Run! The Black Wolf's prey.

Chapter 16 - I’m sorry, sir, but you have to leave

“Hey, are you OK?”

John gazed at her worriedly, holding her in his arms - he had just managed to catch her! Right before she would have fallen to the ground, if he hadn't been fast enough to swoop her up.

He had only been there to pick up his last belongings from his locker and returning his keys, and he had just been on his way out of the building when Isabel had turned up and accidentally got struck by the door that had opened by itself... Well, almost by itself. In fact, he had been the one pushing the switch on the wall, not knowing it would swing open with such force! He felt very guilty. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been knocked down...

Looking down at her pretty face, he was once again struck by her beauty. Her eyes were wide with surprise, her lips slightly parted, and she was extra-ordinary attractive this evening, with a dress that exposed her delicate back... She was wearing her long blonde hair down, and he realized he had only seen her with her hair up before. Seeing her like this, with her wavy mane untamed, was driving him crazy! He was immediately gripped by his instincts, craving her with a heat he had never experienced before.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” she excused herself, her cheeks pink from blushing.

“No, I am sorry!” he smiled apologetically. “I think I knocked you off your feet.”

“You certainly did!” she chortled.

She was finding her balance now, standing on her own, and he was supposed to let go of her... But he couldn't. It was like he was in some sort of trance, still holding her in his arms. And it felt so right! He didn't want to let go.

It was as if the world had come to a halt and stopped spinning. The whole universe was holding its breath, waiting for them to kiss. He looked deeply into her eyes, and as he leaned forward, she lifted her chin, closing her eyes...

But then, all of a sudden, the sound of steps approached them from behind, and John came to his senses. What was he doing? He had promised not to engage with this girl any longer! He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable, and released her from his embrace.

“Sorry again,” he said with a sad smile, his gaze avoiding hers. “I must go. But you look… amazing. I hope you will have a great night out.”

He grabbed his bag and left, leaving her standing there by herself like a fool, once again feeling her eyes on his back as he walked away.

He walked with heavy steps, his whole being wanting to turn back and run to her, to take her back into his arms... But he kept walking, step by step, his mind forcing his body to obey. His wolf was furious, though, fighting to take over, completely disagreeing.

She's ours! Don't walk away from her, his wolf bawled.

John clenched his fists.

"She’s human," he muttered. She could not be his mate, and she would never be accepted by his family or the pack! They would laugh at him, maybe even reject him as their future Alpha. There was no point, he simply couldn't let himself fall for her. He had to walk away.

He got into his car, not looking back, and started driving away from the hospital. Suddenly, he sensed something was off.

Stay vigilant, his wolf warned him.

He continued driving, his senses on high alert. A few streets away, he noticed a familiar car parked and he furrowed his brows. It was one of the pack’s cars! He drove closer to see if there was anyone behind the wheel, but the seat was empty. Parking his car behind it, he got out and sniffed the air. Nicholas? What was he doing here? He was not supposed to be out and about in the city...

John started tracking Nicholas' scent, following his footsteps on a long tour around the blocks and over to the hospital. Why had Nicholas been at the hospital? Something was fishy... He didn’t see Isabel anywhere, though. Considering the way she had been dressed, she was surely going out tonight and was probably long gone by now.

He continued tracking Nicholas, finding his scent lingering outside the hospital, and he continued to trace it down a few streets until he came to a small pub.

John peered inside, only to quickly withdraw from the window. Nicholas was seated by one of the window tables, staring in front of him with glowing eyes, and John felt uneasy. This couldn’t be good! Why would Nicholas be sitting in a pub, staring in front of him? Following Nicholas' gaze, John turned around... And to his own horror, he found himself looking straight at a beautiful young woman with blonde hair.

Isabel.

With a wheeze, he took a step away from the light, placing himself in the shadows. His wolf was stirring inside, his mind shattered. Why was Nicholas staring at Isabel? Did the rest of John's family know about her? But no, how could they possibly? There wasn’t really anything to know. And even if they did know about her, they would never send Nicholas.

No, Nick was probably there on his own... and this realization made John even more concerned.

Isabel was sitting by a table along with three other young women, all of them laughing and drinking cocktails... But there was also a man by her side. John couldn't see his face, but he noticed he was tall, with broad shoulders and auburn hair. He was sitting right next to her, seemingly listening to her attentively.

A deep growl formed within John's chest, and his eyes burned from his efforts to keep them from glowing as his wolf was fighting to emerge.

Go get her! it roared, wanting to claim her.

He had to muster all the self-control he could find to not run inside and punch the other man in the face! He noticed that Isabel was beaming, and she flipped her hair to the side, exposing her bare back. Did she do it on purpose? Was she flirting with the other man? The next moment, the man turned his head and John realized he was not a stranger.

“Marcus,” he growled silently through gritted teeth.

Marcus looked up with a surprised look on his face, gazing through the window of the bar. However, John made sure he was well hidden in the shadows, and he continued to watch the other wolf court the woman that had captivated his whole being the last few days.

He knew he should leave. Isabel was none of his business... She really wasn't. She was free to flirt with whomever she wanted. But still, he had to keep an eye on Nicholas. His brother was still sitting quietly by his table, staring at her, seemingly without blinking. What was he doing there? Nothing made sense.

After a few hours of waiting, hiding in the shadows, John noticed Isabel and her group of friends were finally getting ready to leave and he sighed with relief. They paid their bills, or actually Marcus was paying the bills, and John snarled quietly when he saw Marcus placing a hand on the small of Isabel’s back.

John's claws itched behind his fingertips - he wanted to rip that man's head off!

He sincerely hoped that this would be the end of the group’s night out... But no, as they got out of the bar, they continued walking down the street towards the nightclubs.

When John saw Isabel smoothly removing Marcus' hand away from her back, putting her arm around her friend instead, he wanted to do a little victory dance. At least, she wasn't throwing herself into Marcus' arms!

He couldn't help to smile wolfishly when he observed the two young women swaying their hips, laughing, while Marcus was walking next to them with his hands in his pockets like a grumpy little boy. However, John swiftly had to move his attention to Nicholas, who was leaving his table at the pub and started following the group down the street.

Why was Nicholas following them? John was actually much more worried about his brother than Marcus. As far as he knew, Marcus at least knew how to control his wolf. Nevertheless, he was not pleased with how this situation was unfolding - two other wolves were obviously interested in Isabel... and he knew their intentions couldn't be noble. Marcus was one day, probably quite soon, going to be the Alpha of the Emerald Lake Pack. There was no way he would risk his position for a human! And Nicholas… well, Nicholas's interest in Isabel was deeply troubling.

John shadowed his brother, who in turn was following the group all the way to one of the clubs called 'Paradise'. What a silly name of a club, John thought, wrinkling his nose.

As the group with Isabel were let in, John was hoping Nicholas would stop his pursuit, but no... Unfortunately, Nicholas followed. John swore violently under his breath. He hated nightclubs! Humans were annoying, and drunk humans were even worse.

He could enjoy drinking and dancing, but only among other wolves - humans tended to become so drunk they lost control of their senses, and nightclubs usually were full of drunk humans, wearing dreadful and smothering perfumes, shouting and jumping around rather than dancing to the music, and seemingly not bothered by the smell of vomit and fart.

This was as far from a ‘Paradise’ as John could imagine.

As soon as Nicholas had entered the club, John followed but was stopped at the entrance.

“I’m sorry sir,” the bouncer, a skinny young man with a weak mustache stood in his way. “No jeans, no t-shirts. You need a proper shirt if you want to get in.”

“Says who?” John scorned. He was not in the mood for some human telling him what to wear!

“The club’s homepage, clubparadise.com. It is stated under ‘dresscode’. I’m sorry, sir, but you have to leave, there are others who want to get in.”

John gritted his teeth. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, so there was not much to argue about... But he feared that Nicholas might be causing trouble, probably really soon, and he hated the fact that Isabel was in there and he was out here, not being able to protect her...

Or to keep her away from Marcus, his wolf added.

"Whatever," he muttered.

He had to make a decision. Should he force himself in, causing a scene? Or should he run back to his car, drive to his apartment and change?

Or maybe more wisely - should he simply leave and let these people mind their own business…? He had assured his parents he would go home to the pack tonight, and they were probably waiting for him. Besides, he had promised himself to forget about that human girl and go find his true mate...

Yes, going home to the pack was the most reasonable thing to do.

“f***k!” he swore, turning his back on the club, and started running.