Turning ✔️

Chapter 23. Harper's Happy Hounds

I drove in silence for a few minutes, William seemed to understand that I needed some time to think before I spoke. He sat beside me, his left hand resting lightly on my thigh, occasionally giving me a concerned side-eye as I cruised down the side roads of our town. I let out a few deep breaths before I had maintained myself enough to explain to him what had happened after he had dropped me back off at my house.

As I told him the tale, I began to feel my eyes filling with tears as I recalled the way everything went down. I focused my attention on the road as I drove, blinking away any tears before they could escape from my eyes. I loved my mother, I really did, but sometimes we could really butt heads.

"To put it bluntly, I knew my mother could be a bitch, but I would have never in a million years thought that she would ever not want me in her home."

William's jaw clenched while I spoke, his face expressing mostly anger over the whole situation. Anger that I knew wasn't at me, but I could see the fury behind his emerald eyes and it frightened me. He didn't say anything for a moment and closed his eyes tightly. He let out a long sigh before speaking.

"It's probably very difficult for her. She isn't a wolf like us, she cannot possibly even fathom what it is like for you and I think she was acting very inconsiderately. I could see if this was a recurring issue, but it isn't." He said lowly with a squeeze of my thigh.

"I know. That's why I'm so upset." I stated in a monotone voice, keeping my emotions in check as I gripped the steering wheel tight with both hands. He rubbed my leg softly, giving me a small comforting smile when I peered over to him.

"I caused this, I shouldn't have forced you to skip school with me. It was irresponsible and I'm sorry that I caused a rift between you and your mother. We only have two more weeks of school, so no more being naughty boys."

The way he said the last bit sounded very provocative and sent my eyes flying to him as he spoke. He gave me a cocky smirk when I caught his eye. I felt a blush rising to my cheeks, but I looked away from him and back at the road with a small grin.

"You didn't force me, Will. I chose to do it. I could have said no."

"Either way, school is almost done and then we can figure things out from there...together. You didn't think you would be figuring this out without me, did you?"

I paused for a moment because I actually was thinking that. We had barely just started dating and he wants to plan for a future. I wasn't sure how to feel. Were we really at this stage? Granted we were mates. That makes things way more complicated. It seems like every day my life is becoming more and more complicated.

"Thanks. For everything I mean." I murmured out softly to him, glancing over to him once more.

"Don't thank me. I will always be here for you." He said in his gruff, husky voice with a slight smile on his lips. I nodded in response and stared out the windshield in silence as I pulled up to a stop sign.

"Turn left!" William called suddenly, startling me and causing me to jump slightly in my seat. When he saw that he had spooked me, he let out a loud guffaw. I whipped my head over to him with an icy glare.

"Sorry, that was funny." He said straightening himself out, still slightly smirking.

I did as he told me, even though he scared me and turned left. I gave him a questioning look and he gave me a soft smile in return.

"You will enjoy where I'm navigating us to."

"Ok," I said softly as I cruised down the street; he directed us through a couple more turns before we turned into a dimly lit parking lot. I looked up to the large brick building in front of me with wide eyes. The main building itself was not that large, but attached to each side were long fences running the large property line. It was William's family's doggy daycare business, Harper's Happy Hounds.

I let out a happy squeal as I put my car into park and looked to William with a wide smile.

"I thought you would like this." He said with an even wider smile stretching across his handsome face. "Let's go play with some pooches!"

He quickly got out of the car with his excited not leaving the car and running over to open my door for me. He was always such a gentleman. It was one of the many reasons I easily have fallen for him. I could picture having a future with him and growing old together.

He was the epitome of charming, but with a big splash of rebel mixed in.

He was still a major mystery to me, however. I couldn't help but think that I really hardly knew him. Superficially we knew one another, but something deeper requires time. Superficially, I knew with one hundred percent of my being that I was attracted to him. But one weekend sure isn't long enough to know if I loved him. I felt it inside of me, but I couldn't accept it.

I was determined to know more about his life and what makes him angry, sad, and happy. These are the things you find out about a person as you get to know them and to me, that's the way you truly fall in love with a person.

As I finally stepped out of my Jeep, the barking of a multitude of canines met my ears. Instead of hearing literal barks, I was shocked to be hearing actual speech. I turned my attention to Will with a shocked expression on my face.

"Is-did-am I able to speak to dogs?" I stuttered out in my excited state.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" William said giving me a knowing smile. "So you have never had a dog before?"

"Nope, my mom always used to say she was allergic. But now that I know the truth. I feel like she was just covering her ass."

William let out an audible sigh before pulling me into his body tightly. I rested my chin on his chest looking up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck softly. He gave me a sad expression as he looked down at me. He brushed his lips along my temple, giving my waist a soft squeeze.

"I'm sorry." He quietly whispered into my ear, before he pulled back, looking into my eyes with a gentle smile. "Let's go in."

My first impression when I walked into the daycare was just pure bliss. When you first walk in, it's a small waiting area with a few chairs on either side along the brick wall. Beyond that was an even larger room that had about twenty dogs eagerly jumping up to see us from the other side.

There were greyhounds, labs, retrievers, shepherds, huskies and even some chihuahuas, along with a bunch of mixed breeds that all looked adorable. William was smiling over to the dogs as he led the way through the building. Other than the two of us, I hadn't seen any other humans. As we passed through the front desk, my eyes scanned the large room watching as the dogs happily circled around an older man who had entered from a door on the other side of the room.

I had no doubt in my brain that it was William's father as I watched him approach with a friendly smile on his face. His blonde hair was slightly graying and cropped short and he had crows feet around his eyes. He was a very handsome older man. As he got closer, I gulped, quickly realized that he towered over William's already giant body.

No wonder William is so tall. His dad is a literal giant. He had to have been at least seven feet tall. I strained my neck looking up to the man as he spoke to me with a hand extended.

"Hi there! I'm Raymond, William's father. So happy I finally get to meet you!" He said with a very cheery and friendly tone as I shook his hand politely. William pulled me into him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and directing us around his dad.

"I'll close down, you can head out if you want, Dad." He said in a tone that really meant for his father to get out.

"You're my favorite son. Thanks, bud."

"I'm your only son, Dad," William said in an annoyed tone.

Raymond chuckled and gave William a playful wink before he turned his gaze towards me with a smile.

"Nice meeting you, Nathan."

And with that he strolled out of the building, humming a tune that I didn't recognize. Once his father was gone, William pulled me into him and crashing his lips to mine. I let out a surprised gasp, which he greedily took as his opportunity to take over my mouth with his tongue.

I kissed him back deeply for several moments before snapping back to the reality that we were super close to the dogs. I pushed myself off of his chest gently, giving William a jubilant smile.

"Let's play."