XXXV. A Hungry Wolf

Raine’s POV:

My thumb rush across the dust. The breath that leaves my lips seemed to stand still in the air, leaving a gap of soundless space. The sound of whimpering echoes inside the abandoned building, telling me there was no point to return.

Water drips onto the glass, gathering all the dust throughout its journey.

I settled on the bed and without another motion, my eyes were fixed on the picture.

A gust of wind rush into the room and the windchimes sings. The sounds of voices ran into my ears. I set down the frame and got off the squeaky mattress. The closer I got to the window, the more distance the world seems. My sight bypass the woods, and towards the outside.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Hundreds of flowers splattered across the field. It colored a variety of paint, too much to name. The wind rushes past once more and the petals fan the air. I could smell it, fragrance on top of the layer of specks of dust.

How can there be flowers outside?

I didn’t see any when I entered the building.

My sight scattered across the field, noticing how there were people outside. Each person was in their own world, some watching the green forest while others were immense in a deep converstation. All had one thing in common, the white clothes on their backs.

My sight stopped at a hat...brown with a large bow.

The moment the sunlight pierces the hat and a bright speckled blind my sights. The woman sat there in the creaking chair, with her back facing me.

“Dad! Higher!” a pitched voice shrieked. Then, there it was. Three people head towards the woman in the chair. The man leaped and the young girl bounces on his shoulders.

I could only see their backs.

Turn around.

My fingers dig into the wood.

Turn around.

“Grandma!” The man lowered the young girl and she rushes towards the woman in the rocking chair.

With the ballad of windchimes, the petals scattered once more. One bypassed my cheek and enter the dimmed room. In the intensity of colors, the petals twirl around them.

The frame slips from my fingers, shattered into a thousand pieces when I saw the young girl’s face.

Bright.

Youthful.

So filled with life.

In the richness of the world around her, she danced in the field of flowers without care. The bodies surrounding her burst into the most beautiful sound. A melody that I had long forgotten.

“Raine! Be careful!”

Dad shook his head at my careless actions.

“Where are you going?”

Mom held onto dad and smile widely.

“To the forest! I want to play with the birds!”

The buddles of colors scattered towards the everlasting greens. So endless. So beautiful.

My feet scrape against the wooden floor. It’s difficult to breathe. I held onto my chest and crouch down. My hands clawed against my scalp. The confusion consumed every inch of my soul.

Perhaps, it’s insanity that finally caught up.

That must be it.

I’m insane.

Everything is inside my head.

My blurry sight cast towards the blue petal above the dusty floor. I crept closer to it. With a shaky finger, my flesh made contact with its smoothness. A gasp involuntarily left my throat.

The windchimes halt.

The petal rest on my palm.

It’s all real.

This is reality.

I got back up and rush towards the window.

What greeted me wasn’t a color field, rather a dulled underkept garden. I stumbled backward, “N-No,” I stuttered. I shook my head, the sweat glistens down my temple. “N-No!”

Immediately, I rush out of the room and trampled down the hallway.

No.

It can’t be gone.

No.

I refused to admit it.

It was there.

I know it was there.

The hallways were still the same. Ever moving; as if the building had a mind of its own, constantly twisting the paths. There’s no forward nor backward, no left or right; everything behaves on its own.

When I opened my mouth, only the sounds of sobs came out. To my dismay, the cry was almost too much to be coherent. There wasn’t any focus, my eyes scans without locking onto anything, almost in a daydream like a zone.

Past my blurry sight, I saw the light out of the building. Without slowing down, I leap outside to taste the fresh air. My sight rush to the right and I ran around the building to be greeted by-

Nothing.

No flowers.

No people.

No laughter.

Nothing.

Only a dirt path that leads into the forest.

Covered in dust and sweats, I exhale sharply. My lungs felt like it was on fire. The heart pierced against my ribcage, with a loud thud-thud.

Howls.

There were wolves howling at a distance.

Out of the forests, dozens of giant wolves surrounded me.

I’m still in this world.

One stepped forward, slightly bigger than the rest. The wolf was white as snow, but small specks of blacks cover its fur. His stance was confident and muscular. When he leaps, his furs scattered back and he disappeared into the darkness.

My eyes scattered around, and I noticed how there’s barely any light. Dusk.

How is it possible?

When I entered, the sun was still up in the sky.

I turn my body and stared at the abandoned building.

A growl caught my attention and I look back to notice Leon marching towards me. He didn’t speak a single word, rather stared at me with such intensity that got my heart pounding even more.

Before he could get a word in the air, my mentality unraveled. The tears flow down my cheeks and drip onto the dead overgrown glass. I dropped to my knees at let out a terrifying scream. Immediately, the sound was covered by my hands. I look down and noticed the petal.

It’s all real.

I was back in my world at a different time.

I’m not insane.

Or so I assumed.

But, that didn’t stop the cries.

Leon didn’t say a single word and all the wolves turn around at my unsightly behavior. It hurts. My chest hurts.

Steadily, tanned arms wrapped around my body and warmth evaded my trembling flesh. Leon lifts me up and my head dug into his chest. I cried harder than I ever did. The shakiness refuses to stop.

“I want to go h-home,” I whimpered, inhaling through my snotty nostrils. “I-I want to go h-h-h-ome. Please, God. Let me go h-h-home.”

There were streams of tears that wouldn’t stop even with the comfort of my mate. The salty releases flowed into my mouth and I could taste my own sorrow. I held the petal close to my heart.

The only evidence that can prove I’m not insane.

The whimpers only got lost in thin air.

More and more wolves disappeared from our sight.

“Hey,” Leon whisper. I look up, past my swollen eyes. He glances down and smiles briefly, “Nice acting.”

I wanted to laugh.

He thinks I’m acting.

Of course, he does.

He didn’t want me here. To him, I’m basically his employee. Someone to pleased his father until he finds a solution to escape the soulmate situation so he could be with the girl he loves.

It still hurts.

The soulmate bond is strong.

I can’t imagine how he feels towards the thought of rejecting me. He must really like this other girl or perhaps, he’s doing all this to go against his father’s wishes. It’s the ladder. I’m not stupid. I can tell that Leon has some sort of unspoken opposition towards his father.

His smile drops, “Are you okay?” His voice was still low.

I chuckle briefly, before an outburst of laughter leaps into the air. I push him away and he puts me down. “Don’t touch me,” I said.

Since he’s technically my employer, I should play my role.

“Don’t touch me, you monster.”

Bitterness.

He stares at me without emotions, as if his brain was playing catch up with reality.

“Can’t you understand?” My voice was much calmer then I assumed it would be. I thought, by now, I would burst into another round of tears, but I didn’t. “I don’t want to be here.”

That isn’t a lie.

“I want to go home. Be with my family.”

The wind picks up its speed and stirs the emotions. It rustles the trees and sways the grass around my feet. I didn’t divert my sight of the man in front of me.

“I don’t want to be with a werewolf.”

His tanned complexion was somehow ashen. His natural golden skin sunk in tones that made him seem lifeless. He doesn’t care about me or my situation. It’s the mating bond that forces him to behave this way.

“I don’t want to be with you.”

I didn’t even have to act.

Everything I said was the bitter truth.

There was stillness all around. No longer did the wind stirred the grass or leaves, as if the world had stopped. The sun disappeared and took its light.

It’s dark.

Steadily, I could hear the sound of whimpers, most likely his wolves.

I learned that wolves in a pack have an attachment to their Luna. In a sense, the Luna behaves as if she is everyone’s family members, young or old. Whomever you need, she will be there and play the role. Mother. Daughter. Sister. Friend.

My eyes never waiver from Leon.

Lover.

I turn my feet, the pain will soon surface once I calm down. My own breath seems to die as soon as it left my mouth and evaporate into the darkness.

It’s cold.

The moment the sun sets, the temperature drops.

I could hear footsteps from behind me. The sound of movements seems to dial down to a minimum.

I need it.

The silence.

Once in a while, I would trip but instantly I got back up. After so many steps, the pain took over. The adrenaline evaporates from my body. There was eerie tranquility, and my senses somehow heightened. No longer was there any whimpering around me.

There was a feeling.

I felt like a prey being watched by a predator.

A hungry wolf.

Something tells me that I shouldn’t look back.

I thought I was going to collapse, but I didn’t.

Instead, I reached the freeway, and right in front of me were several cars. Harvey opens the back door, but he didn’t look at me. He didn’t dare to look at me. The dark aura behind me didn’t allow it.

I got inside and release a breath of relief. The red liquid at my sole drips onto the carpet. I want to apologize, but I didn’t. I’m too tired to do it. My body feels like its been through hell and back.

My head turn towards the window, and I could only see darkness. The abandoned building could no longer be spotted.

Not now.

The passenger door shut and a large body encased in the seat in front of me. Leon buckled his seatbelt but didn’t say a word. Harvey got in from the driver’s side. He buckled his seatbelt and the drive starts.

There is no sound in the car, not even the radio.

My gaze cast out the window once more as I ignored the tension. Everything was a complete blur. I feel this familiar blackness coming over me. My lids collapse over and over. I couldn’t think. Finally, I gave up and allowed my tired state to take over.

My body feels like it’s floating on air. I open my lids and the dim lights set in. Bypassing the blurriness I came to the realization, I was in Leon’s arms again. I wonder if he would ever get tired of carrying me. He carried me a good amount of time before I decided to walk on my own. Now that I think about it, I came to the conclusion that it was a stupid decision. My feet scraps against one another. I realized there were bandages on them. I wonder if he wrapped it up for me while I was asleep.

With the minimum amount of distance between, I noticed how there was some baby fat still left on Leon’s face. One wouldn’t see it unless they stared at him for a long time. I’m certain no one would dare to stare at an Alpha for too long.

We were in the hallway of the third floor. “You can put me down,” I said. I think I can manage to go back into the room or at least crawl back inside.

He didn’t respond or look at me. For some reason, he’s acting like I didn’t talk. Maybe, he’s keeping an angry appearance because his pack members are listening at a distance.

Leon opens the door and closes it with his foot.

Is this the part where I should scream and pretend like he’s punishing me?

I only read it in books, so I’m not too familiar with it. It’s weird to imagine me screaming while he sits there and plays video games then growl once in a while like he’s angry.

Leon sets me down on the bed.

I waited for his instructions, but he didn’t say anything.

Instead, he went down on one knee and check my bandaged feet. I swallow and ran my hand up and down my arm. Once in a while, I would feel the bandage scrapping against the other bandages on my palm. I wonder how they put it on while I was asleep without me noticing.

Then again, I’m a deep sleeper.

Gently, Leon sets my legs down after he finishes his examination. He stood up and head towards the door.

“Did I do well?” I question.

He didn’t respond.

“My acting out there,” I said. “Do you think I did well?”

Leon’s back was still facing me.

I waited for a response and after a long lingering silence.

He said: “Yeah.”

I watch as he leaves the room, and with a single door...

we separated.