Instant Enemies

by Emily Zimmerman

  He tensed. “I might have said something like that.”

  I now pushed away from him with enough force to push him back against the wall, quite a feat with how strong a hold on me he had. “You are scum! I don’t know why I ever even thought you wouldn’t hurt me again!” I shouted at him, stomping back to my car.

  “I just wanted to get to know you, and I thought you wouldn’t tell me!” he said, chasing after me.

  “Well you could have at least come to me and asked! I was willing to get to know you, Damian! And now I don’t even want to look at you!” I exclaimed.

  He was suddenly in front of me, I bumped into him and his arms encircled my waist before I could fall. “Just hear me out. I love you, but I don’t know how to…show that love. You are everything to me now, I’m just not sure how to tell that to you. Please, I’ve been waiting so long for you, don’t take your love away from me before you’ve even given it a chance.” He was almost begging, his blue eyes pleading with mine.

  I looked away before I could get lost in the ocean that was his eyes, but his hand gently pulled my face back up. I reached up and caressed his cheek in mine. “You’ll have to promise, whatever it is that you want to ask, you come to me.” I said softly, but sternly.

  His mouth stretched up into a bright smile and he pulled me into him, hugging me close to him. “I promise.” He whispered.

  Exertion my ass.

  “Trevor, please talk to me!” I begged, almost having to run to keep up with him.

  He kept his eyes forward through the halls and weaving through people, not acknowledging my presence. I huffed in frustration and touched his arm, and he jerked away as if I’d shocked him. I felt tears brim my eyes. “I thought you were my friend.” I whispered. When he didn’t answer I stopped trying to keep up with him, walking to gym without him by my side like he usually was.

  I wiped my eyes and walked into the room, everyone turned their eyes to me, and they all became silent. It was like this all the time nowadays. They’d turn silent, and then they’d all whisper to each other about me. “that’s the girl that got raped when she was in elementary.” Or from the teachers, “poor girl has probably been through a lot through her life because of that.”

  I ignored them and walked into the girls locker room, grabbing my shorts and stretchy T-shirt, I quickly changed and walked over to where everyone else sat. I sat down beside my pack members, Hailey, James, Gabe, Nala and Peter.

  Hailey is a natural blonde, with chocolate brown eyes and a model figure. James is the Jock type, with dark brown, cropped, short hair, bright blue eyes, and an athletic build. Gabe is sort of the computer geek type; he has grassy green, intelligent-looking eyes, and bright red hair, I think he’s cute, in a brotherly sort of way. Nala is a good name for her, because it sounds just like her, she’s delicate, with a heart shaped face and chocolate brown hair framing it. She has hazel eyes that lean more toward green than brown, and she has a small figure. Peter is Nala’s mate, and they stick together like glue. Peter has muddy brown eyes, and is beefy, suggesting he works out a lot. His hair is brown, and he was automatically put in the football team as a courterback when he came here.

  “Did you try talking to him?” Nala asked when I sat down.

  I nodded. “He wouldn’t even look at me.” I said sadly.

  Hailey sighed, her eyebrows furrowing. “He’s just being stubborn now. It’s been a week since he’s found out, if he were a true best friend, he’d understand.” She said.

  I nodded. “I just need to give him a little time.”

  “I think he’s just being stubborn.” Nala pouted.

  I smiled. James, Hailey, Nala, Gabe, Peter and I have become good friends because we have several classes together. We’re always talking to each other through the pack bond, and getting each other in trouble when we laugh out loud at things we say.

  We watched as Coach Lorre came in. The coach was hard headed and hardly ever cracked a smile, he reminded me of a drill sergeant.

  “Alright children, today we have a new assignment.” Coach Lorre said, meeting eyes with each one of us. He met eyes with me and I thought I saw them soften for a split second before going hard again. “The principal thinks I’m being too hard on you, he suggested that I go easy on you, so, to acknowledge his suggestion, ten pushups, and twenty sit ups, after you run three laps on the track.” He said. A collective groan ran through the room, not including me and the pack.

  Finally! A chance to use my strength! I thought with a smile.

  ‘Are you guys going to show off?’ Nala asked through the bond.

  ‘Hell yeah!’ we said in unison.

  ‘Okay, that was a little creepy, but I guess I’ll show off as well’ Nala said, a grin stretching on her face.

  “Go!” coach said harshly.

  James, Hailey, Peter and Nala skipped in front of me and Gabe, we were making a game plan. “We’re going to have to act exerted, I mean, after running the track, and doing pushups we’re going to have to, like, force ourselves to sweat or something.” Gabe said, smiling in amusement.

  “Yeah, or we could just say our parents keep us very athletic.” I shrugged.

  He laughed as we started running on the track. Gabe, Peter, Nala and I made it a race, Nala was winning. I growled and pushed myself harder, trying to keep in human speed as I passed Nala. She smiled at me.

  I slowed to a jog as I reached the finish line, speeding up as I passed it. ‘you’d think being a werewolf would be a pain in the ass. But it’s awesome!” James exclaimed.

  I smiled. ‘It has its drawbacks, like getting naked in front of God and everyone.’ Hailey muttered.

  ‘That can get annoying.’ Gabe said.

  Before I realized what was going on, I passed the third lap and coach blew his whistle, “Harington! Ten pushups!” he yelled.

  I skipped to the middle, exaggerating my breathing and hoping I was sweating. The heat helped with that, exertion may not get me to sweat, but the heat will.

  I dropped on the ground, counting under my breath. One, two, three, four, five, six…

  Coach blew his whistle again. “Harington! Sit ups! Twenty!”

  I got on my back and started counting. One, two, three, four, five six, seven eight, nine, ten…

  It was very simple, I didn’t know what the big fuss was, sit up, touch your toes, lay down, sit up, touch your toes, lay down, and so on and so forth.

  When I got to twenty, my breathing was only slightly labored, and I felt like I’d really worked out my muscles.

  I sat on the sidelines and leaned back, watching as a James, Hailey, Peter, Gabe, and Nala moved to the center and did pushups, and sit ups.

  I felt his presence before he could sit down. Damian plopped down beside me and threw his arm around my waist. “Impressive, and I like the outfit.” He said in my ear.

  I smiled and looked down at my white shirt and black short shorts. “It was the only thing I had that could be used for gym.” I explained.

  “I like it, it shows off your long, beautiful legs.” He said, stroking the tip of his finger down my thigh.

  I felt a rush of heat in private places and shivered, slapping his hand away. “Damian!” I admonished in a loud whisper.

  I heard his deep chuckle and he placed a light kiss on my neck. “I like the way you say my name.” he whispered.

  “Damian, we are in the middle of the track yard, with thirty people in view, don’t you think this is a little inappropriate? And speaking of, shouldn’t you be at practice?” I asked him as his hand covered part of my thigh.

  “This is very inappropriate, and I took a break.” He said.

  “Then why is your hand practically up my shorts?” I asked him flatly.

  “Because I like to tease you.” he said, placing soft kisses on my neck.

  I felt his breath hit my neck in a silent laugh as I shivered. He removed his hand from my thigh and lifted his head from where it sat between my neck and shoulder, grasping my hand in
his. “Thank you.” I sighed in relief.

  “Oh, I’m not being civil just yet.” He said, amusement coloring his tone.

  I looked over and opened my mouth to ask what he meant and he smashed his lips to mine. He tightened his arm around my waist, thrusting his tongue into my still open mouth. Coach blew his whistle. “Harington! Villain! Does this look like a make out session?” Coach yelled.

  I quickly pushed Damian away and blushed deeply. “Sorry Coach Lorre!” I yelled back. I looked at Damian, who now held an innocent face and glared. “Do you think you can try to control yourself for a few minutes?” I hissed.

  He smiled and shook his head. “No.” And he kissed the tip of my nose and got up, jogging back over for football practice. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I looked back out at the track to see everyone was just about done with the exercise. James, Nala, and Peter were grinning at me, walking over to where I sat. “I guess Damian couldn’t get enough of your sexy ass.” Peter joked, making Nala laugh and push his shoulder playfully.

  I laughed. “Apparently not.”

  I got up as everyone headed to the locker rooms to shower. Grabbing my gym bag on the way, I stripped and showered all the grime and sweat from my body. After finally getting clean, I got my clothes on and packed my dirty ones in my bag. As I walked out of the locker rooms, my vision blurred. I leaned back on the wall and shook my head of the sudden dizziness that was threatening to overtake me, putting my hand on my forehead as a sharp pain made it ache.

  As quickly as it came, it went away, and I was aware of Nala and Hailey’s concerned faces in front of me. “Are you alright? You looked kind of pale for a second.” Hailey said, feeling my forehead for fever.

  “I-I’m fine. I just had a dizzy spell…I think.” I said, my voice unsure.

  “Have you ever had these dizzy spells before?” Peter asked, coming up beside Nala.

  I shook my head slowly. “No…I don’t think so. I think I’m okay, must have been from the exertion.” I said, not believing myself as I said it.

  “Exertion my ass.” Nala said, making me smile slightly.

  James and Gabe walked over, unaware of what happened. I pushed myself from the wall and took a step, and that’s when the dizzy spells came back, only with more force. I felt myself falling, but just before I hit the ground, I blacked out.

  Oh my God you're pregnant!

  I awoke lying on sand. I could hear the faint sound of waves hitting the shore. I stared at the sky above me, trying to remember how I got here. I slowly sat up, realizing that I didn’t recognize this place. Behind me was forest, and in front of me was endless sea.

  “Ah, you’re awake, my child. I was afraid that I’d put you a little too far into your mind and I’d have to find you in limbo.” I heard a soft, tinkling voice murmur beside me.

  I looked over to find a woman, maybe twenty years old, she had golden blonde hair down to her waist, and navy blue eyes. Her skin was extremely pale, and yet it only made her more beautiful. Her lips were red as blood, and they contrasted surprisingly well with her skin tone.

  She wore a wispy white dress, with a gossamer train blowing in the wind. She looked so familiar, I knew I had seen her before, but where?

  “You must be confused.” The woman smiled a blinding white smile. “I would be too if I had woken up in a place I didn’t know, with a woman I hadn’t met.”

  “But I have met you I…I know I have.” I said, standing up without trouble.

  The woman’s smile softened and she walked closer. I felt no fear of her; I was just very confused as to where I’d seen her before. “Yes, you met me when you were being created. Your spirit accepted me; I am part of you, Cat. I am the Wolven Goddess.” She said.

  The shock hit me like a physical slap. I stumbled back a step, feeling physical pain. “Don’t try to process it.” She said, her tone warning. “You are unconscious right now, and it’s dangerous to try and process emotions while in this state, it causes physical pain because you are inside your mind, this is all a projection, even me.” She said.

  “So…you aren’t real?” I asked her.

  She smiled and shook her head. “No, we’ll meet in the real world, but for now, It is time I tell you who you are.” She said.

  She stepped forward and grasped my hands in hers. “You are my chosen one. When your spirit and I met, I knew you would be brave, sweet, courageous, and very protective of your family. So I offered to become part of you, to be part of your soul. Your spirit was honored, it accepted immediately.” She explained.

  “So what did my spirit look like?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

  “It’s your inner wolf, Lorry. Her spirit was waiting for you to be created.” She informed me.

  I smiled. “Wow.”

  “So now is the time that I tell you.” her smiled faded, her expression turning serious. “There is a war coming against the coven of vampires near you, and the blades-of-blood pack. But they will not attack when they see you.” she said.

  “Why not?”

  A small smile returned to her face and she looked out at the ocean. “There is something is not told in the history of wolves.” She said. “When I was so lonely, I asked the greatest God of all, the God who created us, if I could create a creature who could see me as I was. He told me that I could only create these creatures, if I created a natural predator and prey for them. It was only natural that I accepted. These creatures were vampires. They worshipped me like you do, but they are natural enemies of you.” She explained.

  I nodded. “So that’s now the vampire knew you had returned?” I asked.

  “Exactly.” She said, looking back over at me.

  I hesitated, my mind going back to Damian. “I was wondering…why did you mate Damian and I? I do not carry Alpha blood.” I said.

  “My daughter, I created Damian with the purpose of joining you together. He is your rock, and you his anchor. And you do have Alpha blood. Your family comes from a long generation of Alpha’s, but the generation died off when another pack took over and the youngest son took his place as Alpha.” She explained.

  I stared ahead, fighting back my feelings of shock. “I hadn’t known.”

  She put her hand on my shoulder and turned to me, putting her hand on my cheek. “My power is weakening. I need to send you back. Just remember, make sure he sees you.”

  “Who?” I asked as my vision started to fade.

  “You’ll know when the time comes.” she said, lying me back down on the sand where I’d woken before.

  “Goodbye, my daughter.” She said softly.

  I closed my eyes, and once again, blacked out.

  I opened my eyes and ocean blue ones swam into my view. I was lying on the cold gym floor, Damian leaning over me. Behind him I could see the others, Nala, Peter, James, Gabe Hailey…and looking over their shoulders was Trevor.

  “Cat.” Dan sighed in relief. “What happened?”

  I reached up and grasped his arms, pulling myself to sit up. Realizing what I was doing, he wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me, settling me against the wall. I didn’t feel dizzy, I didn’t even feel like I’d passed out, I felt like been awake and alert the entire time…just unaware of reality.

  “I think I need to go home.” I told Damian, giving him a pointed stare, telling him that I needed to speak with him.

  He nodded once. “Harington, you okay?” Coach, who was standing a few feet away asked.

  I looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, I think I just exerted myself, and I didn’t bring any water with me.” I lied.

  He nodded, his eyes taking in my expression with suspicion shining in his eyes. “Should I call your parents?”

  “No!” I said too quickly. “I mean…they’re at work. I’ll just get a ride home with Damian, if that’s okay.” I said.

  “No, that’s fine. Damian, that okay with you?”

  Damian barely even glanced at Coach Lorre, keeping his eyes on mine as he pulled me up to a standing p
osition. “That’s fine.” He murmured, his voice slow and calculating.

  On the way home, we were silent. He glanced at me every few seconds, but I kept my eyes forward. When we finally pulled up to the pack house, he turned to me. “What happened?”

  “You remember when Riley got attacked by that vampire?” I asked instead of answering him.

  “Yes, but what does that have-“

  “And he said that the Wolven Goddess had returned?”

  “Yes, but Cat what-“

  “He was right. I don’t know how to explain this, so I’ll just let you see.”

  I closed my eyes and let the barrier down, letting him into my mind. I heard his intake of breath as I let the memories race through my mind. His hand that hadn’t let go of mine since we left, slowly slackened from its tight hold as he listened.

  I looked at him when the memory ended, closing my mind from him once again.

  His eyes had been unfocused, and they immediately focused on me when I closed my mind from him. “So you are the one the Wolven Goddess chooses.” He whispered. “And you have Alpha blood in you.” he said a little louder this time, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

  I nodded. “Apparently so.”

  My mind went back to what she told me. ‘He is your rock, and you his anchor.’ I looked up, realizing that Damian had gotten out of the car. He pulled my door open for me and reached his hand in to help me out.

  As soon as I was out of the car, he’d pulled me close to him and scooped me up in his arms. “Hey!” I laughed this time.

  “Do not worry my lady!” he said dramatically, swooping me into the doorway. “You will not be harmed in your weak state!”

  I slapped his chest, laughing as I he looked at me with mock worry. “Oh thank you my prince charming. I was afraid I would have fainted again.” I gasped, dramatically putting the back of my hand to my forehead and leaning my head back.

  He smiled at my theatrics and walked over to the couch, laying me down gently. “Allow me to be your humble servant while you recover.” He said, getting on his knees and clasping his hands together under his chin.