My Werewolf Guardian

The Past pt 7: The Discovery

=Claudia=

We came to an abandoned building on the edge of town. It was far from fancy and it screamed “I’m definitely going to kill you and no one will find you.” Some of the walls were even crumbling down with the second story barely still up. 

“Why are we here?” I finished looking around ready for him to finally snap and kill me. 

He took off his jacket hanging it on an exposed beam as he rolled up his sleeves. The way he circled me made me think I was a rabbit getting ready to meet my end. Then a feeling bubbled up in my gut. When he got closer my attitude changed. Suddenly my new roommate wasn’t going to sit down and behave. If he was going to try to intimidate me I wasn’t going to take it lying down. 

“I asked you a question Niven.” I growled. 

“I know.” He nodded cracking a smile in my direction as he kicked off his shoes. 

“If you could stop undressing yourself.” I put my hands on my hips but he continued to ignore me. I was getting angry but honestly a part of me wanted to see where this was headed, “Mr. Niven!” I exclaimed as he propped himself up against a pile of rubble. “Are you going to answer my question?”

“I could.” He nodded, still looking me up and down. 

“Then answer me!” I yelled, stomping my foot on the ground. 

His smile cracked even wider. Pushing himself off the rubble he rushed over to me, “Look inside, little wolf.” he whispered brushing my cheek with the back of his hand, “what is she telling you?”

“She?” I looked behind me thinking someone else was here, “Who is this she you’re talking about?”

“When you touched me Claudia it awakened something in you.” 

Was he talking about that new part of my mind? How did he know about it? “Apparently it awakened something in you too.” I took note of his hand resting on my shoulder. I don’t know if I would ever get used to the amount of touching that was going on. Every moment we were together he looked for a way to touch me now. Did this have something to do with being an unnatural child?

“Can you look me in the eye?” His hand guided my face to his. “Just look little wolf. Tell me what you feel when you look in my eyes.”

Before I settled into his gaze I rolled my eyes. If he wanted me to have some kind of realization I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to realize. His eyes were a fantastic gold shining like little candles in the night. They drew me in as I saw a dark forest in his mind. Then I remembered, “Niven.” I whispered.

“What do you feel?” He asked again.

“I feel lost, but I’m not alone.”

“Who is with you?”

Who? What an odd question, Niven was there. I looked to both my sides but no one was there, maybe Niven wasn’t the one with me. 

“You’re not in a forest.” He said again. “You’re in your own house, suddenly there’s a new room next to your’s.”

I closed my eyes and saw it, the forest was his. My own space was my house. I was in my room. Honestly, I preferred the forest. Something familiar was there, something I knew and loved was waiting for me there, why did I have to be in my room? 

“Don’t run from it.” his whispering opened the door to my room where I walked outside to the long hallway. There was a new room there right across the hall. It was shut tight. Beneath the door I could see a shadow moving with heavy footprints claiming where the occupant was. 

“What’s happening?” I looked around wanting someone with me, but Niven’s touch was gone. “Niven?” I opened my eyes looking at a large while wolf. 

“Close your eyes.” He growled but not out loud, his voice sounded in my mind. 

I closed them again but there was another piece of me that wanted to look at him still. He was a magnificent wolf and I had never appreciated it before. He rested his forehead on mine and the warmth of his touch guided me back to that hallway. 

“Open it.” I looked to my side. Niven was standing there holding my hand. Something was different, he wasn’t Niven my bodyguard. He was Niven the werewolf guiding me to a self discovery. 

I opened my eyes, turning away from him. I saw his clothes neatly folded to the side. He was something special, but this something special was wanting my life to change. 

“What’s wrong?” That voice in my head commanded my attention and no matter what I did I couldn’t get it out. 

I couldn’t tell him I was worried and scared. This extra person in my head was getting bolder. She needed to stay in her room until I was ready. No one else needed to tell me when that was.

“Excuse me!” We both turned to see a young boy dressed in a three piece suit. It was well fitted and his shining shoes clicked against the pavement as he walked. “I’m looking for Claudia Howell?” 

Niven’s white wolf growled as he got between me and the boy. He was plae, skinny and I knew the warning signs of a vampire’s blood donor. Niven also knew and wasn’t about to let him get any closer. 

“My apologies.” He bowed stopping before the wolf felt the need to take action, “I was asked to come here by my patron Devereaux.” 

That name was enough to send Niven into a rage. He bounced forward but somehow I was quicker and jumped to the boy’s defense. A massive paw with long nails hovered over my head. As terrified as I was my roommate was ready to fight him. “If you lay one hair on that boy,” I growled, “You will regret it.” 

He could feel my warning rumbling and resonating deep inside him. I wanted him to listen to me, he needed him to know I was not a pushover. 

“Pardon me,” the boy tapped my shoulder, “I really don’t want to get between two werewolves, I just have to deliver this to Claudia Howell.”

“Excuse you?” I turned to the boy who was clearly over the line, “I am not a werewolf you pin cushion.”

“Oh,” The boy nodded looking past me to Niven, “Sorry, you just turned her? Well I’m clearly in the wrong place. I’ll just be going.”

I snapped around grabbing the boy by the shoulder, “I’m Claudia, what do you want?”

He looked me up and down not believing what I said, “I honestly need to just deliver this to Claudia. I do apologize, but it has to be to her only.”

“Oh give it to her you dunga.” Niven yelled, finally getting back to his human form and grabbing his clothes, “That is Claudia.” He seemed frustrated by something and I knew better than to turn around to see him naked. 

“You’re Claudia?” The boy said again, still not believing us, “I’m so sorry miss. I was told Claudia was a human.” he reached into his coat pulling out a piece of paper, “Lady Katherine and Monsieur Devereaux extend their happiness to you about leaving for the academy. If you would kindly accept this letter from Lady Katherine I will be on my way.” 

“I am a human you you-” Words escaped me, I was fuming. This child was trying to assume some situation was happening when it wasn’t. “Give me that!” I swiped the letter out of his hand and he bowed leaving quickly. 

Niven walked up behind me swiping the note out of my hand before I could open it. 

“Give that back!” I stomped after him but he didn’t care.

“It’s from vampires.” 

“My sister.” I corrected.

“Who knew where we were.” He answered again and before I could retort he continued again, “I am still your guardian little wolf. Vampire contraband is forbidden by my alpha.”

I growled and then thought back to what that boy said. I was upset he was calling my father his alpha. Anytime he challenged me I was ready to fight back. This new person in my mind caused me to act out, shout things, and feel some kind of emotional connection with Niven. I had been raised in the pack, my father welcomed many new members through the years. They all acted this way after they were turned, it was a connection that caused us to gain a new housemate for a few weeks until they gained a bit more self control. 

“Am I a werewolf Niven?” 

He looked back at me as if I was arriving late to a party, but thankful I had arrived. “I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.” 

“Oh my god!” I fell to the ground, “Niven you turned me into a werewolf?”

He rushed back up to me kneeling beside me, “I swear I did not turn you. My Elska, I would never do that to you.”

“Wait a minute.” My roommate was my wolf? She was trying to claw her way out of her cage. “Last night, you did turn me!” I cowered away from him but my wolf wanted to stay close. This connection was going to be difficult, at least I still had some self awareness. 

“Only alphas are able to turn people.” He collapsed forward onto his hands as he crawled after me, “Please, I promise I didn’t change you.”

“Well I certainly didn’t just wake up this way!” 

He nodded toward me like I had just bypassed the answer, “Well you certainly weren’t like this before I touched you.” 

“My father!” I gasped and covered my mouth, “Oh my god he’s going to kill you!”

“I didn’t do it!” He exclaimed again, “He also didn’t seem to notice.” that time was more calm. 

“Did you notice?” I looked at him, if he really didn’t turn me when did he find out I was a werewolf. 

“We woke up together naked,” he looked at me unamused, “But yes, my wolf filled me in on the details.”

“Oh god you did turn me last night!” I stumbled to my feet, “You accidentally turned me, okay I get it. I’ll keep quiet about it, just-” In that spare room I could feel the door being tested. There was scratching and clawing. I was doing something wrong, something very very wrong. “Niven.” I turned back to him collapsing to the ground.

“Claudia!” I ran after me, there was a calming in my mind when he touched me. I felt like I was complete with him beside me. 

“What did you do to me?” I looked up at him, his eyes calling me in. 

That forest was more welcoming than my house. Something smooth and tranquil about the woods at night, there were no stars, no moon, nothing to sway Niven. His wolf was at home here, he was free. 

“You can’t keep her locked away.” The white wolf appeared to me again circling me like I wasn’t meant to be here. 

“I’ve tried to be understanding, but you brought this on yourself.” He lunged forward but was stopped by Niven holding his hand up from behind me. 

“He’s mad at you.” Niven bent down whispering in my ear, “He thinks you're taking his mate away from him on purpose.”

I looked back to Niven his strong muscles keeping me safe from that towering bear of a wolf. “I didn’t take anything from him.”

“You are.” He turned me around, “That’s why I’m trying to help you. You can’t be introduced like normal. This is completely different to anything we have ever done. It’s reminiscent of the old ways.” His other hand moved around to my waist holding me against him.

“Her wolf is made for mine.” The white wolf grumbled, “She’s keeping us apart.”

“She’s new!” Niven called back, “Give her time you monster!”

I looked up at him confused about how he could talk to himself this way. 

“I’ve been more than accommodating to you boy!” The wolf spat, “You refuse to be alpha, but it’s no longer possible.”

He knew he was an alpha? “If you knew you were an alpha why did you stay with my father’s pack?” The thought of him calling my father alpha sickened me, I knew it was wrong, but my wolf knew it was a direct insult to himself. 

“Because of you!” The wolf yelled.

Pushing away from Niven, I stomped toward the wolf. “How dare you!”

“Claudia.” Niven leaned forward trying to grab me, “You shouldn’t get upset at him right now.”

“No let the bitch.” the wolf growled amused. 

I wasn’t amused the slightest at the insult and force myself out of the forest back to my own house. “Okay listen,” I called through the door, “if I let you out will you teach that f*****g wolf a lesson?”

“I heard everything.” she growled ready to show him some manners. I pushed as hard as I could on the door as every fiber of my being stretched like a thin film until a tiny rip caused my humanity to be stripped away. 

I felt my body turning into something bigger, something that wanted to tear through a large crowd of people to show my power. My wolf was ready to teach respect.

“Claudia!” I saw Niven through the window of my house, he was bowing his head ready to give in to whatever demons my wolf had, but she was wanting his wolf. With another growl I could feel the raw strength and commanding presence she had. His wolf was scratching away at him wanting to be set free. I saw him clawing at his own chest pounding his fists against the earth until the shift took over.