The Hunt

Chapter 6

         After further studies we have determined the soulmate bond to be a powerful instinctual drive from the animal side of the werewolf. They should not be separated by force as this has severe side effects mentally and physically on both parties. Lack of sleep became apparent immediately upon examination. After prolonged periods of time loss of appetite and depression set in. The time frame of these symptoms differed for each Set of specimens however all ended in death by failure to thrive or taking their own life. More studies are needed to determine why this happens.

Hunter's Codex, werewolf lifestyles pg. 480

 
    “Let’s go on a date.”
    “Excuse me?” I looked up from the book that I was reading to see Chris staring down at me. I was laid across his lap on the couch in the living room reading while he watched some show on TV that I didn’t find very interesting. It was the weekend already and school had been more tiresome than I remembered. A good book and cuddles was really all I needed to wind down.
    “Let’s go on a date.” His fingers stopped their movement of combing my hair as he repeated himself. 
    His question came out of nowhere and it took me a second to register what he had actually said. “Okay. Where would we go?” I quietly marked my spot and shut the book while I sat up. 
    His arms reached around my waist to hug me from behind as he rested his chin on my shoulder. “How about on a picnic.” His breath tickled past my ear as he spoke. 
    “I like the sound of that. We could go somewhere quiet and peaceful.” I smiled as I turned to look at him.
    A grin spread across his face and I could see the gears turning as he was coming up with plans. “Awesome, let's head to town to go get a picnic basket.” His excitement began to bubble over as he spoke. 
    I didn’t have time to respond before he picked me up and placed me on my feet. “Hurry and change, I’m sure you don’t want to go to town in your pajamas.” He playfully tickled my side causing me to jerk away and let out a giggle.
    “No, not really.” I made it to my room and dug through my closet for some clean clothes. I really needed to do laundry, my clean to dirty ratio was out of balance. I quickly threw on some jeans and a blouse and hurried to the bathroom to freshen my hair and face. It didn’t take long for me to make my way back down the stairs to find Chris standing by the bar typing away on his phone.
    “Is it Cassy?” He looked up to see me, whatever was on the phone must have had his full attention.
    “Uh, yeah.” He furrowed his brows a bit in thought as he put his phone away. “She’s gonna be home late tonight, something about finding books for an essay.” 
    My fingers laced between his as we made our way outside and to his car. It was the start of October and I was beginning to see my breath puff out in the mornings when I took a breath. 
    The trip into town went by quickly as we enjoyed our time together discussing what we were going to eat on this picnic. 
    “Sandwiches, Chris. That's the only way to go. It’s quick, easy, and can be made ahead of time.” We had been bickering for some time now over what instituted a good picnic meal. 
    “I need meat and not that flimsy stuff you call ham or turkey.” He was smiling, obviously having fun disagreeing with me. 
    “Then we will get you some summer sausage. That’s one thing y’all got right up here in the north.” 
    “Hey now, we know how to do quite a few things right, thank you very much. It’s you guys down in the south that get everything wrong.” He chuckled as he said his piece on the never ending debate. North or south. “However, summer sausage sounds good. We can get some cheese and crackers to go with it.” 
    “Good, I love summer sausage.” Excitement was an understatement when it came to my feelings towards summer sausage. Chris only thought he was getting his way. 
    We pulled into a parking spot on one of the blocks and made our way down the sidewalk. Chris was in the middle of opening the door for me into the department store when his phone started to go off. He swore under his breath, I wouldn’t have been able to hear it if it wasn’t so quiet outside. 
    “What is it?” I felt the pit of my stomach turn. Something was off. This is the second time today he received a message that was obviously serious.
    Chris didn’t look at me as he responded, he was too busy typing away on his phone. “There’s been an emergency with a friend and I’ve got to go.” He glanced up then, worry flickered in his eyes. “I need to take you back home.” He glanced up and down the sidewalk, shifting his weight from one foot to the other while chewing on his bottom lip.
    He was anxious to go take care of whatever was on the other side of the phone. Taking me home would waste time, “It’s okay. I’ll head to the library and check out some books. I need a few new reads anyways. Besides, it looks like whatever's going on is urgent.” I waited, hoping he would catch the hint and let me in on what had happened. 
    His eyes peered at me from under his lashes. Rubbing his hand across his face he let out a long sigh. “Okay. I hate to leave you by yourself right now, but this is serious. It shouldn’t take me longer than a couple hours and then I’ll be back to finish our shopping.”
    He turned around only to stop and look back at me. He reached out and gave me a sweet and quick kiss. “I’m sorry.” His voice sounded strained as he turned around once again and started walking away. 
    After watching the spot where he had walked around a corner for a minute I felt my shoulders begin to droop. My first real relationship and here I was, alone when we should be planning our date. I rubbed my chest where a prick of pain throbbed for a minute, he would be back and tell me all about whatever craziness was happening with his friend is what I told myself. Turning I made my way towards the library to check out some new books.