The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited)

Chapter Three

Something that spoke in a guttural, yet thunderous retort pulled Maebh from a peaceful night of sleep.

Exclaiming a meaningful groan, she climbed from the warm confines of her bed and stepped outside onto the balcony to inspect the source of the noise. She rubbed her eyes, yawned and noted how it was the literal crack of dawn.

Down the dirt road drove someone astride a motorcycle. The rumble of the straight pipes echoed through the air louder as it got closer. Waves of heat came from the engine, the slight rush of wind all about as the person neared her house. Only when the roaring cut off did she snap herself from the haze clouding her mind and shuffled back inside.

Her nearest neighbours lived a mile closer to the main road so she could only assume the person came to visit her. She applied her contact lenses in record time and slipped into some jogging clothes.

Whilst descending the stairs, there was a firm knock on the front door. Not wanting to seem too eager, Maebh slowed her steps and unlocked the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked at the same time the unfamiliar man in the doorway gaped at her and uttered an exaggerated, "You have got to be kidding me."

A leather jacket covered his broad upper body, the first two buttons of his shirt undone, allowing a glimpse of the sun-kissed skin beneath. There was a slight prickle of a five o'clock shadow peppering across his jaw. He looked an awful lot like Bear, and the topaz colour of his eyes only confirmed her suspicions.

"Are you.. Coinín?"

The man eyed her with distaste and said nothing. By then, she had already concluded that yes, he was Bear's brother.

Squaring her shoulders, she offered him her hand. "I'm Maebh."

His much larger hand engulfed hers and gripped it firmly, causing Maebh to wince and cup her poor hand once it was released.

"You.." he waved a finger in her direction.

She frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

His eyes blazed into her skin, analysing her every breath as she stood awaiting an answer. "You're just a kid."

She raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I'll have you know I pay my own bills so technically-"

He was quick to interrupt her, "How old are you?"

"I turn 20 in five months. Why?"

It was silent for a moment, before he broke out into hysterical laughter. Maebh tolerated it for about twenty seconds, but when he refused to show any signs of sobering up, her patience began to run dangerously low.

"I'm sorry, did I miss the punchline?"

"You.. You're 19!" He forced out, hunched over and clutching his stomach, his eyes squeezed shut, little creases forming around the edges. "What a joke."

"You and I have a very different sense of humour."

It took him another minute to get his laughter under control. When he did stop, he continued to grin at her. Maebh glared, her embarrassment spiking through the roof.

"Listen, I've got a big load on my plate and I'm not in the mood to be subjected to mockery so why don't you pop your little arse back over to Bear and kindly inform him I told you to feck off."

Slamming the door in his face, Maebh trotted back upstairs to finish getting ready. The garden would be yet another thing to add to her never-ending to do list.

The alarm clock on her bedside table read half past 6 in the morning. And although she wasn't usually awake at this hour, there were some advantages to Coinín's early arrival. Otherwise, she might have missed the removal lorry getting here at 7am.