She Who Bears The Wolf's Mark

Making a Scene

Making a Scene

To be one of the few remaining in an entire species. I couldn't possibly understand what that meant, or the sheer burden of it. I sensed a sadness stemming from loneliness in the way Xander had revealed that they were the last pack of werewolves in the world. I could see it in his eyes, and even his stoic expression betrayed it.

For some unfathomable reason, I felt my chest tightening on his behalf.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said honestly, and then cleared my throat. "What happened?"

I knew of one surefire way of wiping out an entire species. It would explain the Evergreen Wolves' secrecy and seclusion.

I saw a flash of something in his eyes and then it was gone, as quickly as it had appeared.

"Take a guess," he said, and his voice sounded terrifying when he said it. "Your people hunted us down for centuries to extinction."

"So why are you marrying me?" I demanded, a bit peeved. I'd seen the disdain in him, so why was he still going with this if he hated us humans so much. "Oh, let me guess. This is one deal you can't help but cash in on. You know you can let a few of them go, right?" I said sarcastically.

"Yes, I can't pass you up because you're such a treat," he said just as sarcastically.

I folded my hands and turned away from him with a ha-rumph.

The implications were only now registering in my mind.

I was to be 'mated' to a werewolf. I didn't even know what that entailed, and I was afraid to ask. Would I have to... consummate the marriage, er, mating?

With a gasp, I realized he was reading my mind.

My head whipped to him and I found him looking right at me. "Get out of my mind!" I growled loudly. Several heads whipped my way.

Over my dead body. I glared at him.

Xander did the unexpected. He grinned, flashing me his pearly whites.

I looked away, mostly to hide the flush of my cheeks. I hoped to God he couldn't hear my pounding heart.

"Yes, I can."

"My God," I sighed, closing my eyes and praying for patience. "I hate you already."

"We'll see," he said with arrogance and confidence that made me want to backhand him with a hammer. His cockiness irked her to no end.

"Hey."

I looked up to see one of Xander's cousins, the bombshell blonde, standing in front of me.

I hadn't even heard her coming.

She had a kind smile on her face that was instantly disarming.

"I see you're not enjoying your party much, huh?" she said in way of conversation.

"Well..." She seemed like a nice person, so I didn't feel like airing out my worries and fears to her.

"I get it," she said. She reached out a hand. "I'm Monica."

I took her hand and shook it. "I'm Carly."

She winked at me and pulled me to my feet. "I know."

"Care to dance?" Monica asked, gesturing to the clearing with the dancing werewolves.

My stomach somersaulted. "Um, I don't think s-"

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

Oh, I very much doubted that. But I was already being dragged to the center of the clearing, past werewolves whose eyes immediately zeroed in on me like hawks as we walked by. Nervousness set into my bones, solidifying them. My heart thundered in my ears, drowning the loud music.

Monica started to sway to the rhythm coming out of the giant speakers.

I stood there like a deer frozen in headlights, eyes slightly wide.

"Come on, Carly!" Monica encouraged, grinning.

"I..." I really didn't feel like dancing. I kept making the same mistake; letting my guard down around perfect strangers. Now look where that got me. I had to stop doing that.

"Dance, pretty lady." I turned around to see the beer kegs guy grinning at me while dancing.

I rolled my eyes and turned around. "No, thanks. I'm going to go sit back down."

A hand snatched me by the forearm and whirled me around.

I glared at him, annoyed that he'd dared to touch me without permission.

"Let go, asshole." I slapped his hand away and backed away from him.

"Lighten up, would ya?"

"I will not lighten up." I fumed. How dare he tell me to lighten up when I should be running for the hills?

He reached for me again, meaning to drag me toward him. I deflected his hand away again, this time with a string of curses.

The incessant bastard wouldn't let up. He kept grabbing at me, refusing to listen. Eventually, I lost control.

A crack echoed across the clearing as my hand connected with his face.

"Oh, wow." I heard someone not too far away say, stunned.

"What was that?" Another voice asked.

"She slapped him."

"Who?"

"Xander's-"

The attention had already been on me, but now I pretty much had every pair of eyes in the clearing staring at me. We were making quite the scene, apparently.

His eyes suddenly started to glow a chilling golden color, and the hint of canines protruded out of his gums. His muscles rippled.

He was angry.

"Why, you..." he growled in a terrifying, gruff voice, more animal than human.

His bones began to bring.

He's shifting!

As soon as I realized it, I instantly started backing away, my heart in my throat.

What, was I supposed to apologize?!

My eyes searched the crowd beseechingly.

His flesh tore, giving way to dark fur. His mouth turned to a muzzle, and his head sprouted dog ears.

He growled low in his throat, bearing his canines at me.

I was beyond terrified. I would have been crying my eyes out and wetting my pants if I wasn't too shocked. Instead, I let out a tiny sound resembling a whimper.

Behind me, I heard another blood-curdling sound.

Oh, what is it now?

Somehow, I found the courage to turn around and look.

It was Xander in wolf form.

He growled too, but he wasn't growling at me. His death glare was focused on the beer keg guy.

Step aside.

He said in my head, so I did.

Suddenly, it was just the three of us in the middle of the clearing. The music came to an abrupt halt.

"Carly!" Monica called me from the edge of the crowd surrounding us.

I sprinted to her, sensing what everybody had already sensed.

A werewolf fight.