Lewis
John let us into her room. It was extremely neat, the bed hadn't been slept in and her suitcase was still largely unpacked. Her scent was powerful and delicious. I groaned. My wolf and I needed her beside us, if her room smelt this incredible then I could only imagine inhaling the scent of her hair with her body against mine. My chest ached - where had she slept last night?
Shayne picked up her pillow and pressed it to his face - inhaling deeply. Her phone buzzed angrily on the desk, caller read 'Oliver'. That was the name of the man who had phoned at the diner... She'd looked really shaken after speaking with him. I accepted the call.
"Lauren's phone."
"Who's this? Where's Lauren?" His tone was offensive. I am the Alpha and must have respect.
"Watch your tone," I snapped. "Who is this?"
"I need to speak to Lauren." The brute persisted.
"She's not available," I growled. She would never be available for him.
"Give her a message from me." I was about to argue. "I'm coming for her and I'm going to take her home with me."
My rage foundered in a moment as panic gripped my heart. Lauren and I would be separated.
"She's not going anywhere."
"Just tell her to pack her bags."
I looked over at her already packed suitcase.
She won't leave us.
"Lauren isn't going anywhere. Don't call this number again, if you come here you will regret it." This was a threat I intended to keep.
"Fuck you." He hung up. He actually hung up on me. My wolf was riled up and ready to pummel someone. Shayne pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You do realise she's going to know a guy was in her bedroom now." His voice was strained as if he was fighting to stay calm. I'd been too curious about this Olivier guy that I hadn't given the consequences a moment's thought.
"Shit."
Lauren
I woke up stiff. I was laying on an unmade bed - a towel underneath me preventing my damp clothes from touching the sheets. The room smelt funny and was a complete tip. Books were piled high to the ceiling, posters covered the walls and a giant stereo dominated. Some fresh clothes were hanging on the back of a chair.
I showered quickly in the ensuite, eager to get the dirt from my hair and under my fingernails. I couldn't put my wet clothes back on, not even my underwear. Tom had left me a fresh pair of boxers but I had to put a large top and hoodie on without a bra, it was uncomfortable but fortunately, I'm not that ample in the chest department so it could have been worse.
I checked out my injuries. The scab on my knee had opened up, my head had a large cut, my ribs and back (pretty much everywhere) was bruised. Tiny cuts littered my face and arms. My palms were grazed. My wrist really hurt and my ankle twinged a bit. But at least I was alive. I shuddered remembering the wolves fight on the valley floor.
So...Lewis was a werewolf. Did he know that I knew? Was he the wolf that had attacked me? My stomach growled loudly. Bloody hell I was starving.
With fresh energy, I left Tom's bedroom and searched for him downstairs. He was in the living room reading a book next to an empty fireplace, his long hair tied with a black cord at the nape of his neck. He was a man full of surprises. He didn't look at me immediately but instead finished the page he was on. At last, he looked up.
"Hi," I greeted awkwardly - leaning against the door frame. He smirked.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better, thanks for taking care of me." I thought I saw some warmth spread into his steely eyes.
"You hungry?"
My stomach growled in response.
He chuckled and led me into a large modern kitchen. It looked like a recent extension of the old house. I sat down on a stool as Tom started frying some bacon.
Whilst he was cooking he pulled out a beer and offered me one. I declined, my head still felt a little funny and I didn't think beer would help clear it. A sly glance at his bin showed a multitude of cans and bottles. This guy didn't drink after a broken heart - he was an alcoholic. I didn't comment on that.
At first, we ate in silence. I was ravenous and chewed hungrily, table manners thrown out of the window. I was nearly done when I looked up to see that Tom was staring at me. My guard instantly shot up. I swallowed and then began choking. Spluttering I grabbed water and coughed at the unpleasant sensation in my throat, my eyes streaming. Tom patted my back. "You okay?"
I nodded and satisfied he sat back down. He pressed his palms together and touched the tips of his fingers to his thin lips. "Are you ready?"
My eyes widened and I nodded eagerly. "I doubt it." He smirked. "You can still find happiness in ignorance yet." His tone was extremely condescending and sparked my temper.
"Just tell me about the fucking werewolves." I snapped and his eyebrows quirked up.
"I think I should hear what you know first."
"I know nothing because people that should care about me keep me in the dark. I'm not a child anymore!" I blushed, this rant had really been my frustration with my parents. I was exposing myself too much.
"Werewolves live amongst us. In their conflicts innocent people get hurt. People like your cousin."
"Why doesn't everyone know about werewolves?"
"It has to be a secret. Lauren, you can't tell anyone about the existence of monsters it would cause panic and more violence. Both species would be thrown into open war. It would result in more innocent deaths. Lauren, now that you're part of this you have to keep the secret."
This shit had been kept a secret for too long. I would open the eyes of the world to the ghastly truth, the public had a right to know.
"Of course, I won't tell a soul." Apparently, I'm a very good liar because Tom sighed in relief. "So please tell me, how is any of this possible?"
"To be honest there is still much that we don't know. They aren't restricted by the full moon but whatever ever makes them turn wolf has never interested me."
"What interests you?"
"How to kill them."
So he was a werewolf hunter then. He had already finished his drink. I leant across the table toward them.
"How do you kill them?"
Tom stood up and retrieved a pack of cigarettes from the side.
"Come with me."
He led me to the back part of the house. The floors creaked and rooms were dark and oppressive. Tom entered what appeared to be a study come Library. I sat down on a chair and gently massaged my protesting ankle. Tom walked over to the large desk and ran his fingers along the underside until a loud click sounded.
I watched in amazement as the grand bookcases lowered out of the way revealing shelves containing the contents of an armoury. Tom took a long drag of his cigarette. He offered me one which I declined. Instead, I limped over to the shelves. Revolvers, snipers, hunting guns, grenades, nets, knives, axes, maces and some stuff I didn't recognise but made my stomach turn. "The family collection." I detected a note of bitterness in his tone. Tom and I had more in common than I'd thought.
"Your parent's obsession?"
"Yes."
"Mine too."
He looked surprised but not upset by my comment.
"Your family are hunters?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know what they are. They raised me but I don't know much about them really." My eyes misted up. Tom's parents had told him about werewolves, they let him in on it all. Now it looked like Ollie had known more than he'd let on. Only I was excluded.
Well now I would ruin their little stupid society of secrets, everyone deserved to know this stuff.
"Lauren?"
I coughed when his breath hit my face. He was looking at me with concern and... something else that I couldn't read. I blinked rapidly - fighting the tears that threatened to spill.
"Silver bullets?"
"No, regular will do." He didn't step away from me. "I'm sorry about your cousin. What was her name?"
"Jessica, she was on guide camp when she and a friend were attacked by an animal. Authorities think that it was a fox or big dog. We don't have wolves in England."
"Have there been other causalities?"
"I don't know." I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Don't worry. We'll get the wolf that killed her." His expression was fierce, his eyes blazing and his chiselled jaw was clenched. He looked incredibly sexy.
"Thank you," I whispered. Slowly Tom leant down toward me. I tilted my face up to meet his and closed my eyes. His lips gently touched mine. The softness of his lips surprised me. Both of us kept our hands by our sides and he didn't try to deepen the kiss. It was only a couple of minutes of light kisses but it felt nice. I pulled away first and looked down at the floor. That had been unexpected. I cleared my throat and felt a blush spreading across my cheeks. "I should go."
"Okay."