And There Were Wolves

(d) nine

"I thought you said you didn't believe in soulmates." His tone was harsh and those blue-green eyes were accusing.

"Maybe I do, or maybe I don't. I don't know. But I love him," I said as I watched Eros slowly rise from his kneeling position and walk away. He placed his fist on the wall and from the side, I could see his jaw tightened. "Perhaps loving him makes me believe in soulmates. I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I love him and I want to find a cure to free him from this mad wolf disease. I know there must be a way to save him, and I have to find it." I stood and walked toward him. Regardless of everything that had happened, Eros had been a really good friend since I was a kid and I loved him, albeit not in the way that he was hoping I did.

"Then what about me?" His voice was so low in volume that it was barely audible. Eros abruptly turned around and linked his arms around me. He pulled me tight against his muscular body. My breasts were pressed against his torso and I swore I could hear his heart racing like a machine gun. One of his hands snaked its way to the back of my neck while the other went down to my lower back. He pulled slightly away so our eyes could meet. "What about my love for you?" His gorgeous blue-green eyes gazed down slightly to my lips before they went back to my eyes. I knew what was about to happen, so when he bent forward, ready to claim my lips, I used my power to stop him and then broke free of his embrace.

Once I put a safe distance between us, I dropped my magic and set him free. "I don't have answers to your questions, but that doesn't mean you can force your feelings on me. I'm going and that's final. You can either be my best friend who's loyal and supportive, or you can leave."

I watched emotions passing through those eyes, but they were mostly dominated by confusion and sorrow. It broke my heart to see him like this, and I truly wished I could let him down gently. I wished I knew how to do that. But in my heart, I knew that this was the right choice. There was a time when we needed to tell someone that 'no' means 'no' whether it would break them apart or not, and this was it for me.

°°°°°°°

Two years later . . .

I packed up my things one more time, putting the Book of the Damned into my satchel along with some spare clothes that I'd brought with me when I'd left the packhouse two years ago. My wolf truly hadn't come out ever since the first time I'd shifted which helped me a lot in covering the fact that I was half a wolf and half a sorceress. Thank goodness none of the witches, warlocks, and faes had a super smell either. I'd managed to find a sorceress named Deidre who taught me a lot about runes, spells, potions, and charms. She was the only person around here who knew that I had the Book of the Damned in my possession and did not want to steal it. She'd even warned me about how dangerous it was and to use it with extra caution.

Staring at my phone screen, I bit back a smile. There was only one person I'd been texting during my time here in the East and believe it or not, it wasn't Trish or Davina. It wasn't even Eros.

Morning run. Training. Pack meeting. Helping Lorne rebuild her fence. Back to training. Cooking dinner. Waiting to hear from you. You may think I copied my text from last week but I can assure you that I did not. My day is the same as yesterday or the day before. How was yours? Do let me know if you are alright.

The text was nothing more than a list of things that he'd done but it brought a sense of home. I could almost see him doing all those things. Efficiently too, no doubt. It was Dmitry after all. After giving him a quick reply to inform him that I was alright, I put my phone inside my satchel and sling the strap on my shoulder.

Looking up, my eyes met Deidre's blue eyes. "Do you think I'm ready?" Time had passed so quickly that even now, it felt like it was only yesterday that I'd left the packhouse and bid goodbye to Dmitry, Trish, and my dad. Eros hadn't been there the day I'd left and judging by how our last conversation had gone down, I didn't blame him.