by Lilly Wilder
She sighed. Did she not want to spend time with us. The possibility had never crossed my mind. In a way, she seemed to be fighting us. But, why?
“Pepperoni, I guess.”
“Great. We’ll be there around seven tonight. How does that sound?”
“I can’t wait.” There was little enthusiasm in her voice.
“It doesn’t sound like she wants to do this. Maybe we should back off,” I said to Roman. “I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.”
“She’s just giving us a hard time because we look like we just rolled out of the swamp. Once we get properly fixed up, she won’t be able to say anything but ‘yes.’ Just you wait and see.”
“Uh… and here.” She reached underneath the table and handed over some brightly packaged snacks. “They’re complementary.”
“Are you sure?” Roman asked. “If you need us to pay for them, we can.”
“No. I’m allowed to give them to one person per day, so you guys are just going to have to share but I don’t think that’ll be a problem considering your… relationship.”
“She still thinks we are lovers?” I asked.
“Yes. We’re going to have to change her mind on that one. I don’t want her thinking that I sleep with you.”
“Agreed.”
I took the snacks off the table and followed Roman towards the elevators. Before walking inside, I looked back and saw that Jane was staring in our direction. Our eyes locked together and the whole world seemed to halt. All I could see was her and the beauty that radiated all around her. I smiled, my heart warming, where before it had been nothing more than an icy cavern.
You will be mine, I thought to myself, before Roman dragged me into the elevator and the door closed behind us. You will be mine.
Chapter 7: Roman
While Landon was taking a shower, I took it upon myself to find us some clothes. After all, I doubted whether Landon would get very far if he strutted around the city shirtless. Either some horny girls would jump him or a police officer would end up arresting him for public indecency. And while it was a funny thought to imagine Landon in the back of a cruiser, I really didn’t want to deal with the repercussions.
So, I hopped into the elevator and rode down to the lobby. Jane was leaving the front desk, lunch box in hand. I followed her outside, where she took a seat on a little wooden picnic table. I cleared my throat in order to grab her attention. She nearly jumped right out of her skin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Jeez, don’t sneak up on me like that, then!”
I sat down and glanced at her sandwich. “Peanut butter and jelly?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“I can smell it.”
“You must have quite the sniffer.”
“I do. It’s all those wolf genes, you know?”
She shook her head. “When are you going to let that go? I know you’re not really a wolf. You’re just trying to prank me and, frankly, I don’t appreciate it.” Her irritation translated into an angry bite into her sandwich. She tore through the bread and ripped away part of the crust.
“Whoa there, killer.”
She laughed and licked a spot of peanut butter from her upper lip. Oh, what I wouldn’t have done to have been able to lick it for her.
“That’s right. You’d better watch out.” She fake growled, to prove her point.
“You know, you’d fit in pretty well in a wolf pack.”
“Well, that’s because…” She leaned forward like she was going to tell me a great big secret. “I’m a wolf too.”
I faked a gasp. “I had no idea!”
“Mhm. It’s true. Whenever there’s a full moon I turn into this beautiful white wolf and all the woodland creatures have to run for their lives.”
“You monster!” I was actually having quite a spot of fun playing along with her little skit. “We wolves have a strict code of honor where we are never to scare a single bunny!”
“Lock me up and throw away the key, then.”
“Oh, that could be arranged,” I said with a grin.
Suddenly, she broke off a piece of her sandwich and handed it my way. “You keep eyeballing it,” she explained.
And I had, because peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were, without a doubt, my kryptonite. I once had an Uncrustable and, I swear, I died and went straight to Heaven and, in my culture, we don’t even believe in Heaven.
“I don’t want to deprive you of your food,” I said. “Won’t you be hungry without this?”
“Don’t worry about it. You guys are bringing over pizza tonight, right? The hungrier I am, the better it will taste.”
“That’s a strange logic you’ve got there but I’m not about to argue.”
And, so, we both enjoyed our half of the sandwich while soaking up the sun.
“I have to ask, because you guys are unlike anyone I’ve ever met before.”
“Go on,” I said after swallowing the last bite. Immediately, I was washed over with sadness. I always felt that way after finishing a meal.
Jane popped open a bag of chips. “Well, where are you guys originally from?”
“Originally?” I thought it over. “Alaska.”
“Alaska?” Her eyes widened. “What the hell are you doing all the way in Virginia?”
“The mountains, mainly.”
“You’re strange. Very, strange.”
“Why?”
“You just are. I can’t quite put my finger on it but you guys are like aliens or something.”
“Maybe we are.”
She held up her hand. “I liked it better when you pretended to be a wolf. You’re much sexier that way.”
“Oh, really?” I raised an eyebrow in question, a coy smile on my face.
“Don’t get any funny ideas, wise guy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She offered her bag of chips but I declined. “Not a fan of salt and vinegar?”
“Too bitter.”
“So, you’re more of a sweet tooth kind of guy, huh?”
“Definitely.” My smile deepened, as I subtly took in the sight of her cleavage. Her shirt wasn’t that revealing but it was enough to send my imagination into overdrive. All I wanted to do was decorate her every inch with kisses and follow a trail all the way to that treasure trove between her legs. That’s where the true treasure was hiding. All I had to do was dive for it and enjoy an endless supply of nectar.
“Roman?”
I snapped out of my fantasy. “Sorry, I must have zoned out.”
“I noticed,” she said. “Anyway, my break is over. I should probably get back inside or my boss is going to write me up.”
“We wouldn’t want that.” I was trying desperately to get my boner to go down but my member wasn’t ready to cooperate. It was still too busy enjoying the thought of Jane’s nectar.
“I’ll see you tonight, then?”
“Tonight,” I promised, “and I’ll be sure to bring the goods.”
She rolled her eyes and walked away. There was a slight limp to her gait. Her leg was still bothering her. I made a mental note to check on its progress later that evening to make sure that nothing was getting infected and, if it was, I would drag her to the hospital whether she wanted to or not.
Oh, humans. So fragile.
Maybe that’s why the wolves took up the task of protecting them — of bringing them into the pack — because honestly, some of them would never survive without us.
***
I managed to find myself a thrift store with pretty decent deals. I liked second-hand shops because I could tell what kind of person had worn each article and that made things easier. If a leather jacket smelled like asshole, I’d avoid it. But if something smelled trustworthy, it was thrown into my pile. I considered this little skill of mine a sixth sense. Landon considered it an act of insanity.
Hey, if he didn
’t like it, then he could buy his own damned clothes but despite all his complaining, I was still the one always on shopping duty.
“Have a great day, sir!” said the clerk, expecting me to leave.
“Actually, would you mind if I changed into some of this right now? As you can tell the clothes I have on right now have seen better days.”
“Uh… sure. You’ve already paid for them so I don’t see why not.”
“Thanks. I’ll only be a minute.” With that, I strolled into the dressing room and donned the dark-colored skinny jeans I had found at the bottom of a crusty box. Luckily for me, the pants themselves had avoided the crust. Next came a plain black v-neck tee. It was a little on the tighter side but I didn’t think that Jane would care all that much. I had seen the hunger painted all over her face whenever she considered our bodies. Even if she wanted to, she could not deny that she found us attractive.
Finally, I shrugged on a leather jacket. It was real leather too and just the perfect amount of worn, so that it looked nice and rugged. Looking myself in the mirror, I grinned, because I knew that Jane would never be able to resist me. Hell, maybe if I played my cards right, Landon and I could get lucky as early as tonight.
The thought brought my cock back to life and, as a result, it struggled against the fabric of my jeans. I shifted my nuts and walked out of the store feeling like a brand new man.
I was about to head back to the hotel, when a certain scent slammed into me like a wrecking ball. I froze. The hair on the back of my neck stood on edge and I could tell by the adrenaline pumping through my veins that my eyes were turning golden — the first sign of a shift.
On the opposite side of the street, two men entered an alley.
Could it be them? Members of the pack that had murdered mine?
Gunning on my instinct, I followed them at a distance but only after dousing myself with the cologne I had purchased at the thrift store. Hopefully, it would be enough to mask my wolf smell and make them think I was some clueless human trying to impress a lady.
They turned the corner and I lost sight of them. I jogged forward and peeked beyond the wall to see them entering the back of a building. It looked industrial. A warehouse maybe?
Knowing better than to follow them inside and get myself killed, I circled around hoping to gather up some intel. If this was truly the wolf pack we had been looking for all this time, then we had a serious threat on our hands. Just estimating here but there were over fifty different wolf scents littering the area. For us to take them down, it would take nothing short of a miracle but in order to avenge our people, it was just something that we needed to do. Otherwise, the need for revenge would only fester inside of us and force us to the brink of insanity.
Eventually, I came upon the main entrance. The sign read ‘Alpha Wolf Night Club.’
I scoffed.
Alpha wolf?
The lot of them were nothing more than cowards.
Also, could they get any less original?
I edged closer in order to read a flyer posted on the door.
‘Grand opening this Friday!’
“This Friday,” I repeated to myself. “We have got to be here.” And with that thought, I turned on my heels and got the hell out of there. The last thing I needed was to be found lurking around this place and get myself torn limb from limb. Ideally, I’d like to keep all my limbs for a very long time.
***
“They’re here?” Landon bellowed.
“I think so, yes. And for some reason, they’ve started up their own night club. They call it the ‘Alpha Wolf.’ Can you believe their gall?”
“We have to go there, now.”
I grabbed Landon by the wrist before he could take another step towards the door. “Where do you think you’re going? It would be suicide to go there now and you know it.”
“So, what? You just want to sit around here and wait for that leader of theirs to give the order to massacre another pack. We cannot let that happen.”
“We’ll keep an eye on them and gather up as much information as possible. We do this smart, Landon, or we don’t do it at all.” Even though Landon was the Alpha, I was usually the one to keep a level head and consider things systemically. Landon was the kind of guy who wanted to charge into a situation, horns first. Most of the time, that gets you killed and without a mating partner, I can never have pups to call my own and believe it or not, I actually want to become a father one day.
“I don’t like this.”
“I know you don’t,” I said. “But I’m not letting you barge in there, when we have no idea what we’re up against. I already told you, there has to be fifty or more of them and we’re a pitiful pack of two.”
Landon growled.
“But don’t worry, one way or another, we will get the revenge we so rightfully deserve,” I assured him, as I rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll make them pay for everything that they did and then some.”
Chapter 8: Jane
There’s nothing like coming home from a long day at work and taking a shower. All those people who take showers before work have got it all wrong.
As I dried my hair with a towel, the doorbell rang.
I was hoping it was the package delivery guys because I was expecting a couple of DVD’s I had snagged on clearance, as a little birthday gift to myself, since I had absolutely no one to celebrate it with except for myself. Lonely, I know. I don’t let it bother me all that much but, sometimes, it would just hit me like walking into a cement wall. Would I remain alone for the rest of my life or would I eventually find someone to fill the void?
My thoughts gravitated towards Landon and Roman.
“Maybe…” I whispered aloud but I didn’t allow that idea to venture very far, because I knew that it would never culminate to much. Thinking about it would only get my hopes up for no reason.
I swung the door open and the guys stood there. Roman held the pizza and Landon my delivery.
“Nick’s?” I asked. “That’s my favorite place in town. They make the best pizza, no word of a lie.”
“Guess my good judgment paid off. Landon was trying to tell me to go with a deep dish place but I told him that he was absolutely insane and that no one actually likes deep dish pizza — they just say that they do.”
“Oh, I agree. Thin crust all the way and if it's cooked in a brick oven, then that’s even better. That bit of charcoal really makes the difference.”
Landon was looking at us, like we were aliens from another planet.
“Well, considering that I can’t say no to free food, come in, come in.” I ushered them inside my apartment. Since they had been there before, Roman had no issue with finding the kitchen.
“This was left at the door for you,” said Landon, as he handed me the padded envelope.
“Thanks. I’ve been waiting for these.”
“Anything good?” he asked.
“Just a couple of DVD’s. It was my birthday a couple of days ago and I decided I would treat myself to a movie marathon and ice cream night.”
“It was your birthday?” he questioned.
“Yes, I turned twenty-seven, woohoo.”
“Happy birthday,” he said with a smile that made my whole heart melt. Landon was definitely the least approachable of the two but I had a feeling that he was a big softie — a teddy bear in disguise.
“Did I hear the words ‘ice cream’ because I scream for ice cream,” Roman chimed in.
“Mint chocolate chip,” I answered. “There are two tubs of it in the freezer.”
“Well, I know what we’re having for dessert.”
“It was Jane’s birthday a couple of days ago,” Landon interjected.
“Really?” Roman grinned. “Then this isn’t any old pizza party, it's a birthday pizza party!” He snatched an old flyer off the fridge and folded it into a paper hat. Once he was done with his little origami project, he plopped it onto my head.
I tried to take it off but he wagged his finger.
“Not until we sing you your song.” With a clap of his hands, he started to sing happy birthday. To my surprise, Landon joined in.
I could feel my whole face becoming a bright shade of red. I was so hot and bothered that I feared my skin would melt right off my skull.
“Stop,” I groaned. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Happy birthday to youuuuu!” Roman held the syllable for an unnaturally long period of time and it eventually turned into a howl that sounded very, very real.
Maybe he’s not kidding about the whole wolf thing, came that voice in my head that still believed in fairytales.
Don’t be ridiculous, I responded. Roman is not a werewolf.
Suddenly, Roman picked me up off the ground and spun me around. Things were starting to get pretty dizzy before he finally eased me onto one of the dining room chairs. “Were you trying to make me throw up?”
“Hey, if you get sick, then that just means more pizza for me,” Roman said with a shrug.
“Roman likes to overdo it sometimes, so if he ever gives you a hard time, you just let me know and I’ll be sure to take care of it.” Landon had this completely serious expression on his face, like he meant every word he was telling me and, honestly, he probably did. I wouldn’t put it past him to beat the living daylights out of Roman if I ever asked him to. He seemed like the kind of guy that would do anything to protect the people that he loved.
“Got it,” I answered. “Which means, if he eats all the pizza, you have my permission to kick his ass.”
“Hey! I didn’t agree to this!” cried Roman.
“Well, too late. My apartment, my rules,” I said, as I grabbed my first slice of pizza. It was just as delicious as always. “It’s been a while since I’ve had pizza like this. It’s been mostly Ramen noodles for me since college. Working at the hotel isn’t exactly the best paying job.” I didn’t know why but I was already opening up to these guys. Normally, I kept things to myself and internalized my problems but with them, I felt comfortable to express whatever it was that cluttered my mind.