The Witch and the Wolf

The Wait

[Max]

My wait to come back to see Emilia has been long and lonely. After debriefing with the king, I returned to my own pack lands.

I was welcomed back by my beta and a few other higher-ranking pack members.

"Welcome home, Alpha." My beta says, greeting me with a warm hug.

"Thank you, Justin." I say returning it.

Justin was like my brother. We grew up together. His father was my father's beta. Needless to say, we were constantly together.

"What are you brooding over, Max?" Justin asked.

"I found her."

"You found her?" He said in a confused tone.

"My Luna." I paused. "Justin. I found my Luna."

A large smile spread across his face.

"Well?" He asked in anticipation. "Where is she?" He looked around me waiting for her to appear behind me.

"Training." I said, disappointed.

"Oh. Well, when is she expected to be done?" He asked like a kid waiting for his birthday.

"In five days' time." I said sadly. It had taken me a day to travel to the king, a half day of bowing and smiling to the nobility, and another half day to get home.

"I will be leaving on the fifth day so that she can rest before I take her home." I told Justin.

"Very noble of you, Alpha." He says, nudging me and winking.

I was not always a pleasant man. I was very blunt and to the point. When I wanted something done, I took care of it immediately. I didn't wait. So for me to wait for anything, let alone another being, it was simply unheard of. Some may say that I rule with an iron fist.

Rolling my eyes, I retorted, "I guess it wouldn't be very noble of me to tell you that you have stable duty tonight, then would it?"

Justin's cocky smile left his face quickly and was replaced with a moping, disappointing frown.

I took a seat at my desk and laughed as Justin pouted out the door.

Going through paperwork that I have missed over the past two weeks kept me busy over the course of the next couple of days. It was the same thing every day. Wake up, wash, eat, paperwork, eat paperwork, train, eat, paperwork, bed, then repeat.

"I miss our mate." I hear my wolf every couple of hours over these days that we're separated from her.

"So do I. You know we can't go to her. We have to wait until she has completed her training."

"I know, but I miss her so much" He whined in my head.

"Well, if you know that, then shut it so I can get this done. The faster I get this done, the faster we can go get her." I was then able to silently get my work done, after that.

The days dragged on, I can feel them getting longer and longer without her here. I can't wait for her to be with me again.

By the sixth day of being away from her, I was so on edge that everyone steered clear. My paperwork was finished, so I didn't have anything to do. It got to the point where my pack members would say "Hello" or "Good morning" and my reply would be a grunt, growl or "What's so good about this morning?"

The day dragged on. I moped around most of the day with a toxic attitude. By the end of the day, my entire pack was steering clear.

That night was long and restless. I tossed and turned in anticipation. Tomorrow, I will be going to retrieve Emilia and take her home. I can feel my wolf pacing back and forth.

It felt as though daylight was never going to come. As soon as the sun began to rise, I was ready to go. I loaded my horse and set out.

I would be with Emilia by night fall. The hunger and anticipation of seeing and wanting my mate were growing at a steady rate.

A half of a day's journey left, I stop to let the horse rest. "Something's wrong with our mate?" I hear my wolf say, unsure.

"What do you think is wrong?"

"Not sure, but we should hurry," he says.

I have never doubted my wolf. We have been together since I first transformed ten years ago. From wars to family feuds, my wolf and I have been through so much. I couldn't have made it through as much as I did without him.

After taking care of the horse, I continued a painfully slow journey. Minutes feel like hours as I steady my pace. I didn't want to stop again until I reached my beloved.

As the sun begins to set in the distance, the air begins to thicken with the stench of death. I dismounted shortly before reaching a river. On high alert, I slowly approached the river bank. The smell began to get even stronger.

I cautiously looked around and saw no one around. It was then that I saw a large puddle of red goo. I find a stick on the ground and pick it up. I then approached the red goopy puddle and squatted down. Looking at it, I tilted my head from one side to the other, trying to figure out who this was.

I take the stick and poke the pile of goop. I feel like such a child at this moment. I poke it a few more times to see if it moves at all. Taking the stick away from the goopy mess, I take the tip up to my nose and sniff.

"Bleh..." I crinkle my nose and feel my stomach do flips. "Who ever you were, vampire, you should have showered a bit more. Goddess, you stink."

I could tell that whoever this vampire was, his true death was recent. Within the last two days. I wipe my nose on my sleeve and sniff the air.

The vampire smell is the most dominant at the moment. I sniff again while walking around the area.

"Do you smell that?" I ask my wolf.

"Yes. Gifted one." He answers in a worried tone.

I sniff again and follow the scent to a puddle of blood. I take a large sniff while wafting it towards my face. "Isn't that..." I begin to say.

"The old lady that was with our mate." My wolf interrupted.

If that's the old woman's blood...

"Mate!" My wolf yells in a panicked tone.

I ran to the horse and quickly trudged towards the home of the old woman. The smell of ash fills the air. In the distance, I could see the yellow-orange glow of a large fire. I began to panic as I started to see the floating embers. I begin to cross the final tree line as I'm caught by surprise. The entire house is on fire. Nearing the treeline, I jumped off my horse and ran as quickly as I could to the house.

"EMILIA!" I call for my mate. "EMI!" But, there was no answer. "Emilia! If you can hear me, call out!"

I stand in silence, trying to listen for anything that may sound alive. There was nothing. Only the sound of the crackling fire and an occasional beam falling. No heartbeats, no breathing and no Emilia. Her scent was everywhere but no where to be found. I need to find her and fast.