The Red Wolf

What is that smell?

Lily

"How are you feeling about it?" I asked my best friend.

Robin let out a long sigh. We were sitting under a big oak tree in the park. We both liked to read together and she needed some air, considering everything that is going on.

She didn't look up from her book, only shrugged with a look of worry on her face.

Robin doesn't like to talk much. Not in a shy way like most people. She is just an "every word counts" kind of person.

I decided to take her out a bit before the meeting to see if I can be of any help.

I looked at her with a disapproving look, "We talked about this, 'I feel....'". I made a hand mark implying she needs to continue my sentence.

She rolled her eyes, "I feel annoyed", she said, still not looking at me.

I snatched the book away from her hands, "Come on! Talk to me..."

She crossed her hands and shrugged her shoulders again.

"Why are you feeling annoyed?"

"Because I don't need a bunch of high-ranked assholes to judge me, I only do this because I want to please your father. I don't care to share, it's just a waste of my time."

I looked at her with sadness, "You know you don't have to do this if you feel you are not ready yet, right? Let me talk to him, I can see it makes you uncomfo--"

"Your brother is coming back from Europe today, excited?", Robin cut me off.

It takes time to understand Robin sometimes, even more so to get her to open up or for her to let me help her. A swift change in topic almost always means 'Let me fight my own battles, Lily'. I just wish she wouldn't see everything as a 'battle' in the begin with.

On the other hand, who can blame her for that way of thinking after what she has gone through...

In time I just had to learn to respect Robin's wishes regarding what she wanted to talk about or not. Quick changes in topics were a frequent event, so I adapted to also having swift changes in conversational moods.

Hence, from feeling sorry for my friend, it was easy enough to have an immediate big smile on my face when she asked about Aiden.

"Four years is a long time. I'm so excited to catch up, I missed him so much!"

My brother Aiden moved to Europe when he was 20. Dad sent him in hopes to be the first to create alliances with the new packs that formed there after the war. Dad also decided last week that Aiden needs to come back and finish his Alpha training so he will be able to replace him soon.

Robin looked at me with a small smile, pleased. "I'm happy for you".

"Thanks." I gave her the book back and we both continued our reading in peace.

Seth, Robin, and I are a winning trio. Those two are my best friends in the entire world.
Me and Robin started our degree together in the near human city. We both met in the public library and there was just an immediate click.
Seth was a librarian in the library. He started working there in his third year in college and decided to stay since he liked it so much.

I was always the Alpha's little girl so people were always afraid to be near me. After what happened to my mom I shut everyone out even more. I was a loner all through middle and high school, and I was ok with that.

When I met Robin I met someone who saw me as who I was and not as the Alpha's poor girl whose mom left her. She always made me feel good about the person that I am and has a high tolerance for my annoying self, which is rare to find these days.