Mate revealed

Goodbye Ester

“Luca – stop! Wolf!”

His strides, however, didn’t falter. 

Ester’s heart raced. 

His face grew menacing as he took in the wolf. 

The creature however didn’t turn to appraise him. It’s huge paw clawed down the window pain.

“Oi!” Luca bellowed, he clapped his hands loudly. 

The wolf flinched. Quickly it turned it’s head to face him, dropping down from the side of Ester’s truck. 

But to Ester’s surprise – it didn’t growl at him… It just… stared.

“Go!”  He commanded, now only striding to it’s side. 

The wolf let out a soft whine, lowering it’s head.

“Now!” 

Ester grimaced.

With one last look at him, and then at Ester, it scampered off into the undergrowth.

He turned to Ester. His face drawn in fury, his eyes ablaze.

Ester jerked back in her seat, as he stormed towards her.

“Mr Borgh-“ He yanked open the door. The hinges squealed in protest. 

“You’re not hurt?” He loomed over her, his eyes scraping her from top to toe. Ester used this time to study his face once more, inching over each perfect plane. 

She shook her head slowly. 

“What the hell are you doing here? This is private property!” Anger smothered his words, snuffing out any relief Ester felt at his presence. Ester opened her mouth, but she was still suffering the whiplash from his mood change. The silence stretched before he spoke again: “Leave. Now.” 

He went to slam the door, but Ester kicked her foot out to stop it, without him noticing as he turned to leave.

“Wait,” She jumped down from the cab “I came to give your stitches a check-up.” 

He turned back to her, an incredulous expression painted across his features. 

“My stitches? My stitches are fine. Now leave, before I call the police”

Ester’s temper snapped. “Look – I’ve just spent around an hour trying to get here – on the wrong side of the road, in a borrowed truck which had no radio, and this is my first day off. I apologise that I have encroached on your property, however if you had simply come into the surgery this wouldn’t have been an issue.”

He was silence for a moment, and slowly he raised an eyebrow. Ester’s pulse gave a jerk, heat rose to her cheeks and she decided to look away from him.

“…And you do this for all patients that have missed their appointments Ester?” He murmured quietly. Ester’s graze snapped back to his, just catching a glimpse of the almost smirk stuck there, until he hid it. Her cheeks now felt radioactive. Her name of his lips did strange things to her insides. 

“Well, will you let me look?” She asked after a few moments of quietness. His eyes roved the trees either side. Eventually he exhaled loudly and walked toward her. 

“Get in” he commanded. She scurried around to the driver’s side, but he followed. Once she was in, he nudged her over and muttered. “I’m driving.”

She clipped on her seat belt, whilst he dove his hand beneath him. He plucked a prescription bottle underneath his jeans. Ester’s prescription bottle. His frown deepened as he scanned the sticker upon it.

She finally looked at him, gasped and scrabbled to rip it from his grasp, stuffing them into her coat pocket. That was the last thing Ester wanted him aware of. 

Heat tickled like pins and needles where their fingers had collided. 

The temperature in the cab felt balmy. The space between their shoulders and arms too close. That space seemed to tingle. Ester could see the muscles at his jaw pulsing as he stared ahead.

They drove without a word. He was a fast driver, and the truck screeched and juddered up the path for another mile. He suddenly, without warning, veered off to the left. Ester held onto the handle for dear life. The new road was more of a dirt track. The pines were a hair’s breadth from the car wingmirrors. 

The light was eaten up more by the trees despite the time. Ester was beginning to worry – Penny was in her head telling her this was a kidnap. She’d have been yanking on the handbrake by now, after plotting her escape. 

Just as that thought rolled into Ester’s head however a small clearing came into view and Luca slowed. 

A quaint little log cabin, with a stone roof was wedged into the clearing. A large porch stood at the front. A little light managed to squeeze itself out from the forest. 

“Wait for me to open the door.” He murmured. Ester decided not to comply, but he was at her door in an instant. Hand on her lower back, he directed her into the cottage. The warmth from his hand spread out like sunshine across her spine. His eyes restlessly searching between the trees.

What was it he was looking for? More wolves? Enemy drug’s cartel? Witches? 

“Stay there. Don’t move.” He deposits her and her bag, at the front door, whilst he searched rocks near the porch. A moment later he’s stuffing the key into the lock and shoving her unceremoniously into the dark.  

Dust lingered in the air. It’d been a while since anyone has been here. Luca went over to the windows and one by one yanked the curtains together. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust before he began turning on lamps and lights. 

Everything within was beautiful – the floors painted white, furniture plush and cosy looking. Chabby chic Penny would have called it. 

“This isn’t your house?” Ester asked quietly. He was a flurry of activity walking in and out of rooms, before coming back into the kitchen/living room. 

He shook his head – the muscle at his jaw still jumping. His fists clenched. He gestured for her to sit at a circular wooden table by the window. He fetched a glass of water, putting it down in front of her. 

Then, he sat the other side of the table, staring at her. 

“What is it you’re frightened of?”

He flinched slightly. His response never came. 

“Let’s get this over with.” He murmured and pulled his top over his head, revealing his flawlessly carved abdomen, and… 

Ester inhales. She pushed back her chair and reached out. 

He winced as her fingertips make contact but didn’t recoil. The heat flared up once more. But Ester could not stop looking at the miracle beneath her palms.

She ripped open the curtains by their table to check her eyes weren’t deceiving her. 

Her hand went back to his chest. His pectoral muscles were unscathed. Almost. His wound was completely healed. The stitches still in, but it was now just a thin, pinkish scar, running across his right pectoral. His chest was perfect once more, like the chest of an athlete.  

“How…?”

“I’m a fast healer” He mumbled. She could feel his heartbeat beneath his skin. A number of thoughts flittered through Ester’s mind. Steroids? No, it couldn’t work for a surface wound, and not that fast. Testosterone? Again, not that fast. 

She quickly took his wrist, pressing her fingers to the pulse. He frowns at her but again, doesn’t pull away. 

“What is it?” 

She just shakes her head. 

After washing her hands, and rolling on her gloves, she sat in front of him, pulling her medical bag towards her. 

“Why did you come here Ester?” He asks, meticulously watching her. Watching every move. Watching every breath. Watching every thought trickle across her face. 

“To check your stitches”, she refused to hold his gaze. 

Her hands fumbled slightly, but she made quick work of the stitches. All but one removed. 

He suddenly covered her hands with his, making her look up into his face. “I don’t believe you. But whatever the reason, you must promise to never come here again.” His words and expression were heavy.  

“Why?”

“Don’t make me beg Ester” His voice is strained. Another tremor raced down her spine and she shivered. 

“What are you scared of?”

He frowned “This is not… I am not the kind of person you should be around.”

“So, I’ve been told” she mumbled. 

He raised a brow once more, “And they’re wise to warn you.”

“You don’t seem very scary to me.”

His eyes softened, he smiled lightly, “You don’t know me Ester.”

“But what if I –“, she stopped herself. Her heart was thrumming. Her head was light. 

She broke their gaze. He dropped their hands smoothly. Quickly, she snipped the last stitch, pulling it free. 

He didn’t want her here. 

She peeled off the gloves. Without thinking she ran her hand over the faint scar. He started again. This time Ester didn’t jump and the tingles of heat beneath her hand. She listened to his breathing, the feel his heart beating.

His eyes closed, as he focused on to her touch. 

“What is it?” She wondered aloud, almost inaudibly, now running her hand across his shoulder and down his bicep. His eyes open slowly, sleepily. 

“Ester, stop.” he exhaled gently. She stilled. 

“You do feel it, don’t you?” she repeated again.

He seemed to mentally shake himself. The imitate atmosphere beginning to crumble. His soft expression ebbed away, until he stood, tearing her grip away. “No” he replied quietly. 

He walked off into one of the rooms at the back.

Ester looked down as her eyes stung.

He’s lying.The voice murmured. Ester was surprised by her intrusion. 

She brushed the one escaped tear off her face, feeling childish, and snorted at the irony of it all. A voice in her head telling her someone else was lying…

“What do you know.” Ester murmured to herself inaudibly.

I know that he has a voice in his head too, just like you. 

Ester shook her head. “And how would you know that?”

Because I can feel him.

Ester snorted again “Hmm, are your Spidey senses tingling then?”

Luca cleared his throat at the threshold, making Ester jump. She wouldn’t know he’d been there, watching, for a handful of moments, watching her with curiosity. 

Ester could now see he’d put a t-shirt one. His hair was damp as if he’s splashed water on his face – maybe he had. 

“Come on, I’ll take you back.”

She nodded in reply, too embarrassed to verbalise anything. 

He plucked her medicine bag from the table and sauntered to the front door. He waited a moment at the door, his eyes, once more, thrashing in every direction. 

Ester knew he was looking, checking on something. But she no longer had the mental space to wonder what. 

He gave a sharp nod when he was happy, locked the door and lead Ester to the pick-up. He jumped behind the driver’s side again. 

He pushed on the radio casing, exposing the tangle of wires behind. For a moment he shoved and pulled and the knotted mess. He pressed the casing back in place and music floated lazily into the cab. 

Ester smiled up at him “Thank you.”

His smile was softer, more discreet than hers, but it was there. “You’re welcome” He held her eyes for a moment longer before starting the truck. 

They drove without conversation, the music wafting between them soothingly. When he got to the bottom of the lane, where it joined the rain road back to town Ester readied herself to let him out and drive herself. But he didn’t stop, and she didn’t say a word.

The atmosphere was calm, the static she felt near him was still there, but she slowly chose to tune it out. 

Luca drove slowly this time. Ester opened the window and let her hand play with the breeze.  Something about this time together felt final. 

Ester knew now, beyond all certainty, that she felt something for this man next to her. She was unsure how that was possible; she’d only met him three times, and yet she felt palpably drawn to him. He invaded most of her thoughts and all of her nightly dreams. She felt a connection that she didn’t understand and couldn’t ignore. 

Ester also knew now, beyond all certainty, that nothing would happen between them. Luca was kind despite his reputation, but the feelings weren’t reciprocated. She felt like a girl with a hopeless high school crush. She signed to herself. 

And besides that, most regrettable of all was that she knew she was becoming ill again. She felt herself fraying at the edges, the lack of sleep, conversations with the voice, imagining heat on her skin, wolves in her back garden.

However, she faced this revelation with calm attention. 

A few times Luca looked across at her unsuspectingly, delicately waving her hand out the window to the slow rhythm of the music. Wisps of her pale blonde hair dancing back and forth in the wind. Streaks of gold gently glinting. She eyes focused on nothing, deep in thought. He wondered what could so dominate her mind. He wished, not for the first time, he could look inside just for a moment. He wished he could solve the problem she was currently considering. 

It was the late afternoon when the truck rumbled up outside Ester’s cabin. Ester unclipped herself and turned to thank him. 

Before she could his smell invaded her senses, evergreens, musk and something else. He learned over her, she lifted her face to meet his eyes. 

Her pulse jumped. Her head felt light. 

His dark eyes were trained on her blue ones. 

His hand reached out held the tip of her chin. Warmth spread through her face. 

And without a second to consider what was happening, his lips were on hers. 

Soft and full they moved against her own slowly. A low moan escaping her mouth. His spare hand curled around the small of her back, pulling her deeper. 

Fire stoked inside Ester. Goosebumps erupted. Hairs raised. Tremors skittered down her spine. His tongue brushed against hers lightly, before he pulled away. 

His hand retreated from her back, but his fingers on her chin remained for a moment longer. His breathing was ragged, like her own. Perspiration beaded across his hairline. 

“Goodbye Ester” He muffled. His voice thick and hoarse. He dipped into her for a generous peck, before pulling away completely and leaving the truck door open wide. 

Ester’s head spun. She brought her hands to her lips in memory. She looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

How would he get home?

In a daze she walked through the cabin and into the garden, slinging herself into a garden chair. 

Luca’s actions replaying over and over in her head. The feel on his hand on her back, the taste of his kiss. The sound of his breathing. The thought of it bringing colour to her cheeks once more. 

She’s not sure how long she sat there for. The sun stretched itself across the lawn, fanning through each blade of grass before retreating slowly, chased by the moon. Ester finally snapped out of her reprieve to notice it was night time. 

She stretched in her chair and slowly stood, her limbs feeling like lead. She turned towards the house, head ready for the pillow. 

Snap. 

She turned back. 

There, on her side of the garden, sat her wolf. His black fur aglow in the moonlight.