Run! The Black Wolf's prey.

Chapter 23 - Foolish thinking

Isabel opened her locker and reached for a bag inside.

“Here’s your dress. Thank you so much for lending it to me,” Isabel had a big smile on her face as she handed the bag over to Emma, who was changing from scrubs to ordinary clothes.

“You look like you won the lottery!” Emma giggled. “It was of good use, I suppose?”

“Well, it was taken off pretty quickly on Friday night, and then I didn’t wear it again until Sunday evening, when John drove me home.”

“Say what?” Emma gasped. “You spent the whole weekend at Dr Hendricks' place?”

“His name is John,” Isabel laughed. “I think we are beyond the titles now.”

“Oh. My. God.” Emma’s eyes were wide. “That was not expected… But great! How do you feel?”

“Amazing,” Isabel beamed. “He is absolutely the kindest and most caring man I've ever met! And he's good... in bed, "she blushed. "... and then I mean extremely good.”

“Oh my,” Emma laughed. “Only superlatives then. What’s the hatch?”

“I don’t know yet,” Isabel hesitated. “I have a hard time seeing any, actually. But he’s a bit private. He’s a great listener, but he doesn’t tell much about himself.”

He had told her a little about his family, that he had two siblings and that his grand-mother was still alive. He was clearly very fond of his grand-mother, who had played a big part in caring for him during his childhood. He had been somewhat vague about it, but it seemed like his family was much bigger than that, though, and that they all lived rather close to each other in some kind of community. Isabel was secretly wondering if they might be Mormons? But she hadn't asked. She would find out, eventually.

She had started to imagine how it would be to meet them. Would they be warm and kind, welcoming her? Or would they be cold and distant, thinking she was not good enough for their son? He had said something about his mother being a warm-hearted person and his father being a little tough, but both of them being rather strict.

She was feeling a little embarrassed, as she caught herself fantasizing about what her and John’s children would look like. But it was too tempting to stop! Would they be dark haired with brown eyes, like John, or would they inherit her blonde hair and hazel eyes? Maybe dark haired with green eyes, that would be something.

“OK, so are you seeing each other again?” Emma interrupted her daydreaming.

“Well, we haven’t decided anything. He said he would call me…” Isabel paused, suddenly freaking out. What if he didn’t call? What if this was it? Only a one-night stand? Or a two-night stand, to be more correct.

“I’m sure he does,” Emma smiled gently, noticing her friend’s sudden mood shift. “It seems like the two of you have something going on.”

“We really do,” Isabel smiled. “He makes me feel… Complete. I feel I can be myself with him, I don’t need to fake anything. And he makes me feel beautiful! And I haven’t really been that into s*x lately, but with him… it’s like I can’t get enough!" she blushed.

“That’s a very good sign,” Emma grinned. “But what did your mom say when you came home?”

“She was a little bit shocked,” Isabel giggled. “When I came home, wearing that dress, on Sunday evening.”

“Ah, so she saw it?” Emma laughed.

“Yep,” Isabel chortled. “But it’s OK, she was cool about it. Even if her eyebrows went all the way up to her hairline.”

They both giggled and Isabel started to change clothes as well.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Emma was about to go home.

“No, actually, I’ve asked for some time off. I’ve been working the whole summer without any break, so I figured I could have a few weeks of leave now instead. I need to go apartment viewing, and I need to find some warehouse where I can store my stuff so I can go get it from Dave’s apartment.”

“Sounds like a wonderful vacation,” Emma said with a sympathetic smile.

“Yes, doesn’t it!” Isabel snickered. “They couldn’t find anyone for the night shift on Wednesday, so I’ll take it, but besides that I will have some time off.”

“Hope you have a good time. I have a crazy schedule this week, the weekend included, so I can’t hang out. But hey, Helen and Eileen said they had a great time! They're going out again on Friday, and they would love for you to join them, if you want.”

“We’ll see about that. I hope to have other plans this weekend,” Isabel winked.

“You sure do,” Emma laughed, blowing her a kiss as she left.

What Isabel hadn't revealed was that she had already, in secret, checked the roster of the Surgical Department, and since she didn’t find John’s name anywhere in it for this week, she was secretly hoping they could spend some time together. He had told her he was going away for a few days to see his family, but she was hoping he would call her soon so she could suggest that they would meet. Just the thought of seeing him again made her shiver with anticipation! She was longing for him, his presence, his voice.

It was a beautiful evening when Isabel left the hospital. The weather was pleasant and the temperature at more normal levels for late August. She decided to walk home through Riverside Park, where people were enjoying the last rays of sunlight before sunset. As she was walking by the Children’s playground, she found herself smiling foolishly. Once again, she was daydreaming about her and John’s potential future family, imagining him playing with a toddler in his lap, kissing its forehead, his gaze meeting hers, smiling…

“You fool,” she reproached herself. She shouldn’t be doing this. It was way too early, and she and John barely knew each other. She didn’t even know if he wanted children one day! But she loved the way he looked at her, like she was the most precious thing in the world. She loved the way he held her when they were sleeping together, like he would protect her from any possible harm… And she loved the way he made love to her, following her mood - sometimes gentle, sometimes rough.

She continued to walk along the river, inhaling the fresh air. She was looking forward to autumn, her favourite season, with its fresh air and mesmerizing colours. She couldn’t wait to cuddle up in front of the fireplace at the lake house, looking at the falling autumn leaves through the living room window, hopefully wrapped up in John’s arms. She was hoping to take him there soon! Maybe even this upcoming weekend…?

***

Rebecca looked at her son with sympathy. She never wanted something like this to happen to him, and now he was sitting next to her, heartbroken. She needed to tell him something that could ease his pain, maybe just a little.

“You cannot tell a soul about this John. I am trusting you to keep this between us.”

John nodded, listening attentively.

“You remember I went to college before I met your father? I studied Economics. And I absolutely loved it, living in the human world. I was sick and tired of pack life. My parents were very controlling, and they were constantly trying to get me to find a mate among the Alphas of the neighbouring packs.” Rebecca looked out through the window again. “I convinced them that it was a good idea to let me go to college. All respectable Lunas are supposed to be well-educated and to be able to take care of the pack’s economy. And since we don’t have a proper higher education for wolves only, we must go to human colleges, as you know.”

John knew very well. They had a few wolf-owned high schools in the country, and there were also the dedicated summer camps for future Lunas, Alphas and Betas, but no colleges. That was the reason he had attended a Medical School for humans, when he would have preferred a Medical School dedicated to werewolves, since their physiology differed a lot. It was one of his goals for later in life, to build a proper college for wolves only.

“Anyhow, I loved my years at college. I loved pretending I was human, and even if I studied hard, I had my share of fun as well,” Rebecca looked back at him with a wry smile. “I found humans so intriguing, so different from us. It was fun to play along as a human, and I just went with the flow.”

John was wondering where she was going with this conversation. Up until now, there was nothing sensational about his mother’s storyline.

“You only want to hear the juicy stuff, I see,” Rebecca smiled dryly. “Have you forgotten that I can sense your thoughts, dear son?”

“No mother,” John smiled. “Maybe I should close my eyes.”

“Maybe you should,” Rebecca laughed. “Oh well, here it comes then.” Her expression was serious again, she looked down at her hands. “There was a man… A human. I met him during my first year at college. He was a musician. And he was so talented… You should have heard him, John. When he played the guitar, it was like he was playing my emotions as he played its strings.”

John looked at his mother with surprise. He never thought of her like that, as a young woman with amorous feelings and romantic escapades, and it was difficult to imagine her in love with someone else than his father.

“So, this human, we can call him Fred... He was extremely different from anything I had experienced before. He was so calm, so gentle, so… sensitive.” Rebecka paused. “And he was skinny as a needle,” she chuckled. “As you hear, nothing like any wolf we know.”

“What happened?”

“It wasn't good. I was so in love with him. When my father found out... Well... It’s a long story,” Rebecca tilted her head, gazing out the window. “I think your father is coming back inside now, I will have to tell you another time.” She leaned forward and placed her hand on his knee. “But I can tell you this – it was horrible, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy... It broke my heart, completely. But then I met your father, and the rest is history. The very second I saw him, I knew! My true mate. The pull of the mate bond... it's irresistible. You will feel it too, one day, when you finally meet her. The one who is chosen for you by the Moon Goddess herself! Don't give up on that, John... That feeling, when you look into your true mate’s eyes for the first time? It’s magical. It will be similar to what you feel now for this human, but a million times stronger.”

They sat together in silence, John contemplating her words.

“Has he come to his senses yet?” Warren entered the room, looking calmer than before.

“I don’t think he will,” Rebecca smiled sadly and raised, patting John’s shoulder as she passed him. “Come, let’s give him some space.” She hooked her arm through Warren’s, pulling him towards the door, and they left John sitting by himself, staring out the window.