THE HOWLING.
02. CHAPTER TWO : all stories are about wolves (n.e)
She woke up in a strong hold. Her hand following the arm until she clasped a hand, and sighed contently. A small smile pulled at her lips when she inhaled his scent. Something like apples. And she carefully turned around in his arms, and nuzzled her face in his chest. She froze when she felt his heart speed up, and a low laugh vibrate through his chest.
"Never thought of you as a cuddler," Matt said, his hand lazily adjusting around Rowan's waist.
"That's because I'm not," she muttered, his voice muffled by his shirt. Rowan felt him shrug slightly before he tried to move away. Rowan grabbed his shirt and pulled him back. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Well, I planned on brushing my teeth and getting ready for school," Matt told her, amused by her actions. "I have morning breath."
"So do I. And I don't mind it. I've smelt worse."
"Like what?"
"Matt, I grew up with Tyler. I've smelled a lot of things."
Matt wrinkled his nose, and Rowan laughed at his expression. Their moment of peace was ruined when his alarm clock blared, and Rowan groaned.
"Can't we just skip?" she questioned. She moved out of his grip, and sat on the side of the bed where her feet hung down, barely skinning the floor. As she stood, she could feel Matt's eyes rove over her form, and shook her head as she reached for one of his flannels. She was only wearing a tank and a pair of Matt's boxers, and without the cover of blankets, she felt oddly revealed. This is talking about the girl who walked naked around town on a full moon.
When she turned around, Matt was getting out of bed. He grinned at the sight of her in his clothes. Men were possessive like that.
"I'm borrowing this today. Hope you don't mind," Rowan said, gesturing to the shirt. She pulled off the boxers when Matt walked out of the room, going to the bathroom, and slid her jeans from the night before on.
"Are you going to be okay today?" Matt asked, his words slurred together as he began brushing his teeth.
Rowan shrugged, and picked up a spare toothbrush. "I guess. I mean, other than the fact that my brother is not some sort of hybrid, who I'll actually probably have the urge to kill. But it's something else, that I didn't mention last night."
Matt slowed his brushing, and turned to her. "What?"
"Tyler's dead, or well, he died. I mean, basically, he is. And because of that, he's no longer in my pack. Which also means I'm not as strong as I was." She paused between words as she brushed her own teeth, shielding her mouth from Matt's view when she spit. "Now I have no pack."
She rinsed off the toothbrush, and moved aside for Matt to finish. When he did, he turned to her. "What about me―us? Like all of us humans, I mean."
Rowan followed him back into his bedroom, turning her back when he took of his shirt. "It's different with humans. I mean, I have the instinct to protect you guys, and I do think of all of you as family. But pack is different."
Matt nodded absently, though she couldn't see him, and put his own pants on. He straightened his shirt before giving Rowan the okay to turn around. "I get it."
"You do?"
Matt nodded again as he finished tying his shoes, and grabbed his keys. Rowan followed his lead and quickly tied her own converse. "Not really, but yeah."
The two walked out of his house, Matt locked the door, and climbed into the baby blue truck. Because, no, they could not skip the first day of senior year.
☾
"Caroline, the only feeling that I'm feeling is the feeling that I want to rip your head from your shoulders. Then I'll shrink it, and hang it like an air freshener from my rearview mirror."
Caroline gaped at Rowan whilst the brunette looked back in indifference. "Okay, that freakishly dark and vivid," she muttered. "But, seriously, nothing at all? I mean, we're seniors! We rule the school, shouldn't you feel a little something."
"I'm still in this hell hole, so I'm going to go back with no," Rowan said, putting a spiral notebook in her back. She heard a quiet gasp from the blonde as she shut her locker.
"Oh my god, is that Matt's shirt?" Caroline asked, a strange amount of glee in her voice. "Did you guys do it?"
"Do what?" Rowan shot back, dubiously.
"You know what! It! Sexual intercourse, to dumb it down enough."
Now it was Rowan's turn to gape. "What? No, no!"
Caroline waved her arms around to express her exasperation. "Well, why not?"
"Why would I?"
"Because you like him!"
Cue more sputtering from the werewolf. "Who the hell said I liked him? I never said that! Can't a girl and a guy just be friends, and not have people assume they're having sex?"
Caroline shrugged and adjusted her grip on her stack of flyers. "I mean, I guess. But you don't like him?"
"Of course I like him," Rowan huffed. She handed Caroline a thumbtack. "But there's too much happening now. It wouldn't be good idea."
"It wouldn't be a good idea for you to be happy?" Caroline drawled out sarcastically. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
Rowan rolled her eyes and the two made a move to walk further down the hall, but another voice stopped them.
"I forgot about the bonfire," Elena sighed, approaching the two.
Caroline turned around immediately, her eyes wide. "You have to go. It's our first spirit squad event, and it sets the bar for the whole year―"
"Relax, Caroline. I'll be there," Elena cut off, smiling at her friend.
"Thank you. It's just that―" Caroline was once again cut off, but this time with Tyler kissing her. Rowan gagged in the background.
"Happy first day," he said, pulling away. Rowan furrowed her eyebrows when the scent of blood entered her nostrils, and started looking around.
"Is that blood?" Elena's question brought her back, and she immediately went into action and pushed Tyler toward the bathroom, ignoring his protests as she did. Caroline and Elena followed in tow.
"What's going on?" Tyler asked once the four entered the bathroom.
Rowan shook her head as she wet a paper towel. "I get that you're one of the bloodsuckers now, but seriously, Tyler?" she asked, voice raising. She began dabbing the collar of his shirt, careful not to smear the stain. "Disgusting," she breathed out. Another thing added to things Tyler brought into her life that smelled horrible; blood.
"Vampire 101," Caroline started, gaining her boyfriend's attention before slapping his shoulder. "Don't wear your breakfast to school."
"Chill out, it was just a blood bag," Tyler defended.
Rowan looked up with a glare. "From where?"
"Rebekah hooked me up." Last straw, and Rowan slapped the back of his head.
"Rebekah?" Caroline asked, crossing her arms. Rowan muttered, "dumbass" under her breath. "And what are you even doing talking to her for?"
"Klaus told her to keep a watch on me. Protect his new asset."
"His what?" Both Caroline and Rowan asked. Tyler looked far to calm than a guy who's sister and girlfriend look they're about to attack him should. "Why are amused by this?" Caroline continued.
"I'm his first successful hybrid," Tyler said, proudly. "Don't you think that's the tiniest bit awesome?"
"Oh wow," Caroline breathed out. "I cannot believe you just said that."
"Tyler, this―" Rowan gestured at the blood and him, "is not a good thing. You can't be enjoying this!"
"You can't tell me what to do anymore," Tyler told her, shrugging. He looked at her in indifference. "You're not my alpha anymore."
Hurt flashed through Rowan's eyes, but she didn't allow it to show on her face.
"So I'm going to go," Elena said awkwardly from behind them. Rowan had almost forgotten about her.
"Wait," she said, stopping the fellow brunette from opening the door. Her glare stayed on Tyler for another second. "I'll come with you." She looked Tyler up and down one more time in slight disgust. "I'm done here."
Rowan swung the door, walking out like a blur of anger. She quickly made her way down the hall, not noticing Elena get stopped from a green-eyed Salvatore.
She vaguely heard the bell ring, and turned down the hall toward the history classroom. When she arrived, she sat in front of Bonnie. The witch greeted her with a small smile, which she tried to return. She didn't make a move to look back at Tyler, or when Stefan entered the classroom.
"Welcome back, seniors," Alaric started from the front of the classroom. "Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders. The Native Americans."
Rowan sighed and opened her book. Her hand froze when a British voice entered her ears.
"What about the Vikings?" the same voice asked. Rowan still didn't look up, but was gripping the pencil too tight and it broke in half. Bonnie tapped her shoulder, and she turned around. She nodded at Bonnie's silent, "are you okay?".
"There's no evidence Viking explorers actually settled in the United States," Alaric said, starting to pick up on the tension the blonde suddenly brought into the room. "Who are you?"
"My name's Rebekah. I'm new, and history is my favorite subject."
Rowan dug around in her bag for another pencil, and so began the most awkward class of her life.
☾
Two questions asked from her mother about Tyler, one full flask in her bag, and her stomach full from leftover deer meat, Rowan walked out of the house. Elena had been texting, asking whether or not she was going to come to the little meeting in Alaric's classroom.
She ignored the questions. Rowan didn't want anything to do with the Gilbert girl and her Scooby Doo gang's other lives. She was their friends, "their" being Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena. And of course the rest of the humans. She loved them, and she wanted to protect them, but she also wanted to protect herself.
Death surrounded the group of teens. Getting involved is the reason why the man who taught her everything about being a werewolf is dead. Because he thought he was doing the right thing. But it's all about perspective. Mason thought he was doing the right keeping the moonstone away from them. Because he wanted to break, what he thought was the Sun and the Moon curse. But in the Scooby Doo gang's point of view, it was wrong so they killed him.
And Rowan has yet forgiven them for that.
She knew that if you got too close, you die. So she kept her distance when it came to the supernatural extracurricular activities in Mystic Falls. Unless it was a bonfire. She loved a good bonfire.
The smoky scent was the first scent she smelled when she exited her car. The second being cheap beer and teenagers, but she ignored those.
Her phone beeped one more time time, the LED flash illuminated from her front and Rowan sighed, fishing it out.
FROM ELENA: 911 TYLER
"Seriously?" Rowan asked herself, sliding the phone back into her pocket. She locked her car behind her, twice making it beep, and walked toward the dark school. There were only a few lights on, and she knew she wouldn't have to worry about a night guard. No one was brave enough to guard something at night in Mystic Falls.
She walked until she say a dimly lit room, the door was already open, and Rowan could hear indistinct chatter.
She sighed when she saw Tyler laying on the floor unconscious and Caroline hovering over him. She didn't feel a need to get upset. Tyler didn't want her to tell him what to do anymore, so she wasn't. And whatever idiocy he did or had done to him, she wasn't going to care. Or at least that's what she's going to keep telling herself.
"Why is my brother passed out?" Rowan asked, leaning on the doorway.
"You said you wanted to know what was going on with him," Elena said, though she ended it with more of a question mark. "Damon says he's sired."
Rowan titled her head a little. "And why should I believe what that dick says?" She wanted to send a glare to the elder Salvatore's smirking face, but restrained.
"Believe me," Elena told her. "He's sired, and he'll do whatever his master, meaning Klaus, tells him to do." She could still see the hesitancy on Rowan's face. "You trust me, right?"
Rowan sighed, and shifted her position. "No. No, I don't." Elena looked at her, hurt. "Elena, I will protect you. And I am your friend. But when it comes to my family, I don't trust you." Her eyes glided around everyone in the room. "Any of you. Now, Caroline," the blonde looked up, the only one she remotely trusted, "Will you take my brother home? Because I want to get drunk, and I can't do that with him lying on a dirty classroom floor."
Caroline nodded and easily picked Tyler up before leaving the classroom.
"Can I ask you for favor?" Elena asked, sheepishly. Rowan inwardly groaned, but nodded. "You wouldn't happen to have any vervain, huh?"
Another nod, and Rowan pulled a vial of the liquid from her pocket. Elena caught it when Rowan tossed it to her, and the werewolf walked out of the classroom.
Her face remained stoic when another person joined her.
"I don't like you," Rowan deadpanned. She barely glanced at the raven haired man in her peripheral vision. "Actually, I kind of hate you."
Damon sighed, more exasperated than anything. "Oh, c'mon, I've already apologized."
Rowan stopped in the middle of the hall, and narrowed her eyes at him. "No, you didn't."
"Well, would you forgive me if I did?"
"Definitely not."
She started walking again, he followed, and in seconds they were outside surrounded by mostly intoxicated teens.
"So are you going to apologize for killing the closest thing I've had to father?"
Damon glanced her dubiously. "You had a father."
"Yeah, but he was kind of a dick," she said, taking the flask from her back pocket. She took a sip and closed it back up.
"Fine. I'm....sorry," Damon basically barfed. The word was so quiet and actually kind of gargled, Rowan raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
"That was terrible."
"Well, that's all I've got!"
Rowan rolled her eyes, and went to respond but her phone ringing cut her short. She held up a finger for Damon to hold one before answering. "Hello?"
"Little wolf," an accented voice greeted. Rowan's face twisted in a glare, and she gestured for Damon to turn his vamp ears on. He did and stepped closer.
"What do you want?" she asked, voice as calm as she can manage. Damon's eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated.
"I want to know where your brother is. He's not answering his phone."
"Why didn't you put a location chip in him? That's normally what owners to do their pets."
Klaus chuckled from the other end. "You know, I've never heard a werewolf tell so many dog jokes." He spoke up again, this time speaking in much more serious voice. "Tell Tyler to call me," he said. A second later Rowan heard the dial tone.
"How the hell did he get my number?" Rowan asked loudly. Damon shrugged, his eyes going over the crowd until landing on a blonde sitting by herself.
"My mission awaits," Rowan heard him say. She waved him off. And a new song began.
☾
Her hair bounced on her shoulders as she danced, and the guy who made the mistake of trying to cop a feel was cradling his thumb. In a town where there are vampires, witches, werewolves, and now hybrids, it's hard to feel normal. But dancing and drinking irresponsibly next to a flaring fire, that's as high school as a person can get.
It was nice to feel normal. Even if it was for just a second because when Bonnie came to her in a frenzy, it all ended.
She stood in the empty classroom, her arms crossed beside Bonnie. All the candles were in a bag, and her eyes stayed on Matt as he paced.
"I'm so sorry," he said. His heartbeat fast, but with no blips. "I didn't think she'd do something like this. I trusted her."
"You need to tell me what you did to let Vicki out, so I know exactly how to send her back," Bonnie told him.
Matt met Rowan's dark brown eyes, and swallowed. He nodded, and told them.
After a few minutes, Matt handed Rowan a few candles and she put them in place for the spell, lighting them as she did.
"I found a spell that can block whatever magic is helping Vicki," Bonnie announced, breaking the tense silence that had grown.
Matt walked over and kneeled down in front of the Bennett witch. "What do I do?"
Rowan watched as Matt unwrapped one of his hands, and a nasty cut across his palm. Bonnie shook her head and took the other one, cutting it open. Both of them turned toward the Lockwood when she sniffed the air.
"Do you guys smell that?" The two shook their head, and Rowan shook her head. "I'm going to check it out. I'll be back," she said and walked out of the room.
Normally at a bonfire, the smell of fire was no problem. But it wasn't wood that was burning. She could smell gasoline, metal, and oil. Rowan picked up her speed in a sprint and headed to the parking lot.
She paused for a second when she approached Alaric's burning car, and the trunk door came barreling off. Rowan could vaguely see Elena struggling as she approached the line of fire.
"Elena?" she yelled over the flames. Elena looked up, a visible amount of hope in her eyes when she did. And Rowan took a leap of faith, quite literally, and jumped into the back the truck. Her eyes watered from the smoke entering her lungs, but she ignored it, and latched onto Elena's wrist, pulling. But something pulled back with immense strength. Her muscles hurt, as did her lungs, but she pulled, and Elena came to her.
Both girls clambered out of the burning car in a hurry, and Alaric rushed next them.
"Hurry up before it blows!" Alaric rushed out. Rowan stopped when Elena told her to wait, and she followed the doppelgänger's pathetic gaze toward Stefan. Sighing, Rowan easily lifted his dead weight, and the four ran off to the side.
A second later, the truck exploded.
☾
Rowan had taken Elena up on her offer to come back to the Salvatore house, where she was washing off her burnt arms in one of the bathroom sinks.
"Elena told me you saved my brother tonight," she heard Damon say from the doorway. "She said if you hadn't of showed up, he'd be dead and she probably would be too."
Rowan continued washing the smut from her arms, and didn't say a word.
"You see, she sees the good in people," Damon continued, "for some reason she sees good in me, my no humanity brother, the history teacher/slash vampire hunter with a slight drinking problem, and even the werewolf who claims to not care about anyone besides herself. You and me, we have something in common. . ."
Rowan raised an eyebrows, just one, and turned to him.
". . .we see the bad. We do bad things."
"Are you coming onto me right now?" Rowan asked, crossing her arms. Damon sent her an unamused look, shaking his head.
"No. I'm not coming onto you, I'm trying to talk to you without threats of you biting into my chest and eating my heart out."
"Not one of my best threats," she muttered, whimsically.
"Well, when you have your eyes glowing and teeth all―" Damon made a growling face, like one a dad would do to scare his kids on Halloween. Rowan now looked at him unamused. "It makes an impression."
"You're really trying, aren't you?" Rowan asked, her eyes widened. Damon groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Well, how about I make it a little bit easier." She stood and held out her hand. "Truce?"
Damon smirked a little and stood as well. He took her hand, but she pulled away.
"None of that hand-kissy thing you did the first time we met. That was weird and creepy."
"Noted."
Taking her hand, in a non-creepy or weird way, he shook it. Rowan pulled out of grip after two pumps, and crossed her arms once more.
"I still don't like you, Cullen."
"Ditto, wolf-girl."
☾
It was a weird thing, having bridges somewhat mended. It made a weight come off her shoulders, made her feel a little better.
The hair that bounced as she danced was now bound in a loose ponytail. The flask that was full was now empty. The questions her mom asked about Tyler were still unanswered. And Rowan was going to bed. She walked out of the bathroom, aroma now free of smoke and replaced with lavender scented body wash and lotion. Her eyes glided across the room, lingering on her vanity where a wolf paw charm laid still. The memory of Mason and Jules giving it to her still fresh in mind, but she looked away and climbed into bed.
As soon as she was about to shut off the lamp, Rowan heard a clang and jolted up. Her eyes, once again, went over her room, lingering on the small, though now not occupied spot of the charm. Her dark eyes trailed down until they landed on the silver item on the floor.
Climbing out of bed, Rowan stalked over, picked up the charm, and placed it back on the vanity. She shook off a weird feeling, her mind momentarily going back to Vicki Donovan, and she shook it once more. She climbed back into bed, shut off the lamp and her ears.
As she fell asleep, Rowan could've sworn she heard the clang again.
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