Guarded By the Wolf: Werewolf Romance

by Luna Lucas

  He held her there, rubbing her back as she began to cry – quietly at first, and then hysterically. He occasionally kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair in a comforting gesture. Eventually, her sobs died down, and she sat there again, with the same brittleness and hopeless in her eyes. Josh gently scooped her up in his arms and walked up to her room. He deposited her on her bed, taking her shoes off. He pulled the covers over her and sat down at the edge of the bed. She still stared straight ahead as though she hadn’t noticed that she was in her room now.

  He reached forward and smoothed her hair away from her eyes. “What are you thinking?” he asked softly.

  She looked at him and shook her head. “Will you stay with me?”

  “Of course.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll be downstairs.”

  She shook her head again. “Stay here.”

  Josh realized that she meant her bedroom. He knew that it would probably drive him crazy, being in the same room as her at night, and not being able to touch her or kiss her like he wanted to do now, and every time he looked at her. But he couldn’t refuse her. He nodded.

  She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her. “Don’t leave.”

  “Hey,” he said as he saw the panicked look in her eyes. “I’m right here.”

  She patted the bed next to her, lifting the covers. He sighed and got inside with her. She rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. He put his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. She was sobbing again, and Josh tightened his arms around her, rocking back and forth. “Shh,” he whispered, “it will be all right.”

  When she had calmed down, she looked up at him from where she half lay over his chest. Her eyes were red and exhausted, still filled with fear and confusion. “Thank you,” she whispered. She edged forward tentatively. Her lips grazed his and Josh had the sudden impulse to stop her, but she wasn’t drunk this time. And this was what he wanted. She pressed her lips against his, and he immediately returned the kiss. It was tender and soft, even though every time he had imagined kissing her, it had been fiery and passionate, almost aggressive, just the way she was. But then again, in his imagination, she hadn’t just been assaulted and hurt.

  She broke the kiss and rested her head against his chest again. “Don’t leave,” she whispered.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he whispered back.

  He rubbed her back until she drifted off to sleep. It was a restless night for her, which meant that he didn’t get any sleep at all. She constantly moved around in his arms, occasionally trembling or mumbling incoherent words. She woke up many times, always in a panicked state. Josh calmed her down, with his steady hold on her and his soothing words.

  But his heart was breaking, seeing her like this.

  *****

  “They both escaped the police before they even got to the station.” Josh joined Hazel and Sam at their table in the cafeteria.

  Hazel frowned. “How is that possible? You beat them half to death; I didn’t think they would have the energy to walk, let alone escape.”

  “I don’t think the police will be helpful in this matter.” Sam looked thoughtful. “Why would anyone be after Donna like this?”

  “What about that Peter guy who you all got into an argument with?” Josh asked.

  Sam looked surprised. “Peter is an idiot, but he would never hurt Donna.”

  “Not him. But his little cult might.”

  “Why would they?” Sam shook his head. “There is friction between them, but not this serious. They wouldn’t go this far. Sending people to kidnap her.”

  “Like Sam said,” Hazel said, “the police will not be helpful in this matter. Josh, we should contact Yuki. She’ll be able to help us.”

  “I don’t want to get them involved,” Josh said immediately.

  “This might be the only way to find out what’s going on.”

  *****

  “Okay, Donna,” Josh said as he entered her bedroom where she sat at her desk, drawing. She had not been going to school for about a week now. “Time to polish your fighting skills.”

  He had tried all week to irritate and annoy her, to make her angry, to get her to argue with him. He still remembered the brittle look in her eyes after her assault. He had tried everything to bring the defiance back and to rile her up. But nothing had really worked. She had snapped at him a few times, but then she drew back into her shell, drawing silently. He had placed extra locks on her front door and her bedroom door since she had insisted that she needed to start being on her own again and that he couldn’t look after her forever.

  She looked up from her sketching book. “What?”

  Josh dragged the punching bag stand into her room. “I’m going to teach you how to fight back, or you’ll be hiding in here forever.”

  “I’m not hiding,” Donna said, turning back to her drawing. Such comments would normally irritate her, but her voice was calm.

  “You are hiding,” Josh tried again.

  Donna sighed and put down her work. She stood up. “I’m really not. And you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”

  Josh looked at her seriously now. “You have to admit that you have a problem so that we can work on it. You’re afraid. You’re hurt. And that’s understandable. But denying it wouldn’t do you any good.”

  He walked towards her and handed her boxing gloves. She reluctantly took them and put them on. He placed his hand under her chin, making her look at him. “I wish I could always be around to protect you, but… you will be alone at some point, and I would sleep more peacefully knowing that you can defend yourself.”

  Donna nodded. And her first boxing lesson began.

  Chapter Ten

  Donna opened the front door to let Josh in. As soon as he was inside, she flung her arms around him and held him tightly.

  “Whoa,” he said, caught off guard. “What’s this treat for?”

  “Just to thank you for everything you’ve done,” she said. She felt happier today, for some reason. She had been feeling better after Josh had started teaching her to fight, taking out her frustration on the punching bag in her room.

  She pulled back to look up at him. Without thinking, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. He returned the kiss, pulling her closer. She wound her arms around his neck. When they pulled away, they were both out of breath. He rested his forehead against hers, still holding her.

  Without catching her breath, she reached up again, trying to kiss him once more.

  “Easy there, tiger,” he said, holding the back of her head firmly, keeping his forehead pressed to hers. “Did you get into a fight with Collin?” She knew he was just teasing her, but she let her heels fall back to the ground. It didn’t matter that she had absolutely no feelings for Collin, no matter how much she had tried to like him. The fact still remained that he was her boyfriend and here she was, kissing another man.

  She turned away from him, changing the topic. She led him to the kitchen where she started to make coffee.

  “What happened to you and Peter?” he asked casually, after a while, though she knew that his question was not actually casual.

  She sighed and turned towards him. “He started hanging out with the wrong sort. The type that doesn’t just experiment with drinking and drugs, but are actually addicted to them. And, well, long story short, he once had a deal with his ‘friends’ that he would get drugs from them for free and in return, they could ‘have’ me.” She made quotation marks with her fingers. “As if I’m his to give to people to do what they want.”

  “What happened, then?”

  “They tried to ‘have’ me,” Donna laughed. She began pouring the coffee into cups. “But when I told them I had not agreed to any such thing, they backed off. They got mad at him. So, he told them that he would cut everything off with me… and that seemed to appease them. It doesn’t make much sense, but then nothing they ever do makes any sense.”

  “
They don’t like you much?”

  Donna shrugged. “I think it’s because I kept Peter sane, to a degree, as long as he was friends with me. He wasn’t completely in the dark like the others were. So, they wanted me gone.” She handed him a cup.

  Josh was quiet as he processed this information, sipping the coffee.

  They sat in the living room later, Donna doing her homework (she had started going to school again) and Josh pacing around restlessly. She inquired a few times about what was bothering him, but he didn’t give a straight answer.

  *****

  She awoke with a start, frantically looking around in terror. It took her a minute to realize that she was in her living room. She looked around to find it empty. She heard the sound of movement in the kitchen. She stood up, her heart racing. She slowly walked towards the kitchen and almost screamed when Josh appeared at the door.

  She had forgotten he was there.

  She nearly collapsed with relief. Josh rushed forward and steadied her. The smallest incidents would set her off these days, resulting in panic attacks or crying fits. But the presence of Josh always calmed her down to some degree. She held onto him as she trembled slightly. “I thought someone was here…” she tried to explain through her shallow breaths. “I forgot that you –”

  “Shh, don’t talk now,” Josh said, tightening his arms around her. They stood like that until the feeling of terror and fear began to slip by. It was almost dark outside. Donna could hear the sound of his steady heartbeat as she held onto him. His muscular arms around her made her feel safe. She could feel his warm breath against her neck. She shivered slightly, but not with fear this time. She reached up and pulled his face down, pressing her lips against his. She ran her hands across his chest, kissing him until she had to come up for breath.

  “Who cares about Collin, right?” she whispered.

  Josh traced her swollen lips with his calloused thumb. “I have to tell you something,” he whispered.

  She pulled him towards her again impatiently, but he held her chin with his fingers, gently holding her back. “Can’t it wait?” she asked.

  Josh shook his head. She pulled away from him reluctantly and went over to sit down on the sofa. He followed her, sitting down beside her. “Well, I would have preferred showing you rather than telling because this will sound insane but… I’ll just startle you if I show you, considering your state.”

  Donna raised her eyebrows. “You’ve got my interest now.”

  “It’s an official rule among my kind that if we want to make someone a partner – seriously make someone a partner, not just for fun – then we must tell them the whole truth so they can weigh their options.”

  “What?” Donna frowned. “You’ve lost me.”

  Josh was quiet, watching her intently. The intensity of his gaze always made her uncomfortable; she felt as though she was completely naked and vulnerable in front of him and that he could see right through her.

  “Donna… I’m a shapeshifter.”

  Donna stared at him. “Okay…” she began, confused. “What’s a shapeshifter?”

  “Shapeshifters can turn into animals.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “So… you can turn into an animal?”

  Josh nodded. She laughed.

  “This is a very lame joke.”

  He stood up, towering over her. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up and led her to the garage outside. He made sure it was closed and locked before turning towards her.

  “Josh, are you out of your mind? More than usual?” she asked.

  Josh reached out and touched her cheek lightly with the back of his hand. “Don’t get frightened, okay?” He took a few steps back and then, right before her eyes, he began to grow taller, and fur sprouted all over his body, and he was – a wolf.

  Donna’s eyes widened, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. The wolf was large and had gray-brown fur. He bared his teeth and Donna backed against a wall and slid down, staring at him. What was going on? Had she been pulled into an alternative universe? The wolf padded closer to her, but she cringed away. He stood there patiently, watching her. Donna looked into his eyes and saw that they were exactly the same as Josh’s. She dragged herself forward and crouched down in front of the wolf. She tentatively reached forward and rubbed his fur. He stood completely still, and Donna knew that he was trying not to scare her.

  She thought that that was enough for the day and skidded back again, sitting against the wall.

  And just like that, he transformed back into his own self.

  “Oh my gosh,” she whispered. “As if you weren’t scary enough already.”

  He sat down next to her.

  “A werewolf?” she asked. “You’re a werewolf?”

  “Yes. I just didn’t want to call it that because I think shapeshifter sounds better.”

  “That ship sailed when I first saw you, when you punched Chase.”

  Josh couldn’t help but laugh.

  “And why are you telling me this now?” she demanded.

  “Like I said, it’s a rule among my kind that if we’re actually serious about someone, we must tell them the truth about us.”

  “Your kind?” Donna asked. “There’s more of you?”

  “There’s a whole community.” He paused and then continued, sounding almost apologetic. “Sam is a werewolf too.”

  “What?!” exclaimed Donna, staring at him incredulously. “Say that again.”

  “Sam is a werewolf too.”

  Donna jumped to her feet. “No.”

  Josh stood up too. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” But he didn’t look sorry at all; on the contrary, he looked almost amused. “Calm down, Donna,” he said as she continued to stare at him in disbelief.

  “Calm down?” she shot back. “You’re telling me so casually that one of my best friends, one who I grew up with, has been a werewolf all along and you’re telling me to calm down?”

  “I understand that it’s a lot to process but –”

  “Why didn’t he tell me?” she almost shouted.

  Josh sighed. “Because we can only tell someone the truth about ourselves if we want to make them our partner.”

  “He could have still told me!”

  Josh shook his head. “You don’t understand. We just can’t tell anyone else. I’m sure he wanted to tell you, but it’s not possible.”

  Donna took a deep breath, trying to process all this information. “What about your sister?”

  “My whole family.”

  Donna sat down in the middle of the garage, away from Josh. She crossed her legs and held her head between her hands. Josh patiently waited for her to say something, not wanting to interrupt her thought process. After a few minutes of silence, her head snapped up.

  “Wait… you said you can only tell someone who you want as your partner?”

  Josh smirked. “I was wondering when you would get to that part.”

  Donna stood up. “Josh, I think we should just be friends for now. I’m with Collin.”

  “You feel nothing for Collin,” Josh said.

  Donna shook her head. “I want to give it another chance. And it’s too early for anything to happen between us.”

  Josh looked like he would argue, but then clenched his jaw and nodded. Then he smirked. “Well, give it some time. You can deny it as much as you want, but you’re destined to be mine.”

  Donna shuddered involuntarily as she stood up. “Don’t say stuff like that.”

  Josh walked forward, walked incredibly close to her. She could feel his breath against her cheek. He tucked her hair behind her ear. His lips were inches away from hers. Impulsively, she reached forward to close the distance between them, but he stepped back, smirking.

  “I’ll see you later, Don.”

  And with that, he opened the garage door and walked away.

  Chapter Eleven

  Yuki sat at the kitchen table with Hazel as Josh and Sam entered the kitchen.

  “I th
ought it would be amusing to offer Yuki a drink and then have it myself,” Hazel informed them as she sipped brandy.

  Yuki rolled her eyes. “Hello, boys.” She had long, straight, jet-black hair that fell to her waist. Her eyes were jet black too. She was tall and thin and did not look particularly strong, which was the biggest contradiction in the world, according to Josh. Even for a vampire, she was exceptionally strong.

  Sam high-fived her as they took their seats.

  “So, who’s this girl Hazel tells me about that has stolen your heart?” Yuki made a face. “You never were the type to fall in love easily, so she better be someone special.”

  “Yuki, there’s something strange going on,” Sam said, getting straight to the point. “Someone seems to be hell bent on killing Donna. We’re not sure why and the police haven’t been helpful at all.”

  “And you always have been the best detective around here,” Hazel put in.

  “Around here?” Yuki raised an eyebrow.

  “All right, the best detective of all time,” Hazel corrected. “Only because you’ve had about a hundred years of experience though.”

  “I’ll look into it if you give me all the details,” Yuki said, speaking directly to Josh now. “Don’t leave anything out.”

  “Okay, but just one more thing,” Josh said. “The others cannot know.”

  Josh knew that the vampire community had always been against the werewolves’ rule of telling certain humans about themselves because it almost always ended up in them finding out about the vampires too. There was no obvious enmity between the two communities – just friction because of their disagreements over how the other side did things differently.

  Yuki nodded. “You have my word.”

  *****