Wolves of Rome

Chapter Ten: Nightmare Life

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Copyright © 2012 by Amber Hanscom

Chapter Ten: Nightmare Life

    Nico awoke suddenly his senses on high alert. At the back of his mind he could feel it-something was wrong. He felt . . . he felt as if he were being pulled in two, one half of him was fine, the other was  . . . not. Pain. Yes, so much pain-and anger. It seared him with its fire.

  What was wrong with him?

  Suddenly he knew. It was her.

   The wolf inside him started to claw, bite and snarl. It wanted out. It wanted her. It wanted to protect her from whatever was causing her such pain, such grief, that it felt as if his parents had died all over again.  

   Gritting his teeth, Nico climbed to his feet. With stiff steps he made his way over towards the other side of the cramped, barren room where a sink had been randomly set up. He turned the knobs all the way, waiting for the murky brown water to turn crystalline, before splashing the warm water onto his face.

  The room was small, made into a perfect square with a sparse kitchen area with a small fridge that looked like it was from the late fifties, and a counter which only appliances were a microwave, and a toaster. Next to the sink was a small lion footed tub, set kiddie corner to the wall. The rest of the space was taken up by his queen sized bed. The walls were a dark brown, like rich fertile earth, which was pealing from the walls.

  Nico lifted at his head, his violet eyes meeting his in the mirror. His face looked pale, and thin, his eyes bearing a new look, not the same haunted gaze, but something different.

  It's because of her. the beast whispered.

  Yes, most lycans didn't deliberately try to avoid their mates. A lycan's mate was their other half, a half you went so long not knowing, not even noticing, existed, that once you meet them, once you knew that part of you had never been there, you desperately wanted nothing more than to become whole.

   He closed his eyes, trying to steal himself against the pain, but like always he saw only her. Her face caused him pain-the guilt of loving her, the emptiness of not being with her, and the rage of the wolf wanting to protect her-it was staggering.

  A disgusted look twisted Nico's handsome features. He was pathetic. He was weak. If were a strong leader, like his father had been, he would have killed her despite the fact they were mated.

  And he would have followed her into the Afterlife happily, accepting whatever punishment awaited him.

  A growl tore from his throat, and his fist collided with the mirror. The sound of glass shattering echoed through the quiet apartment, shards scattering all around him. His eyes were black with rage, his breath coming in and out quick and labored. Pulling his fist back he gazed down at the mangaled mess of blood, glass, bone and skin.

  He was a mess.

  Closing his eyes, Nico welcomed the change, greeting his wolf with open arms. His body shifted, hair sprouted across where once bare skin was. He dropped on all fours staring down into the shards at his wolf form.

  His wolf was huge, larger than the others of his pack like an alpha should be. This fur was a glossy black, with white dabbing his paws, his chest and face. His luminous violet eyes glowed in the artificial light, making him look like a mythical creature of old.

  I am a mythical creature, he thought, his inner voice sardonic.

  A half bark, half sneeze came from him sounding like a laugh. He turn towards the window, gazing out at the seemingly endless sea of woodland before him. Backing up a few paces, Nico took off in a run, leaping from  the terrace, flying weightlessly through the air.

  He landed effortlessly on all fours, unhesitating as he took off towards the forest.

  His paws whispered across the earth, the only force driving him forward was his desire to escape. To escape this retched reality that was his existence.The trees seemed to jump ou of his path, knowing that he was not to be tangled with.

  All Nico wanted was to forget, to allow his humanity to melt away. Life as a monster would be so much simpler, so much better. The wolf knew what it wanted, what it disired above all else. It wanted its mate, to run and be free of the chains of humanity that kept it from what it wanted.

 NICO!!

  Nico came to a halt. He whipped around his enhanced eyes searching for the person who had shouted for him.

  From his flank a lithe, tawny furred wolf bound up beside him. A pair of intelligent, vibrant brown eyes met his.

  Bianca?

  They're here! With the girl! There's only four of them with her, together we could-

  No! Nico growled letting out a low venomous roar. We're leaving Bianca.

  But, Nico-

  I. Said. We. Are. Leaving. Nico seethed whirling to face her, allowing every ounce of his Alpha persona to leak through.

  Bianca cowered, letting out a low whine. Knowing she couldn't argue about this, she turned away and headed towards Nico's apartment. Nico stayed where he was, watching as Bianca vanished into the distance.

  Once she was gone, he allowed himself to inhale deeply.

 Trees. Soil. The tang of other wolves . . . and then there was her. Her scent was like the sweetest flower, mixed with peaches. The smell made his wolf go crazy with anxiety.

  With a self loathing growl, Nico took off into the forest, running from the seductive scent of his life mate.

____________________Author'sNote_________________

Its so short!!! MEH!!! I wish that I had internet at my house! Life would be amazing again!!! Anyways, its an update!! A slow moving one but an update. I cannot wait to get more feed back! See everyone next week!

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Love Amber :)