Her Wolf Is Gone

Chapter 2

***Zara's POV***

Waking up before the sun has always been a habit. No alarms necessary. It was a moment I'd share with 'her.' Our favorite spot was on our little window nook on the other side of our bedroom. We would talk about silly things like school and how good the morning air smelled. Those little moments were our moments when the Earth would stay still for a few seconds longer in anticipation. Now, it's just a slow endless reminder of who and those I have lost. My loved ones. No more window nook, and no more silly conversations.

My morning brooding session was rudely interrupted by an honest to Goddess mockingbird. The little devil chirped noisily next to my bedroom window. "Fine. You win. Stupid pigeon." As if one cue, he got louder and more annoying. "Really? I'm up. I'm up."

After doing my morning routine in the bathroom, I pulled out one of my many thick over-sized hoodies from the closet and slipped it on over a sports bra and tight workout pants. Then I was rushing out the door, grabbing an after workout protein shake from the fridge, dispelled the warning systems Auntie gave me, locked up the house, and dashed for my car in a big hurry.

The sun broke through the clouds just as I opened the doors to the gym. I stood there, looking up at the rays beaming down on the little mountain town with a sad smile. 'I miss you guys. Everyday,' Just for a few more seconds I watched the scene with my hand reaching up to caress my necklace underneath my hoodie.

"You're late Thorne!" Fabian bellowed.

"Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too Father Time." I smirked. 'I crack myself up.'

His jaw dropped and then recovered with a grin. "You'll pay for that Sleeping Beauty."

"Now that's just plain mean JarHead," I scoffed with fake annoyance. "Out of all the princesses you called me the most useless one!"

"We'll if the shoe fits." He shrugged.

"Did you just call me useless?!"

"YU'P'!" His dark brown eyes danced with mischief. "Whatcha' gone do? Princess?" Fabian smirked.

"I'm gonna kick your smart ass, 'til you admit that I'm a Queen," I deadpanned in a challenging tone.

"OOooohh. I'm so scared." He mocked.

I tried my best to give him a friendly little butt kick but he moved. Now I'm just kicking the air as he repeatedly dodges my foot; like a pair of idiots. Laughter erupted out of us. "Stay still asshole." The back and forth pre-workout banter was our thing, and I loved him for it.

***

After two hours of intense martial arts training in techniques ranging from Aikido, boxing, wrestling, Judo, and Karate, we ended our routine with a sparring session. Of course I kicked his butt, and he gave me the Queen title I deserved. Fabian was such a good friend and great Krav Maga partner. We switched partners every couple of weeks with two weeks off to self train, because of conflicting schedules and such, but Fabian was by far my favorite. Alissa, The Wild Card, always kept me on my toes, but she lacked the strength to defeat me. Bobby was decent in technique and strategy, but he was too slow. 'I think he thinks too much with his head and not enough on his own gut.' Then there was A.J. If one bad apple could ruin the batch, then the one bad apple in our group would be A.J. He just couldn't keep his fuckboy ways to himself and took every advantage to feel me up. The worst of it was that he reminded me of someone I'd rather not remember at all. He knew how to press my buttons and rile me up. Oftentimes I'd feel the need to quit the club, but Fabian's dimples always seemed to smooth things over.

"Are you coming to the bar with us on Friday?" Fabian asked on the way out to our vehicles. "Please say yes this time. It's no fun without you, no one can hold liquor like us." He looked at me over the back of his truck as he tossed in his gym bag in the bed. Puppy dog eyes formed on his rugged face.

"Stop looking at me like that. I hate when you give me the puppy dog eyes." He deepened the look and then added a few sad whines. "I hate you."

"Aww, I knew you loved me. I'll pick you up, my Queen, at twenty one hundred hours." Fabian popped to attention and saluted me before he hopped into the truck. As he drove by waving at me I flipped him off, and then he pretended to stuff it excitedly into his pockets. 'What a goofy marine.'

I rolled down my windows before zipping out of the gravel parking lot. The cool morning air was refreshing against my hot sticky skin. On the way back home I had this uneasy feeling wash over me out of the blue. More uneasiness filled me as I neared my property, it felt like I was being followed or watched. My heart pounded as I made the last second decision to go down a different road in the opposite direction. All my senses strained to detect any danger in the trees and  passing wooded roads. Makersville, the next town over, came into view. An eerie distant howl pierced my heart. 'They're close.' A crowded diner with a few parking spots left near the town's gas station seemed like a good place to park and think about what to do next.

Minutes ticked by. 'Breathe. Just Breathe Zara.' I chanted. Ghostly pain shot up from my neck and I quickly covered the mark up with my quivering palm. Later on, I started to drink my now warm protein shake with shaky hands. An hour passed, and finally I felt like it was safe to continue my day, like as if a fog had lifted. My hands stopped moving involuntarily enough to give me so reprieve from mew near panic attack. A few nosy regulars from the diner noticed my anxiety ridden antics and instead of minding their own business they awkwardly stared at me on the way to their respective places in the parking lot. But I didn't care; I was listening to my instincts. Listening to my instincts was a way I liked to think that 'she' was looking out for me, wherever 'she' is now.

'I need to call Auntie.'

"Please. Please. Pick-up." I repeated with my knee bouncing and my eyes shifting with all the movement from the patrons exiting the diner.

"Good Morning Sweetie." Auntie's voice sounded off. "How's your morning?"

A long pause hung in the air between our conversation before I answered, "I'm fine." I felt loads better after hearing her voice, but I had a hard time troubling her with what just happened. That howl was no coincidence earlier, and I for sure knew I wasn't being paranoid. In the past I was often paranoid and it became difficult to live while constantly frozen in fear. 'I never want to be that girl again.'

"Is everything okay? The wind shifted suddenly, and I thought to call you about something that ... but-" she paused with a sigh her thoughts a mess. Auntie was the type to mother the living daylights out of her loved ones. "I didn't want to alarm you. And now I'm worried because you called. So tell me what happened."

"They got close Auntie. They got too close. And they nearly followed me home." I admitted.

"Where are you now? Are you safe?"

"Yes, I'm safe. I think they may have found another way to track me. It's just a theory but I think it's good enough for them to get lucky, or at least better than a needle in a haystack." I stated.

"It's hard to say." she paused. I could feel her thinking. "My knowledge of dark witchcraft isn't very satisfactory, but maybe...." She trailed off again. It felt like there was something she desperately wanted to tell me but she was restraining herself. "Just be extra careful for the time being." She cautioned.

"I will Auntie. I love you."

"I love you too Sweetheart. I'll see you soon."

At the end of the phone call I got a text from the clinic.