Running from Fate (A werewolf romance)

Chapter 11

"Iris, this is my father and mother, John and Rosalie Kaspar. Mum, Dad, this is my mate, Iris Montgomery," Howl introduced as I leaned in to shake their hands.

"You can call me Rosie," his mum pulled me in for a tight hug. I laughed into her light hair.

"It's very nice to meet you," I replied. I turned towards John.

"Howl has told us so much about you, he never shuts up! I can't wait to get to know you better," John held out his hand with a grin of his own and I took it.

There was a moment, right as our hands touched that John's attention honed into something. I watched him as he worked out in his mind what he felt and instantly, he could feel that something was different about me, almost ethereal. His eyes burned with curiosity and understanding. Mine, on the other hand remained just neutral enough to keep our company from realizing our staring match, but also strong enough that I informed John that I knew what he was feeling.

His eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly and I gave the barest of smiles. On the inside, however, I was worried as to what John's reaction would be once he know my entire secret.

"I'd love to have a chat with you later," John asked.

"I would feel that it would only be appropriate," I replied before we loosened hands, drawing back beside our companions.

Just because I was locked up for my entire life did not mean that I was ignorant or gullible. I may not know everything there is to know about the world, but I did know one thing: John was no fool.

John was a very smart man.

***

I walked blindly, holding my hands out in front of me. Howl had his hands on my shoulders, guiding me through the darkness.

"Are we there yet," I asked, almost tripping over a root, but Howl held me steady, continuing to push me through the forest.

"Almost," Howl chuckled in my ear, "can you not hear it yet?"

I tried focusing my hearing, but it was very difficult to do without my advanced hearing from my wolf ears, seeing as they were still trapped underneath the gold sash on my head.

"I hear..." I paused, slightly picking up on the noises around me, "talking, thumping.... and a weird roaring sound."

"Your hearing is excellent," Howl praised me but that didn't give me a clue as to what was going on around me.

"My sight would be just as good if you would remove the blindfold," I laughed, trying to keep my footing. It was cold outside, a slight shiver went up my spine. I was still wearing my dress from the dinner so I wasn't dressed in the warmest attire.

"Alright," Howl stopped me and I could feel a weird heat on my face, "We're here."

By now, the thumping had turned into what I recognised to be music. I heard numerous people around me, singing and talking. But the roaring noise was still foreign to my ears.

"Can I take it off now," I felt the need to yell over the noise around me.

"Yes," Howl said in my ear. I pulled the blindfold off and gasped at what was in front of me.

A multitude of people swayed about, belting out the lyrics to a song I didn't recognize. Several large stereos were sitting on the ground, the bass thumping throughout the forest. But what caught my eye was the huge bonfire in the center. Several railroad ties were stacked like Link-N-Logs to encase a massive fire that reached twenty feet into the air.

"What is this," my eyes bulged. I hadn't expected this when Howl told me he had a surprise for me.

"A party, baby," Howl grabbed my hand and pulled me into the flow of bodies, clearly excited about what was going on around us.