© Amber Kalkes 2014
Song: "Girl From The North Country" By Bob Dylan And Johnny Cash.
C h a p t e r S i x >
Robin’s mind is somewhere else as she does the dishes from dinner. It’s been three days since the family dinner and Robin is completely frustrated. She was supposed to have Charlie and Luke meet two days ago but her boss, the asshole incarnate, keeps calling her in on a last minute shifts. As a result she’s had to cancel twice now but Luke seems to be understanding but no less frustrated.
Still, things need to be paid for and this job does just that. Well most months anyways.
The only slightly interesting thing that’s happened has been the call she got from Grace the morning after the family dinner. It turned out that the place that Charlie stuck the mud was in Gabe’s hats, all of them. So imagine his surprise when he got ready for school and put his hat on only to be covered in dirt all over his head and shoulders.
It isn’t the first time the prank has been pulled in that house so Robin has no doubt that Charlie had some help on his one, most likely from Faith. The youngest James sibling pulled a very similar prank on many unsuspecting victims over the years, one time even being Robin. Not killing the kid had taken a lot of restraint on her part she has to admit.
“The kids are finally asleep.” A voice whispers before tiptoeing into the kitchen.
Turning towards it Robin smiles at her best friend and neighbor, Casey. Casey is a beautiful girl with her Native American and African American blood making her just about the prettiest girl in town. Casey and Robin hadn’t known each other before Robin moved to the trailer park and Casey introduced herself as her neighbor. They women bonded quickly since Casey too is a single mother of a little boy.
It helped them both to have someone to lean on in times when they had no one else. Though Robin did have her family to back her up Casey’s had practically disowned her when she got pregnant at sixteen. Casey’s little boy, Ezra was just about the sweetest kid Robin had ever met and when they got the two boys together Charlie and him became instant friends.
“How did you get them to nap?” Robin whispers in surprise, “Charlie always tries to con me out of it.”
Casey shrugs, “I’m the master.”
“Fair enough.”
“So, Hank finally gave you the day off tomorrow huh?”
Robin makes a face, “Yup. Which is a good things since I’ve been putting off this big thing I have to do because of all the shifts he keeps throwing at me. I mean its good because god knows I need the money but it’s killing me.”
“Speaking of which what is this big mysterious thing you have to do that you can’t share with your best friend?”
“I can share it.” Robin mumbles trying to get some macaroni off a plate. “Its just a bit delicate that’s all.”
“Oh god, are you pregnant again?” Casey nearly yells making Robin shush her before they both peek into the living room. Both woman relax when they see the kids are still passed out before Casey again but in a lower tone. “Well?”
“No.” Robin snorts. “One must have a man to get pregnant, my dear and I have no such man unless Immaculate Conception is even a thing anymore.”
Casey taps her chin in mocking thought, “No I don’t think it is. It’s just not in fashion anymore. You know like petticoats.”
“Well then there is zero chance I’m pregnant.”
“At least we have that then.” Casey sighs before leaning back against the kitchen counter. “Well? Going to spill the beans or not?”
“I’m…I’m meeting up with Charlie’s dad.” Robin admits in a whisper. “He came back into town recently and looked me up. He says he wants to meet Charlie.”
“Shit. Really? And you’re going to let him?”
“Yeah.” Robin sighs. “I mean he is Charlie’s father.”
“Well if that’s true where has he been the past six years while you’ve been here taking care of his kid?”
“He said he had to leave.” She tells Casey with a shrug. “He was in some bad shit before but he wants to get to know us.”
“And this ‘bad shit’, is it done with?”
“I don’t know.”
“See?” Casey scowls, crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s what I mean. He was in a bad situation before but what if he’s still in that shit. What if he meets Charlie and drags both of you down into some fucked up position that neither of you should be in? And it’s not just Charlie either. You’re a good girl, Robin. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“He’s not like that.” Robin defends immediately.
“You don’t know that.” Casey snaps. “You haven’t been around him in years and when you were around him it was for one night. Am I the only one being logical about this?”
Robin pulls the plug in the sink and watches the water drain in a daze. Casey’s trying to look out for her, she knows that but she just doesn’t see the truth in anything her friend is saying. Luke isn’t like that, at least he doesn’t seem that way to Robin so why shouldn’t she give it a shot when he seems to genuine in doing the same? Yet, Casey’s words are affecting her as an unwanted thought of how many women Luke probably was with over the past six years enters her mind. Maybe that’s what the situation he’s been hinting to is about.
Shaking the thought off she faces Casey, “Either way Charlie deserves to know who his dad is. He’s getting older and the questions have already begun. Soon he’ll ask more questions once he starts going to school fulltime and without talking to Luke, whether he sticks or not I need to know what to tell Charlie.”
“I get it.” Casey sighs, relaxing her posture. “I do. I just don’t want to see this backfire on you.”
“It won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?” She asks with a raised brow.
Robin shrugs with small smile, “I just do.”
><
Luke is losing his mind.
Four damn days he hasn’t seen Robin and Charlie. His wolf is nearly crazed with not being able to know if they’re okay or just to see them at all. He keeps fighting the urge to go by the trailer just to peek in on them, just to relive his own mind. She keeps calling the shop to cancel their plans and now Jessup and Gabe are starting to get suspicious of him.
Luke’s eyes keep wandering to the clock every five seconds hoping that he’ll be able to leave soon but only keeps being reminded that he still has an hour left. Finally she has a day off from work and as soon as his time here is over he’ll be running to get to them. It’s the only thing that’s keeping his wolf from forcing him to shift right now and track them down.
“Luke?” Jessup calls from the office doorway. “Can I talk to you a minute?”
Wiping his hands on a shammy cloth to clear off any oil he gets to his feet before following Jessup into the office. Jessup sits behind his desk he gestures for Luke to sit down and he does but with hesitation. The intense look in the older man’s brown eyes has him thinking he may need to run at first given opportunity.
“Is something the matter?”
“Why is my daughter calling here to talk to you?” Jessup asks directly.
Luke would like to say he’s surprised by Jessup’s abrupt attitude change but he isn’t. If there anything he’s learned about the man it’s that he is very protective of his family and particularly Robin. Now Luke can’t be sure but he keeps getting the feeling that something about Robin has made Jessup that way but he can’t put his finger on what it could be.
“She wanted to talk to me about her car.” He lies easily.
Jessup’s eyes narrow, “If you plan on lying to me then you might as well pack your shit and find another place of employment, son. I don’t take kindly to liars especially when they seem keen on being around my daughter and grandson.”
“Its really a personal matter between your daughter and me, Sir.”
Jessup lifts a brow, “A personal matter?”
“Yes.”
“And does this personal matter have anything to do with how you look exactly like Charlie and stare at my daughter like she’s made of gold?”
Damn, Luke thinks with shake of his head, can’t get anything around this guy can he?
“Listen, I—“
“No you listen.” Jessup snaps leaning forward so he’s leaning forward on his knuckles as they rest on his desk. “Robin is my first born child and with the shit she’s had to deal with in her life I refuse to allow any more harm come to her. I’ve observed you over the past few days and I know you’re a good kid but if you fuck with her in any way that hurts her, I will hunt you down and rip you to pieces with my bare hands. Do you understand me?”
Luke narrows his eyes and leans on the desk as well, getting right in Jessup’s face. He can feel his wolf’s presence on the surface and from the look of alarm on Jessup’s face he’s guessing his eyes may have shifted a bit in warning for the man to back down. Luke’s wolf, like most, does not like to be challenged and Jessup has very much just done that.
“I understand you concern, Mr. James.” Luke begins in a harsh tone. “But if you ever threaten me again it is not me who will be ripped to shreds. I respect your position as Robin’s father but she is mine and I will not have you putting doubts in her head when she already as so much to contend with since my arrival.”
Jessup searches his face for a minute before straightening up to stare at him, “You care for her that much?”
“I care for her more than you can fathom. That’s why I had to keep my distance but with Charlie in the picture and my self-control on its last thread there is nothing that can keep me from her now. I love her and I will take care of her and my son until my very last breath.”
“You can promise me that? On your life?” Jessup asks his fiercely.
“Yes.”
The older man sits back into his chair and studies Luke for a minute before speaking again, this time in a more controlled tone. “There’s something about you I can’t put my finger on, Luke. That being said, until I figure it out I expect you to keep your word because if you don’t it's not just me you’ll be messing with.”
“I understand.” Luke nods.
“You’re seeing her today?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll let you leave early today then.”
Luke fights to keep a smile back. “Thank you, sir.”
Jessup nods and waves his hand, “No get out of here.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Oh and Luke?”
“Yes?”
“Get a cellphone would you?”
Luke grins and nods, “Yes, Sir.”
><
“Mama?”
“Yes?”
“Are we there yet?”
Robin closes her eyes while slowly inhaling and exhaling. The whole ride to the woods Charlie has been stomping on her last nerve. He’s so wired and she can’t understand why he feels such an urgency to get there but it’s driving her nuts. Forcing a small to her face she shakes her head before scowling out the front window.
“Mama, can I change now?”
“Not yet, button. We’re still too close to town.”
“But I want to now.” He insists.
Robin clenches her jaw but keeps her eyes forward. “Charlie, please just wait. Its only a few more minutes before we get there.”
“I don’t want to wait!” He yells at her and Robin watches in shock as her son’s eyes turn from bright green to a harsher yellow. His small little teeth seem to sharpen a bit and his face turns red as he pants while glaring at her.
Robin swallows thickly and tries to use her most calming tone. “Take deep breathes, Button, please. You need to calm down, okay?”
“No!”
Robin closes her eyes against the harsh voice her son uses. She hates when he gets like this but she knows it’s her own fault. She keeps him cooped up too much. With the safety of the woods ten miles from town and the fact that no one but her knows about Charlie’s gift getting him there can be a hassle. This is especially true because lately he seems to need it more and more.
“Charlie, please.” She begs, tears springing to her eyes.
Charlie begins thrashing in his seat in the back making her pull over on the side of the road, about five miles from where they need to be. Charlie begins ripping at his clothes and growling deep in his chest and Robin can do nothing but simply watch with tears running down her face. Cupping her mouth with her hand she stops a sob from escaping as she hears his bones snapping audibly in the small cab of her car.
This can’t be a normal, she thinks; it’s never been like this.
Finally he shifts but this wolf is a bit bigger than the previous puppy size Robin was used to. This one had a thinner face, a more muscular body and more matted fur. When Charlie’s eyes meet hers she gasps as the once emerald color of her son’s eyes are now bright yellow. Then he pulls his lips back from his teeth and snarls at her before barking loudly at her making her jump.
With shaky hands she undoes the back door for him and he immediately jumps out and takes off. Scrambling out of the car she begins running after him but looses him as he veers off to take a route that will take him to the deeper half of the woods. She tries to follow him but he’s too fast and Robin has never been much of a runner.
“Charlie!” She screams into the woods.
“Robin!”
Robin turns towards the sound of Luke’s voice and sees him running towards her before grabbing her by the shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“C-Charlie just ran off. He was freaking out in the car and changed into a wolf but it wasn’t like the other times, it was different and he actually growled at me. I don’t know where he went and I’m scared he’ll get lost.”
Luke’s jaw clenches and he stares off into the woods. “I’m going to shift into my wolf and when I do I need you to climb on my back.”
Robin blinks at him, “What?”
“You heard me.” He tells her gruffly before pulling his shirt over his head. Robin’s eyes immediately fall to his tanned well-defined torso, riddled with scars and emanating muscle power she only snaps out of it when he begins unbuckling his belt. She immediately turns her back trying really hard not to remember the last time she saw him without pants on.
This is a god awful time to get all hot and bothered. She needs to focus on Charlie but she can’t help but feel immediately more relaxed knowing Luke is here. Robin can admit, though it injures her pride to do so, that she has no clue what to do right now to help her son.
A low whine has her turning to see the largest wolf she has ever seen in her life. She'd say he's somewhere between a Great Dane and a horse in size but either way he is massive. Oh and pure white, which is a total shock of its own. Lowering his body he makes a barking noise and she doesn’t have to be a genius to know he’s ordering her around.
“Oh yeah, sorry. I was just…processing.”
Ignoring the fact she’s about to crawl onto the back of a wolf she throws her leg over his back like she’s seen people do when they’re about to ride a horse before taking a few handfuls of his fur. She tries to ignore the fire that shoots through her hands as her fingers grip the coarse snowy fur. Once she’s comfortable he takes off and she lets out a shriek of surprise.
Closing her eyes she lays her torso on his back praying that they don’t hit a tree or she falls off. Finally they skid to a stop when a high-pitched growl sounds nearby. Popping open her eyes she sees Charlie snarling at Luke with his back arched and his head dipped in what looks to be challenge.
Luke simply lowers his backend and Robin slides right off him with huff before he approaches Charlie. Charlie keeps growling at him and Robin feels fear grip her heart as Luke approaches the significantly smaller creature. Charlie jumps at Luke but Luke is stronger and faster and quickly pins Charlie to the ground growling down at him loud enough to make Robin shake in her boots.
Suddenly Charlie starts to shiver and shake before his high-pitched cries have Robin quickly on her feet and running to him. Picking up her naked and dirty child in her arms she buries her head in his unruly curls as he sobs into her neck.
“I’m sorry, mama.” He cries.
Robin holds him tightly, “Its okay.”
“No its not.” Luke’s stern voice cuts in as he pulls on some jeans she didn’t even notice he had been carrying in his mouth.
“What?”
“It’s not okay.” He repeats to Robin before moving his gaze to Charlie. “You will never act aggressively towards your mother again, understood?”
“Luke, he doesn’t know.” She tells him.
“This isn’t about Charlie, this is about his wolf, Robin. He’s getting restless and frustrated since most young pups like to run and play in their wolf form but there is never an excuse for him to be aggressive towards you. He doesn’t have control over himself yet and if he doesn’t learn to control his wolf soon he could accidently hurt you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you mama!” Charlie cries into her neck.
Robin rubs his back and coos him but keeps her eyes on Luke as she asks, “How can I help him?”
“You can’t.” Luke says softly before moving some of her hair from her face. “He needs to be with a more dominant wolf to keep him in line. Without the discipline from my wolf he could run wild and sometimes the wolf can take over.”
“Take over?”
“It’s a fine balance between our wolves and our human minds, Robin. Some people simply can’t handle it.”
“So a dominant wolf? Like an Alpha or something?”
Luke shakes his head smiling at her softly, “No. We don’t really have Alpha’s unless you run in a werewolf pack. They have alphas due to the human need for leadership but pack-less wolves that choose to live among the wild don’t have anything like that.”
“So what did you mean then?” Robin asks with a frown.
Luke runs a hand over Charlie’s black mop of hair and his voice is barely above a whisper as he answers, “He just needs a father, Robin. That’s all.”
“I don’t need a daddy!” Charlie yells at him, “I have my mama!”
Luke surprises Robin by smirking at the small boy in her arms. “I agree but if its okay with you I’d like to show you how to help control your wolf. I bet this time hurt a lot didn’t it?”
Charlie sniffles but answers, “Yes.”
“That’s because he was angry. I can help you make sure he doesn’t scare you or your mama anymore okay?”
“Okay.” Charlie grumbles before his eyes light up, “Hey, aren’t you that wolf I saw in the woods? Why were you at my grandpa’s house?”
“I wanted to see you.” Luke smiles, “I want to be friends with you.”
Charlie thinks about for a minute before nodding. “Okay but if you’re my friend you have to be nice to my mama.”
Robin bites her lip to stop from smiling at the conversation she’s watching unfold. Luke’s surprisingly really good with Charlie and Charlie is surprisingly not yelling that he doesn’t like him and to stay away from her. She feels like this could be a Christmas miracle…well if you don’t count the fact that its mid-April.
“Deal.” Luke nods before lowering his voice to whisper, “Hey do you like ice cream?”
“Yes!” Charlie says enthusiastically has his eyes light up in excitement.
“Good. How about we get you some clothes and we go get some?”
Robin’s stomach drops. She can’t afford that.
Luke catches her eyes and winks, “My treat.”
Screw Casey, she thinks as she balances Charlie on her hip with a small smile on her face, she’ll take her chances with Luke any day.
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So since you guys were so amazing with the comments last chapter I decided to reward you with another chapter :}
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Charlie's wolf-------}
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