A Lone Wolf

enigma

She sat, her eyes brimming with unshed tears for the fate of wolves she'd never met. So young, yet so full of empathy. She would have made a beautiful Luna.

For my part, I viewed my job as a necessary evil, something that had to be done though I took no joy in doing it.

I knew there were those at the guild who did enjoy it and perhaps intervened more than was strictly necessary. I could almost hear my own father preaching the superiority of the human race, that wolves and vampires needed to be put down like the pests they were.

I remembered how he would raise his belt after I asked questions.

" Isn't there anything to connect them?" A quiet voice broke through my memories.

"Connect them?" I asked, confused.

"You know, like a Wolfy Dating agency" she said.

I laughed at that.

"I don't even know how that would work lovely, your mate could be anywhere in the world!" I explained.

She looked dejected at that.

" Singles ads just wouldn't work sweetheart," I softened the blow, stroking her cheek "grey ancient spirit seeks fated lady..." It's unlikely now there's no big packs, I explained.

"There must be something" she screwed up her beautiful face. I felt my heart constrict. She had no idea how gorgeous she was, how much she glowed. I could feel her aura pushing out, yes, she was a leader without a pack .

The high from earlier wore off as I took her small body in my arms, her head pressed against my chest, stroking her hair.

" Take me home please," she whispered and my heart sank.

We dressed slowly and silently, her lost in thought, me in regret as I prepared for her to leave. I didn't want to let her go, I wanted her to stay where I could protect her. What if another hunter found her? What if she went into heat? There was just so much she still didn't know.

I stared at the telephone, before hurriedly finding a pen and pad, scribbling my number and shoving it in my pocket.

I turned to see her stood silent, staring at an envelope on the table.

In a heartbeat, I realised what she'd seen.

"Della, I...." She shook her head

"Home, now," she growled. Young wolves can be unpredictable but she was already strong. I just nodded and sighed.

This had yanked me back into the reality that she was still just a child,; which made me feel even worse about this whole thing. I knew what she saw on that envelope, it had arrived, an invitation to a guild event. "Adrian and Sarah" it had read.

I hadn't even opened it since I came back, nor did I intend on going.

I met Sarah when I was 19, not much older than my little wolf.

Fierce and beautiful, she had seemed like my perfect match but over time, her love for killing overtook all else, she had to have the highest guild kill rate and I just couldn't continue.

We were incompatible. She killed for pleasure and prestige, I killed out of necessity.

Still, there was no point in trying to explain, little wolf had already absorbed so much tonight.

My c**k twitched as I recalled how she had given herself completely to me but I yanked myself back into reality and grabbed my truck keys to take her home, a lingering expression of hurt in her gaze though she tried to hide it. At least she accepted my phone number.

The house had seemed empty for the first time when I returned, the smell of her still lingering sweet in the air, her tea cup still on the coffee table.

I fell into bed, grateful that I hadn't taken her up here, where her scent could torment me, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

I awoke cold, with a grunt, to open curtains, bright light and a cloying perfume in the air. I mentally swore before fully opening my eyes to a pair of slender, leather clad legs. f**k, what was she doing here?

"f**k!" I expostulated

"Rise and shine gorgeous, I'm here" she squawked happily with a voice that could curdle milk.

Yes, far too cheerful and confident.i thought to myself, not like the soft tones and gentleness of Delphine at all.

Sarah talked incessantly, even if I didn't answer, I've never known another woman capable of having totally one sided conversation; no input required.

I grunted and pulled myself up, grateful I'd fallen into bed fully clothed. Sarah still prattled on in the background as I left my room and stomped down to the kitchen, hitting my head on the low stairwell with a grunt for the umpteenth time.

"f**k!"

Damn this cottage and damn Elizabethan midgets in particular.

I put the kettle on the stove, grabbing my mug from last night and giving it a quick rinse before shoving a tea bag in and rubbing my eyes.

Sarah was chuntering away to nobody in particular as she stomped round. I could not be dealing with this today.

I counted to twenty, focused on my breathing, trying to calm myself to civility, desperately trying to align my chakras ; preferably before I seriously realigned Sarah's.

"Why does it smell of wolf in here?" She asked in that grating, high pitched drawl.

"Not your business Sarah," I shot back, "what are you doing here?"

"Mine's a white coffee two sugars," she grated; clearly taking hints was not on the docket for today.

"I didn't offer you coffee, Sarah," I grunted, " I asked why you were here? Why were you in my bedroom? Why did you just come in like you own the place?"

"Guild property remember" she smirked, "I can come and go as I please,"

"With the agreement of the resident I think you'll find," I pointed out.

"Well you agreed with me quite a few times as I recall," she purred, snaking her hand down over my backside.

I ignored her and poured the boiling water onto my tea bag, watching the brown tendrils of concentrated tea diffuse out into the mug. I gave it a poke and a squeeze with the spoon, dropping the bag back in to steep before walking to the fridge, completely focused on the task at hand.

She watched, mystified, as I poured just enough semi skimmed milk to turn it the Colour of Donald Trump before removing the bag.

Adding a single sugar, I stirred and took a sip, my eyes closed, it was perfect, unlike my current situation.

The guild advocated mindfulness and gratitude and right now, I was finding it in a freshly brewed mug of tannic perfection.

The moment was inevitably ruined when she decided to speak again.

"So why has a wolf been here Ady?" She sneered "fraternising with the mutts now?"

I sighed and took another sip of tea before opening my eyes, my chakras well and truly scattered. I calmly placed my mug on the unit before turning to face the particularly unpleasant fly in this morning's ointment.

"Sarah," I began, praying to any god who might be listening to grant me patience.

"I did not invite you here, I do not want you here, you have no reason to be here....so WHY, in the name of ye Gods and little fishes, ARE YOU HERE?"

I cried, feeling the tenuous thread of my patience fraying.

"It's the guild ball tomorrow night; I stopped by to make sure that you had the right colour cummerbund and bow tie to match my outfit" she chirped happily, sashaying away.

"Sorry?" I asked perplexed, surely, after everything that had happened, she could not expect me to be her date?

"The ball," she said slowly, as if talking to a slightly thick child. "You can pick me up at eight."

I gripped the bridge of my nose, screwing my eyes up tightly. Breathe Adrian, breathe before you throttle her.

"I won't be taking you," I said as calmly as I could muster.

She laughed, shaking her head as if I was playing some elaborate game.

"Don't be daft Adrian, I'll be ready at eight." She commanded.

" That's nice but I won't be picking you up And I certainly won't be co-ordinating with you."

She stood looking at me, her eyes narrowed.

I suppose it was my own fault, I'd caved and pandered to her over the years for a quiet life, easy going Ady, never making waves. But that was before.

Having her here so close to Princess' departure just threw into stark relief all the things that grated on me; how shrill her voice was, how overbearing and demanding she was, how bigoted she was. I picked up my mug and took another sip thinking how soft and gentle Delphine was in contrast.

I wasn't naeive enough to think there could be anything more to it than it was, she needed me at that time and she'll need answers as she navigates her way through her new life, especially her first heat.

"f**k!" I shouted, my eyes flying wide, causing Sarah to physically jump.

Her heat! She mated for the first time, she had a week tops before it hit. Why didn't I think?

I had planned to give her space but this wasn't going to wait, I needed to see her as soon as possible.

I chugged down my remaining tea and stormed past a bewildered Sarah towards the bathroom, stubbing my pinkie toe on the sofa leg as I thundered through.

"f**k!!" I roared, hopping painfully and hissing.

"Adrian?" she asked, laying a hand on my bicep only to jump back when I whirled around to face her.

"Ok, you're In a bad mood, I'll see you tomorrow at eight" she huffed.

"For f**k sake open your ears you arrogant bint, " I seethed, " I am not taking you to the ball, period. You chose to go sleep with half the guild behind my back and if you think, for one moment, I'm going to turn up with you like some blinkered cuckold, you need your head read.

I will say this once and you'd best get your thick skull around it; f**k off Sarah, as far as you possibly can and then f**k off a little bit further because I want nothing to do with you. At all, ever. More to the point, I am not planning to be paraded around like your human handbag Sarah," I ranted, punctuating each sentence with a hiss of her name.

"I have a date of my own and you're going to stay. The. f**k. Away. Do you understand?" I finished, my chest heaving like a high sea.

She gulped several times, opening and closing her mouth before backing out of the door. As she turned to leave, she looked back with her eyes narrowed.

"f**k you Adrian" she hissed.

"No thanks darling, I don't like sloppy seconds" I shot back, slamming the door so hard that it shook the cottage.

I stood with my back to the door, trying to regulate my breathing. f**k it, this wasn't working.

I stomped into the bathroom, carefully avoiding all obstacles this time, to have a quick shower before I went to try and catch a wolf.