The Protector

XIV

The taxi journey was far quicker than I ever expected it to be. From what I remember, the journey to the pack house took well over an hour but here I am after only fifty minutes. Maybe the traffic had been bad that day, or Luke drove us down a different route. I was also sleeping, I'm not going to remember much.

When the car pulled up, something inside me died. The house is completely barren. Not a single piece of furniture is visible through the windows, it appears more spacious than it ever felt. Mum believed that making a space homey was about the feeling of being surrounded by memorabilia and that it had to be cosy.

Every crack on the outside walls has been filled in, erasing the remains of my angry outbursts and our dangerous playing. The garage is a fresh shade of grey, the names we carved into it coloured over. The door step has been replaced. The moss and chips no longer decorate the top and sides. Even the multiple potted plants have been thrown away. The boy's really haven't left a trace of our existence.

A 'For Sale' sign has been jabbed into the grass by the gate, the point being made loud and clear that no one is living there with the 'No chain' stuck beneath the large cardboard chunk. It really makes the reason for the sale hit differently.

This is the place I became who I am. Yet, in just three weeks, I can feel that person evolving into someone I hope is better rather than worse. The sharp jagged edges I spent time carving are smoothing over. The brutal sarcasm and dark humour are morphing into friendly banter, something they haven't been in years.

Despite the fact that I love my new home, the place which I grew up in will forever have a special place in my heart. So many vital memories were formed here, it's weird to imagine a new family creating their own history in the place I never wanted to leave. However, speaking from experience, I know it is the perfect house for a new family to start growing their roots.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Arms tighten around my waist, plucking me off of the ground. My face is forced into a shoulder, the smell unforgettable. As soon as I arrived, I sent a message to the person I've convinced is the only one to ever love me.

He said he would rush over, untruthfully apparently. I live about ten minutes from his place. Even so, I have been waiting nearly an hour. I'd understand if he had a job, which he doesn't, or if he was in college, which he wasn't. I know his timetable, I know he's a freeloader, I know he has no hobbies - so what the hell?

Planting my hand on his chest, I manage to back him up, away from me. He rambles continuously as I am dusting off my butt - I've been sitting on the pavement. Glancing into his eyes and over his features as he speaks, my stomach tightens at the dark air surrounding him and his appearance.

His eyes have sunken in, dark rings creating a more lifeless expression than I've ever seen on him. His skin is pale, slightly yellow in some areas. His eyes are bloodshot, making his irises seem close to rotting. An evil feels to be looming within him, bringing my wolf to his feet and growling. His paws are padding around in my head, on edge from the mere presence of the male.

"Er... Hey, Zayn. You look... well..." I try to smile, my lips currently refusing to shift from their grimace. His hard glare starts a tension in the air above us. "Would you care to answer my questions?"

"So you haven't spoken to the girls." To make myself appear less awkward, I lift my bag from beside my feet so my arm can dive through the two loops. "Of course not. They never liked me, only tolerated me because you were there."

"Oh. Well, I moved." His scoff is cruel, fueled by hatred. "I could have guessed that." His hand flings to the wooden post of my departure.

I resist the urge to flee when he steps forward, kind of intrigued by why I can sense something dark around him. One of his hands reaches out, stroking over my cheek. Never have I felt something so cold against my skin, and everything is chilly when touching me with the added body heat.