Blood Runs Red

Chapter 6 - Angelo

"You're an idiot, Angelo..."

Yet, I was still smiling like a damn child.

"Can you stop?"

No, I couldn't. I kept remembering the conversation I had had with her the other day. I couldn't stop thinking that I had never felt so light, ever. For once, my words didn't have consequences and it had always been exhausting to talk with someone but now I was smiling like an idiot cuz all I could think about was going back to the forest, to the river, to her.

We never thought of a time to meet, but I still found myself counting down to when I'd be able to get my alone time, my alone time that was no longer lonely, no longer just mine...

"Who would've thought?"

I smile to myself thinking of the irony, thinking that we'd both be dead if anybody found out, realizing that it only added to our relief.

"What are you smiling about?" Erika's voice brings me back to reality as her childish dark green eyes look straight at me, I felt like she could see my thoughts "You look like an idiot, Angelo." She giggled backing away again and I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding in.

"What? Prefer me frowning?" I joke shrugging and making a funny angry face.

She laughed like a kid "C'mon! Stop it, idiot!"

"What? You were the one complaining!" I chuckle.

"Well, you zoned out! I had to find someway to snap you back." She slapped my arm "What were you thinking about, anyway?"

"Don't know, just zoned out." I lie. "Sorry Erika, can't share, not even with you..."

"Well, now that you don't have anything else to do---"

"I'm done?!" I ask. That's when I realize, yes! I had trained with my father, I had a lecture from my grandmother with Erika, I had studied some war tactics with Luca, my father's beta. My responsibilities of the day were over.

"Yeah---"

I basically jump to my feet and lean down, kissing her temple "Sorry Erika, gotta go!" I walk fast deeper into the forest.

"Where?" she screams for me leaning now on her elbows and then sitting on the grass instead of lying.

"Just gotta go!" I yell back right before I disappear into the forest and can't help but break into a slow jog. The forest always brought out more of the wolf in me, always made me feel like running wild and free, my father said it was the forest's call, it called to the animal inside and that was it, right?

"What else could it be?"

I go by dears, squirrels, owls, horses, rabbits, cougars, rats, foxes, lizards, snakes, they all know to get out of the way, werewolves are the kings of the forest and I'm the prince of the werewolves. In other words, I'm a predator and they're prey, they never know if I'm hungry or not, better safe than sorry in the forest.

The full moon has long passed, but the third quarter was still big enough to give off some light, not that I needed it to see, but it felt great nonetheless.

I slow down as I start to hear the river close by, a smile still playing on my lips as I look over at the huge rock she was sitting on yesterday but nobody's there. My smile drops but my feet still take me closer to the fresh water freely flowing to somewhere I can't see.

I sigh "Stupid..." I have to admit, I felt like the world's biggest joke, right until I let my eyes wonder over the river's shore, I was basically speechless.