Blackbane: King of Wolves & Men

CHAPTER 7 - Part 1

Above pic is Kyle

Old Friends

*MASON*

I sat on the couch in boredom. Amber had left with her friend and I was bored out of my mind. It wasn't long before I was up and pacing around the house. Maybe I should've followed them. Of course I should've followed them she's my mate for Goddess's sake! I growled and paced around. It had only been about an hour and here I was already getting paranoid.

I got the urge to go outside suddenly and I paused in my walk around the room to look out the window. Something was moving outside. I could see it in the brush. A growl rumbled inside my chest as I saw the figure coming toward the house. Whatever it was, it was moving pretty fast. The figure stopped in its tread and a howl rippled through the air that made me freeze up. That howl... could it be?

I watched in suspicion as the thing crouched and disappeared into the darkness of the woods before reappearing looking different. It made its way still toward the house. I tensed and watched as the thing walked toward the door and the dim moonlight caught it and I saw a boy around my age. The stranger held a large bag and I glared at it in suspicion.

I waited until he knocked on the door to open it. The boy had a hood on and as he pulled it off I took in his scruffy blond hair. He was in good shape, well-built for his age, though not as much as I and not as tall; I had a few inches on him. His face lifted and I saw he was a good looking young man and his blue eyes burned into mine.

"Hey Fenris." He said and I blinked in astonishment.

"Kyle?" I questioned a grin coming to my face as he nodded shyly.

"I didn't know you were a werewolf." I said in bewilderment and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I almost forgot I was myself." Kyle said with an apologetic nod. I rubbed the back of my neck thinking about when he left all those years ago.

"So," I started, "did you find your mate?" I asked and instantly regretted doing so. His eyes clouded with pain and loss and I gulped nervously at the fact that I'd hit a sore spot. I offered him entrance to the house and he trudged inside and leaned against the wall staring at nothing in particular. I shut the door and sat back on the couch, watching Kyle waiting to see what he would do; wondering what he'd say.

"Her name was Clare... we had only known each other for a few months but we both knew we were mates. We talked about marriage and pups... we would've came back together but..." he stopped and a shiver ran through him and his voice cracked in the heart aching sound of a man trying his damnedest not to cry. He let out a shaking breath.

"It was hunting season; I knew we should've traveled as humans, but she wanted to run as a wolf... I just couldn't say no to those beautiful brown eyes—so I agreed. We were running and they—they just shot her. They shot my little mate. We managed to get away but I—I couldn't stop the bleeding. I didn't know what to do..." Kyle sank to the ground and leaned against the wall hugging his knees. Silent sobs racked his body.

"She cried and begged me to help her—to make it go away... but how could I? I could do nothing but lay beside her as she whined her love for me as she bled out. My beautiful mate... gone. I buried her and she shifted back to a human and then wolf again... I miss her so much Fenris." Kyle sobbed and hid his face in his hands. I frowned slightly as I watched my friend cry in the corner. What would I do if I lost Amber? The thought made me growl. Kyle looked up in confusion. I watched as the confusion changed and he smiled softly.

"You found your mate?" He asked and I nodded. He smiled and stood scrubbing his hand down his face and brushing himself off.

"That's enough of all this sad stuff." Kyle said and stretched. He looked around the house, "So is this her place?" He asked and I nodded. I watched as he trailed his eyes over everything in sight and gave a curt nod.