Waiting For August

Part 24 ~ Unintended signals

"Did you just smell me?"

I was finding out a lot about my wolf. About myself, really. Until Caleb, I had never been around a pack before, and the more I mingled with his pack the more I learned. I could now identify all of Caleb's close friends by scent alone. To wolves who had grown up in a pack that probably wasn't a big deal, but for me it was an achievement. And that wasn't it. There was a whole wolf language that I was slowly learning to navigate.

For instance, I was learning that I could sense the emotions of other wolves. It was something that went beyond their basic wolf scent. I could tell when they were angry, that emotion was strong and easy to pick up on but there were other more subtle emotions too.

Perhaps my wolf picked up on it naturally and it was only my human side that was learning to decipher the nuances of it all. After all, my wolf and I hadn't always been on the best terms. I'd literally spent my entire life locking him up. It was only recently that I had started to accept him; his insight, his baser emotions, his needs, as something that I too, perhaps needed. On the flipside, he had always been there ready to protect and defend us and without a moment of hesitation.

The knowledge that other wolves could also decipher my wolf's emotions was something that I was still coming to terms with. Like with this wolf now.

He was staring at me with a knowing grin, and the smugness of that look – that he thought he knew something about me – was pissing me off. The fact that he had just leaned in and smelt me without even trying to be subtle about it, had pissed my wolf off. As far as my wolf was concerned there was only one man that was permitted to smell me in that manner, and this swaggering idiotic fool wasn't him.

"You're cute. I haven't seen you around before." He was bigger than me, perhaps not much taller, but definitely more muscular. I imagine he spent a lot of time admiring himself in front of a gym mirror. He was also hovering a whole lot closer to me than I was comfortable with.

Perhaps he thought his looming and leering was somehow attractive. If so, he was much more stupid than I had initially considered. He took a step closer. "You're going to run with me tonight and after, maybe I'll help you out with your little problem."

My eyebrow arched. "My problem?" Right now, the only problem I seemed to be having was him. I sidestepped him and decided to move on.

There were a lot more people here than I had initially expected, and I had to park down near the road. I hadn't yet made it up to the house, so I hadn't run into Caleb or any of his friends. I had, however, picked up this parasite, who had stopped to watch me pass by, before deciding to tail me up the laneway.

His grin was annoying. Punch worthy. "Your wolf is hungry." He was accompanying me again, walking quickly as he tried to cut in front of me. "I can help her with that." He grabbed at his crotch.

Ugh. "I'm good, thanks."

I was nearing the house where most of the people had gathered, and I finally spotted a familiar face. I could see Jackson up ahead. He appeared to be searching the crowd, and when he spotted me, his face broke out into a wide smile as he waved. I paused to return the wave as Jackson started towards me, and as I did, I felt an unwelcomed hand grab my ass.

Oh no, he didn't. My wolf was murderous.

I turned and slapped his hand from me; decided to let him off with a warning. After all, this fool didn't know me, and there was the slightest possibility that my wolf had been giving off signals that I hadn't intended... that I wasn't entirely in control of. I was inclined to blame Caleb for this.