Running From A Wolf

Chapter 12

(Hello, readers! I haven't been uploading the chapters I've prepared, as I've noticed that the sequence of the chapters get mixed up for some unknown reason. Its kind of frustrating since I have to edit the chapters, as I'm sure some of you have observed. So I just temporarily gave up.

But, I really want to continue writing, so I will. Please just confirm the chapter numbers while you read to ensure that you stay on track even if the system messes it up again.

Thank you!)

I froze at the inside of my door.

At first glance, everything seemed normal. The door was locked, the mat at the entrance was untouched, and the ward spell I had placed over the apartment that morning was intact.

Just then, a faint scent of ginger crept along my skin. Chills raised across my back as a familiar presence encapsulated the flat, his sketchy aura emanating from my bedroom.

To be careful, I grabbed a fruit knife from the kitchen as I made my way to my room, bracing myself. Sure enough, the door fell open to reveal a short, fat man in a leather jacket, lounging on my armchair with one leg on top of the other. A magazine covered his face while his snores vibrated against the paper.

I sneaked to my closet, grabbed a baseball bat, then crouched against the wall in the dim light beside my bed as I tossed a pillow at him.

Silver flashed in the air and I let out a surprised squeak, raising my bat just in time to see a dagger lodge deep into its wood. I screamed in shock when a meaty hand grabbed my right bicep, almost breaking it as he pulled me to my feet and tossed me to the other end of the room.

His massive shadow loomed over me, yellow eyes glinting maliciously in the dark, and I quickly raised the fruit knife at his belly.

"Gabe! Control your damn self, it's me!"

He froze inches away from the blade and I waited, breathing harshly. For a moment, we both stared at each other in the dimness, then his yellow eyes darkened to hazel and I sagged, relieved.

"Dammit, brat," Gave muttered gruffly, "why'd you scare me like that?"

"You're the one snoozing in my room, and you're asking me that?" I accept his outstretched arm. With a groan, I rise to my feet.

"You weren't at home all day." He shrugged unapologetically. His canines flashed and he turned back to the armchair, walking over to take his previous position. "I've been waiting for you since noon. Where were you?"

"Orientation. I got accepted into Bluedale University. Kristine and I, both, did."

"Congrats, kid," he tossed a small box at my bed. "Untie it after I leave."

"Woah, for me?" I glanced over at it. "Thanks."

Gabriel Devira was a sturdy, fat man, or rather, a hyena shifter, with a receding hairline and way too many extra chins for anyone's comfort. He wore his leathers, as usual, to reinforce his gangster persona, but it just made him look like a pimp. To make matters worse, his scruffy beard never outgrew its pubescent era, and the outlook was kinda like that of an obese, hard-boiled egg.

But of course, I would never dare say that to his face. He was dangerous in his own right, and the plethora of goods he hoarded was a treasure on its own.

Gabriel had found me back in my hometown, when he was hired to kidnap me and dump me in a shady establishment. Out of desperation, I had stabbed him with his own knife, then made a very brave attempt at escaping. Which I had failed, of course.

This cunning fiend had shifted into a hyena and given chase. Hyenas weren't really known for their speed, and I definitely hadn't expected a pretentious Humpty Dumpty to chase me through the dark, but he had been a fast nightmare. And, to be fair, I was a tiny kitten. So he had grabbed me, again, but this time, he spoke to me with an offer. An offer I had promptly accepted, either due to fear, or desperation.

Months after that incident, I left my hometown in the middle of the night, Gabriel driving me to Whitefish with the promise of anonymity. He faked all my records, my documents, and helped me snag a motel room for the months it took me to lose all the mercenaries who were hunting for me. Then, he acted as my adoptive father(that was sweet, yes, but eww), and enrolled me into Bluedale.

I was twelve at the time, so I had nobody to rely on, except him, and then Kristine. And although it was obvious that he was up to no good, he did take care of me whenever I was scruffed up. And he continued to do so every time I messed up, which happened very frequently.

Gabriel Devira was, in short, my sponsor of sorts. He hadn't asked me to return the favour for his kindness yet, though, and that kept me wary. He wasn't a kind man; not by a long shot.

"I needed your help a week ago," I glared at him, sitting on a stool before him.

"I was busy," he shrugged, "as I told you."

"But it was an emergency. I could have died!"

"But you didn't," he glanced at me, noting the cakey makeup with distaste. "Besides, I've got what you wanted."

I straightened at that, leaning forward eagerly. The night I had encountered Aaron Thorne, I had asked Gabe for a favour. It took him a week to deliver it, but I eyed his satchel at the foot of his armchair.

"Show me," I asked urgently.

He smirked. "Not so fast. What do I get for it?"

My shoulders dropped. "What do you want?"

He appraised me carefully. "Why do you need the potion? You're just two months away from your eighteenth birthday."

"That's not enough," I sighed, dropping my head to my palms wearily. " It's... bad. I didn't expect the bullying to follow me to college."

"Those f*****g scumbags. I told you to let me handle them years ago-"

"Not gonna solve the problem." I met his eyes and they were yellow once more, glowing with fury and hatred. "I was never going to have a peaceful life as a cat. My species is too secluded for anyone to voluntarily mingle with me."

"Little brat, a few missing reports will teach those juveniles-" his canines elongated.

"Actually, I'm the juvenile since I skipped grades," I giggle weakly. "They're all nineteen and above. But, I can handle them once my kitten matures into a cat."

Gabe looked doubtful. "What if you're a housecat? Isn't that your biggest fear?"

"Then I'll have to channel my shifter strength into magical essence and become powerful in my human form. Those of us born with weak cat forms have stronger human bodies." I straightened, holding out my palm expectantly. "Now, give me the potion, please."

He shook his head in defeat. I watched the leather of his jacket stretch uncomfortably around his side as he bent over to grab his satchel. I tiled my head to the side, noting how he had gained weight, but I chose to remain silent. He turned back to me with an ornate wooden box held out in his palm.

The scent of sandlewood permeated the air, revealing the exotic origins of the box. Carefully etched patterns swirled around the wood, and a sparkling emerald glinted on the latch that held the box closed. Small carvings adorned the edges, sentences in a language I didn't know about. But I took it carefully, inhaling deeply before my fingers undid the latch and pushed up the lid.

A glass vial laid within, placed delicately on black velvet. The red liquid within it sloshed deliciously, reminding me of wine. I stared at it in awe for a moment, appreciating the tantalizing beauty of it all, then picked it up with shaky fingers.

The vial was big enough for my to wrap my fingers around. I could estimate a glass full of the potion within it, and for a second, I wondered what would happen if I were to consume it all.

"You do have to consume it all," Gabe broke through my reverie and I startled, quickly placing the vial back on the velvet before I accidentally dropped it. I realised then that I had spoken my thoughts out loud.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yes," Gabe glanced at my lap, at the box, his eyes glaring suspiciously. "My contact sold this to me on the condition that only one shifter would consume it all. Something about protecting it's secret, or some similar shit."

I lifted the vial again. "Well. I don't suppose I have a choice."

Gabe sighed, looking away like the sight of it burnt him. "The Spirit Elixir. Or, more commonly called as the Essence of Life. It is a forbidden potion concocted to give an animal form to a shifter who lacks a beast."

"Yes."

"You already have a shifter form. In two months-"

"The Spirit Elixir was also given to speed up the maturity of cat shifters," I cut him off. "Someone from my own family matured at the age of thirteen and shifted into a lion. But you already knew that."

He didn't meet my gaze. "I know everything about your family."

"Because you were the one who sold this potion once to my cousin," I growled. "Why do you think I even asked you to get another one despite its rarity?"

"You have two months," he repeated, avoiding my question like the sneaky slime that he was. "Why can't you wait for two more months and mature naturally?"

"Because I need to get stronger! The students at my college are brutal."

"Foolish brat. You've endured them for this long. Why not wait another two months?"

"Because," I hesitated, ready to rant some more, but then the fight seeped out of me. "Because I am sure that I will be a housecat. I show the signs of a weak shifter form that every tame cat in my family has experienced. I... I will never be strong enough to face my cousins, who are lions, and panters, and-"

Gabriel grabbed my shoulders, jostling me from my fears. "You don't know that. You could be a wild feline. What if you end up as a lioness?"

"But I won't," I insisted. "I can feel it. My kitten is unable to absorb any power from the environment. It never has been able to, and now that I'm almost eighteen, it never will."

"You don't know that."

"But the odds are against me." I groaned. "Please, Gabe, don't go against me on this. I won't change my mind."

He stared at me, cold fury blazing in his eyes. Then he leaned back, resigned. "The potion has severe side effects."

"What kind of side effects?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "The only person I know who consumed it is your cousin, and that kid was born crazy already."

I shuddered. "Oh, well, cheers to me." I pulled out the cork. Before I could second guess myself, I gulped down the entire contents of the vial.

"Take care of yourself for the next few days, little brat," he sighed, getting to his feet. "Your kitten will transform into an adult. You had best be prepared."

"Thanks," I muttered, shaking my head slightly to ease the sudden bitterness of the potion.

"Oh. There's something else."

"What is it?"

"There's a scary wolf shifter parked near the gates. A black Maybach with a primped guy in it. You know him?"

I almost puked out the contents I had just swallowed. "Maybe. When did you see him?"

"When I arrived. He's been there all day. I spied on him occasionally from your windows, then gave up when I noticed him watching me, too."

I dashed to the window and peeked through the drapes cautiously while Gabriel picked up his satchel and boots. Sure enough, Aaron's familiar Maybach sat waiting at a temporary parking zone near the gates. Although i couldn't see through the tinted glass, I was pretty confident that his eyes detected my presence. A chill ran down my spine and I stepped back.

I would deal with him once I was alone again.

It took me a while after the front door shut closed to realise that I forgot to ask Gabriel what he wanted as payment for the potion. And by the time I ran down to the gates to find Alpha Aaron, he was gone too.