Little Red

Chapter 42

He growls softly at her determined tone.

 If I didn't know any better, I would say he's behaving like a...

"Mate."

Silence.  The wolves in the clearing who were casually conversing have gone quiet.  Even the animal noises echoing in the forest have ceased as we wait with bated breath. 

Freya stands rigidly in place.  Ever so slowly, she turns back and looks at him, conflicting emotions battling for dominance on her face.  However, one seems to outweigh them all.  

Shock.

Complete and utter shock.

It was the first time I ever saw her so rattled, and I didn't know what to make of it.  

"W-What?" She asks breathlessly.  I almost catch a hint of fear in her eyes, another emotion I haven't seen her display.  

I still feel uneasy when Samuel speaks again.

"Mate."  He says, staring at her.  And there it is.  A look of love so encompassed with strong emotion that it makes me wince.

For a moment, nothing happens.  

Then, clapping begins around the clearing.  Next, come shouts of joy and wolf-whistles.  Finding your mate is a big deal in the werewolf world - usually cause for celebration.  But the four of us take no part in any of it.  

Freya looks horrified.

"No."  She whispers.  "How could-no.  That can't be true."  She shakes her head frantically.  Her eyes dart around the field, looking at anything but him.  

Finally, her gaze settles on me.  The fear is evident in her eyes as emotion swirls within their depths.  The deep brown is replaced with a forest green, then an ocean blue, until it finally burns in flecks of a searing orange, all in a matter of seconds.  It seems her conflict is resolved, and her eyes harden as she decides on an action.

Before I can call out to her, she streaks off into the forest, leaving us all dumbstruck.  Not even a second later, an ear-piercing cry is heard as a flash of fire burns through the sky headed south.  

One second of silence passes before a rumble shakes the ground.  I glance towards Samuel to see a large, burly black wolf in his place.  He paces relentlessly, sniffing the ground where she stood.  He whines low in his throat as the reality kicks in.

She's gone.  And on one knows when she'll be back.  If she'll be back.

It's a hard truth to bear, and I'm not sure how it'll settle when he realizes it.  

Suddenly, he stands to attention, black ears pointed up as he faces the direction she left in.  

Before Demitri or I can speak, he takes off like a bullet.  

Demitri quickly tells me to stay with Eli, and runs after him, shifting into his dark wolf as he goes.  I lose him once he enters the dark trees.

My mind is still trying to process the events of the day when I black out.

''''''''''

I wake up to a blinding white light.

Where am I this time?

I'm saved from answering when the same voice from before calls me to her.

I hesitantly walk forward, still unsure whether or not this is real.

Ara.

I'm here.  I answer automatically.

I approach the same table and chair that I sat in yesterday, only this time the Goddess is already standing there.