Wolf's Needs

Chapter Seventeen

Jalyn and Meka walked up the hill together, the blanket still wrapped around their shoulders and their arms holding on to each other's waist. She kept her head on his shoulder and a smile on her face, at the moment she couldn't be happier. Well, that was only half true. Her parents were still missing and his parents probably didn't like the idea of a werewolf staying in their house, being hunted and "dating" their son. And the Hunters were still after her, though she was surprised that they haven't come for her yet. Surely they were trained well enough to find her, so what was taking them so long?

Taking that into consideration, should she leave? She was only putting Jalyn's family – who she was becoming to love more and more in the past two and a half fays – in serious danger, and if anything were to happen to them then she would just die herself. Especially little Leila.

But didn't that anonymous voice in her head tell her to stay? And why was she listening to him – it? She could be walking (or staying) in a trap without even knowing it. But if that were the case then so were the Bakers. And wouldn't they have attacked already, so what were they waiting for?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Jalyn said lightly as they walked through the door. Every was leaving now – including Amelia, though Meka wasn't sure if she were surprised or not – and it was just Jalyn and Meka at home. Mary and Michael went out to dinner, and said that they'd be home late. The fact that they would leave Jalyn here, alone, unsupervised with a girl in the house (even if this girl was an Alpha werewolf who wasn't allowed to actually fall for humans) was new to Meka, but the parent Bakers didn't seem the least bit concerned. In fact, Meka had noticed that they looked a little eager to leave, and Mary looked distant as if she were thinking about something much more than her son's virginity – if he even had it still.

"I was just thinking about the bonfire and Robin and Amelia and everyone else. Everything else. Life, basically, in the most basic and simplest way I could put it to save myself the pain." Jalyn stopped, and the blanket slipped off of Meka's shoulders. The cool air spread across her like a large, gentle hand. And it actually felt ... nice, like she belonged in that coolness, in the wilderness. Which she did, but it was different from the basic need to be with her pack, or in her home with her family. It was as if she had belonged somewhere else too, specifically ... (here? Could she do that?) Meka didn't think that she could.

"Meka, if you need to talk about anything..."

"I know, and thanks Jalyn." She looked back at him. Since he was about two feet away from her down the hill, they were eye level. Jalyn stared at hers, willing himself to get lost in their depth, to see what she wasn't showing him. What was she hiding? The pain, yes of course, she had lost her parents and was torn between finding them and protecting him. But there was something else too, but it was just out of reach like a moving door that evaded you from the end of a hallway.

She looked hurt, like a wounded animal – no pun intended. Her wide, violet gray eyes watched him, studied him and he allowed it because he wanted her to know that he was open to her. He had no secrets and despite the fact that they had just met, what, two days ago, and it was under some intense circumstances, he didn't want her to leave, even if it meant putting him, mom, dad, Leila in danger. That was selfish, yes, but he couldn't help it. He wanted her, needed her so deeply that it nearly broke him to see her trying to sneak out last night. While everyone was asleep and exhausted – from what, he didn't know – but all he could think about was losing Meka. And this gentle stranger was nowhere near being the monster she feared people thought of her to be. And Jalyn just craved her presence, craved her being, and felt more ... him ... when she was here, even if she didn't know him to begin with. It just felt right with her. And he wanted – needed – her to know more of him, and wanted to know more of her in return.

Jalyn didn't believe in love at first sight – and please, what did he know about love anyways, he was like eighteen? But for Christ's sake, Meka was a miracle, and he just wasn't ready to let that miracle go yet.

"Hey," Meka walked back to Jalyn and touched his arm lightly. She had a small smile on her face, and a kind look in her eyes. He loved that. "We should get inside, you're shivering."

Jalyn hadn't even realized that he was cold, but now that Meka mentioned it, he felt as if a giant was shaking his body by the way he shivered. And he was covered in a thick fur blanket, why was he the one cold? Meka was the one who went in the lake.

Werewolf.

Riiiggghhhttt.

Meka doesn't get sick.

He nodded and pulled Meka back into the blanket with him. She wrapped both arms around his waist and Jalyn laid his over her shoulder, and they walked in. Together. Forever. Hunters – and Alphas – be warned.

i know

i know

short chapters all the way