“There’s someone I’m dying for you to meet. Come with me. Now.”
I locked eyes again with the mysterious man as Marcy pulled me away. He gave me a slight knowing smirk, as if he were aware of how much I’d wanted to talk to him, only to find myself thwarted by circumstance. He mouthed a word to me.
What? I mouthed back.
Later, he said, we’ll talk later.
I’d never been very good at reading lips. It was almost as if the words echoed in my head, arising internally like some form of direct, intimate communication—something more immediate and personal than even a whisper. My neck prickled with the thought of this. How strange it all seemed, and yet fascinating, too. But for now, I found myself walking off behind Marcy to meet another boring banker guy.
CHAPTER 4
———
~ Alec ~
Wow, thought Alec, I literally made her come to me. But yet he hadn’t been able to get her to take those final steps; he couldn’t help that her friend got in the way. What was that girls name again? Marley? Molly? It began with an ‘M’; that’s all he could remember.
Life teemed in his veins. His heart rate was up. He was excited for once, and not just because he was anticipating a fight, or some feat of strength against a rival wolf. It was a more tender passion, a purer emotion that rang through his soul like the light rap of a knife on a champagne flute. His senses were still heightened and his body practically hummed in anticipation, feeling for once the possibilities that existed on a night like this.
Alec watched as Paul’s girlfriend introduced the woman to some finance-type guy across the room. It was almost funny how visibly uncomfortable the woman looked; she could barely even hide the fact that she didn’t want to be there talking to him. It wasn’t something most humans could pick up on, but to Alec it was as clear as day.
Then his phone rang. He excused himself from the conversation he’d barely been participating in. It was his boss, one of the senior partners at the law firm. He took a few quick deliberate paces before finding himself out on the balcony, shutting the door behind him to close out the noise from the party. All that remained was cool night air and the lights and hum of the traffic streaming down below.
His boss spoke. There was good news. The Hamilton deal had gone through. Fat bonuses for all. The call, much to Alec’s surprise, was celebratory in nature. Alec congratulated his boss, and said goodbye.
He wanted to be happy at the news, but money wasn’t something that moved him. He understood what it was for, what it could get you in life, etc. But he could never understand the human fascination with it. There were so many more important things in life, passions to be lived out and brought to their highest point of realization. Money alone couldn’t do that. Living life required bravery and a pure will.
Alec was about to head back in, but saw the marketing girl waiting inside, ready to strike that boring conversation back up. He quickly pulled out his cell phone, pretending that he had another call. He stayed out on the balcony for the next fifteen minutes, enjoying the cool fall air and daydreaming about the woman he’d seen inside.
Could she be the one? Only time would tell, but the initial signs pointed in that direction. Never before had Alec felt his body so overcome with desire. There must be something special about this woman; normally he could never feel this way about a human being.
He pondered the question a bit longer as he waited out on the balcony, drinking in the night, its cool vibrancy matching the growing passion that coursed through him, his thoughts still concentrated on the woman who’d so fully captured his attention.
~ Kara ~
I found myself trapped in a conversation with another finance guy, barely distinguishable from the last one I’d been talking to. Marcy was very clearly trying to set me up with him. I had absolutely no idea why. He was repeating all the talking points I’d just heard before: money, job, mergers and acquisitions, investments, golf. What the hell? Did people like this really find themselves so incredibly interesting?
The whole time I stood there with a smile on my face, wondering when I could finally pry myself away from this inane conversation. The problem was that Marcy stood there the whole time and I knew she’d thwart any attempt I might possibly make at breaking away.
I took a sip of my drink and realized I was only half empty. Then I started taking bigger sips, still smiling and nodding, but only between gulps. Damn, Marcy had made this drink strong, it was definitely tough stuff to put down quickly. But a few minutes later my glass was empty except for a few melted ice cubes. I held my tumbler up to Marcy and jingled the ice against the sides of the glass.
“Mind if I grab another drink?” I asked timidly, with a friendly little wink.
I felt that if I was charming she wouldn’t notice my attempt to get away.
“Oh, no. Let me get it. You two are enjoying yourselves, stay here and talk,” said Marcy as she grabbed my glass and walked back to the kitchen.
Dammit, I thought. Was Marcy really that imperceptive? Couldn’t she tell that I was absolutely bored to death by this guy? It looked like I was stuck here for a few more minutes at the very least. Marcy was already coming back with another drink. I’d need it if I was going to be forced to talk to this guy for an additional ten minutes.
I was being a good friend, humoring Marcy. I knew she meant well. I had told her that I wanted to start dating again, but this guy just wasn’t my type and it wasn’t her fault for not seeing that. I made up my mind to listen to one more boring story, then I’d excuse myself to go to the bathroom and ditch this guy for good. And so, after listening to another tale of his sailing trip in the Hamptons, I excused myself and did just that.
Instead of going to the bathroom, however, I went to look for the man I’d been locking eyes with all night. Where was he? It was hard to tell in this dark room, especially with everyone wearing masks. But I was sure I would recognize him, so I started to get nervous when I couldn’t find him. Maybe he was in the bathroom? Nope. I knocked on the door and a woman’s voice answered.
I walked around the apartment, slipping into different groups here and there, but he was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t exactly a big apartment either; if he was still here, it was incredibly unlikely that I wouldn’t run into him. Had he left? My heart sank at the prospect. But why did I care so much? I hadn’t even met this guy, I hadn’t said a single word to him. I hadn’t even seen his face since we’d been wearing these stupid masks all night.
That was it. I was out of here. There was no more reason for me to be at this party. To have my hopes raised and then dashed like that in such quick succession was more than I could take. I finished my drink quickly and walked back over to Marcy. The finance guy was still standing there with her.
“Thanks for having me,” I said, giving her a small hug as I placed my glass on the counter.
“You’re leaving!?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just feeling really tired.”
“You know, I’m a bit tired, too. Let me walk you home,” said the man, offering me a big, toothy grin.
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary. You really don’t have to,” I said, hoping he’d get the picture.
“I insist,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
I shrugged. I knew he was trying to be chivalrous, and maybe he wasn’t even a half-bad guy, just a bit boring for my taste. I really didn’t want to deal with him right now, but whatever. The city could be a dangerous place, maybe it was better to have a man with me, especially this late at night.
“Alright,” I said reluctantly.
Marcy brought me my coat and we headed out the door. Damn, what a let down.
CHAPTER 5
———
~ Alec ~
Alec glanced behind him back into the party. The marketing girl was still there, waiting for him to come back inside. She must really want to be with me, he thought. It didn’t phase him. He just hoped she’d get the picture so he could g
o back in soon. He didn’t want anyone interfering when he finally approached the girl he’d seen across the room.
All the sudden, though, he felt a slight twinge of pain, a diminishment of his previous energy and vitality. His sense of the woman from earlier in the night lingered on his mind, but it grew fainter and fainter, not like a memory being forgotten; it was completely different from that. It was as though her presence were receding, he could feel her farther away from him. And he was picking up on her emotions: sadness, angst, frustration. Why was he picking up these signals?
Alec burst back inside, moving past the girl who’d been waiting for him without a word. He searched the apartment for her, but found no one. He walked directly up to Marcy and struck up an easy, innocent conversation, trying to find out in a sly way where the woman had gone. The only issue was that he couldn’t remember Marcy’s name.
“Great party,” he said casually, following it with a sip of his scotch.
“Thank you so much!” exclaimed Marcy. “I’m so glad you came!”
“Me too, me too. Hey, I was wondering if you could introduce me to that girl who I saw you with earlier.”
“Which girl?”
“I saw you talking with her about a half hour ago, you, her and some guy standing just where you are now.”
“Oh, Kara. Why?” asked Marcy with playful suspicion. “Are you interested?”
“Haha, I don’t know yet. Is she around?”
“She just left actually. Bill, the guy we were talking with, is walking her home.”
“Oh, I see,” said Alec, hiding his dejection behind a calm demeanor.
“I’m sorry,” said Marcy.
“Oh, it’s not big deal,” lied Alec. “I was just a bit curious. I think I’ll pour myself another drink.”
He excused himself and headed to the kitchen, but after he saw Marcy head off to another area of the room, clearly no longer paying attention to him, he decided to slip out unnoticed.
Walking down the quiet hallway by himself, a sudden pain raced through his head. Kara’s emotions had changed and he could read them more clearly now: fear, despair, and panic. He started running toward the elevator, both his body and mind alert. She was in trouble and he had to find her.
~ Kara ~
Bill walked me home and we decided to take a slight detour through Central Park. The autumn air was fresh and cool, and the sky was completely clear tonight. A full moon hung bright silvery-white in the sky, even its craters visible in this closeness. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening, and I was feeling a bit buzzed after finishing those drinks so quickly; the crisp air was doing me a lot of good.
As we walked, Bill kept trying to make conversation. I wasn’t interested, but I let him prattle on about some big merger that was coming up. He was looking forward to his Christmas bonus coming in a few months and I thought: How shallow can you be? Why would you mention this to a complete stranger?
We rounded a bend in the park and Bill suggested we sit down for a bit.
“No, I’m really tired, I should be getting home.”
“Come on, it’s a great night out. Besides, we’ve done so much walking, it’d be nice to rest for a few minutes.”
“No, really, let’s go, it’s getting really cold,” I said, almost pleading with him.
It wasn’t really getting any colder out, I was just looking for any excuse I could find to keep walking. The sooner I got home, the sooner this guy would get out of my hair. I just prayed that he wouldn’t try something stupid like inviting himself up to my apartment.
“Just chill, it will only be a few minutes. Come on, relax,” said Bill.
His tone was fake charming. Behind this façade was something sinister that was only barely hinted at. I wanted to walk on, to get the hell out of here, but I couldn’t walk through the park alone at night. That would be a death wish for a young woman like me.
“Fine,” I said, joining him on the bench.
He slid closer and put his arm around me, dangling it there and not saying a word. This was apparently his move. I could feel him leaning closer, breathing on my neck, staring at my lips as he thought about kissing me. Then I felt him going in. I pulled my head back abruptly.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, tilting his head to look into my eyes. “I thought you were into this.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just tired. I don’t mean to offend, but I think you have the wrong impression.”
“You didn’t turn down my offer to walk you home. I thought that meant you wanted this as much as I want it.”
“I tried to turn it down, you insisted,” I said.
I was indignant. How dare he turn this on me? I had made it absolutely clear back at the apartment. Or so I thought.
“Well, that’s bullshit. Have fun walking back by yourself,” he said, getting up from the bench.
“Bill, don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, I’m not wasting my time on some fat bitch who’s not putting out.”
“Stop it!”
Even though I could care less about this guy, I was hurt by his words. How dare he bring up my body? How dare he attack me like this while we were alone in Central Park? How could he treat another human being like this?
“I haven’t even started,” he said as he stood over me.
I tensed, scared stiff. He was a big guy and could basically do whatever he wanted with me. How had I trusted him enough to walk through the park with him? And why the hell didn’t Marcy warn me he was a creep? Was it possible she didn’t know?
“I want to go,” I said quietly. Maybe if I just held my ground, he’d back off.
“Well, I want to come,” he said, laughing at his own stupid joke. “Come on, babe. Just a few licks. What could it hurt? We both know you’ve been here before. I’m sure you know your way around. Let’s make it quick.”
“OK,” I said. I started unbuckling his belt and unzipped his pants, letting them fall to the ground. Then I slid his underwear down. He was already hard, waiting for me to suck him—but I had another idea.
I leaned back as he stood over me, then out of nowhere I shot my leg up and kicked him right in the balls. He reeled backward in pain. I grabbed my purse off the bench and ran, but I didn’t know what path to take. And within less than a minute I heard him trailing behind me, screaming obscenities as he chased me down. I didn’t know what he’d do if he caught me. All I knew was I didn’t want to find out.
So I ran harder and prayed for the best.
CHAPTER 6
———
~ Alec ~
Alec knew she was in a dark place, a forest, or the closest you could get to a forest in New York City: Central Park. It was a bad place to go at night for anybody, let alone a woman of her age. It was littered with homeless and vagabonds, drug dealers and addicts, and far worse. Why would she go in there by herself?
Or maybe that man had brought her there. Maybe it was against her will. He hated to think of that possibility, but he had to keep a clear head on the matter. If he had any chance of saving her, he had to keep his wits about him.
Fortunately, he could detect her scent as soon as he entered the park. How could he not remember it? It had driven him wild back at the party, underscoring those feelings of strength and happiness and excitement with a hint of feminine sweetness. Alec was finally convinced that Kara was his true mate. Now he had to make sure he found her before it was too late. Otherwise, he could possibly miss out on his only chance at true happiness in this life.
Once he was inside the shadows of the park, he shifted into his wolf form, allowing him to better track her and to run more quickly. After he transformed, the scent was overwhelming. His powerful legs carried him through the park. He veered off of the paved pathways and raced through the wooded areas, his fleeting steps nearly silent as he flew along the floor of the forest.
Kara’s thoughts kept pushing themselves into his head. I must be getting closer, he thought. Then he heard screams and saw two figures
in the light of a distant lamppost. The taller of the two threw the other to the ground.
His blood boiled. He had death in his eyes and in his heart. That man would pay for this. He would be made to pay with his life.
~ Kara ~
I felt a tug at the back of my coat. Bill had a hand on the fabric, clasped tight and he pulled me backward, pulling on my hair from behind and wrenching my head to the side.
“You’re gonna pay, bitch. You don’t fuck with me. See, I’m a pretty nice guy… until you fuck with me. Then I’m not so nice anymore.”
I whimpered as Bill pulled me to the side of the path. My life was in his hands and I knew anything I said could bring a forceful blow. How had it come to this? How had terror become the realist thing in my very existence? Was I going to die tonight? Oh please, if I have to, let it be quick and painless. My face was wet with tears. I begged him, telling him I’d do anything if he let me go. I wouldn’t tell the cops or anyone. I just wanted to live. Please.
I watched as he raised a hand above his head, barely visible now that we were on the very edge of the light cast by the lamppost. I cringed, shutting my eyes tight, waiting for the pain that was bound to come my way. Waiting, waiting, waiting…
But nothing happened.
I only heard the sound of rustling, then a hard swift thud. I opened my eyes. Bill was gone. He’d completely disappeared. Was this a dream? Then I saw his unconscious body being pulled into the woods, a large animal tugging at it. It seemed, despite all possible odds, to be a wolf of some sort, but one absolutely gigantic in stature. Its fangs were clasped around the collar of Bill’s suit, dragging him back into the forest. Its eyes looked at mine, emitting a subtle grey glow visible against the backdrop of darkness.
How could that happen? Could it really be…?
Saved by the Shifter (Paranormal BBW Werewolf Mini Novella, Alpha Wolf Mate) Page 2