by Rain Itika
They walked in silence. Both were contemplating how to move forward with this new information. Lara trying to come to terms with this revelation, with her being a werewolf, and her parents as well. The school knew what she was, but did Bill know? She would have to confront him about this.
Lights shone in the distance as the house came up. They kept walking until they left the trees, wandering into the clearing ahead. A small bundle of clothes was waiting for them.
Getting dressed, she averted looking at Roland. They may have slept together, but she was still shy.
When they were both done and ready, Roland took her hand, pulling her into the house, the heat inside making her relax. Voices sounded all around and the smell of food filled the air. Her stomach grumbling just by thinking about it.
Mary was behind the counter, preparing the food. She turned around when Roland cleared his throat, indicating their return.
"Roland, Lara. There you are, I was wondering where the two lovebirds were." A smile plastered her face.
"Just teaching Lara how to be a wolf." He replied.
"Good. You must be famished. Sit down. I'm nearly done with this." She turned back around, focusing on the task at hand.
"We will be back in a second. I want to introduce my mate to the rest of the pack." He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to the living room.
Heads lined around the top of the couch, all of them focused on the tv.
"Is this what you call working." His voice boomed. Everybody turned around with fear in their eyes. Mark stood up about to explain when Roland laughed.
"Calm down, I am just pulling your leg."
The rest of the people chuckled with him, still a bit cautious. Roland walked into the living room, pulling Lara with him.
"I would like to introduce your new Luna formally. Lara, my mate."
She faced all of the curious eyes, a blush creeping on. She gave a little wave.
"Are you serious?" Mark said aloud. He stepped forward, blocking her view from the rest. "She lied to you and now you are making her our leader."
Roland grabbed his arm, pulling them face to face. "Do not dare disrespect her. Go to my office. We will discuss this in private."
He let him go and Mark left, but not before giving Lara a death glare.
Roland pulled Lara into a hug and whispered into her ear, "I will be back in an hour. You better be waiting for me in the room."
He gave a little wink before following Mark. She stood in the middle alone, an awkward silence around.
"Do not mind him. He does not like newcomers." A petite girl with blond hair said. "Come sit next to me, we are watching a movie."
Lara did what she said, squeezing in between the girl and a burly man.
"My name is Elisabeth." She extended a hand to shake. Lara shook it before sitting back to watch. She could still feel their eyes on her, judging her. They probably knew about her situation and like Mark, judged her for it.
All through the movie, she kept thinking about her situation, about how things had turned out. Bill had lied to her. He had to know what she was. He was her father and his betrayal was cutting deep. She had to talk to him soon, to find out the whole truth.
CHAPTER 25
The night had been an unforgettable one. Minutes after Roland had left, Lara had excused herself, heading upstairs to his room. There she had taken a hot calming shower that helped with her sore muscles. Her new clothes were already in the closet, but Roland's shirt looked more appealing, so Lara had put it on for bed. He was pleased by her decision since he had used his mouth to wake her up when she fell asleep.
They had made love for hours until the sun peeked through the curtain and finally fell asleep in each other's arms, exhausted and fully sated.
Lara woke up feeling calm and fulfilled. Roland was still fast asleep, so she wiggled her way out of his arm that was holding her hostage. She put on some of her new clothes, a pair of shorts and a tank top, and made her way downstairs. When she reached the stairs, laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen.
The scene in front of her made her stomach drop. People were gathered around the table talking and laughing, an abundance of food scattered around from fruit to cereal and eggs. The feast looked mouthwatering and her stomach empty.
Elle spotted her just standing by the entryway and called her over.
"Lara. Join us. Mary made this special breakfast to welcome you to our pack, but we did not want to wake you up. Seeing as you were probably very...busy." she gave a wink and a sly smile.
Lara blushed, the image of what they had done the night before flashing before her eyes.
"Leave the poor girl alone, Elle. You are too nosey for your good sometimes." Mary came to her rescue. She placed a plate packed with food in front of her on the table. She grabbed the only open chair, dragging it out and sitting down.
"Thanks," Lara said before digging in. It tasted like heaven.
"This is really good." She spoke out loud.
"I know, right. The problem is not to eat too much. Otherwise, you will become fat." Elle said, her mouth full.
"Too late for you. Is that a fat roll I see?" The man next to Elle confessed while pinching her stomach.
Elle swatted away his hand, anger on her face. "Do not lie."
He lifted his hands in the air, a sign of surrender. "Just joking with you little sis." He grabbed her head and held it in a lock while he rubbed her hair. Elle erupted in laughter as she tried to get out of his grip, but he was too strong.
Mary slapped him lightly over the head, "No fighting at the table. And finish your food, you have training today."
He reluctantly let her go, a look of defeat on his face. After Elle gave him a death glare, she turned back to Lara. "Sorry about that. He is my big brother and is always trying to torture me."
"It is called love, little sister." He said, looking over her head to Lara. "My name Jacob. I am part of the pack security."
She gave him a warm smile before returning to her food. The people around her were talking and joking, the scene of one big family. She felt like she did not belong here like she was the outsider.
She was enjoying the food while listening to the conversations happening, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. The scent drifting off of Roland set her senses alight. "Good morning angel." He whispered in her ear, causing goosebumps to sprout across her body.
She turned her head to look up at him, but he used that to his advantage and pressed a kiss to his lips. She leaned in trying to get more but he pulled away.
"Get a room you two." Someone shouted from across the table. Lara turned to look at them, her face heating up.
"You can sit here next to her." Elle offered while getting up. She moved to sit next to Jacob.
Roland gladly took the chair, moving it closer to Lara's. His legs pressed against hers as his hand rested on her thigh.
She continued eating with Roland helped himself to her plate. She loved the feeling of having him next to her, his heat drifting on to her.
Some people finished their meal and left, while others stayed around to chat. Lara had gotten into a conversation with a guy sitting on her left. His name is Gary and he worked in the town. He had shaggy blond hair and blue eyes.
"So how long have you lived here for?" She asked, wanting to get to know everybody better.
"I was born here. My father was the Beta to Roland's father, James. When Roland took over, he stepped down." He explained.
Lara felt Roland tense up, the mention of his father's name resting uneasily with him.
"Doesn't t
he role of beta fall to you then?" She tried to steer the conversation away from his family. She gave his arm a little squeeze, giving him comfort.
"Me. No. Each Alpha gets to choose who they want. I was never really close to Roland. Besides, I love gardening. I own the nursery in town. The plants I grow helps Mary with her healing. Sometimes, she lets me watch so that I can learn the ropes."
"Wow. I would love to see it sometimes. I love gardening." A smile lit her face.
"We would make a plan then. Sorry, but I have to go. The trees won't trim themselves." He got up, giving Lara a smile before heading off.
The table was empty, only her and Roland left. She turned to face him, taking in his beauty.
She brushed a lock of hair from his face, making him look back at her. "Beautiful." She whispered.
"Shouldn't that be my line." He spoke, grabbing her before she could protest and pulling her onto his lap as they faced each other. He splayed kisses on her throat and jaw, while his hands slipped into her back pockets, squeezing her ass.
"I have a plan for today." He started. "I need to sort out some things in town today. We can have some lunch at this cute bistro I know, and then this afternoon, we can explore your shifting some more and answer any questions you may still have."
She wanted to go but there were more important things on her mind. Something she could not tell Roland since she knew he would freak out.
"I have a better idea. How about you go do your business as fast as you can while I take a well-deserved nap since someone did not let me sleep last night."
He gave an innocent look. "Now who would do such a thing."
"Oo, just some crazy wolfman."
Roland grabbed the back of her head, pulling her closer for a kiss. "I'll show you crazy."
They kissed until Lara pulled away, taking a deep breath. "With that kiss, you better be sure to handle your business fast." She licked her lips.
His eyes flashed black, a growl escaping him. "Fuck the business." He tried to lean in for another kiss, but she pushed him away, her hands spread across his chest.
"I do not think my body could handle it right now. Go do your stuff and I will be waiting, ready in bed for when you return."
He let out a huff. "Fine. I will be an hour, tops." He picked her up, placing her back to chair, and got up. He planted a quick kiss on her forehead, turned around and left.
Lara was sitting alone at the table, her mind on the plan when she heard the door open behind her. It was Elle.
"Girl, you are so lucky." She said.
"I know right." A fake smile plastered her lips. She needed to get to a phone as soon as possible and she did not have time for a chat, even if she wanted some girl time to dish.
She turned to Elle, her nerves running wild. "Do you know where I can find a phone? I need to check in with my friend." She lied.
Elle looked around nervously. "I do not think that is a good idea. Why do you not ask Roland?"
"I would, but he just left." She kept pushing, "Please, my friend was sick the last time I spoke to her and I just want to make sure she is okay."
A sad expression crossed Elle's face. "Okay. Just make it quick. I will be back in 5 minutes." her hand reached behind her to grab the phone and handed it over to Lara. With a reassuring smile from her, Elle left.
"Thanks." She said after her. As soon as the door closed behind her, Lara punched in his number, the secret one only the two of them used. It rang twice before someone answered.
"Hello."
She felt relieved when she heard his voice. Even if he lied to her, she still had feelings for him. She loved him like a father.
"Bill, it is me."
Silent filled the air. Only their breathing pierced it.
"Lara. Are you alright?" He sounded sad.
"Enough about me, Bill. Let's talk about you. You knew what I am?" She spat at him.
"Listen, Lara, I can explain, but you need to listen..."
"No, you listen." She interrupted him, "I am a werewolf. You never once thought to tell me. I loved you and this is what I get. What else have you lied about? Is my family really dead or did you lie about that too? And all the people I have killed, the bad things..."
"Shut up and listen." His voice was so loud she had to pull the phone away from her ear.
"Fine, speak."
"They are coming. You need to leave and run as fast as you can."
She was confused, "Who are they?"
"The company. When you were a child, they placed a GPS tracker in you. They do it with all the assassins. He made me turn it on and sent a team to find you."
"How could you do that?" Her voice filled with fear.
"Forget about me. Just get out of there. The orders are to take you and everyone else there. Dead or alive. I know you hate me, but please believe me. I love you."
She pondered over his request for a second before agreeing. "I will leave, but where will I go?"
"Pinewood manor. The one I told you about, with my family. I will meet you there. Please come." He sounded desperate.
"I am leaving now. But after this, you are dead to me."
"I do not care. As long as you are safe and alive."
She pressed dead and placed the phone on the table. She did not have time to waste. They were tracking her and she needed to get as far away as possible. These people were starting to become her family and she needed to protect them.
Without a second thought, she started to run. She knew now how far the town and city was. A car would be faster but there was no time.
Within minutes she was far away from the house, deep in the woods, jumping over rocks and under trees. She wanted to shift, but she was still afraid to do so. She ran past the river where she had some great memories. The ones she would cherish for the rest of her life. After this, Roland most likely would never want to see her again.
She kept pushing harder until she heard a bark behind her.
CHAPTER 26
The wolf behind her ran fast to try and keep up with her. She could hear its paws digging into the earth, his heavy breathing in sync with her own.
Lara could see a clearing up ahead and pushed her body harder to get to it. Just as she was about to reach it, a heavy object knocked into her, sending her down, but as she went down, her body twisted mid-air, landing on her back. The action knocked the air right out of her.
The wolf landed on her, using its paws to push on her neck, locking her down in place. Its mouth bared in a growl, the sharp teeth inches from her face.
She eventually noticed that it was not Roland since this wolf was smaller in size and color. His pelt a lighter brown.
She used her right hand and punched him as hard as she could. He let out a whine, the pressure of his paw lessening. She used the moment to kick both her legs up, sending him flying over her.
As soon as he was off of her, Lara jumped up, swerving around just as fast. They stood face to face. Seconds passed in awkward silence, both trying to get their breathing under control.
Right before her eyes, he changed. The shift from wolf to human only lasting mere seconds. Now he was standing in front of her, naked as the day he was born. She averted her eyes, keeping them focused on his face. She could see he was angry, his eyes black and teeth bared.
"Why are you following me, Mark?" she implored.
"I never trusted you. It seems I was right. Running back to your employers to inform them about us." he spat out.
"It is not like that. I do not have time to explain. Please, let me go." Lara pleaded.
H
e paced forward, standing in a defensive position, ready to attack her. She looked around her, trying to find something to defend herself with, but came up empty-handed.
"Times up, traitor," he shouted, right before he lunged at her. His body morphed mid-air, changing from human back to the wolf.
He moved too fast for her to react and crashed into her side when she tried to dive away. She was smashed into the hard ground, the wolf on top of her again.
He snapped at her, his teeth inches from her neck. She was able to keep him at bay using her hands, which wrapped around his head. Her fingers intertwined with his fur, struggling to pull him off. She glanced around her, seeking something to defend herself with. She spotted a large rock laying an arms-length from her. The problem was she needed both hands to keep him, but her strength was starting to falter, his teeth reaching closer to her. In a split second, she made a choice. She used her left arm and shoved it into his mouth. His fangs pierced her skin, the pain exploding through her. Blood oozed out of the wound, and her screams filled the air. She kept him at bay while using the other arm to reach the stone, and soon fingers wrapped around the rock, grasping it tightly.
With the last strength that was left, Lara punched him in his temple. The pressure on her arm halted as he fell on top of her, blacked out.
Lara remained still for a couple of minutes, afraid the motion would wake him up, but nothing happened, so she collected herself and pushed him off. Her lungs burned from all the exercise, the weight of Mark's wolf not helping.
She stood up, straightening her clothes as she went. The wound on her arm tingled as she stretched her muscles, most of the pain gone. The blood had stopped flowing and at closer inspection, looked like the holes were already closing up. "Must be a wolf thing," she muttered to herself.
Guilt washed over her as she stared down at Mark in his wolf form, still fast asleep. She felt terrible about what she did but had no other choice, so she kept moving.
Lara walked for hours, the further she got, the fewer memories she kept. Just when life seemed good, it had to get ripped away. Story of her life.