face was serious. “But you just remind me. It makes me want to kill something or anything.”

We stood like that with everyone looking at the both of us.

“Get back to what you were doin’!” Michael yelled, as he walked passed me and up the porch of the house.

I never took notice of the house until I turned around. The house looked like a mansion, which it was, but it was made out of wood, which gave it more of a comforting feel. The porch swung around the front and looked like it went all around the house. The windows made the place look more modern and the door looked welcoming.

I started to walk up the steps to where Michael had entered the house, but I was stopped by a girl that looked younger than me.

“No one enters the house unless Michael says so,” her voice seem threatening, but it didn’t scare me surprisingly.

I heard something from inside and so did the girl because she huffed and said, “ you are welcome to enter and exit whenever.”

I don’t think anyone is going to like me here I thought. 

As I entered the house it smelled of rainfall and a forest. I loved that smell, especially when it had a hint of burned wood, which when I took another sniff it did have a scent of burned wood.

Michael appeared out of nowhere and gave me a genuine smile. It made my heart beat faster.

“You like the smell?” he said, noticing I was still smelling the house and feeling awed.

“Yeah, it’s like I walked into my favorite smell on earth besides my favorite flower; wolfsbane.” I said. Acknowledging that he was a werewolf I got freaked out and asked, “Werewolves can’t die from wolfsbane can they?”

“No actually it protects us and it has a wonderful smell, even if it isn’t my favorite flower,” he said, as we walked around the house, which turned out to be cozy and formal wrapped into one. 

I was so awed at the view in the back of the house that I didn’t even notice Michael and I had more company.