The Prodigal Wolf (completed)

Fifteen

It's a bit early, and a bit short, but I was feeling inspired. Things will begin to move a bit rapidly as things become tenser and tenser, and so the chapters might become a bit shorter, for a while. Regardless of that, I updated! Yay!

Also, a big thank you to everyone who is reading, I already surpassed 3k reads, and it's only been two and a half months! Whooooo! you can't see it but I'm happy dancing (primarily in my head as I'm typing this in the computer lab at my univeristy and people are judgy where I go).

Thank you, enjoy,

Shy.B

"What's your problem?"

Natalia glanced over her shoulder at Tia, who was laying on her bed, her laptop on her stomach as she watched some cartoon show on Netflix. "Problem?"

Tia rolled her eyes, "Yes chica, problem. You've been staring at the same page for thirty minutes now. We've lived together long enough that I know it only takes you, I dunno, three minutes max to read two pages. Obviously there is a problem."

Quickly, Natalia averted her gaze to the window in front of her. The sky was a dark, ominous blue, and the brilliant yellowing leaves of fall were obscured by the shifting shadows of evening. "There's no problem."

Tia grumbled under her breath in Spanish, Natalia couldn't translate, but she was certain her roommate was cursing. "Did you fight with Adam again or something? He hasn't been around much," Tia pursued, refusing to be shaken off.

"No," Natalia shook her head, "Adam and I are fine."

"Well, where is he? I haven't seen him in days! Usually he's glued to your side."

"I wish I knew" Natalia thought to herself, searching the forest, hoping to see the faint glow of his eyes in the shadows. "Family problems back home, he's been going back and forth alot lately to try to help out, plus that with work."

"Is everything okay?"

Natalia bit her lip as she blinked away tears, she wasn't sure if everything was okay, no one would really tell her anything. Again they kept her out of the loop, not wanting to worry her with things she couldn't help fix. Clenching her fist, she found herself once again wishing they could turn into deadly claws like her brother's and everyone else she knew. Then she could help, she could rip the invading rogues from limb to limb, making them regret messing with her family. Wincing she opened her hand, her thin, useless nails had cut a bit too deeply in her delicate, easily bruised skin. These hands could do nothing to a wolf. "I hope so. They don't want to worry me. They want me to focus on school."

That what's her mother told her when Natalia finally called her. She couldn't remember a time when there was so much stress in her mother's voice, such wispy sounding assurances that everything was under control. It took every ounce of control to not call Alpha Leo and reprimand him for making her mother worry so much, demand that he triple the patrols and catch the rogues already so her mother could rest easy. Natalia knew that she would be severely punished for such impertinence. She really couldn't do anything.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tia had gotten up from her bed and was kneeling beside Natalia now. "Damn girl, you have some major bags under your eyes, your bags have bags."

Natalia lightly touched her face, she knew she didn't look the best. Her pale reflection in the mirror that morning told her so. She had fixed the worst of it with concealer, but that was at least eight hours ago now, it no doubt wore off by now, exposing her exhaustion. She found that she couldn't sleep all that well without Adam hogging a majority of the bed, kicking her occasionally and hugging her too tightly to him. "Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled at Tia brightly, "Just been a bit tired, classes are beating me up."