My parents were fighting.
I didn’t know why –although I could take a good guess. My mother had all but been an erupting volcano since the moment I had stepped foot in the door. Except, for the first time ever, my father had come to my rescue. Apparently, they had already been arguing earlier about Garret. He told them about the Police Academy. Between that and his suspension, Mom was livid. So she took it out on me. I gently cupped my cheek where the red mark of my mother’s hand had come in contact with my skin. She had never hit me before. All I had done was defend Saxon. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. With a sigh, a single tear slid down my cheek, as I curled into a ball, and tried my best to fall asleep.
***
I was sitting on a rock, the spray of a small waterfall misting around me, catching on the tips of my lashes. My bare feet were gently swaying back and forth in the cool water, soothing my worries and fears. I didn’t have to be upset in the land of dreams.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Chamile sighed softly, sitting cross legged next to me. Her hair was in a loose side braid, and she wore the same dark attire as before.
“Yea. It is.” I agreed, gripping the damp rock beneath my fingertips. I had never had vivid dreams before, so the realistic dream frightened me. But that was ok. It was calm here.
“Where are we this time?” I wondered, turning to Chamile. She pursed her lips, furrowing an angular brow in thought.
“Closer to the center I’d presume.” She shrugged, sliding off her leather jacket.
“The center of?”
“Of-”
Chamile was cut off by a large shout, as Meeko came out of the woods, his brown eyes twinkling wickedly. He skidded across the rocks, crashing into Chamile, who went flying into the water –combat boots and all. The splash echoed around the rocks, as I stared, open-mouthed at the whole thing. Meeko grinned widely at me, bordering on a smirk.
“Hiya Ginger.”
“Uhm, hey?” I turned back to the water, as Cam came sputtering out of the water, her wet hair clinging to her face.
“You sonofabitch.” She hissed at Meeko, who tsked at her use of language.
“That’s not very nice.” He shook his head at her, turning to me. “What Chamile was going to say before the idiot fell, is that we’re near the Soul center.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The soul center is where all the dead souls go.”
“I haven’t seen anyone else.”
“No one comes here.”
“Why?” I questioned, feeling a frown tug at my lips. I thought it was beautiful here.
“This place is where dead children souls spend their days.” Meeko smiled sadly, shaking his head. “It’s too pure for most people. Too bright. Too… sad.”
“Dead children?” I questioned. Meeko nodded solemnly, and I was once again struck with how eerily he looked like Marc in nearly every way. But Meeko didn’t have time to respond, because Chamile grabbed ahold of his foot and dragged him into the pool. He let out a cry of surprise, and Cam’s angelic laugh wafted through the air, as she smirked.
“What did you do that for?” Meeko complained, shaking out his wet hair.
“I figured the doggie needed a bath.” She climbed from the water, wringing out her shirt, and pulling off her sopping boots.
“How thoughtful of you.” Meeko said drily, following after her, a mutinous expression twisting his face. I felt my brow furrow in confusion. Why did Chamile keep making dog references about Meeko? His warm brown eyes shot over to me, as he tilted his head, as if he was reading my mind.
“We’ll let you know eventually.” He smiled, but he suddenly flickered, as if a switch had been flipped. Cursing, he kneeled in front of me. “Yea, yea, yea, I got the memo!” He yelled to the sky. Chamile nudged his shoulder.
“If you’d stop getting distracted we’d already be done, stupid.” She chided.
“Me? Distracted? Who’s the one who fell into the water first and dragged me with?” His eyes glinted childishly.
“Fell? You make this seem like it’s my fault!” She gritted her teeth, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I can’t help it if you’re clumsy.” Meeko shrugged. Chamile, blue eyes burning, slapped his head. “Ouch!”
“So help me I’ll-”
Both their figures flickered again, cutting her off, and the sky seemed to darken for a moment. Chamile glanced at the sky, sighing.
“Calm down!” Meeko shouted, throwing his hands up, as he glared at the clear blue sky again. That’s when I noticed something. There was no sun. No clouds. Just an endless, dazzling blue.
“Who are you talking to?” I questioned, confused. I was beginning to doubt the sanity of these two. Actually, I was beginning to doubt my own sanity as well. I shouldn’t be having dreams like this. “Another time.” Chamile waved her hand nonchalantly. “Now, down to business. What’s bothering you?” Her eyes followed my movements, as did Meeko’s’, while I shifted uncomfortably.
“Uhm…”
“Just think of us as your personal therapist.” Meeko grinned, his hair turning fluffy as it began to dry.
“I don’t need a therapist.” I responded flatly.
“Then a diary. Or a bff. Or whatever the hell you want to call it.” He shrugged.
“Shut up, you’re not helping.” Chamile hissed, flicking him across the nose, just as she had the first time they appeared in my dreams. His eyes bugged out, while he cupped his nose, glaring at her.
“I swear if you do that again-” And before he could finish his sentence, he disappeared, a breeze occupying where he had been only a moment before.
“Somebodies in trouble.” Cam sang, shaking her head.
“W-where did he…?”
“Doesn’t matter. He’ll be back later. Now talk to me.” She said, resting her narrow chin on one petite fist. I hadn’t realized how pretty she was. It made me uncomfortable. Jealous, even.
“What about?”
“Well, I know Meeko wants to ask you about Saxon.” She frowned, “So I guess about your mother.”
“My mother?”
“Yea. You two are having trouble.” She nodded slowly, her eyes flickering around me, as if every problem was laid out beside me. “You’re upset with her, not because of the way she treats you, but because of how she treats other people.”
“How did you-”
“And you don’t like how she’s not giving Saxon a chance. Nope. Not one bit. Do you know who he is yet?” She questioned, and the moment she said the words, Meeko reappeared, scowling, but his eyes were calculating.
“She doesn’t have a clue about who he is.” He sighed.
“Pity.” Cam frowned. “This’ll be harder than I thought.”
“Sure will.” Meeko agreed. I sat there, stoic for a moment. What were they talking about? I didn’t understand half of what they were saying.
“You like animals Ginger, don’t you?”
“Y-yes.” I stammered, unsure of how to deal with their suddenly changed demeanors.
“Favorite kind?”
“I don’t know... Tigers?” Meeko wrinkled his nose.
“You’re a cat person? Damn.”
“You make it seem like she hates dogs.” Chamile rolled her eyes.
“She’s never even owned one.” Meeko huffed.
“Her mom wouldn’t let her.” Chamile defended me. “Ya’ know. Since she’s just so allergic to animals.” Her blue eyes rolled irately.
“I have no idea how Ginger is her daughter.” Meeko frowned.
“Oh.” Chamile’s eyes widened, a grin overtaking her features. “The wolf. He runs with you.” She smiled softly.
“Does he?” Meeko questioned. “Tell me what he looks like.” I froze, dumbfounded by the whole conversation. How did they know all this information about me?
“Gray… His spine and tail are ridged with red… and his eyes… gray as well. Like storm clouds.” I whispered. “I don’t understand what any of this has to do with anything.”
“You’ll see soon enough.” Meeko nodded slowly, as if deciding something, before he shifted closer to me. That’s when I noticed Chamile was gone. He reached his hand forward, while I froze, unable to move. A finger gently brushed my cheek, and he replayed the image of the boy with the messy black hair and empty green eyes, although the image quickly fled, as if it wasn’t what he wanted to show me. The wolf from the woods appeared, dancing beneath my eyelids. A sense of warmth, comfort, and security washed over me, causing a soft sigh emanate from my lips. Why did I feel connected to a wolf of all things? The imaged focused on the eyes. So warm. So confident. So sad. Beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to watch the scene forever.
The picture slowly pulled the focus away from the eyes, causing the subject to shift into the face of Saxon. He was watching me cautiously –a tender and fragile expression on his face, with those same, melancholy eyes. I wanted to comfort him, but when I went to reach for him, my eyes flashed open and I was awake in my room, alone in the darkness. The only sound that accompanied me was that of my own breathing. Curling into a ball, I clutched my chest, which ached strangely. I needed someone with me, but I wasn’t sure who.
All I knew is that for the first time ever, I realized how lonely a person I was.
((Saxon’s POV))
I woke up in the middle of the night, a dull ache in my chest. It wasn’t mine. It was Ginger’s. My thoughts flickered back to the previous events of the evening. I was so stupid. I can’t believe I had told off Ginger’s mother of all the people in the world. Not exactly the greatest move in history.
She’s been upset ever since she went home.
‘I know’.
Could we check on her? My wolf paced in the corners of my mind, whining softly.
‘No.’ I sighed.
Saxon… He let out a low, warning growl.
‘It’s creepy as hell to stalk a girl’s house.’
Only when you do it.
‘Ha. Funny.’
Are we going or not?
With a sigh, I rolled out the warm comfort of my bed, into the cool air of my room. I kept the window open at night, even though it was freezing, to keep the fresh air in my lungs. The warm stuffy air in the heater was suffocating. I threw a spare change of clothes into my bag, going downstairs, and jogging outside. The air was cool and crisp, leaves skittering across the black lawn due to the slight breeze.
‘I’m going to regret this later.’
I won’t.
‘I’m beginning to doubt you’ll regret doing anything that comes to our ma- Ginger.’
The more you deny it, the harder you’ll fall.
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ I growled lowly to myself.
Oh I think you do.
‘Do you think it’s possible to de-bark dogs?’
Surprisingly, he shut up. Finding cover in the woods, I closed my eyes, allowing tremor to wrack my spine, while I shifted into my wolf.
Liza was sitting in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee when I came back home. Her hair was unusually frizzy, dark bags settled beneath her hazel eyes. She watched me with a red-rimmed gaze as I made my own cup of coffee, sitting on the counter. I wanted to know why she had been so pissed at me the other day, but with her, it was better not to ask. Liza opened her mouth for a moment before clamping it shut with a frown. Taking a deep breath, she tried again.
“Ginger…” She seemed to choke, “-is your mate.” Her breath was a trembling whisper. I nodded slowly.
“Yea.” I said shortly. I didn’t want to accept it, but I didn’t have much choice. My wolf wanted her. He wanted her so bad it hurt. I couldn’t deny him that. I wouldn’t. Even though I saw how much pain my father was in because my mother left him, I saw how much more it pained him when he denied his wolf a chance to go and find her. If your wolf was hurt, you were too. It was all about balance. The moment one of us was disturbed, the other went floundering after him.
“She’s very pretty.” Liza’s gaze flickered to the floor. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. This was not the Liza I had grown up with. She was normally so proud. So bold. What happened?
“Yea.” I repeated, not understanding where she was going.
“I… You know… I wish…” Liza stammered out, for the first time ever blushing. “I like you.” She blurted out.
“Uhm, I like you too?” I responded, sipping my coffee. The coloring in her face deepened.
“No…” She huffed, flicking her hair. “I… like… you…” She mumbled. I nearly choked on my coffee. Shit.
Saxon…
‘The fuck am I supposed to do?’
As if the devil himself wanted to make the situation even more agitating, Cayden came down, interrupting the awkward atmosphere. He looked up from his shoes, as if sending the tension, glancing quickly between us. His mouth curled into a smirk.
“Ah.” Was all he said; as if the prick knew exactly what had transpired between us. Following in his wake, Marc rubbed the scar on his neck groggily, yawning in the process, while Dakoda seemed to dance into the kitchen with a warm,
“Morning!” But her comforting demeanor quickly faded as she tested the emotional atmosphere. Pushing away from the counter to avoid any of Dakoda’s prying questions, I looked to Liza, holding her gaze for a moment. I hated what I was about to do. Liza was one of my best friends, but I knew that it couldn’t be that way anymore. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“I have to go. I’m going to pick up Ginger.”
The pain I saw in Liza’s eyes killed me inside. She knew exactly how I felt about human’s being mates. She knew how I had never wanted one. Now I was choosing Ginger over her. I had to. Liza would understand the extent of my decision. She would have to understand why I was doing thing. Wouldn’t she?
Her hazel eyes glossed over, while she shifted her hair so it blocked her face. Cayden knew what I had done. He was watching me carefully, before giving a gentle nod, as if his approval mattered. Dakoda seemed to be suffocating. Marc was clueless.
I walked out of the door.
‘I lost my best friend.’ I told my wolf while pulling out of the long, winding driveway.
You’ll still have a mate.
‘She was your friend too.’
I know.
‘This sucks.’ I sighed, beating my fist against the steering wheel in frustration. Why did girls have to make everything so damn complicated?
Pulling in front of Ginger’s house, I turned off the car, stepping out to go up to the door. The lawn was neatly trimmed, the car in the driveway was polished, and not a single flower that outlined the path was out of place. It was all too… perfect. Knocking on the door, I shoved my hands into my pockets, tapping my foot impatiently. I really hoped that Ginger answered the door. That would save me the trouble of having to meet anyone else.
I had no such luck. A man, with salt and pepper hair, and calm eyes opened it, his eyes widening when he took in my appearance. Was this guy her dad? He was broad shouldered and well built. Nearly as tall as Marc was, if not taller. I put on the friendliest grin I could muster, breathing in Ginger’s scent to calm down.
“Hi, I’m picking up Ginger for school?”
Don’t you dare blow this.
“And you are..?”
“Saxon sir. Saxon Anderson.” A knowing glint entered his eyes.
“She’s still getting ready but uh… I guess you can come in and wait.” His tone implied he didn’t want me in the house. There was only one reason why. I wanted to meet her.
“Thank you sir.” I awkwardly shuffled into the house, drinking in the hallway. Pictures littered the walls. Both athletic and academic awards were together, from Garret, Ginger, and a girl named Genevieve who I could only assume was the third, blonde sister. Following Ginger’s dad, he led me into the kitchen were a small woman was sitting at the table, eating bacon and toast. I stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. She was blonde and blue eyed. Gray was beginning to streak her locks, blending in nicely. Lines of stress hugged her mouth and forehead. It had to be Ginger’s mother. She looked up when we entered the room, confusion causing the lines of stress to become more prominent.
“Honey, this is Saxon. He’s here to pick up Ginger for school.” Mr. Wolf informed her. Instantly her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me from where I stood on the opposite side of the room.
“I see.” Her tone was clipped.
“Good morning Mrs. Wolf.” I dipped my head, trying to be polite and hold back the ice in my tone. Her eyes were still calculating.
“At least you have some manners.” She sniffed, jutting out her chin as if she were better than me. I held back the urge to clench my fists. I couldn’t let her get under my skin.
“Well, some of us delinquents aren’t all that bad.” I clenched my jaw. Who the hell even thought to label us as that anyways?
“I beg to differ.” She chirped, examining her nails. I doubted her ability to judge character all that well.
“I was going to apologize about last night.” My teeth were grinding together.
“I don’t want your excuses.” She sniffed, hardly sparing a glance, as if she couldn’t be bothered to breathe the same air as me.
“Ginger!” Her dad called up the stairs, as if sensing I was moments away from strangling his wife.
“So, how’s Donavon’s face?” I asked innocently. “I heard Garret hit him pretty hard. Was he suspended?” I could tell it struck a nerve when the lines of her face tightened.
“Yes but it was lifted.”
Good. That mean’s our talk with Kendra went well.
“And Donavon?” I couldn’t help but notice how she had opted to leave that out.
“Fine.” She ground out.
Pity.
“And as soon as he recovers,” Her eyes lit up, glinting wickedly, as if he had been in some near fatal accident, “I think I’m going to invite him over. The past is the past, right? And him and Ginger would be so lovely together wouldn’t they honey?” She asked, looking over to her husband who winced, a vein in his forehead throbbing. This time I did clench my fists, resisting the snarl that threatened to tear out of my throat.
“I’m sorry to say, but Ginger will be hanging out with me that night.” I informed her on the verge of a growl.
“You don’t even know when it is.” She smirked at me.
“It’s the day she’s with me.”
“And when is that?”
“The day you’re inviting Donavon over.” I couldn’t help the venom seeping into my tone. I knew I had to be nice to my mate’s mother, but she was making the very thought difficult.
“I will not allow her to be around the likes of you.” She seethed, blue eyes blazing. I snorted. As if some human mother could stop a wolf from seeing his mate.
“Why do you have such a problem with me?” I demanded, losing my temper. She shied back and I knew my eyes were glowing slightly, as it happened when my wolf was feeling incredibly strong. Reining back in my emotion, I took a deep breath.
“Any child whose mother walked out on them and never came back, obviously has something wrong with him.” Every cell in my body tensed. The breath left my lungs. She couldn’t know. Someone gasped from the staircase and I saw Ginger there, hands over her mouth. I didn’t want this to happen. Not now. Not for a very long time. Not in front of Ginger’s mother.
A/N
I know these confrontations are getting kind of old, but I promise, promise promise that it picks up next chapter. *holds out pinkie* Shit's about to get real.
Let me know what you think! Always appreciate commentary and critisism.