The Ignored Wolf

Break In-1

Louise

I’m in his bed, the weight of him pinning me down, his sweat slick against my skin. His lips are ghosting over my ear, murmuring filthy things that set my blood on fire, his fingers trailing sparks across every inch of me.

I’m right there. I’m on the edge. That dizzying, familiar pull is coiling in my gut, radiating outward until my whole body is humming. I arch into him, nails digging into the hard muscle of his back, my mouth opening to scream his name—

And then I snap awake.

The feeling is still there, suspended, like a wire pulled too tight that suddenly snaps. I’m shaking, my skin still burning, my head full of Elias. His gaze, his voice, his touch…

I roll over and bury my face in the pillow. "Moon Goddess, help me," I groan. This is so embarrassing. Who has a wet dream and wakes up right before the best part? I’m already regretting leaving. I should’ve stayed. I should’ve gone for round two with Elias. Amy was right. I should’ve called out of work. How am I supposed to work tomorrow? I may not be able to think straight.

I reach out and grab my phone off the nightstand. The screen blurs my vision for a second. 3:17 AM. I’ve been out for less than two hours. Then I see the notifications. Over thirty missed calls. All from the same number. Charlie.

My heart skips a beat. My first instinct is to call back, but I realize how late it is. He’s probably passed out. I hesitate, then tap the voicemails.

"Louise, where are you? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. Just come back, okay?"

"Louise, please, pick up. I know I’m a prick, you can hit me, scream at me, whatever—just don’t freeze me out."

"I’m really worried about you. Where can you even go alone? It’s late, if something happens..."

I listen to five of them, each one sounding more desperate and pathetic than the last, before I shut it off.

Three days ago, I would’ve been moved to tears. I would’ve replayed these clips until I memorized his tone. I used to save his apology messages to my laptop like they were treasures, something to soothe me when I felt lonely but didn't want to bother him. Every time we fought, I’d try to delete them, only to drag them back out of the trash bin an hour later. Pathetic, I know.

But now I don't even have the patience to hear him out.

The only message I’m actually waiting for is from Elias. But I know that’s not happening. I never gave him my number or my address. I thought about accidentally leaving my contact info behind, but it felt too awkward. He didn’t ask for it, and my pride wouldn't let me force it on him. To him, I’m probably just another one-night stand. A face that fades when the sun comes up.

I bite my lip, overthinking. Was I bad in bed? Was I too tense, too inexperienced? Maybe he thinks I'm boring. Maybe—

A sudden knock at the door nearly makes me jump out of my skin.

Who the hell is knocking at three in the morning? Is it Charlie? I stumble out of bed, barefoot, and peer through the peephole.

It’s not Charlie. A scrawny shadow is standing in the hall, his face ghostly pale. He’s wearing ragged clothes, covered in grime like he’s been rolling in a dumpster. It takes me a few seconds to recognize him. The kid from the movies, the one I sat with when Charlie stood me up.

I haven't seen him since. I c***k the door open, and he lunges inside, nearly knocking me over.

"Close it!" he hisses, his entire body shivering with fear. "Lock it, quick!"

I lock the door, my brain still foggy with sleep. "What's going on? How did you find my—"

"You gave me your address," he pants, his eyes wide and wild. "You said if I was ever in a jam, I could come here. Did you mean it?"

I freeze. I don't remember saying that. Maybe I said it in passing because I felt sorry for him? I say things like that all the time, but nobody ever takes me up on it.

"Of course I meant it," I say. "What happened?"

"I..." He swallows hard, his lips trembling. "I boosted some of the boss's stash. Flipped it. They caught me. Raji says he’s gonna snap my legs."

Before I can ask more, a heavy pounding starts on the door next door. Someone is going door-to-door, interrogating the neighbors. The knocking gets closer. I hear Mrs. Hans, my sixty-year-old neighbor, is screaming. "Are you moron?! Who bangs on doors in the middle of the night?!"

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I am looking for a brat. Move aside so I can toss the place."

"Hey! You can’t just barge into my—" Her protest stops dead. I'm guessing she realized she couldn't stop him.

The boy’s eyes go wide. He starts for the balcony. I grab him before he can jump. "Are you crazy?" I hiss. "You'll break your neck."

"Where else am I gonna go?" he asks, breathless.

The knock hits my door.

He goes rigid. I point under the bed. "Under. Now. Don't make a sound."

He scrambles under the frame. I take a deep breath, tugging at the collar of my robe to make it look like I just rolled out of bed. I pull the door open, scowling. "What’s with the noise at this hour?"

"Exactly what I said," Mrs. Hans grumbles from the hallway.

The man looks back at her once, and she bolts back into her apartment, slamming the door. He turns his gaze to me. He narrows his eyes, then a slow, nasty grin spreads across his face.

"Yo," he says, his eyes traveling from my face to my throat and further down. "Ain't you Charlie’s little side-piece?"

I stare at him, recognizing him now. He’s the Alpha from the bar who whistled at me when I went to pick up Charlie. I want to tell him Charlie isn't my boyfriend, but I figure he might be more polite if he thinks I belong to someone so I don't correct him. "What do you want?"

"Looking for someone." He peers over my shoulder into the room. "A little rat who stole from my boss. Seen him?"

"No." I fake a yawn. "I was asleep until you started the riot."

"Asleep?" he repeats, his grin widening. "All by your lonesome? Where's Charlie? Drunk again?"

"None of your business." I take a step back, my hand on the door. "If that’s all, I’m going back to bed."

"What’s the rush?" He plants a heavy hand on the doorframe, blocking me. "Since you're up, why don't we have a little chat?"

"I don't want to chat. I want to sleep."

"I could tuck you in," he says, stepping forward and forcing his way into the room. I try to stop him, but he reaches out and yanks the silk belt of my robe. It falls loose, and I scramble to pull it shut.

He lets out a bark of laughter. "Damn, look at that. Why does a p***y like Charlie get a girl this fine?"

"Get out!" I say, my voice starting to shake.

He just laughs, grabs my wrist, and flings me toward the bed. My back hits the mattress, and before I can scramble away, he’s on top of me. One hand pins both my wrists above my head while the other starts tearing at my clothes.

"Let me go!" I scream, fighting with everything I have. I kick at him, scratch, my nails drawing bloody furrows down his cheek. He curses, and then slaps me so hard my vision goes black and my ears start ringing.

"Sit still." He’s breathing heavily, straddling me as he starts to undo his belt. "Forget Charlie. Come be my girl, sweetheart. I’ve wanted a taste since I saw you at the club. The boys all felt the same. Name’s Raji. What’s yours?"

"Leave her alone!" a muffled roar comes from under the bed.

Raji looks down and smirks. "Found you, little rat."

He lets go of me and reaches under. The boy screams, trying to scramble deeper into the shadows, but Raji catches him by the ankle and hauls him out like a sack of trash.

"No!" I lunged for him, grabbing his arm. "He’s just a kid!"

Raji shoves me back, dangling the boy by the collar with one hand while he pulls a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. Why the hell does he have those on him? He shackles the boy’s wrist to the heavy leg of my desk.

"Run now," Raji says, looking down at the shaking kid. "Go on, try it."

The boy is trembling so hard I can hear his teeth chattering. Tears are streaming down his face, but he’s biting his lip to stay quiet.

Raji kneels down, squeezing the boy’s jaw to force him to look up. "You ungrateful little bastard. The boss pulled you off the streets, and this is how you pay him back?"

"My grandma is sick!" the boy sobs. "I’ll pay him back, I swear!"

"And when’s that gonna be?" Raji sneers. "In five hundred years?"

"I don't know..."

"When you ran, I was thinking about how to make you remember the price of being a rat. Now I know." Raji pauses. "Maybe you need to watch another woman suffer because of you, just like your sister did. Then you’ll never run again."

"No! No, no! It’s my fault! She’s innocent, don’t touch her!" he screams in terror.

"This little b***h isn't innocent. She’s harboring a fugitive." Raji stands up, unbuttoning his shirt. "Take notes, kid. This is your fault."