Miranda felt her heart beating wildly inside her ribcage. “What do you mean?”
“Storms only happen when a wolf dies – in the forest.”
A sudden rush of anxiety and loneliness filled her heart. She was not yet ready to accept the idea that her father was a wolf. But she silently prayed that Llewis meant was wrong.
“We need to find your father, ASAP.”
“I know,” she mumbled, agreeing to his statement for the first time.
“Rest. You can sleep in the bedroom and I’ll stand guard.”
With that, the handsome stranger was replaced with the snowy wolf – leaving his clothes on the floor. Its green eyes watched her before taking its big stature to the empty couch.
“I have to say that I like your wolf form better,” Miranda stated, finishing her tea, “because I don’t get to understand what you’re saying.”
Llewis whimpered before rolling his tongue out.
“You’re a good doggy.”
3 Run!
Miranda rolled her eyes when Llewis left. She was alone in the cabin. And just like her father, he strongly imposed that she was not allowed to go out and wander, reassuring her he’ll bring news when he comes back.
The storm lasted for three nights and two nights. And it took her all that time to think about all the things Llewis told her. She didn’t want to believe that werewolves existed. But she didn’t have a choice. She was a daughter of a wolf – an Alpha – who leads its own pack.
She felt like her entire life was lie. She didn’t even know if her mother was really dead or it was just part of her father’s act. And to answer the questions inside her head, she needed to find her father.
Where are you Papa? Please come back…
Feeling her phone vibrating, Miranda knew it was another call from Edmund. He has been exaggerating things, telling her to come back to the mansion immediately.
But her decision was firm. She’s not leaving the forest without her father – not now that she has a lot of questions for him.
Over the days she spent with Llewis, she was able to know him a bit better. She learned that he was also following her even when she was away from home. She didn’t want to believe him at first. But she didn’t have a choice when he showed her all the photos he had taken ever since she was little.
Llewis was like her secret bodyguard.
Hot and gorgeous secret bodyguard, her mind corrected.
Also, she had learned about how her father turned him into a ‘hybrid’.
Yes, she called him a ‘hybrid’.
Llewis was only twenty-five years old when he had a car accident in the highway near Wakerlin. According to him, nobody was around to get him help. He had lost so much blood because of his injuries – fractured leg, cranial hemorrhage and internal damages. And the only thing he could remember was the pain killing him and the sudden light feeling – that was when he saw a pair of gray eyes.
And the rest was history…
Smiling foolishly, Miranda laid on the couch. It smelled of Llewis – a mixture of his human and wolf scent. Surprisingly, she didn’t have the difficulty of accepting that he was half and half. Maybe because she had seen him transform a lot of times over the past days and she didn’t have the chance to contradict what she was seeing.
And she couldn’t deny that he was handsome and sexy…
She mulled over the memories she had with her missing father, hoping that they could share more. She knew that there was something weird about him on the morning of her birthday but she refused to think too much.
And because of that, she was blaming herself. She should have asked him what’s wrong. She should have been more keen and observant with his words and actions before he went missing.
She should have…
Yawning, she looked out of the glass windows. It started raining again. It was a relief that there were not lightning or thunder. She could be at peace.
Wolves are safe, she thought mindlessly. And when did she start caring for the wolves?
Lazily, Miranda closed her eyes and decided to take a nap. She would be obedient to Llewis since he was nothing but nice to her over the days they were together. And she could see the sincerity in his eyes whenever he speaks about her dad.
He cared for him, too.
Miranda’s little nap was cut off when she heard a loud bang on the door. Alarmingly, she shot up from the couch and readied herself for the intruder.
It’s too soon. It can’t be Llewis.
But to her surprise – and relief – Llewis was walking towards her in his human form. He’s naked again!
But what bothered her most was the expression on his face. He face was red. He looked like he swallowed a bottle of chili sauce.
He was mad.
“W-What happened?” she inquired, stuttering. She was feeling uneasy with the way he shot her a glance.
Without saying a word, he walked past her and stormed into his bedroom, shutting the door closed.
“Llewis,” she called, knocking on the mahogany door, feeling annoyed. He was supposed to bring her news!
“Open the goddamned door!” she yelled.
After a few knocks, Llewis emerged already dressed. He was carrying a duffle bag and a bunch of keys.
“Where are you going?” she growled, angrily.
“We need to leave.”
“Are you crazy? What about my father?”
He looked away.
“W-What happened?”
“We need to leave now,” Llewis repeated, sending her chills of fear.
“No.”
“Mira, listen to me. You’re not safe here.” His tone was gentle when he met her gaze. “Please.”
“I am not leaving without my father,” she stated firmly.
He gritted his teeth as his muscles tensed. “He’s not coming back.”
Miranda felt a hand squeezing her heart. No. She must’ve heard it wrong.
“What?” she repeated.
“Your dad’s not coming back,” he spoke – loud and clear. “But we need to leave. Now! They’re coming for you.”
Without a warning, Llewis grabbed her hand not giving her a chance for another whats and whys. He handed her the duffle back and dragged her out of the house.
The next thing Miranda knew, she was riding on top of Llewis’ wolf form. He was running in full speed – so fast, almost making her forget how to breathe.
Grabbing his thick white fur, Miranda saw a large dark-brown wolf from the corner of her eye, coming out from the bushes. It made a long and loud howl, making Llewis gain more speed - his steps was making a sound of a horse’s feet.
One by one, in different animal colors, wolves both smaller and larger than Llewis emerged from the woods – surrounding them. And there she knew that howl was to call the others.
“Mama Mia,” she gasped, gripping Llewis’ fur in fear.
The white wolf stopped from his tracks and turned to face the others. Those wolves were clearly out to hunt for them – her.
He was right.
She was not safe there.
You’re right, Papa.
When it was Llewis’ turn to growl, Miranda felt the hairs all over her body standing to its ends. He was the scariest amongst all the wolves that surrounded her.
Thank God, he was on her side.
“No, you can’t handle all of them,” she whispered at the white wolf. “You’ll die.”
But he continued growling as if he didn’t hear her. His voice was echoing across the vast forest – disturbing the birds; and driving the small animals away.
Slowly, Miranda took a quick look around and saw about eight wolves bowing their heads, ears curled and whimpering in fear. But the dark-brown wolf which she presumed to be the leader continued standing straight with its head held high. It scratched its left front leg on the ground a few times before running towards them.
Miranda shut her eyes. She didn’t want to die in a wolves’ brawl. But she felt the
wind brushing her face again.
They were back on the run. And the white wolf dashed in a speed of lightning, reaching the hanging bridge in a matter of seconds. Llewis crossed the bridge shortly and she drew the ends knots from the lever which connects it from the opposite side.
They’re safe – for now.
She could still hear the howling and faded roars of the wolves when Llewis transformed back to his human form. He took the bag she was carrying and got himself dressed – infront of her.
I should get used to this.
“Let’s go.”
He was sweating heavily and out of breath.
“Where?”
“Anywhere,” he said, filling his lungs with air. “Away from Wakerlin.”
“B-But I don’t have money. I don’t have clothes. We need to call Edmund,” she answered, procrastinating as she searched her jeans for her mobile phone.
“No. You can’t.” Llewis quickly took her phone away, smashing it to pieces on the ground. “You must not get in contact with anyone in the mansion – especially Edmund.”
“Why?” she questioned angrily, folding her arms on her chest.
“Because they will kill him too.”
“Too?” she murmured softly in confusion, muttering Llewis’ sentence on repeat.
Miranda felt his hands on her shoulders, facing her. “Your Uncle Jomari killed your father. He was the brown wolf. He killed the Alpha.”
She froze at the information. She had another Uncle? And this time, a traitor. Bowing her head, Miranda bit her fingernails. She didn’t know what to do or how to react. She wanted to cry. But no tears would come out from her eyes.
“W-Why would he kill my father?” she questioned.
“Because your father was a good man and a good leader. The wolves in the village loved him. But your Uncle wanted to have the leadership for himself.”
“And now that my father died, he can get what he wants?”
“Yes, but not completely.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you are still alive,” he stated, taking her hand and started walking again.
“I-I don’t understand,” she heard herself release a high pitched voice, making her grimace.
“He wanted to kill you. And long as you’re alive you can be your father’s heir. And as long as you are breathing, his leadership and claim will always be questioned.”
“But I’m human,” she mumbled.
“Half-human,” he corrected her. “You are the Alpha’s daughter, you might be human. But his blood runs in your veins. It’s possible that you have a wolf inside you.”
Mulling over the things Llewis had told her, Miranda felt lighter when they were able to get out of the woods. The moon was bright and it made her feels better – watching it, admiring it. She should’ve gone out a lot when she was younger.
“What about Edmund?” she asked again as Llewis led her to the back gate of Wakerlin.
“We can’t. Edmund was born a wolf. And wolf’s scent is strong. It can be easily tracked. That is one reason why your father entrusted your safety to me,” he said, tilting his head to see her.
Under the light of the moon, he was outrageously beautiful as the rays touched his skin. His green eyes were dark, giving him the aura of an untouchable creature.
And despite the fear she was feeling, Miranda knew she would be safe with him – for now.
“What reason?” she inquired, trying to catch up with his pace.
“Because I was originally human – I was born human. And whenever I’m in my human form, trackers won’t be able to find me easily. And if they do, I’ll be three miles away from them,” Llewis explained.
“Really?”
“Yep. Don’t worry about Edmund, he’ll be fine. He’s strong. Your father kept him around because he was truly loyal and an honest subject. But he never had any ambition of leading the pack. He owes your father a great deal. He respected the Alpha.”
She was about to open her mouth for another question. But Llewis waved a hand to silence her.
“I will tell you everything you want to know. But we need to get of here first.”
“Where are we going?” She bit her lip when he grabbed her hand tightly, sending weird tingles down her spin. His grip was strong but it didn’t hurt her.
“The city.”
4 The Hideout
Miranda was surprised when Llewis brought her to a tall apartment building. The unit they were in was modernly organized and everything was remote controlled. She had an idea where he got it but not so sure. She just knew bits and pieces of him and it would be rude to conclude anything.
Llewis was a mysterious guy. But she had to admit that it was one thing that added to his allure.
“Nice,” she commented, slamming her body against the leather upholstered couch.
“My parents bought this for me when I was still in Med School,” he answered, pulling out a pitcher of cold water from the fridge.
She didn’t know he had stocks, too.
Miranda raised a brow and crossed her arms on her chest. “You’re a doctor?”
Interesting.
“I used to want to. But I stopped going to school when was turned by your father.” He shrugged, before drinking the water from his glass in one gulp.
She watched his Adam’s apple moving as he guzzled the liquid. She swallowed her saliva at the Llewis’ view. How could someone look terrifyingly hot just by drinking a glass of water?
She swallowed hard. “S-So… D-Do your parents know you’re a hybrid?”
He chuckled before shaking his head. “Nope, they believed I just found Med-School tiring. I visit them sometimes. All they know is I am working for someone as an assistant.”
She clicked her tongue.
“You call stalking someone being an assistant?” she joked.
“I didn’t have a choice. I’m sure they’d freak out if I tell them I’ll be away to guard someone or something like that,” he reasoned.
She watched him make his way to the living room. She just noticed that he was only wearing a white shirt and dark jeans. The shirt looked a little bit small for his muscled body.
Gorgeous, her mind commented when her eyes landed on the small bump between his legs.
Damn it, Miranda!
She shook her head and looked away, diverting her attention to the picture frame beside the telephone. The Llewis from the picture was a little thinner than the present. He was wearing a pair of black-rimmed eye glasses – very nerdy. But what caught her interest the most was the woman beside him. She looked gorgeous. She was blonde and had blue eyes.
She’s like a doll, she thought.
“That’s my sister,” he spoke, pointing at the framed photo. “That photo was taken before she passed away.” He sat on the couch across her.
Miranda heard herself gasp in surprise.
“She’s beautiful,” she commented, feeling awkward. And there she was thinking she was his girlfriend or something.
“Yeah, she was.”
“O-Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay,” he smiled. “We all knew she was sick. My parents wanted to get her cured. But she preferred not to get any treatments.” His voice was plain and she couldn’t sense any remorse from it.
“Why?” She didn’t want to pry. But she was curious why would someone at a very young age abandon the hope of living a longer life?
“Because she said she had enough time to see how wonderful the world is. She died at twenty-two – in her room, quietly.”
He smiled.
Miranda bit her bottom lip. She didn’t know what to say.
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Frowning, she looked at him. “Can you hear my thoughts as well?”
She knew Llewis had more than excellent senses. But the only thing that’s bothering her was the way he was able to know her thoughts.
“No,” he laughed. “It’s all written in y
our face, Mira.”
She flinched. There he was again, calling her by her nickname. His voice sounded like a song with an upbeat tune, making her heart skip a beat.
“You should rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Llewis tilted his head to the doors behind the couch he was sitting on. “The left is yours. And this one,” he paused, pointing at the door on the right, “is mine.”
She fell quiet for a moment.
“I’m still trying to understand why you got a two-bedroom apartment,” she joked as naughty ideas swarmed her mind.
Llewis wiggled his brows as if knowing what she was thinking. “In case you’re curious, we always do it in my room. Yours used to be my library.”
Miranda was surprised when she felt an invisible hand gripping her heart. She forgot how to breathe for a moment because of the pain and jealousy that had devoured her. Why was she feeling that way?
She averted her gaze and brushed off the weird emotion that was growing inside her.
“Perfect,” she mumbled, trying to sound completely glad. She didn’t know if she was relieved.
What the hell, Miranda? What is the meaning of this?
But she knew she needed to focus on her father’s death first. She needed answers. And before that, she needs rest.
“Good night, then,” she said, before turning the knob.
Llewis watched her as if there was something he wanted to say. So, she waited. But he remained silent, giving her no choice but shut the door closed.
Leaning against the door, Miranda took her time to study the purple-themed bedroom. It looked elegant and was designed exactly to her preference. It wasn’t as big as her room in Wakerlin mansion. But it was nice and warm – better than the cabin in the forest.
Thoughts about her father filled her mind as she washed herself in the adjacent bathroom. And what bothered her most was the absence of sorrow in her system.
She was shocked, yes; But no remorse whatsoever. And she didn’t like that. She didn’t like the idea of not being able to feel anything about her father’s death.
Is he really dead? she wondered.
“I made you porridge. Eat.”
Romance: The College Bad Boy: A Young Adult Romance Page 84