The day Ulva died, Ashina had no idea how much her life was about to change. She was at home with Luke who had a drink in his hand, he was swirling the vodka as he watched her operate a laptop in front of her. She also had a drink by her side and she picked it up, swirled it once, and drank.
Luke nodded as he watched her, "I still don't get why you're doing this though," he muttered. "We have everything we need here, life is easy and we can just live our long boring lives. Why does it feel like you just want to look for more trouble?"
"I'm not looking for trouble, Luke." Ashina replied with a sigh. "It's just… I want something more out of life. Besides being a wolf, what else am I?"
"Do you seriously need me to rattle them off for you? You're a terrific fighter, better than even me, I must confess. You're an awesome hunter, once you get the sniff, you don't let go until you get your prey. You're smart, you're loyal, you're kind, and you're sweet. What more do you want?"
"All these are basic and average, they're nowhere as awesome as you're making them sound. Besides, I don't have anything going for me here, do I? That's why I want to go to college. I just believe that I can start a new chapter of my life and see what else could be in store for me."
"College…" Luke spat the word out as if it were poison, "That's such a human thing to do. We have everything we need here in the Borough, I don't get why you'd want to leave."
"Isn't it obvious? There's nothing else for me here. All my life I've been here in the Borough, I rarely get out of it, I don't even know what the world out there is like."
"But we do know what it's like. Forget what the internet says, okay? The world might be beautiful and all, but it's got a whole lot of ugly humans. And face it, wolves don't fare well when they stray from the pack. We have a bad history in that area."
Ashina picked up her drink and pushed the laptop away, she knew he was talking about her father. The last person she knew who had gone out of the Borough and didn't make it.
"Things have changed since then, and remember that we're not the only wolves out there. There are other packs scattered all over the world. Don't you think it'll be great to meet up with some of them and learn new things? I want this, okay? I want this badly! I want to get out there and breathe some new air. I want to meet new people and see new sights! I want to fall in love and get that giddy feeling I've read so much about. Luke, life doesn't have to be as scary as you think it is, it can only be as scary as you make it."
Luke finished his drink and placed the glass on the table with a smack, "I can see nothing would change your mind."
"Luke," she got up and went to sit beside him. "I've been thinking of this for a long time now, you know that. You know how long I've been considering going to college but I kept putting it off for flimsy reasons. Well, all that has come to an end. I've already applied, and I hope I get admitted." She took his hand, "I need you to be happy for me."
He smiled as he squeezed her hand, "Of course I am, how can I not be? I'm only telling you not to go for selfish reasons. You and I know that I'm going to miss you terribly."
"But you don't have to…" she said quietly. "You could also apply, come with me. Or just simply come with me, you don't have to even be a student. Let's see the world together. Who knows, midway I could get bored with school and just choose to be a traveler?"
Luke laughed at that, "One thing I know you not to be is a quitter. Since you've decided to go to college, I'm sure you won't stop midway. That life is not for me though, if I'm being honest. I've not given it much thought."
"Come on, how can you not? What else is there for us to do in the Borough other than think? The routine of this place is driving me crazy. The same thing every day, makes me want to puke. So, I want a little bit of spontaneity, something different. Something new. I read that college is the place for new experiences, so I'm going there."
"Yeah," Luke nodded sadly. "And a lot of new things."
She knew what he was talking about and smiled, "No worries, if I happen to fall in love, you'll be the first to know, Luke."
Luke had nothing to say to that, he was about to reach for the vodka to refill his glass when they heard the knock on the door. The knock was crisp and sharp, they both recognized it at once. However, Ashina frowned, the smile that was on her face vanished at once as if she were slapped. She got up from the couch and returned to her laptop.
"Come on," Luke muttered. "You're not still mad at Ulva, are you?"
"Of course I am," she replied as she pulled the laptop to herself. "I'm not even in the mood to talk to him right now."
"That's too bad," Luke said as the knock came again, he got up to open the door, and sure enough, Ulva stood there. He walked in even before Luke invited him in.
Ashina ignored him as he walked into the living room, he gave her a once over before turning to Luke, "I need to speak to her alone. Hope you don't mind?"
Luke only shrugged as he took the bottle of vodka and walked out of the house, he promised to see her later that night as he kicked the door shut behind him.
Once they were alone, Ulva went to meet her at the desk where she was pretending to be busy.
"Shine, I'm sorry, okay?" he said. "The last time we spoke I was a little harsh and angry, I shouldn't have snapped at you and said those things. I'm sorry… you can't keep being mad at me forever, can you?"
"Of course I can!" She snapped, "It took you more than a week to realize that you hurt me? Seriously? Am I that low on your list of priorities?"
"Come on Shine, don't be like this. I've been going through a lot these past few weeks, the pressure has been terrible. I should never have lashed out, and I'm not saying that was an excuse, but I am saying that uhm… you could accept it as an excuse."
Ashina stared at him, he was dressed in a tight-fitting polo that clung to his body like a second skin, showing off his muscular tone, he also had an orange scarf wrapped around his neck. The scarf was a good touch, it was a trend he started recently and she liked seeing it on him. Now, she was only sad. She could estimate just how much of a hassle it was leading a pack of wolves, it took a lot and these past few months, it had been telling on him. She had noticed it taking its toll on the alpha.
She felt a tinge of sadness that she was planning to leave the Borough. She had yet to tell him, and so far, only Luke knew of her plans. She was scared of how he would react when she did tell him.
She closed her laptop as she looked at him, "Okay, I accept your apology. Only if you go hunting with me though."
He smiled at her, then he pulled a chair closer to himself, "Shine, I'm not just here to seek your forgiveness. I'm also here to ask you a favor."
She glanced at him, reading his face. This was the first time Ulva was coming openly to ask a favor, she knew then that it was something important.
"Sure, what is it?"
"I need to take you somewhere." He told her. "I need you to come to the woods with me."
"The woods?" She chuckled, "this late? Are you going hunting? Come on Ulva, you know you should plan these things well ahead of time."
"We're not going hunting, Shine." He said, then thought about it, "at least not really. Come on, get dressed."
"I'm already dressed," she picked her jacket off the back of the couch she had kept it on and wore it as she got up. "What exactly are we going to the woods for though?"
"No worries, Shine. All in good time. There is something important I have to show you, and it must be tonight."
She could see how serious he was about this, it showed that whatever it was was really bugging Ulva. For some reason, she found it troubling. She said nothing else as he led the way to the door and then opened it up for her, she rolled her eyes as she walked out and he closed it behind her.
As they began to walk towards the woods, they saw Luke coming from the bar. The bottle was still in his hand. He smiled at them, "You guys off to the woods? What the fuck for?"
Ashina nodded, "Ulva is taking me on a date."
"Enjoy…" Luke said as he walked off, swinging the bottle of vodka.
"We need to hurry, Shine." Ulva said urgently. "We don't have much time left."
**********
Ashina's eyes snapped wide open suddenly. Her face was pressed against her cold floor, one of her hands was placed awkwardly underneath her belly, her neck hurt from the way she had been sleeping and every fiber of her being was complaining about her body position. She shifted a bit, trying to get more comfortable but the floor was too hard.
Why am I on the floor though? The thought struck her suddenly, making her sit upright. What happened to my bed?
She thought about it, trying to remember how she ended up there. Her mind came up blank, all she could remember was leaving Lena's house and running, and running, and… the rest became a blur. She had no idea what she had done after leaving Lena's and how she came home. Either way, she didn't have the strength to make it to her bed because she simply passed out right on her living room floor.
Just then, she heard a knock on her door. It sounded dull and it felt like it was far away, however, she knew that it wasn't the first knock. It was the knock that had woken her up from her dream. She got to her feet and sucked in a breath as she cradled her head, she was feeling a splitting headache. Slowly, her memories of the previous night were coming back. She had been running hard last night and she didn't stop until she was exhausted. She ran just to the edge of the Borough, then back. By the time she returned, she was spent and on the precipice of exhaustion. She had known that sleeping would have been impossible, so she wore herself out and it helped. She didn't even make it to her bed.
The knock came again and she got to her feet. She tried to smoothen her hair but it remained scattered. She looked around her living room and saw the mess that Luke and Drake had made the previous night. She bit off the curse that came institively to mind as she took off her jacket and threw it over her shoulder. She wasn't in the mood for a guest and she wanted to show that side of her.
"Who's it?" She asked as she stepped over the rubble on the way to the door. She then pulled it open and stopped as she saw Drake.
He took in her disheveled appearance, "Seriously? You were sleeping?"
She ignored his question, "What do you want?"
"What else? I'm here for you." He said. "You and I are going to the woods."
"I need you to come to the woods with me," Ulva's words rang shrilly in her head. She swallowed as she stared at Drake.
"Why?"
"To help with the investigation." Drake quipped. "You'll take me to where it all happened, the exact spot where Ulva died. I need to see it. So now, go get dressed. It's gonna be a long day."