Second chances and new starts

Journey and reflection

Peter

After leaving Stacey and driving home, he couldn’t help but contemplate what happened earlier in the day. Rose looked so sad and Raya was so angry. He stayed up for hours running the conversation through his head. His mate, his former mate was in tears and begging him to help her. He tried to forget what happened. Just put it out of his mind and remember Stacey. It was so hot and she was such a smooth ride. He felt himself harden as the memories of her tight body and her marshmallow t**s. His hand drifted down and he started to pleasure himself. After he finished himself off, he cleaned up and went to sleep.

When he woke up and went to grab breakfast., he saw his Dad sitting down and drinking coffee while reading the paper.

He hesitated for a minute before sitting down. “Dad? Can I ask you something?”

His father shuts the paper and slides it to the side, giving him a quizzical look.

“Rose’s dad. Was he hitting her?”

“yeah” he replies with a sigh.

“why.... why did you let him do that?”

“Son..... it’s complicated. After his mate died, he was so angry. He is a strong warrior and a valuable member of the pack when he is sober. It’s just after a couple of drinks that he acts up. It’s their family situation and frankly, the pack comes first.”

Peter frowned as he considered what his Dad had told him. As an alpha, the pack does come first., but do we need to sacrifice one pack member for another...

“ With the mate bond.... would it recognise if the partner was forced or of they were willing?”

“No. Werewolves don’t usually do that. Why would we want to when we have our mate? Being with anyone else after finding your mate would feel worthless. Wolves do have physical relationships with each other, but after they find their mate and claim one another, they aren’t usually attracted to others. What's with all these questions?”

“I just.... some things happened and I am not sure if I did the right thing. I’m gonna go for a walk.”

After he left the house and started walking around the neighbourhood, he instinctively drifted to Rose's house and stared at it as guilt gnawed at his intestines.

He slowly went up to the front door, took a deep breath and knocked. There was silence. He bent over and looked in the window, seeing her father passed out on the floor, surrounded with empty bottles. He checked the handle and the door opened. He quietly went in and looked around as he followed the faint scent of vanilla and coconut which leads him to a small room. The paint was peeling and a mattress was on the floor. It was so.... empty. A strange feeling overcame him as he stared at the neglected room. He turned and tried to pick up more of her scent. He followed the trail out to the car port where the sweet smell mixed with a hint of metal. He recognised it as blood. He took a few more steps and found a small smear of blood on the cold cement floor. Next to it was a torn scrap of fabric. He bent down and picked it up, realising it was a pair of torn panties. Reality smacked him in the face and he sunk to his knees. Guilt and dread and anger swirled in his mind and a tear slides down his face. “I’m sorry Rose".

He gets up and quickly goes next door to Raya's house. The door opens easily and as he goes inside, he finds it empty. Looking like a show house from a real estate ad. She’s gone....

Raya

We have been here for a few weeks now. This is the fourth small town we have been in and are planning to stay for a couple more before we move on. We want to find a place far away from our old pack and can also feel comfortable. Its difficult because smaller towns have lots of nature for our wolves, but less people, while bigger cities have enough people that we can get lost in the crowd, but without a place to run..... well, our wolves would loose their minds. We are considering some place near a national park, but we also have to sense other wolf packs. We are now technically Rogues, so our safety comes first.

We stay in cheap motels and do whatever work we can. Cleaners, waitresses. Whatever is cash in hand and no commitment. So far we have made more than we have spent, so haven’t needed to dip into my savings yet. Something I am very pleased about because aside from being our safety net, it’s also going to be a deposit for our new home when we finally get settled. As my shift ends, I take off my apron and put my tips in my wallet as I head off to pick up Rose. I only had to wait a short while before she came out. If I can’t g us work together, I try to find her work where there is a minimum of people. It’s working well so far. She has stopped jumping at every noise and shadow. We go back to the motel and clean ourselves up before Rose settles in the room and I go and grab us dinner.

I wake up in the middle of the night to Rose's soft sobs. No matter what I do, I can’t protect her from her dreams. I turn on the light and call her name. She bounces up with wide eyes and looks around frantically. I wait for her to lock her eyes on me before I reach over and hold her hand. I do my best to soothe her before I slide in next to her, tucking us both in and turning the light back off. She clings to my arm like it’s a safety blanket and we fall back to sleep.

Rose

When I wake up, I am clinging to Raya. Not a night has past they she doesn’t end up having to climb into bed with me and pacify me like a child. I feel so guilty, it’s like I am forcing her to take care of me. She never complains or even looks at me like it’s a problem. I don’t know what I did in a past life to deserve her as my friend, but I am eternally greatful for her. I crawl out of the covers and wash up. While I am brushing my teeth I hear her groan as she rises up from the bed. I can’t help but smile at this daily occurrence. She has never been a morning person. We both get ready for work and head off. We have early shifts today, so we decide to meet for a late lunch and then plan our next stop.

As we are walking around window shopping, I pick up a scent. I look over at her and see her starring back at me. A wolf is nearby. Whether it is pack or rogue, it’s not a good thing for us. We quickly walk back to the motel, pack our things and check out. As we drive away, I call both our work places and tell them we quit. This is our first encounter with a wolf, and it has shaken us both.