Canis Lupus

CHAPTER VII

"Alex!?" The figure that had been at the top of the stairs only moments ago had his arms around me, hugging me. We didn't know each other that well but when he saved me from bleeding out in the woods a week ago, I made a promise to myself that I needed to somehow and sometime return the favor. Hugging him back, I smiled.

"Hey kid how's the leg?" he asked, ruffling my hair.

"Oh it's good! All healed up now." I patted my leg.

"That's great but I don't think you should really be walking on it quite yet, I mean what has it been one week since you almost lost it?" SHIT. I forgot it had only just happened and here I was with a fully healed leg.

"Nah, i'm strong. And plus after some pain medicine it's like I never even got hurt." Both James and Alex laughed at this. I playfully punched Alex in the arm as if we've been best buds for a while now. That brought comfort and inquietude to me at the same time. It was comforting to know there were two people I could turn to had I needed to, but at the same time it brought me uneasiness because I didn't want to have to make new friends just to have to lose them like when I was younger.

"So what brings you to the pack-" James punched him in the arm quicker than I could even comprehend. "Er I mean what brings you here?" Alex asked, scratching his neck in what seemed to be... embarrassment? But embarrassed about what I did not know.

"Oh um, James told me he wanted me to meet his friends. Something about us having a lot in common." I shrugged, looking at James to answer Alex's question.

"I need to talk to you, and everyone else in private S'il vous plait." James spoke, making me give him a quizzical face.

"What's going on?" I was confused.

"Nothing Taylor. Can you go wait outside for a few minutes please. James has something important and private to tell me and the others who I'm sure you'll meet in a minute." Alex motioned for me to move outside.

"O-okay. I should probably call my dad anyways." I walked outside, Alex closed the door behind me.

RIIIIING. Waiting for my father to pick up his phone, I kicked off the few leaves that fell on the porch here and there. RIIIIIING. RIIIIIING. "Hey son. Glad to hear from you." My father answered his phone.

"Hey, I Just wanted to check in. You at Uncle Johns yet?" I asked trying to pass time while I waited for whatever meeting James, Alex and whoever else was there to finish.

"No not yet, I should be there in about two hours though so i'll text you when i'm there."

"Okay, sounds good ig."

"Everything going alright at home?"

"Yeah, so far so good." I decided to leave out the fact that a cat had broken into our house and broke one of my grandmother's vases.

"Alright cool. Well I gotta go, I'm on the road. I'll text you when I get to Johns."

"Okay talk to you later bye." I hung up the phone and put it away.

"Are you sure? Because you know there is no 'i think he is.' you need one hundred percent proof. If you brought him here under false pretenses then well you know what we have to do right?" A ringing started in my ears as I picked up part of the private conversation which I knew I shouldn't have been listening in on.

"His hand, it burned on the knob." I could hear James. Who's hand burned on the knob? I looked down at my hand where a slight burning sensation could still be felt. The burns were almost completely gone now, barely visible. We're they... were they talking about me?