Run! The Black Wolf's prey.

Chapter 35 - Breaking in

"Luke!" John shouted, briskly walking towards his car. "Come, I need to talk to you."

"What's going on?" Luke ran after him, looking perplexed by the sudden change in John's mood.

"I have to go to the city," John opened the trunk, pulling out a t-shirt.

"What? Why?" Luke was looking even more confused.

"It's Nick... His missing. And I think he's going after Isabel," John growled. "If he so much as touches her... I'm going to rip his head off!"

"I see... So, what do you want me to do?"

"You must stay here and hold the fort," John sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "I don't know when I'll come back, it depends on what's happening over there. We'll stay in touch. But I have to go now, immediately! It's a long drive and the clock is ticking."

"What do you think will happen? Why the rush?" Luke quirked up his brow. "I don't understand why this human is such a big deal to you... I thought you were letting it go."

"I can't, OK?" John sneered. "She's not just any human. And Nick... he's really unstable around her. I fear the worst." He looked at Luke firmly. "Just trust me in this one... Don't tell the folks back home. Give me some time. OK?"

"Whatever you need," Luke straightened his shoulders. "You're my Alpha. I will always have your back"

"Thanks," John put his hand on his shoulder. "I really appreciate it."

John jumped into his car, not taking the time to shower or change, and drove away, the wheels spinning on the gravel. He was driving way too fast, almost making a few wrong turns since his mind was occupied with his worries.

What was Nick up to? He couldn’t let him get his hands on Isabel. Ever since he saw that fervent look in Nick’s eyes when he looked at her, he knew it would become dangerous if he couldn’t have her... And he couldn’t. She wasn’t his to have! She belonged to John, and John only.

“You left her,” his wolf complained. “And now look what’s happening. She should be ours, but you left her behind!”

John knew it was right. He had been fooling himself, believing he could protect her even if he wasn’t by her side. This beautiful, innocent human, with her sweet smile and sparkling eyes. He had to find her, before Nick did. He didn’t dare thinking of what could happen to her now with Nicholas on the loose.

He was frenetically calculating what to do when he arrived at the city. He was clearly looking like a mess, he hadn't cleaned up after their combat training, but the thought of Nicholas with Isabel was enough to skip the detour of going home to change his clothes.

Instead, he decided to drive immediately to Isabel’s mother’s apartment and start from there. He was still driving like a mad man when he entered the city, driving through the red traffic lights, the other cars hooting at him angrily.

Finally arriving at her street, he parked the car and ran towards her building. He was lucky, someone was leaving through the main entrance just as he was to enter. As far as he could remember, she lived on the fifth floor, so he leaped up the stairs, taking three steps at a time. For each step, he felt her scent getting stronger and stronger, and he stopped abruptly outside her door, panting.

Her scent took his breath away, and a tsunami of emotions erupted inside of him, images of her flickering in his mind. But... it wasn’t just her scent. He could smell something else as well... Another wolf?! But it wasn’t Nicholas.

John panicked. He put his hands on the door, trying to sense her. Was she inside? Was she alive? But he couldn’t sense anything, no movement, nothing. What if she was dead?

“Isabel!” he called.

No one answered.

“Isabel!” he shouted, even louder.

Still no response.

He was just about to break the door open by force, taking a step back and ready to throw himself at it, as he remembered a trick he learned in his Alpha training. As he quickly looked around, making sure he wasn’t seen by anyone else in the stairwell, he grew out his claws on his left hand. Tearing off one of them, he flipped it around in his hand and inserted it into the keyhole, swearing as he fiddled with it.

He had almost given up when he heard a ‘click’, and he tried the door handle. It swung open.

“Isabel?” he called softly, stepping inside.

It felt wrong to break into her home, but the thought of her dead body lying on the bed kept him going, and he rushed from room to room. The scent of her and of another wolf was overwhelming, but she wasn’t there. He found her bedroom, seemingly being the room she had had while growing up, little tokens from her childhood standing on her dresser.

A purple knitted sweater was hanging on a chair, and he took it in his hands, lifting it to his face. With the soft knit touching his skin, he inhaled. Her scent... He shivered. How could she have made such an impact on him after such a short time?

John sighed. She wasn’t here, she wasn’t dead. But where was she?

It was late and it was getting dark outside. He had to find her, or at least he had to find Nick. He had tried calling him from the car, hoping to talk some sense into him, but it seemed like he had turned off his phone. John had plenty of missed calls on his own phone as well, unfortunately, Warren and Rebecca had called him several times. He had intentionally not answered their calls. He would have to deal with them later! Now he had to focus on finding Isabel.

He ran out of the apartment, making sure to lock the door after him. Not until he was out in the street did he realize he still had her sweater in her hands! He swiftly considered turning around and put it back, but quickly decided he didn’t have the time. Instead, he brought it with him into his car, holding it to his heart as he was driving towards his own apartment.

He had a plan. First of all, he needed to go to the hospital, finding out if she was working the night shift. If not, he would go back to that bar where Nick had been stalking her. But before that, he needed to shower and change... He couldn’t run around like this in the city, with dirty jeans, his skin covered in sweat and dust.

Upon arriving home, he brought along her sweater and carefully folded it before tucking it into the top drawer of his dresser. He made a silent promise to return it to her some day. After a quick shower and change of clothes into a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he caught a glimpse of himself in the hallway mirror as he was about to leave.

Did he really want her to see him in such a disheveled state - unshaven and wearing old jeans and a t-shirt? And what if she wasn't at work but out with her friends? Remembering the hassle caused by not dressing appropriately the last time, he quickly decided to change into something more formal.

A few minutes later, he left the apartment wearing a sleek dark blue two-piece suit with a crispywhite shirt, leaving the top buttons undone. The suit felt tight and uncomfortable, compared with his latest outfits. How quickly one is getting used to wear loosely fitted clothing! Or in John's case - wearing nothing at all.