Found, ... at last

Chapter 5

Wesley sat in his classroom observing his students as they completed their experiments.  It has been just over one month since that morning he had started running with Bronwyn; or Brownie as the kids liked to call her.  Her pet name was Ronny’s idea; he had said she smelt like cocoa with a tad of sweetness.  And brownies were one of his favorite treats.

That first morning she had only grumbled at him to go away before ignoring him.  It did not bother him at all; as long as he knew she was safe he was OK with her not talking to him.  There would be plenty of time to work through that little issue.  The second morning she started out half an hour earlier than the day before in an attempt to avoid him.  Luckily he had realized that she was a strong willed independent person; so he had taken that into consideration.  He had started lurking outside their gate from about three in the morning; so by then; he knew for certain she had not gone out yet when she had not shown up by six thirty one morning.  By then Barry had noticed him accompanying his daughter when he caught them when he was on his way out when they were headed back.  Other times he had driven past them and had always waved at them encouragingly.

That morning he had waited until it was so late that he had to hurry back to get ready for school.  The same thing happened the next morning.  It was just before seven when he finally walked up to the front door and knocked.

It was only a short while before Rhoda opened the door for him and smiled at him.  “Bronwyn is still sulking upstairs; will you join us for breakfast?”

Wesley frowned; he only wanted to speak to Bronwyn quickly; but perhaps it was a good idea to become more socially involved with her family.

“Thanks; that would be great.”  He followed her into the kitchen and sat down at a seat without a place setting while she collected the bits and pieces around the kitchen before placing his setting in front of him.

Rhoda waltzed around the kitchen finishing up the breakfast; and just as Wesley heard the two bedroom doors open within seconds of each other she put the last dish on the table.  Rhoda walked to the door and stuck her head out.

“Grub’s up!”  She called out and headed back into the kitchen.  As she passed the fridge; she grabbed a container of juice and put that on the table as well.

Two grunts of surprise broke the silence.  The first was Bronwyn when she saw him at her kitchen table; the second was Barry as he walked into Bronwyn who had come to a complete stop in the door.

“Wesley!”  Barry’s voice boomed in the silence.  “What a pleasant surprise.”  He maneuvered past Bronwyn where she stood staring daggers at everybody in the room.

Barry, Rhoda and Wesley had already heaped their plates and she was still standing in the doorway; glaring at them.  Every time her glance raked over him he could feel the heat as her anger boiled.

“Bronwyn; stop that glaring like that and sit down.”

Obviously she knew that she was not going to get anywhere; so she moved to the table and took her seat without saying a word.

“Good morning Bronwyn.”  He mother said in quiet admonishment.

Bronwyn closed her eyes and Wesley imagined that she could be counting to ten; or maybe twenty?  Eventually she opened her eyes but kept them locked firmly on her plate.

“Good morning.”

Wesley would have laughed if she hadn’t sounded so defeated.  He only wanted to protect her; make sure she was safe.  He was not anything like his werewolf counterparts; they would have forcibly kept their stubborn mate at their side.  With the wolves; it was the pack that gave them strength; their togetherness made them stronger whereas with the tigers; it was the individual that strengthened the families of tigers.  He would never stifle her at all except for about a year after he claimed her and mated with her.  Those were very strong impulses that were embedded in their beings; the animal side of who they were.