The Wolfe's Claw

Chapter 18 "Kidnapped?"

        I woke up curled up against Waneta, Warm and happy. I extracted myself in time to run to the bathroom. I took care of myself and came out feeling like I wasn’t in a hurry anymore. I climbed back onto the bed and stared at Waneta in his sleep. He looked peaceful, younger. He had smile lines forming parenthesis around his mouth, I claim half credit for those, and a small fan of wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. I traced my hand very lightly over the lines of his face and he woke up and kissed the tips of my fingers.

        “Morning, Mate.” I smiled at him shyly.

        “Morning.” He hugged me close and kissed my cheek.

        “Do you want breakfast?” He asked me and I nodded. He stood up and I blushed as I got a full-on glimpse of him naked. He grinned as he watched the pale pink color come up and into my face. He went over to the dresser and got out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for both of us. I picked up my bra and put it, the shorts, and the T-shirt on. I walked with Waneta downstairs to the kitchen.

        A few people were up and milling about, most of them staring hungrily at the coffee pot. I smiled at the sight and went to the fridge and got the eggs, milk, ham, cheese, Jimmy Dean sausage, and bacon. I set them on the counter and pulled up a stool from under the island counter. I watched Waneta as he grabbed a pan and a bowl and turned the stove on. He got out the spray on butter and sprayed the frying pan.

        He cracked about six or seven eggs into a bowl and whisked them together. He poured the eggs into the pan and put the lid on it. He counted aloud to twenty while he washed the bowl. He lifted the lid and looked at the eggs. They still looked a bit watery so he left the lid off and let them sit for a minute. He waited until the eggs looked relatively solid until he flipped them. We waited another minute for the other side to cook the rest of the way and he turned the stove off. Waneta cut the circle in half and he cut the halves in half. I got the bread ready and he put on each sandwich and then did the next layer opposite the bottom. I grabbed the pepper and put it on mine.

        I retreated to my stool to eat; I ate while watching the window. I finished my breakfast and put the plate into the sink. I waited for Waneta to finish and I went back up to his room with him. I kept the T-shirt and got rid of the shorts. I put my jeans on and I grabbed my stuff from where I left it and went downstairs. I went outside and got into his car to wait.

        Waneta came out holding his backpack and my coffee and got in. He handed me my coffee and I smiled at him in thanks. We drove to the school and pulled into the student parking lot and got out. We walked hand-in-hand to our home-base and the day started. The bell rang for lunch at 12:25 and I dragged Waneta through the halls and managed to be one of the first ones in line. I grabbed a salad and put olives, both green and black, green peppers, and pickles on it and checked out. We sat at our table and waited for Sora and Angus to get out of the mad rush. I cuddled into Waneta’s side as I ate. Sora and Angus sat down and went after their food. Sora paused to tell me,

        “Your marks are really pretty. They’re a bit sparkly.” I crinkled my brows in confusion before the light dawned. I narrowed my eyes at Waneta and I saw him get nervous.

       “Can I borrow your mirror?” I asked her and she nodded and dug into her purse before handing me her compact. I opened it up and I could see the outline of a mark on my chest, on the left, and when I turned to look at my back to see if there were more, I found a faint sparkly outline of a female wolf inside a crescent moon in the middle of the small of my back. I calmly turned back around to face Sora and closed the compact and handed it back. I grabbed what was left of my salad, grabbed Waneta by his hand, and dragged him outside. I set my lunch down on one of the nearby tables and turned to him with my finger at the ready. I poked him in the chest.

        “When were you going to tell me? I’ve been walking around with tattoos showing through my clothes! Do you have anything else to tell me?” Waneta nodded and I tapped my foot expectantly.

      “There’s going to be a Mate Hunt on the full moon.” He rushed out and I went over and patted his cheek.

        “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he nodded and I laughed.

       “I have a few questions, like what is the Mate Hunt, What am I going to be doing while this is going on, who will be hunting what and what is the reason for it as well as why is it on a full moon?” Waneta blinked at me owlishly and I smiled at him. He refocused with a slight twitch of his eyelids.

       “I can answer four of your questions. One: A Mate Hunt is another way for our wolves to find mates. Two: You will be running. Three: I have already answered this one and four: A true shift occurs. Our wolves take over for an entire day on the full moon. The human half can come out if they so choose but they normally let their wolf have their one day of freedom. Are you happy with your answers?” He asked me and I nodded. He smiled in relief and gave me a hug. I returned it and kept an arm around his waist. I grabbed my salad and went back into the cafeteria. We got to our table and sat down.

        “Thank you for letting me use your compact.” I nodded my head to Sora in thanks and she smiled.

        “You’re welcome. How did the tell-off go?”

        “I got what I wanted.” We smiled at each other and continued to eat our lunch. The boys just stared at us. I threw my salad away just as the bell rang. The same routine followed along until Gym. Everyone but Waneta gave a sigh of relief when we saw we had a sub. I grabbed a scooter, a big purple one, and scooted into a corner to watch everyone while Waneta stood next to me as a guard. I looked around the gym and noticed that I was being watched by the substitute. The guy was big and brawny, playing the role of a gym teacher well but something felt off.

        When class ended and I finished changing I was called into the teacher’s office. I turned to Waneta on the gym steps.

                “You go on; I’ll meet you by the car.” He nodded and I jumped off the steps and barely felt the landing. Hmm, weird, I thought and shrugged as I dismissed it from my mind for now as I entered the office. What happened next was a bit of a blur, mostly seeing as how I was greeted by a sweet-smelling cloth covering my nose and mouth. I gasped in shock and the smell got stronger and I went limp. I heard a grunt as I felt myself being flipped over a shoulder in a fireman-carry and then blackness. My last thought before everything went totally black was; Oh Shit.