It All Began In Autumn

ch7

Noah said he would wait for me at the stream. I carefully make my way there. He is standing with his back against a tree. He is only wearing a thin shirt, his leather jacket and jeans, despite the cold

His feet are bare.

"Noah"! I greet him and pad towards him with a smile on my face. He waves and starts walking without a word. "Hey, wait up" i run a bit to catch up and I do just as he stops in a clearing. The rest of the Cliffords are there already. Clarke is the only one dressed warmly.

"Hey" i say and they smile. "Hi Lia". They shift behind trees and they reappear as tall wolves, Manuel reaches my shoulder. The rest are smaller, although Noah only by little.

They look alike but at the same time they don't. Nakai jumps on Manuel's back and challenges his father to run after him. They all break in a wild game of chasing and fighting. Cozy and Clarke are smaller, thus more agile but Noah is the fastest. He puts Nakai down easily and then prances towards me.

I freeze as he nears me and he must have smelled my fear because he stops and lets out a whine. I take a step closer and touch his big head. He lets me pet him like a dog and when I scratch behind his ears his hind leg hits the ground repeatedly and he closes his eyes.

"I'm not afraid of you". I say and look in his eyes. They glow, blue like the ocean. Nakai zooms past us and Noah runs after him without looking back. Afterwards, they explain their wolf side takes over when they shift.

After that night, Noah gets back to his usual, chatty, smiley self. He still doesn't kiss me again but at least he is not distant.

*******

And then came Jonathan. I mean, he had been there since the start, but after that winter he asked me out. And since Noah didn't seem at all intrested in me that way, I said yes.

And Jonathan was great at first. He was everything a girl could want, but he wanted to have sex with me after a year of going out. And I didn't. So he slapped me.

*********

I look up at him in shock as I still feel the sting of his hand on my cheek. "What is wrong with you? Girls beg for me to fuck them"! I flinch inwardly at the word. I don't like it.

"Well go fuck yourself"! I growl and he hits me again. I storm out of his house. "Fuck you O'dair"! I scream as I stomp to the woods. The big wolf meets me halfway on my way to his house. "Manuel" i recognise him and he licks my hand.

Pup he whispers in my head and I sigh as we walk together. "A stupid pup Manuel, so so stupid." I say and wrap my arms around myself. Spring is cold here. I didn't grab my coat on my way out, and my long sleeve shirt doesn't do much for the cool evening breeze.

The brown wolf disappears for a moment, when he returns he has a rabbit in his jaws. Rabbit? He offers and I wave my hand. "No thanks". His voice is distant. That's how it is, distant and most often just words on their own.

Home. "Home" I agree as we reach the Clifford house. Before we even enter the yard, all members of the family are out to meet us. "Lia, dear what happened, who did this to you"! Cozy's hands are all over my face, searching for any more marks.

"Fucking O'dair"! Noah growls, his voice is low and his eyes are glowing. His hands are tight fists at his sides. "I'll kill the bastard"! Nakai shows his agreement with a grunt.

They start walking and I jump in front of them. "Noah, you can't kill him, you know that right"? I take hold of his strong arm and he looks down at me, eyes softening slightly ad he runs a finger over my cheekbone. "I can make him wish he was dead" he suggests and I shake my head, making my hair whip my face.

"Few punches"? I shake my head again. Nakai is standing by, waiting to see what they will end up doing., waiting for directions. "One punch"? He is begging now with his hand cupping my face, and his eyes looking into mine deeply.

"One punch", I compromise and he kisses my forehead. "I can still kill him with one punch". "I know". He takes off, Nakai raises a brow and I sigh. "Please don't kill him". The boy nods and runs after his brother.

Cozy leads me inside the house and Clarke brings me her teddy bear and sits by me on the couch. "Does your dad know about this cachorro"? Manuel asks and I shake my head. "Out of town for a month now." I whisper. "I think he has a lover" my voice is so low I barely hear myself, but I know they hear me.

"Oh dear, don't worry, all will be right when the time comes. What about your mom"? I shake my head "I don't want to worry her. She didn't like Jonathan from the start." I take a breath. "Hell, not even I liked Jonathan that much". I groan and slump down on the pillows. "Did I bring this to myself? It's my fault isn't it"? I ask and start crying. Cozy hugs me and dries my tears. "Oh sweet girl, of course it's not your fault. He didn't have a right to touch you, no matter what". She says right when the door shuts close.

I raise my head to see the boys walking in. Noah's knuckles have dried blood crusted on them, I jump to my feet. "I didn't kill him" is all he says and he dissappears before I reach him.

Nakai kisses my cheek. "Don't worry Lia. It's going to be fine". I look at Noah's direction. "Why is he pushing me away"? I ask suddenly feeling outraged.

"You should ask him yourself that dear. We should get going anyway. Clarke needs a haircut" Cozy says and I realise they are all dressed to go out. "I'm sorry, i ruined your night with my bs". I say sadly. "No you didn't, we are here for you remember? We are pack". I nod as Manuel touches my shoulder before he leaves. Cozy touches my cheek softly and Nakai kisses my cheek again before he drags Clarke out.

I brace myself and make my way to Noah's room. I haven't been here before. The wolves are very territorial, their stuff is their own. I gulp as I knock the door. "You already know I'm out here" i say quietly. I hear a grumble from the other side of the door. Of course he is waiting by the door. I bet he has been eavesdropping for a bit now.

"Can I come in"? The door opens and there he is in all his glory. He is tall. And very, very well built. And attractive.

He steps back and I step in. I am engulfed in his smell. I'm no wolf but it would be hard to miss. Sandalwood and smoked cedar. He smells like the forest itself. The room is filled with green, green tapestry on one wall, green comforter on the bed, the curtains are green and the vase on the desk is green. Forest green, deep and dark.

"Do you like it"? He asks nervously and I nod. "Yes, it's very nice" i admit and sit on the bed. "Listen"... "I wanted to".... we say at the same time. I look up at him, and he smiles.

"You go first" he offers and I take the opportunity. "You've been distant." His body tenses. "For a while now. It bugs me, a lot." I say and he nods. "I know it does" he says lowly, with a faint smile. "I can smell it". I  narrow my eyes at him. "Stop doing it. Stop pulling away, I don't want you to".

I am proud of this chapter.

Check out the amazing cover I found of the song Home.  The vibes totally match the story imo!