Navy Wolf

Chapter 40

The howl of the wolf breaks the stillness,

a haunting melody that dances with the echoes of the wilderness and the ancient pulse of the earth.

☾

I stared at this incredibly confident and elegant man in front of me who happened to be one of Kaven's friends I had met on the other side of British Columbia during a bowling game. And I wondered how small this globe was to meet him under these circumstances again. Still being flabbergasted I shook his hand and he snickered amused at my reaction.
"How have you been, River?" he beamed at me already charming every girl around us with just his presence.
I blinked in disbelief. "I didn't know you were a civil engineer," I replied the words stagnantly coming out of my mouth.
His brows went up for a second. "Surprise," he smiled. "Has Kaven not mentioned anything about me?"
I noticed his jokingly sarcastic tone and I just mirrored his expression not saying anything. This was going to be a huge discussion with Kaven - I already saw it coming.

He was going to be so pissed.
"Since when are you in Vancouver?," I asked pretending to not know what Anakin had told me and Kaven on phone two weeks ago.
"Oh, I just recently moved here. Job hunting has led me to this part of British Columbia."

We sat down at the couch and Caleb took a seat next to me. "Are you still in contact with the Parks Brothers?"
I didn't know if he was testing me or if it was a genuine question. Because in an instant I remembered Anakins words.

Maybe the scent you marked her with is noticeable a mile away.

Don't let him smell her.

Oh shit.

Could he tell I was marked at this very moment? And how long does this last anyway?

"I am. I just recently talked to Kaven and the others." Just as much information as needed. Nothing more.
He smiled attentively. „I didn't know that. I'd never thought I'd meet you again." Adding a sad undertone to his words which I felt uncomfortable about.

So he didn't smell I was here? Had Kaven deleted me from this planet in terms of scents?

"Well, here we are," I laughed nervously. But not because I was nervous around him. I was tensed because of what Kaven's reaction to this might be.
Anakin had warned him to not let him smell me and judging by Kaven's reply back then he had no intention on doing so. And now I was sitting right next to the guy who I should have been kept away from, whatever the reason had been.

Was Caleb also a wolf?

I was getting really worried. What did that even mean ‚Don't let him smell her.'?
How high was the probability of Caleb meeting me so that Anakin would feel the urge to warn his brother about that?
Well, the fact he was sitting next to me proved Anakin knew but then again: Why did he warn Kaven when he could've prevented it all together?

Did they know Caleb had applied for the same agency as me?

I had to talk to Kaven about this. He had to let me in.
I couldn't believe that I was already hoping this day - I had awaited in anticipation - ended quickly.

***

"I am a what?"
Kaven was sitting on the edge of the couch right across from me, his hand constantly wiping over his chin and mouth.
"Prey," he pressed through gritted teeth. "You have become his prey because you're claimed but not owned."
I blinked multiple times, considering wether to be offended or confused.
We were sitting in his penthouse living room. The TV was on but on mute and Kaven had opened the door to the balcony with the excuse to let in some cold fresh air but judging by his body language his blood was boiling with rage.

„Do I have to be scared?"
I could see he was worried. His muscles all over his body were tense and his joints were stiff. Anyone who had eyes could see that he was stressed. But what concerned me more was his change of behavior. His breathing, his talking. Even his eyes had lost their angelic warm glance.
This Kaven was disturbingly different. And I didn't like it. At all.
"This is all my fault," he mumbled aggressively, his stare out of the window.
"Kaven," I sighed in pain. I genuinely wanted to cry. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it. But please stop being this way."
He darted his attention back to me, his expression softening but not fully warm. I could hear him breath irregularly and when he dropped his absent gaze to the floor I ran up to him.
"Kaven, please," I begged, my hands cupping his face. "Tell me."
"I love you, River. You know that right?," he whispered his grey-green eyes tapering.

Hold on.

Something was off. And slowly but definitely I was suspecting the worst.

My hands froze on his cheeks but stayed glued and I felt this knot tying up in my stomach. "Why would you say that now?," I breathed being scared as hell of the answer.

I mean, I had only heard these words from him once before, but in this context they were completely out of place. And that in and of itself made my heart race.
"He knows you're with a wolf and that you've been marked by one," he said, anger resounding in his voice. „And now you're a target because this has become a competition. He just wanted to make sure he was making the right assumption on which brother he should narrow on."
"So what? I know who I want," I replied before shaking my head. "There's no competition for you, Kaven."

He mirrored my mimics. I had failed at convincing him once again. The knot in my stomach had turned into a leaden, painful stone.

"The loser usually hunts the female down," he added. "And in ninety-nine percent of these cases he kills her."

He broke free of my hands, walking up and down like tiger now. "We have to keep our distance from each other. At least for a while."

I glanced up at him. My lids heavy, my hands clenching. „So you want me to go back to South Vancouver?"

„No, of course not."

„Then what do you have in mind?"

„You're staying here. I'll just have to think of a solution on how to plan this." A bitter, regretful scowl distorted his face. „I should have tracked his every step when Anakin told me about him."

„What do you mean?" I uttered. „Caleb is going to hurt me?"

He eyed me. „He might."

"Wh-... what?," I exclaimed in disbelief. "So Caleb is a wolf? Like you?"

"No," Kaven frowned frustratedly. "He's turned into a shuck."

*****

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