His Oblivious Mate

Chapter 3 : The Run Away Wolf

Cassandra pressed her cold nose on Cathy's cheek. She laughed mentally as Cathy shot upright in bed, looking around bewildered, her hair wild around her face. "Not a morning person then" Cass thought to herself. Cathy looked at her. "How are you Girl? Do you need to go outside?" she asked. Cass yipped. She pretended to limp and went down to the door. Her plan was to get out and then run off before Cathy had the chance to check her paw and saw that it was healed. There was no logical explanation anyone could offer for a wound healing overnight.

Cathy quickly pulled on her slipper boots. She went downstairs to where the wolf was waiting at the door. "Good girl, let me open for you. Don't wander off too far, I need to check your wound" she spoke to Cass. She opened the door, noticing that it snowed during the night, transforming the world outside into a winter wonderland.

Cassandra limped outside and headed towards the line of trees. When she reached the trees, she took off. Cathy called after her, but she kept running. In her peripheral vision she could see Duncan running parallel to her between the trees. They ran as if the devil himself was chasing them, instead of the strawberry blonde, green eyed girl.

Cathy ran after her, but soon lost sight of her, as the wolf was a lot faster than she was. She slowed down to a jog, following the footprints in the snow. She lost track of how far she went, and realised she was dressed in only her unicorn pajamas and slippers. The cold forced her to turn around and head back to the cabin.

She got back to the cabin and took a hot shower to warm up her cold body. She was not willing to give up on Girl, as she named her furry visitor in her mind. She was genuinely worried about her. So she dressed warmly, this time putting on her beanie.

"Hang in there Girl, I will find you" she spoke into the empty cabin. She packed a thermos with coffee and the first aid kit into her backpack. As an afterthought she added a can of pepperspray. Then she headed back into the wood. Luckily it hasn't started snowing again, and she could still follow the footprints. Walking at a brisk pace, she was determined to find Girl and make sure she is allright.

While she was trekking through the woods, Cassandra and Duncan arrived back at the pack house. They went behind the trees and shifted back to human form. Duncan pulled on a pair of random PT shorts hidden in the roots of the tree. He emerged from the treeline, waiting for Cassandra to join him. She came out not long after, and he pulled her into a hug. "I was really worried about you" he whispered against her hair. She was the only family he had left after their parents were killed in a rogue attack when they were little pups. " I was never in any danger. I was patrolling and stepped onto that stupid bear trap. A momento left behind by old man Johnson. I was going to shift and free myself, but then the woman found me. And she is about as dangerous as a newborn kitten" Cassandra answered, pulling away from him. They walked into packhouse and the kitchen, to eat breakfast.

"Good morning Owen" Duncan greeted the only other person in the kitchen. Owen acknowledged the greeting with a nod. He was a large man with strong arms and sharp eyes. He was an owl shifter, and only ever spoke when he deemed it necessary. Usually shifters did not wander into other shifter territories, but ever since the Alpha, Caleb, took over, he gave refuge to different species of shifters. And they all got along splendidly. Which is a miracle in itself.

"I wonder what happened to old man Johnson?" Duncan said, in between bites of his pancake. "I wondered the same thing last night. I didn't pick up any trace of him during my patrols, and the cabin only carried the scent of the woman, Cathy" Cass answered while dishing up bacon and mushrooms over her toast. "When is Alpha Caleb returning?" she questioned her brother. "The Alpha Summit finishes within the next two weeks" he answered. She looked pensive for a bit, and then confessed "I feel bad for just running off like that. Cathy did not deserve that". Duncan dropped his fork and his eyebrow arched almost off his face. "What? My strong, warrior wolf sister that never cared what others think, is suddenly worried about the feelings of a mere human woman?" he questioned. "Well, that mere human woman fought back her fear and instinct to help what she thought was a defenseless, trapped creature. She took care of my wound and she gave me raw steak. When last did anyone give you raw steak, bro? Raw steak is life!" she retorted. Duncan laughed and said "If I knew you loved raw steak that much whilst growing up, I would have bribed you to do my homework and chores". Cass just punched him playfully on the shoulder and he grabbed it with an exaggerated groan.

They finished eating, and then went their seperate ways to shower and get ready for the day. They met up again in Duncan's office to work through pack papers, when his eyes turned grey and glazed over. Cass knew he received a mindlink and looked at him expectantly. He told her "It seems like we underestimated your mere human friend. She is here on the territory". They went outside, and soon they saw Cathy marching out of the treeline. She saw them and approached them. "Excuse me, did you perhaps see a large grey she-wolf? I followed her tracks, but they disappeared just behind the treeline" she asked, glancing around to see if she could spot the wolf. "Good morning, I am Cassandra, and this is my brother Duncan. We have not seen any wolves recently, but there is a pack of wolves living in the vicinity. They are very elusive though. Why are you looking for the wolf?" Cass asked, holding out her hand to Cathy. Cathy blushed a deep red, took the offered hand and said "please

pardon my bad manners. I am Catherine, but you can call me Cathy. I rescued the wolf from a bear trap yesterday and she had an injury to her hind leg. This morning she ran off. I want to find her to make sure that the wound isn't infected, otherwise I wont get any sleep tonight". Duncan and Cass glanced at each other and then he said to Cathy "Wolves are rarely solitary creatures. She probably made it back to her pack, and they will care for her until she is healed". He felt bad about having to lie to Cathy. She had an open and honest face, and he could not help but like her. He understood why Cass felt bad about running away. Cathy looked like she was about to burst into tears, and asked "Are you sure she will be allright?". The siblings answered at the same time "We are one hundred percent positive". This seemed to reassure Cathy a little. Cass asked "Would you like to join us for a cup of coffee, or tea?". Cathy accepted the offer, and walked with them to the packhouse.