Wolf's Heart

Four

CALIX

I parked the jeep at the end of the street, waiting until I heard the howl of the wolves echo down to me before I pulled away.

The rain lightened up ten minutes into my drive, only to be replaced with heavy lightning, thunder, and hail. The windows of my car began to glaze over, no matter how many times I tried to defrost them.

Despite the slippery roads, I drove quickly to the house, pushing the remote to open the gates. Damien's black SUV loomed in it's spot in the cold garage, wet tire tracks leading to where it waited. He had returned only minutes ago.

The door was locked, which was a good sign. It meant not only that he had remember this time, but also that no one had broken into the safe house behind him.

The gray walls that greeted me when I stepped into the hall were familiar, but still cold and uninviting. If I could, I'd change the house back to how it used to be: thick brick walls, concave wooden arching ceiling, warm tan carpet and a wall of open glass windows.

Now it was all dark gray walls and blackout curtains, dim ceiling fans hanging from the rafters.

"Damien?" I called, and moved into the kitchen. "Where are you?"

He stepped out from the hallway across from me, his grey sweatshirt clinging to his arms and back, dark with rain water. "Did you talk to the girl?" He asked, his voice strong and deep.

"Yes," I sighed, and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Black, please. How did it go? Did she take it well?"

"Did you really expect her to?" I questioned him. "No, she doesn't believe me. Akina thought I was making fun of her."

"How so?" Damien sat at the bar, propping his elbows onto the counter and pulling his blonde hair into a hair tie at the base of his neck. His blue eyes searched me curiously.

"She has been made fun of in the past, for claiming she was attacked by wolves where wolves are not known to be part of the wildlife. They think she is a freak."

"Well, what do you expect? Wolves are not natural in Yosemite. Justice and his pack were passing through," Damien admitted. "We know that. You smell like her."

"That would make sense." I filled the mugs with coffee, and passed Damien his.

"Why so?"

"I drove her home. Damien," I sighed, stopping him before he could lecture me. "It was pouring down rain, and she had two bags to carry. It was only a mile."

"She could've walked a mile."

"In the pouring down rain, by herself, on an empty street? They would have found her. One of them would have gotten to her; you know that."

"You can't let them see you near her, Calix. It could make them think that you want her for the same reason they do, and they'll kill you and the rest of us."

"So what you are telling me is that I need to be close to her at all times unless Loki and Rex are there, but I can't be close because the others will see me and will kill us all."

"Exactly."

I dumped creamer into my coffee, and shook my head. "You drive me crazy, Damien."

"Aw, but you appreciate me," He grinned, and took his coffee upstairs.

I took a sip of my coffee, and moved to the living room, where the black leather couch stood unoccupied. It cushioned under my weight, welcome and comforting after a long day.

And the clock only read 4:30.

For half an hour, I just sat there, doing nothing, until Damien came back downstairs, his rain coat hanging off his shoulders heavily.

"Where are you going, Damien?" I asked, setting my empty coffee mug on the table.

"Calix, you didn't forget, did you?"

"What did I forget?" I stood up, slightly confused and panicked.

"That we have to go to the woods. At five. Remember?"

"Oh, for the love of- of course," I sighed, running my hands through my hair fretfully. "Of course. We have to take the shift tonight at Akina's house along with Alec." I reminded myself, and made my way towards the stairs.

"You're just lucky that it's a Friday and you don't have to go to that stupid school in the morning," Damien called after me as I grabbed my rain coat off the hook by my bedroom door.

"It's not so bad to go to school again, actually. It's somewhat nice."

"Even though you're a grade behind where you should be?"

"Technically, I should be in Freshmen year; I cut out in eigth grade,"

"Yeah, but you're seventeen. Seventeen is the age of a Junior."

"Whatever." I followed him out to the garage, and slid into the passanger side of his SUV.

As we pulled down the driveway, the next door neighbor, a 50 year old woman named Sherrie waved to us from her front porch, where she stood with her granddaughter and a big blue umbrella.

I waved back, but Damien stayed focused on the road. "We're going to be late becase of you, Calix."

"They can wait two minutes; I stay with her all day, every weekday."

Damien grumbled something under his breath in Spanish, and I replied to him quickly.

"No, Damien. Ella es muy importante a tu y yo y todo el mundo el nuestra especie. Ella nos necisita."

"I hate when you reply to my Spanish with Spanish," Damien grumbled. "Especially when I'm trying to say something you won't hear."

"I know you hate it. That is why I do it," I teased, and turned to face him. "But you know it is true. You know that her life is extremely delicate, and that we need her to live for many reasons. She is my assignment, and I would understand if you do not want to work with me anymore on it. But I would like your support."

"Siempre estaré aquí. You know that."

I smiled. "Gracias, hermano."

Damien sighed. "Realmente eres un dolor en el culo, Calix. Siempre."

I shrugged. "It is what I am best at."

When we pulled up to the street, Damien made a hard left to pull off the road into the woods. He drove a little down the path, grabbed the tarp, and pulled it over the car. "Let's move."

I nodded, and as Damien took a running leap, I looked back up at the house. There was a dim light on in the upper left window; Akina's room.

A blonde wolf sat looking at me, it's blue eyes scanning me curiously.

You good? Damien asked.

I nodded, and ran forward, Shifting halfway through my leap. I landed on all fours with a thud, shaking out my head and cracking my neck. We headed into the woods.

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Hola! Short chapter, I know, I'm sorry! It's hard to switch POV's sometimes, and this is one of those times. Do you guys like it when I show Calix's view or just Akina's? Do you think Calix is telling the truth about why he's always around Akina? Why do you think Damien is somewhat bitter toward Akina and how protective the wolves are over her? Do you think Akina will come around to believing Calix?

Gracias for reading! Comment and vote! Update at 50:) Next chapter will be longer for sure!

<3, Libbi Lace