Forbidden |18+
I shakily unzip the backpack and withdraw the chocolate, reaching my arm out. My voice is a little louder this time when I say, "I-I'm sorry. You just seem so...I-I don't know, I-I liked how much you were i-into the things you are studying. Your i-interests."
When he doesn't take the chocolate, I also withdraw the soap and say, reaching my other arm out, "I-I don't know i-if you're upset because...well..."
"Are you really taking a jab at my scent?" Ulric snarks and I swallow the fear that rises. He shakes his head and looks me over, "You are the one offending my senses."
My lower lip trembles before I finally cry out, dropping the soap and chocolate on the ground. Tears are trickling down my cheeks as I retort, "This is the last time I ever try and understand a human!"
Ulric's eyes widen, his muscles tensing. I turn to run though he catches my upper arm, my head snapping in his direction. He looks at me with confusion, as if I'm joking and I just realized how stupid that sounded yelling at a human and calling them that.
"J-Just pretend we never met, I-I'm sorry!" I jerk my arm from his grip, seeing him still stunned with the same amount of confusion I have.
"Human?" Ulric asks me, his voice a much different tone, calm, welcoming, and gentle.
I brush the tears away from my cheeks as I reply, my voice steadier, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I really was simply curious. I'm sorry, I really am."
He tilts his head to the side, slowly releasing my upper arm while he crouches down and picks up my apology. Ulric glances at me and asks, "Soap and chocolate?"
"Soap and chocolate," I nod my head gently with sincerity.
It's a few minutes before he nods his head and says, "Come on, let's go inside together."
She is the Communicator of the New Area. The Communicators do the one job other humans are too afraid to do, communicating and preventing violence between wolves and humans.
"My name is Alara. I'm the new Communicator. This is my first day. I-"
"I know what Communicators are all about," he interrupts. "I've met many over the years. You speak of understanding and cooperation while your guns are loading behind your backs."
"That's not-"
"Save your diplomatic bullshit for someone who hasn't heard it before." His voice remains calm, which somehow makes it more terrifying. "I want the human who killed one of our own."
"We have laws-"
"Your laws." The contempt is undisguised now. "Your laws that somehow always find humans innocent of crimes against wolves. Your laws that punish a wolf's defense of territory as aggression. Your laws that treat us as animals when it suits you and as criminals when it doesn't."
This is the first book in the series, so please don't expect anything perfect just yet. It's a first draft and a work in progress :)