His Wolf

Chapter 13

It had been two days. Two whole days; and Anton was becoming insane from worrying.

Ida hadn't yet woken. Her white hair was still spread out beside her body, whisps of it tickling him at night as he held her close. Her unique scent tortured him and his heart ached with despair.

Last night Ant was woken by a string of howls. The lonely and haunting wails did nothing to ease his state of mind. Only drawing his destined mate closer he hid his eyes in her wild mane and went back to his fitful sleep, wishing her awake beside him.

It was now the third morning of waking, Ida had not stirred. Her chest rose and fell under the thick blankets and her breathing was audible in the silent room. Ant missed her quite presence, her long looks that spoke more than words ever could. In simple terms, he was lost without her paying him attention.

That was one of the things he feared most nowadays. Being alone. Really, it was absurd. Here he was, in the middle of nowhere without depending on anyone for years; and he felt alone, deserted.

With a shake of his head, he pulled the layers back and got out of bed. He watched Ida for a reaction to the movement, but none came. With a heavy sigh Anton slowly pattered into the kitchen. There was nothing more important for him to do other than take care of himself and Ida. And in case she awoke soon, he assumed she'd be starving.

In the middle of sizzling a massive piece of steak, a wave of unease shivered down Anton's back. His gut told him it involved his Ida.

Without much hesitation he ran back through the barely illuminated home. Since it was still early, he'd only turned on the kitchen lamp. The warm light now threw lanky shadows against the dark wood as he raced time.

Upon seeing his love, sadly, still peacefully asleep his anxiety increased tenfold. He could hear his own breathing rasping in his ears. Feel how every draw of breath attacked his windpipe, leaving a sting in it's wake. His heart was the worst though. Every beat boomed through his ears delivering his life source to his organs.

What on earth had given him such a fright that he was overreacting to such a degree?

Ant didn't have to wait long. Outside, a big shadow moved across the curtains by the window. The faint break of day giving enough lighting to cast it over the motionless fabric.

Out of instinct, Anton didn't move. In the wild, motion attracted predators and there was a pretty big one currently outside. His logic was slightly failing him at the moment. The wolf couldn't actually she through the covered window.

The slow, drawn out creak of a door, made Anton remain frozen in his spot. He was still facing the window. The big shadow of the wolf only depicting it's tail, froze too. A cold draft snuck through the barely heated rooms. Finding a way to unlock his joint back into drive Ant slowly lowered to the floor. His rifle had remained beside the bed as he watched over his Ida at night. As predicted, it had come as a brilliant idea in the future of the placement.

Behind the short expanse of darkness in the corridor not alighted by the kitchen lamp, a second shadow grew on the wooden floor. The word gleamed under the warmth of the light, but Ant felt nothing but cold shivers as his heart beat faster. Beads of sweat formed on his brow while his focus remained fixed on the shadow on the floor in concentration.
The cold air from the front door kissed the moist skin on his forehead. All was silent for a moment, the shadow did not move an inch. The slow measured clicks rebounded from the panelling. Through his kneeling position on the floor Ant could feel every vibration of the large animal's steps, as silent as they were.

A black nose tip came into sight around the corner. The animal's advance halted as the nose rose higher, sniffing loudly at the warmer air down the corridor. A low growl emanated from the unknown wolf's throat. It was quiet, almost silent. But Anton heard it nonetheless. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, consumed by fear.

What if he couldn't protect Ida? What would happen to her?

A second shadow joined the first, now completely blackening the alighted gap in the wall. The second wolf growled now just as threatening and bone chilling as the first.

"Ida! Ida, you have to wake up!" The quiet command was thrown over his shoulder at the silence. No response came. "Ida! Please! You have to get out of here."

The growling had seized at his quiet words. It seemed, on a silent command, both wolves moved simultaneously. Both turned the corner their eyes once again keeping him frozen to the spot.

The worst part he thought, was that the wolves knew exactly that he was scared. They could smell his sweat, sort through the aromas in his room and hone in on the pheromone that clearly screamed; "He's scared shitless!"

In the minimal light, Ant had no idea as to what the intruder's looked like. They had big ears and big bodies and reflecting eyes. With yellowed teeth that caught stray rays of artificial light.

Ant took no time in cocking a bullet in place. He had run out of ideas. The bedroom was a dead end and even if there was a way to get the hell out, he couldn't just leave Ida behind. She was in her most vulnerable state. What kind of person, kind of mate, would he be if he left her to fend for herself?

"Stay back." He was surprised at the steadiness of his voice. It must have been the only body part of his that wasn't quaking like a leaf on a tree in the midst of a blizzard.

For a second, both wolves paused their advance, their growling lost to the wood. Then both took a step closer, their growls now loudly directed at him. Each step they took was calculated, thought through and the execution of their plan already completed.

"I said; 'Do. Not. Come Closer!'" The octave of his own threat was a pitch too high to sound threatening, but worked as both wolves froze in their places.

It didn't last. Within a blink the wolf on the right lunged over the small gap of space. The claws dug into Ant's shoulders, the teeth snapping together in place where Ant's throat had been. Faster than he'd ever moved before, Ant threw the wolf over to the side using it's own momentum. The heavy body crashed into the empty wall and slumped to the ground momentarily stunned by Anton's aggressiveness.

"Get the hell out of here while you still have time!" The sentence left Anton in a growl of his own. Before he was frozen by fear for his mate, now he was fueled by it as the second wolf jumped at him. It was larger than the first and anticipated his previous move. As Anton went to fling it over his shoulder to the first, the second wolf altered it's leap in mid air. Claws dug in and jaws snapped. Anton's muscles were stretched taut with the effort of holding the beast back and away from his throat. The weapon was out of his reach, dropped when the first wolf had knocked it aside with it's weight.

The wolf went rampant in Anton's grip. The claws burrowed deep into his shoulders, the teeth coming closer and closer to his face. For an odd moment where the light hit the right angle, his attacker's eyes were lit by a raging blue fire. It was oddly familiar.

A millisecond later, the moment was over. His distraction had cost him as the wolf pulled back only to slam it's full weight back into Anton. His head snapped back at the impact, hitting the edge of the bedframe. Black dots joined the shadows of the dark room. A spiderweb of pain raced through the back of his head. The sensation of liquid running down his scalp gave him shivers of gooseflesh that ran the length of his body. As the animal pulled back again Anton pushed one last time. All his strength went into the action, the wolf flipping over and jumping back up onto it's paws.

His vision was wavering. The wolf would come at him within seconds. It's maw finally closing around his throat. The teeth would sink deep into the flesh, piercing his aorta and minor veins, his esophagus, blood would run into his lungs and his windpipe would be crushed. He would either drown on his own blood or the wolf would come back for seconds and snap his neck completely.

Another ray hit the yellowed fangs as they came flying through the air at him. His vision blacked out completely, the concussion claiming him into it's oblivion. A last word wormed it's way into his mind from his surroundings. It was quiet, weak and definitely feminine.

"Enough!"