Lucas.
At midnight, the perfect time to deliberate and hunt. "It's time."
My bones cracked, my body twisted. I love watching myself turn and that's why I have a huge mirror on the wall. My body creaked and my Wolf came out. Now, I am comfortable, it's been too long. I am the only one who had the advantage of turning anytime I wanted, others had to wait till full moon.
It's one of the few things that keeps me aware of life. It hurts not to have feral urges but life has grown past that. I ran on all four legs as fast as I could. Nothing can come my way. The howls of other wolves got me excited. I ran through the forest, enjoying the thick dark life within.
I got to the pack house and sat on the rock while they bowed down in greetings. I howled, on our way to commence the meeting. "I have heard things," I started. "Things I prefer not to hear but they can't be helped. The Ebonwood Territory has been hunted. There are rumors that they perceive what seemed to be mountain ash."
They murmured amongst themselves. "Has anyone heard about this?" They exchanged glances. Some shook their heads while some simply kept mute. "Very well then, I would have to make my decision."
"Sire, Ebonwood is a very far Territory. I don't think their bad luck would get us here."
I got down from the stone. The young wolf backed away with his head facing the ground. "What is your name?"
I walked around him slowly, trying to figure out which family he came from. He whimpered, who brings a cub to a pack house? "Alexandro!" I called out. It was his son. He knew better than to make a cub interfere in my talk.
Alaxandro came out. "You know what to do."
He took his son and immediately went home. It's a cool night, I would have killed the cub in a blink of an eye.
"Anyone else have something to say?" Silence. Good. "I would make my decision and send it across to all families. You know what happens when you don't adhere to strict rules. That would be all, now, we go hunting. Do not hunt the human territory, do not kill any human that is not a wolf hunter. Now go, have some fun."
They all disappeared like smoke in the air. I climbed the stone and watched them leave before finally leaving. I took the initiative to go to the beginning of the forest where I had seen Aurora. Her body cast a beautiful shadow on her window as she sat there and wrote something on her lap.
She stopped and looked down at the forest. I hid in the shadows and wondered if she could see me. I was too huge for the tree I hid behind. She waved a hand. I took slow steps and went back home.
I found Willow in my office, putting on a lingering. She laid on the bed and clapped her ass. "What are you doing here Willow?"
She faced up and licked her lips. "I thought you missed me and I spared you the stress of running down to me. I came here myself. Freya and her friends went out clubbing, they won't be back till night."
I frowned. "Willow, out of the house," I said with an alpha voice. It was a command and she knew better than to stay longer. I have too much to deal with to think about romance.
Aurora.
Mike sends a letter to me from the backseat. I took it from the girl beside me, rolled it and tossed it in the bin near the door. After class, he meets me by my locker with a rose flower in the middle of his teeth.
I rolled my eyes and closed the locker. "What now?"
"Aurora, you have been avoiding me."
I shook my head. "I wish I had the time to avoid you. I was just going about my daily life, trying not to be entangled in shit."
I tugged my books closer to my chest. "You should go on and enjoy the life you want, the one that doesn't involve me of course. Do your thing, I won't step in your way."
I walked away and used the closest exit. Seeing his face one more time can make me puke. I got home and hurried down to the woods. Gambling another chance to see the mysterious mafia-looking man again. I ran deep into the forest and stopped at the spot where I met him yesterday.
"Hello? Mr Mysterious, are you out here?"
I got no response. I sat on the ground and pulled out a novel from my Tilly collection in my crochet bag. I brought them along just in case something like this happened.
The wind was cold and the trees swayed.
"You came," a thick voice said behind me. I turned around and found the man, mischievous yet unnatural. I wonder if his parents live in the woods. I stood up and dropped the book.
"I was waiting for you. Do you have a taste for romance?" I stretched out one of the books to him.
"Do you mind?"
He sat down, willing me to sit with him. "What's in it?" He asked, holding the book upside down. I collected it from him and turned it right side up.
"Have you ever seen a book before?" He shook his head. "Our books are not usually this way, it looks awfully neat like that scar on the back of your neck."
I touched my neck. How did he find that out? I always made sure I let my hair down so no one would notice the tiny scar behind my neck. He might have seen it while lurking around behind me.
"Can you read?"
"Do I look like I can't?"
I smiled and tried to focus on the book. It wasn't working. Having such a charming man sitting next to me made things harder than I thought they would. We explored the woods. Faint memories flashed back, I knew these trees.
"Would you like to attend prom with me? You know…the heartbreak stuff…"
"Humans are so naive. I'll come either way, leave my comfort zone for a while."
I smiled. I've never met a man so simple and cool. His golden eyes held treasures and I…somehow felt like the key to his chest. His hair was thick and fine, black and charming. His jaw looked strong and his brows carved his face. Who is he?
I don't mind. Meeting new and weird people is one of the things I planned to do.
*****
It's prom day and I am still in my bed, reading my stick novels. "Aurora, you should be dressed. Get up and go to school," Mom yelled from the hallway.
I ran my foot in the air as I laid down flat on the ground. I am stupid, very stupid, I thought and smacked my forehead. I didn't get the man's name. I didn't give him my school's address and I forgot to tell him to dress for a party. There is no way he would be there.
After a while, I closed my book and got dressed up in my black ball gown. I thought it was too exquisite for prom. I wore my black gloves and sat by the dresser. My makeup was simple, everything was screaming black. I styled my hair and wore my black heels.
Mom saved four of her salary to get me this whole package. It's more like Halloween to me but we rock.
I sighed, accepting I was attending the party alone. After the speech in school, I looked around and caught Mike with his teaser girlfriend. None of that means much to me though.
"Who are you looking at?" A soft voice whispered in my ears. I flinched and looked back. "Here I am. You can call me Lucas." He took my hand and kissed my ring. "Perfect woman in a perfect dress."