The Moonlit Heiress

Chapter 4: The Wolf Within.

The only sound in the diner was the quiet hum of clattering silverware onto formica and the steady heartbeat of Clara's chest against her chest. The shadows alive, reaching, twisting in pale light given off from streetlamps. Her breath misted fine upon the cool pane as she leaned hard forward, angling to catch Alex outside in the dark.

There he was, all grace like a predator, shivering his spine. His suit jacket was off, shirt sleeves rolled up, almost as if bracing for a fight. Yet it wasn't his movements that unsettled her; it was as if the very air around him hummed with some kind of energy, charged tension before a storm.

Alex." she whispered, shaking.

He stepped into the glowing gaze. The darkness parted, and Clara gasped. A tremendous wolf unfolded from the gloom and out into the clear night air-the black fur smudging into a black silhouette in the darkness-much larger than a regular wolf, his taut muscles clenched under its chunky fur, his yellow gaze fixed intently on Alex; his lips rose, showing flashing canine.

Clara recoiled from the window, her heart pounding in her ears. This can't be happening. It just couldn't be real.

And yet it was. Every single fiber in her body yelled for her to run, to hide, but she could not wrench her gaze away. Alex didn't retreat as the wolf approached; his face was impassive, almost resigned.

Then the unthinkable happened: Alex began to change.

First, his posture shifted and the muscles of his body flexed; then his hands closed into claws, the fingernails lengthening to sharp pointed tips. Distorted, his face showed teeth bared as the jaw extended forward. The body contorted further, melting away from a humanoid form into fur sprouting up the arms and across the chest. Mesmerizing and yet awful, this glimpse into a world Clara had never imagined.

He rose on four legs when he finished, his wolf towering even bigger than the one across from him. Eyes of an otherworldly emerald shone right through the gray of the air.

Clara's legs buckled, and she collapsed into the booth, her hands white-knuckled on the edge of the table. Her mind fought desperately to grasp this scene in front of her, but nothing would compute.

Alex is a wolf?

The two wolves circled each other, their low growls rumbling through the air as every movement in that space was calculated. In an instant, the black wolf sprang forward.

The impact was deafening, the sound of snapping jaws and tearing claws. They tumbled across the street, a blur of fur and teeth; the snarls shook Clara to her soul. She wanted to look away, to close her eyes and pretend this wasn't happening, but something seemed to hold her in place.

She also turned her gaze to Alex, who moved with fluid, feral grace. There was a precision in his blows –an almost made violence amidst the mayhem speaking volumes about the power behind them. He wasn't fighting–he was protecting. And at that moment, Clara knew he wasn't defending himself. He was defending her.

This fight with Alex had taken an eternity, though in real life, it shouldn't have passed more than a few minutes, but finally, the guttural roar sprang the wolf onto the wet earth with jaws snapped centimeters from his neck, and the whimpering and writhing wolf grew soft.

A low growl rumbled in Alex's throat, a warning that needed no translation. Slowly, grudgingly, the black wolf stilled. With one final snarl, Alex let it go, stepping back as it struggled to its feet. The defeated wolf cast one last look in Clara's direction, yellow eyes shining bright with something she could not quite explain–anger? Fear? Recognition?–then wheeled and vanished into darkness.

Alex turned back into a human almost as fast as he had into a wolf. Clara looked away, her face bright red-hot from the sight of him shirtless and skin shining with beads of sweat. The man went toward the diner, walking firmly though his features showed exhaustion.

The moment they were inside, Clara found her voice.

"What the hell was that?" she asked, tumbling the words out in a rush. "What are you? What's going on? And what was that thing?"

Alex held up his hand, a tired look in his eyes. "One question at a time.”

"No!" she spat, surging to her feet and jabbing a finger in his direction. "You don't get to play the mysterious protector anymore. I just watched you turn into a—" She broke off, her breath catching. "Into a wolf."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I told you things weren't as they seemed."

"That's no explanation!" she shouted, and instantly her voice cracked. "I have the right to an explanation, Alex. You owe me at least that."

He cringed, and guilt sparkled across his features in that fleeting moment. "You're right," he whispered. "You do. But not here. Not now."

Clara stared into his face, her chest lead-weighted with frustration. "Then when?”

"When it's safe," he said, and there was a hint of resolution in his tone. "You gotta trust me, Clara. There's so much at stake here that you could even imagine.”

She wished she could scream–just demand that he already tell her. But then again, one look in those eyes, and it was a different ball game altogether. So raw, yet so vulnerable was the look therein that made her break.

"Why me?" she whispered, and a cold shiver traced her spine. "Why does it have to happen to me?"

Alex stepped a bit further into the room; his eyes locked on hers. "Because you aren't just Clara James. You're something more, something dangerous. And like it or not, you're deep in the midst of things. I understand." he murmured. "But you're out of choices."

Before Clara couldn't say anything, the diner's phone jangled through the tense shrill silence. She jumped, her heart racing, staring at it.

Alex moved to answer, his face hard as he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" he said, his voice guarded.

A pause. Then his jaw clamped, and his eyes blazed perilously.

"No, she's not. And if you come near her, you'll regret it.”

He slammed the phone down and his hands balled into fists.

"We have to go," he said in that low, urgent tone. "Now."

"Why? What is going on?" Clara asked as fear squeezed her chest.

"They know where you are," Alex said with a grim face. "And they're coming.”