I moved over in front of Bose and leaned my arms against it, hiding my face. “I need her.”
“Hero, this fascination is some primal lingering inside. It’s not who you are anymore. You are a well-respected man who defends and protects people. You are officially the Champion Adventurer Hero, the White Wolf and Guardian of this planet.”
“I don’t care about the long ass name,” I complained. “I’m Hero, and I want a date.”
Bose set my application in front of him. “It’s your official name, have more respect than that. Honestly, do you really need this, Hero? You don’t even know her, and I am sure everyone around this table is agreeing. Without a legitimate reason, I do not want to do this.”
I hit the desk area in front of him. Even though I was an Adventurer, their official hero, and even though I was responsible for saving millions of lives? I was only nineteen. It didn’t matter what I did, I still needed parental permission to do certain things too. It was one of the many things I hated about the world. When I was five, I watched men take whatever they wanted. My family defended what was theirs, and they took what wasn’t theirs. It was a little barbaric, but it was better than this. It’s not like I was still demanding to own the girl, it was just a date. A simple date.
Since I didn’t have any parents or family, my so-called ‘guardians’ were the territory officials. I had to get fifty percent of them to agree to things that I wanted that were deemed ‘too adult’.
And I couldn’t get it, although I should be able to with their consent after sixteen. Ugh. If I wanted, I could kill them all right now in the next five seconds. But, I never would. Still, they made me so mad at times. I grunted. “I told you, there is something to her scent. I am not there for love or hugs, I want to figure out what is going on with her.”
“That’s it?” Bose pushed the subject. “That’s all? You are a figure people look up to. If there is anything unscrupulous-”
“She may be a dangerous project, or hired by a project to distract me. I need to get close enough to figure it out, damn it, Bose.” I flew off the handle. If it had been a man, I could have just grabbed him, flung him into the jail and interrogated him. No, it just had to be different because it was a girl. “I’m not a child. I’m nineteen, and I’ve experienced more in my life than you ever will. I am not looking for a relationship; I want to examine her closely. That’s it.”
“Well.” Bose rubbed his chin. “I can see that. Parents often take credits for dating though.”
“Fine, give them one million,” I said.
“One million is a large number of credits. I think that a lower number may go over better,” Bose said. “Try not to go nuts digging for information, and dress for your part. You know the media.”
I knew everything there was to know about projects. Anything the government dug up, I was there for. Everything from my childhood, I had been there. This Roxie woman, she couldn’t be an average girl, and I had to confront her.
~Roxie~
I held my breath as I heard the press beating on the windows. A date. I was upset that my parents set me up without my knowledge, but it was with Hero. The Champion Adventurer Hero, the White Wolf. Thoughts lingered about those eyes the last time, but my friends had reminded me of so much more. He wasn’t an ordinary man, and maybe the eyes were just a sign of that? Something primal that he inherited. He was after all in his wolf form when we first met.
His actions in the past spoke louder. He had never hurt anyone, and he’d saved the world multiple times from other projects. I couldn’t even walk to a single class without someone mentioning someone he saved they knew, or when he saved them one time. I lived in a territory that Hero seemed to take care of the most. Even fights once a month concerning him weren’t a huge deal. Unless you were there when they broke out. It was neat while I was hanging out my friends for something to happen just a few bridges below. Still, we couldn’t even get close enough to see it.
That thought, that he didn’t even see me kept pestering my head, but I had to put it out of my mind.
He had touched about everyone, in some way. It had to be in my head, but then, what that guy said about the pheromones? It haunted me too.
It was one date. In the public. There shouldn’t be anything to fear. When the car came to a complete stop, I could barely make out the restaurant I was supposed to eat at with him. The door opened up for me, and I stepped out. Since I was going on a date with Hero, I expected some form of press, so I put on a long blue dress. It was shorter on top, but elegant, not slutty.
When I was a little girl, I imagined what it would be like to be famous. With people wanting to know everything about me, snapping pictures, and walking gracefully across a red carpet. I knew the feeling now, and it wasn’t wonderful, it was terrifying.
There were big muscle-bound guys holding back the press. Everyone wanted a shot of the girl who Hero had chosen to date.
Chosen. Why did he choose me? Beauty wise, it’s not like I was that fine. No, I had to keep the fear down. Walking down the red carpet, I tried to pretend that I didn’t expect someone to approach and smash into me. The bodyguards had all the bases covered.
The restaurant opening was beautiful, flowers and glass decorations adorned it. I moved forward into it. It wasn’t empty either, it had been packed. Everyone had grown quiet though, all conversations halted as I entered.
Okay. After a minute, a few went back to talking. A man came up to me and introduced himself as Bose. He gently locked my arm with his and led the way.
Hero was there. It was rare to see him in his human appearance, especially up close, but the eyes were a dead giveaway. He was dressed in a suit, white, I guess his trademark color. He even wore a tie, white with silver stripes. His arms were on the table, and I could see his metal cufflinks. Heads of wolves. I felt so dressed down compared to the place, the limo, and now the wolf that protected the world himself. That outfit, it had to be custom to fit his large size so nicely. I had no idea how much he even made, but I wasn’t expecting all this. When we met he didn’t seem the type to be in a suit. Even now, those eyes. They shined straight out from that suit, tearing it away and wanting to tear at me.
Ah. I need to stop this thinking, he was here for a date, not to kill me. Why would he want anything else to do with me? Although, my brain did whisper that there were many more beautiful girls than me in this world. Way more beautiful. I had to confess, I was even a little overweight for my age. Even with the belly control panties I was wearing, I still felt huge and uncomfortable under those lights.
I was seated by Bose, Hero’s escort, and a waiter came up to us. I wasn’t surprised there wasn’t a wait.
“The usual?” The waiter asked Hero. Hero didn’t nod. The waiter turned toward me. “And you, ma’am?”
“Um, whatever he’s having,” I said, not even knowing the menu.
“Are you sure about that?” The waiter asked me. “It’s more of an exclusive piece.”
“She said she wanted it. Give her a slice of mine. If she wants more, I’ll pay for the health waiver,” Hero spoke. His voice was rarely heard on TV. He hardly liked to be on TV. If he had been, it was usually something that couldn’t be prevented and that recording would be used for weeks. It was another reason people had respect for him, he’d never be caught on some money grabbing commercial. That voice was better than TV anyhow, it was deep and sultry. Brave. Everything a girl could imagine. His whole body was perfect, except for that stare. I could have fallen for a man like that, except for that stare. The images of him fighting naked came back a moment making my cheeks heat up, but then it disappeared with that stare again. Cold.
“Yes. Sorry.” The waiter cleared his throat. “I will make a note that one piece will need to be more done than the others.”
Ooh, that didn’t sound good. “I don’t like well done,” I had to speak up. I hated well done, it was so tough and flavorless. That night wouldn’t be going down in my history as the greatest night, ex
cept I choked down well-done meat.
“It won’t be well done, miss, but we will keep it within a legal standard of ‘done’ for people.” The waiter fidgeted, uncomfortable with having to explain.
As he left, I looked back toward Hero. He made me so nervous, why couldn’t he look at me normally? “Hello Champion Adventurer Hero?” I didn’t know what else to say. Was he going to speak to me again?
He didn’t answer quickly, but then he finally said something back. “Don’t call me that again, it’s just Hero.”
Well, that was a start.
~Hero~
That scent, it was stirring visions inside of my head. Things that I would never do. I saw myself flinging the condiments, napkins and silverware off the table. I saw myself grabbing her and bending her over the table, lifting that dress and grabbing those curves. I saw myself jumping over the table and stabbing her right in the chest. I even saw myself reach over to touch her chin and kiss her tenderly.
What was wrong with me? Killing without much persuasion, I’d done that, but I wouldn’t do that to someone I didn’t know on a date in public. She was still innocent until proven guilty. The kissing thought too, and the forceful mating?
Bose had set up a whole week before the date. I was mad at first, wishing I could just meet her immediately. As time went by, I became less crazy with need, but as soon as I smelled her coming to the restaurant, I couldn’t control myself again. A growling mine thought kept running through my head. I wanted her, on that table, now. To kill her, to kiss her, or to screw her.
And that was not me.
I moved my feet up and down, trying to keep myself under control. Instinct said to grab her and run, but I was not an animal. True, I was a wolf, but I was not the beast of my ancestors. I was an intelligent creature who had always risen above dangerous instincts. I could do this. That scent was just there to throw me off. I’d prove she was an enemy in disguise, take care of her, and this primal instinct would go away.
It needed to. I couldn’t go out and stop others if I couldn’t stop staring at her dress. Why that dress? It even showed some of her cleavage. If it was dragged only halfway down, I’d see her raw breast. Not even halfway. The valley between called to me, beckoning me to look. I kept trying to keep my eyes trained on her.
Her eyes. Those eyes had never seen war, never seen bodies, and never seen blood. An ordinary woman’s eyes. No sign of an enemy, although a part of me screamed she had been. The part that didn’t want to get messed up with her.
It was easier to kill an enemy than screw a woman. I’d done one thousands of times, and I’d never done the other. I could have, but there was never any need for one.
Enemy or not, I was aching in my pants below the table.
Look at those eyes of hers. Curious but scared. Frightened. She shouldn’t be frightened unless she had something to hide. I wrinkled my nose slightly, narrowing my gaze on her. When I had taken her friend Alexandra around the world with me, she had no fears of me.
What if this was her first offense? She could be working with a project. Yeah, that scent. What are the chances that someone would smell like that on accident?
Enemy. Paid to distract. Paid to make me hurt like this. I was almost one hundred percent sure now.
As the food came, I dug right in. I had to test Roxie Malone to see if she was on the up and up. My slabs of meat were always large, several inches thick. I couldn’t stand cooked meat, even ‘rare’ wasn’t rare enough for me. Only warming up the meat a little was perfect. The inside, delicately raw. Naked. I craved the cold between my teeth. Being in that I lived in a world that undercooked meat was considered dangerous, I had to pay a waiver fee, but it was nothing to me. I just wanted the meat that I needed. But even with as ‘done’ as hers was, she should complain about it. I had that setup, and I already paid her waiver fee. Sure, I lied, but when dealing with the enemy, lying was sometimes needed.
That wasn’t normal meat people ate off their plates every night. If she were a project wolf, she wouldn’t complain. It would at least get me closer to the truth.
Chapter 2: Dinner Entertainment
~Roxie~
I tried making conversation. Twice, but he couldn’t even seem to hear me. A couple of times, his eyes wandered over me, but overall, he kept staring straight at my face. When his food arrived, he didn’t look at him anymore. The steaks were round slabs of raw meat like something just cut up down its belly.
“Ma’am.” The waiter brought out my piece. A single piece, but it was twice the size of a steak. At least it was plainly cooked. After seeing him eat, medium rare would have looked even nicer than what they considered done. I grabbed my knife and fork, cutting into the top. The plate become drenched in blood as I cut. My good graces made me continue though, I couldn’t wimp out on my first date. As I took a bite, I noticed the meat was different but it wasn’t bad though. Surprising. As I took another bite, something happened.
I jumped in my seat as I felt Hero holding my leg below the table. What was he doing?
“Roxie. Be honest.” Hero leaned in closer to the table. “Who are you?”
Who was I? “Roxie Malone. You paid my parents for a date.”
“But why did you get under me so much?” He held her leg tighter. “Truth. Are you an enemy?”
An enemy? I wasn’t an enemy at all, but the shock made me lose my grip on the fork. I bent down to pick it up.
Once under the table, I felt myself being pulled all the way down by Hero.
“You have to be an enemy, who else are you?” He held my arms tightly as he sniffed my neck. “Perfume doesn’t even block it; it’s just an irritant. What is it?”
I tried to move away, but Hero was only holding me even stronger. I don’t believe this, was the world’s greatest hero threatening me? And, why was that making my stomach feel warmer?
“That scent. It’s not faked from your neck.” He pulled my strap down and smelled beneath my armpits. The act caused shivers up my spine. He was way too close, and if he wanted to, he could have tugged my dress lower. That was so wrong to think.
And yet, the thought made me excited. How old would I be before my parents approved of someone? Twenty-two? Twenty-three, on my own? Each night, I had harbored fantasies about men, but tonight, my mind was going to an unhealthy place.
Hero was a good guy. I should have felt downright frightened, especially after being accused of being an enemy. Yet, I wasn’t. Not all of me. There was a part of my mind, right now, still wondering about his hand. There was a sensation in my ear. Something thumping.
He sniffed my neck again. “Your scent is spiking even more, this isn’t a trick. That’s no perfume, it’s from you yourself.” He groaned against my ear. “Do you want me to lose it?” He moved my head to look into his eyes. Hungry as before, yet I discovered something new. “You have the hard eyes of an enemy again, but you aren’t one. So what are they? What are you?”
Neither of us moved right away. My breathing was getting deeper and far from relaxed. Was he going to remove his hand already? Or was he going to do more? I didn’t trust myself to talk.
“Oh, no. You’re a project wolf,” he whispered to me. “I know it. I remember.”
“Project wolf?” I shook my head back and forth. “I swear, I am not an enemy. I can’t transform, I am completely human. I don’t even know about fighting, you have to believe me.”
“Sir? Ma’am?” The waiter said from beside the table. “Are you alright? Will you be eating your meal down there?”
“Just give us a minute,” Hero said as he turned his attention back to me. “You were adopted around three, weren’t you?” His eyes lightened up as he stroked my hair. The hard attitude, it was changing into something else. “That’s it, you’re a...” He sniffed me once more. “A project wolf Z. The last of the project wolves.”
“I have no fighting ability, really.” I felt my head, I was not at all myself. The thumping in my ears was getting stronger. “I was adopted w
hen I was three but...I-I’m not a project. I can’t be. I’m not a wolf.”
“Sure.” He didn’t believe me by that tone.
I didn’t know what to do. He thought I was an enemy. “I can’t even fight, and I wouldn’t be here if I were a project wolf. I’m telling the truth, please don’t hurt me.”
“I get it.” He stroked my hair again, leaning more forward. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re from group Z. I am from group Y.”
“Does that make a difference?” I asked.
“Yeah, you should be extinct.” Hero inhaled my scent again. “I don’t remember much, I was only around five,” he admitted. “Some groups from the past were so gone, it didn’t even go in the records, but I do sort of remember. You aren’t my enemy.” His grip on my dress tightened. “You weren’t created to fight, you were created to breed.”
Oh no. That hungry look was coming back into his eyes. My heart picked up pace as he rubbed himself against me.
“That’s the scent, and that’s the reason.” He pulled my face back towards him, kissing me briefly. “You belong to me, even if you don’t know it yet.”
Did I belong to him? My sudden need for him, was that where it was coming from? No, no I wasn’t like that. I wasn’t a project wolf, and I wasn’t created for him. I tried to pull away.
“You can’t resist, it’s against your nature.” He breathed into my ear as he massaged the fabric of my dress. “No matter how much you fight with your mind, your body needs it.”
Needs it? “I don’t need anything,” I pleaded. “Stop,” I said the words, but why was my body responding and bending toward him? “Please stop?”
“When you stop arching your back against me,” he moaned. “You stop.”
But I couldn’t, it was instinctive. I heard him cuss from behind me. My scent must have been driving him mad. I couldn’t even smell anything, yet my body was being driven mad by him. The thumping in my ears so strong, and now, a strange purr came from me.
Wolf in Hero Clothing Page 2