"I want to take vacation leave," I admit to Eleanor while we clean up before we go home.
"What?" Demetri suddenly joins, making Eleanor swat him on the shoulder for rudely interrupting.
"But you never take leave," Demetri continues talking despite the look Eleanor is throwing him. His loud words have caught everyone else's attention and they are slowly making their way over.
"He has a point," Zack also speaks up. "You don't."
"Hey, just because I would like to enjoy some alone time away from you guys, doesn't mean it's illegal," I try to counter them with a joke but most of them look at me with doubt.
Linda opens her mouth to say something but I decide to just come out with it.
"I met a guy, okay," I blurt out and immediately regret it when everyone burst out in question all at once.
"Since when do you meet people?"
"Are you sure?"
"Who is it?"
"How did you have a decent conversation with a stranger?"
"HEY!" Eleanor yells out, making everyone immediately quiet down.
"Thanks," I throw her a grateful smile before heaving a sigh. Now that it has come to this, I can already feel the headache seeping through my whole head.
"I met him around a month ago," I start, giving it a second for my words to sink in.
"Wow," Grace breathes out in shock and I suppress the urge to give her a questioning look.
Is it that unbelievable that I've met someone? Maybe it's because it happened in a month.
"His name is Xavion and he doesn't live around here," I trail off as I think of more things to say about him that the rest will find compelling.
"Where does he live then?" Demetri interrupts my thoughts, making everyone nod their heads.
"On the other side of the mountain," I casually confess and I notice the look on Eleanor's face. She definitely caught on that it's the same guy from when I talked to her about love.
"That's very vague," Linda admits with confusion.
I sigh internally as I try to think of an excuse. "That's why I'm taking a week off. To visit his town."
Another round of protest flies through the room.
"What?" my brother repeats over the phone as I hike the path to the cabin.
"I already told you! I'm taking vacation leave. I don't know when but it's gonna happen in the near future," I explain to him again with different words.
"Fine," he groans in frustration for some reason and ends the call.
I look at my phone in disbelief and scoff. The least he could do before rudely hanging up is to bid me goodbye.
The cabin comes into view so I put my phone away and search for my keys. A rustle behind me makes me stop in my tracks and turn around.
Didn't Xavion already leave?
A pair of glowing eyes catches my attention and upon noticing they're yellow, I leap onto the porch and force myself with great speed to unlock the front door.
It starts growling when I open the door and fling myself into the room. I make sure to lock the door again before stumbling to a window to see if something is still out there.
It could be one of Xavion's pack members, but the possibility that it is not is enough to freak me out. I would rather not risk it.
Nothing comes up for a few seconds, but then a brown wolf emerges from the shadows but doesn't leave the treeline.
I gulp down the lump in my throat before sidestepping out of the wolf's sight.
I mentally kick myself as I realise that I don't have Xavion's number or even if he has one. I won't risk any of my friends so my only option now is to wait it out.
Right?
Python takes a seat on the kitchen counter which distracts me for a second. I look at him for a sign that he might have an idea but his only response is to plop down and stretch himself on the counter.
"Not helping," I whisper yell at him and decide to just close the curtains for the time being.
Then something hits me.
The bond.
Would that even work?
I look at Python again whose only movement is flicking his tail off of the edge of the counter.
Groaning out loud in contemplation, I try to think of everything Xavion has told me about the bond. I pace the room as I play the conversations out in my head and another revelation hits me.
Feelings! If he isn't close enough to hear my thoughts, maybe I can send him some sort of distress signal.
How? I have no idea.
I don't even know how that part of the bond works since Xavion hasn't talked that much about it.
But it's worth a shot.
Without thinking too much about how stupid I look, I take a deep breath and, while focusing on Xavion, try to elevate the panic I'm feeling. So much so that my hands start shaking and I groan out in frustration.
I throw my body onto the couch and stare and the ceiling.
Another way I could try is pain or blood. But that seems very extreme.
Not if I stub my toe or something.
My thoughts keep swirling and spiralling and after a few minutes, I take a stand before deciding that stubbing my toe against a wooden table should suffice.
Python's loud meowing makes me stop in my tracks and turn to look at him.
"You have a better idea?" Judgement is splattered all across my face as I await another reaction.
It doesn't come as a faint ruckus from outside diverts my attention. For a second I think it's the wolf trying to come closer but then my eyes grow wide at the realisation that it might be Xavion or his pack.
I shuffle towards the window next to the front door and peek through the gap of the curtains draped in front of me.
A black wolf larger than the brown and with green eyes tells it's Koray, making my body go limp with relief.
I honestly didn't think a distress signal would work.
I keep an eye on the two wolves through the window as they seem to communicate with slight aggression. The brown wolf bolts as soon as Koray takes a powerful step forward, a sign that shows his willingness to fight.
After a few seconds, Koray turns slightly and immediately catches my eyes through the slits of the curtains.
His gaze startles me and I take a step back before pulling the curtains open and unlocking the front door.
He is still in wolf form when I open the door and is sitting like a housepet waiting for its owner to open the back door.
I laugh at his posture but gesture for him to come inside nonetheless. He saunters into the house and up the stairs. I follow without thinking but halt when I realise he wants to shift.
It doesn't take long for Xavion to appear at the top of the stairs and I strain my neck to look up at him. He is wearing the clothes he left behind as he left in wolf form.
"Thank you," I whisper in appreciation, knowing he can hear me. "I didn't you would come."
"You did that on purpose?" Xavion questions me as he raises an eyebrow while descending the stairs.
"Did what?" I ask out of curiosity about what he felt or how he knew. Even when reaching the floor, I still have to look up due to his height.
"I just knew something was wrong with you," he confesses, reaching out to hug me.
I accept his embrace and my heart instantly relaxes in his warmth.
"I didn't think it would work, trying to send you a distress signal," I admit as his hold tightens around me.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he sighs into my shoulder and tightens his grip.
Due to the fact my face is smushed in his embrace, my next words come out muffled but I don't pay much attention to that. "Who was it anyway?"
"A rogue," he doesn't hesitate to withhold information from me and for a second I wonder if can do the same for him.
"So close to the pack's territory?" If my information is correct, rogues usually don't come in close proximity to a pack's territory.
"He obviously has a motive," Xavion growls through his teeth before looking down at me with a soft gaze. "Why don't you come along with me to the pack?"
My eyes grow wide at his words. I wasn't expecting to take a leave so soon.