The Wolf Pack, page 4
“I will meet you anywhere. Name the place and time. Please let Crosby know I’m thinking of him.” Crosby was responsible for teaching me the finer points of guerrilla warfare including how to handle a blade in close combat.
Practicing was the key to mastering any art. I became dedicated and found a rhythm with my technique. Fighting wasn’t my main form of self-defense. Words could be a weapon but I couldn’t rely on talking my way out of every situation.
Callan was a mysterious factor and his contribution was different than the others. He was the one to teach me about history and how to hone my instincts into razor-sharp efficiency. Concentration in conjunction with the breathing techniques from Wesley made it possible to reach my inner animal.
Chapter Five
Lunch was postponed until after the launch of their product, which was understandable considering the circumstances. Natalie didn’t seem shaken and took everything in stride. She brought her team together, unaware that I knew Wesley.
The park seemed like a strange place to meet but it was off the grid in an influential neighborhood patrolled regularly by the police. They were on horseback and on foot, with joggers feeling secure in their safety, even though they couldn’t be everywhere at once.
I sat there scraping the recently painted green park bench with my blood red nail. It flaked off easily with barely any effort. It was a nervous habit but it was far better than biting my nails down to the nub. I hugged my black jacket over my body to ward off the elements from the cool breeze coming off the lake.
Wesley was a little late but I could forgive him for his lack of punctuality. There was no way I was going to leave until he filled in some of the blanks. I knew the voices were real but there was a part of me afraid that my mind was unraveling. I had no reference to know if mental instability ran in my family. Knowing they were real and putting a face to one of them was another matter.
I was still trying to wrap my mind around how he suddenly came into my life. I felt bad for Crosby for getting hurt after he perceived an attack was imminent on me. The lady in question didn’t speak of her ordeal and soon vacated campus a few days after for greener pastures. She was saved but emotionally she was scarred, which reminded me of the one on the back of my neck.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t followed,” Wesley said. “The awakening is going to change everything. Rest assured nobody is going to get close to you without going through us. We have a vested interest in keeping you safe but I will get to that in due time. I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” That was an understatement.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to know what the hell is going on. My adoptive parents know something but they aren’t telling me anything. You and the others have given me direction but for what purpose. Tell me something. Tell me anything,” I begged with my hand reaching out to touch his on the back of the bench.
“The awakening is a tradition dating back centuries. The chosen one is said to have great power but it can be only be unleashed by a mating ritual. We’ve known about you for quite some time. All three of us had the same dream with you being attacked by three black wolves and we were the only thing standing between them and you.” He was trying to tell me something but he was going the long way by taking baby steps.
It was rather infuriating.
“What you’re saying makes no sense to me. I’m not a child and I wish you wouldn’t treat me like one. The unvarnished truth is what I’m looking for and I won’t settle for anything less.” I squeezed his hand and felt a certain electricity localized in my lower extremities.
There was no escaping the attraction I felt for him but there was no way I was going to act on it with all of these unanswered questions between us. Wesley was the perfect specimen of a man, yet my mind went back to Daniel and the second date we'd scheduled for today, the day before my birthday. I didn’t want to lead Wesley on. It would be unfair to both of us to commit to something long term when I had feelings for another man.
“Patience has never been your strong suit but you need to tether your enthusiasm. The awakening is extensive, for lack of a better word. You will be tested as you have never been tested in your life. There are skeptics and others who consider you a threat to our way of life. We have made it possible for you to fight.” He curled his fingers around mine, with the heat of his scent making me a little lightheaded
“These are a bunch of riddles getting us nowhere. What gives you the right to dole out information with an eyedropper? I’m stronger than you give me credit for and not much shocks me. I’m sure you think you are protecting me but you’re not,” I stammered, slowly shifting to get a little closer to him.
“It wasn’t my idea to leave you in the dark and it’s not my place to say much more. To be perfectly blunt there has to be a consensus and I’m only one voice out of many. They think you can’t handle the truth. I know it’s not going to be easy but I will make every effort to get them to come to their senses before it’s too late. You really don’t know how serious this is,” He muttered and I could feel it was on the tip of his tongue just waiting for something to pull it out of him.
“Tell me and let me decide what I should know. If I’m going to be a part of this awakening then shouldn’t I go into it with my eyes wide open? You know I’m right. Tell Callan that I want to see him and I’m not taking no for an answer. You can word it any way you want but you get the idea,” I replied with a cold reception.
“Nobody makes demands of the Alpha, not even the chosen one. I will relay your message and, hopefully, he will see clear to giving you an audience. He’s very busy preparing for the awakening and has left strict instructions not to be disturbed by anyone. This is unknown territory for all of us and we have to tread carefully when everybody is watching. The attack at Black Industries was directed at you but I think you already know that,” Wesley revealed and then his hand slipped free from my grasp.
I turned but he had magically disappeared without a trace. I slammed my fist into my palm in frustration. I didn’t know what the meeting was all about and he certainly didn’t tell me much of anything. It was more than I knew a few minutes ago but I was still essentially flying blind. Callan was going to receive some choice words when we finally came face to face. He had no right to make assumptions and why he was considered an Alpha was anybody’s guess. What was this pack mentality all about?
I sat there trying to absorb all the information but nothing made any sense. Learning those voices had real bodies attached to them was my awakening. That wasn’t what Wesley was talking about but he wasn’t very clear on the details.
I looked at my watch and wondered how Daniel was going to feel about me once again arriving fashionably late for our date. My love life was on life support but somehow I had found Daniel with the help of my friend. He was charming and sophisticated with a unique taste for the finer things in life.
Those with a silver spoon in their mouth were usually arrogant with egos to swell their heads. The only swelled head I was interested in was the one between his legs. For some reason, he had gotten underneath my skin where there was suddenly this itch I couldn’t scratch alone.
I wanted him to hold me in his arms and to soothe away my fears with his warm caress. To become one body and soul was my goal but I was a little confused considering those three voices were begging for my attention.
Wesley was the only one I had made an acquaintance with but Callan was there in the mix. Crosby had become my inadvertent protector to fight a perceived threat against my life. His injury was the cost for his vigilance and it touched me deeply to know how far he was willing to go to keep me breathing. I kept coming back to the dream of the wolf in white with those other black wolves turning feral, attacking me without the slightest provocation.
It was still early and my brief exchange with Wesley didn’t answer any of my questions. It left me scratching my head about this awakening.
I was usually oblivious to everything around me but somehow I became focused on the tiniest detail out of the ordinary. Things like a mother wearing ear-buds playing with her children and a man in green overalls picking up trash with a spear. If I didn’t know any better, I could’ve sworn they were all looking at me in judgment and condemnation.
I crossed the street at the intersection with this flash of the same car barreling down the alley. It made me stop on the other side and lean against the wall. Shadows had a funny way of playing tricks on my mind. I found myself aware of my breathing and how everything seemed to be connected. Getting in touch with my Chakras gave me a way to look inside. My body was capable of amazing things.
The dexterity I had with a staff was beginner’s luck and there was nothing ladylike about how I could put an opponent down on the ground in two seconds flat. I was uniquely skilled and my teacher Crosby had praised me during training. His gift, to pass on his knowledge about weapons, combined with the meditation and yoga courtesy of Wesley, took me to a new level of spiritual understanding.
Daniel wanted to surprise me but my mind didn’t fully comprehend what that might mean. Kissing him at the end of the night could have been different had I been open to the opportunity. Remembering his smile made me want to see him again. The man certainly did know how to dress for success and was grounded by family loyalty and respect for the almighty dollar. He wasn’t even my type but somehow I found myself fascinated to learn more about him.
“I will give you a penny for your thoughts. I’ve never understood that saying. You would think inflation would come into play. I can certainly afford to pay you a lot more than a penny. I’m just not sure I want to know what is going on in that head of yours. I can almost imagine it’s a scary place to be but I would like to be the light to guide you from the darkness,” Daniel said from behind me and I saw his reflection painted in a white skintight shirt and black pants with an ostentatious belt buckle with his family crest emblazoned on the front.
“You take on a whole different meaning when it comes to everything in Texas being bigger than life. It’s always this production and you never do anything on a small scale. Our first date should have been our last but you have this down-home friendly personality which is almost infectious.” He had a fashionable style and he had recently used a razor on his face but there was still this uncanny five o’clock shadow following him around like a dark cloud.
“You have a funny way of sidestepping a question. I’m not sure I agree with your assessment of my character. I do go out of my way to make an experience to remember and I make no excuses for being flamboyant. It’s always been my fervent wish to be the center of attention in any room,” He informed me, while clouding my judgment with the sight of a white stretch limousine with a hot tub in the back.
It was almost too much but he was skirting the fence of what was considered good taste. There was a distant scream in my head warning me to run in the opposite direction. There was no way I could listen, when he was motioning with his hand and placing the other on the small of my back to nudge me closer to the door he had opened.
“I’m going to get to the bottom of you. Mysteries are meant to be solved. Be very careful about what you reveal to me, I can be very sneaky in the way that I acquire information,” I threatened, playfully punching his arm but he didn’t squirm or try to feign the innocent party by pretending to be injured.
The man was made of rock and I could just imagine a higher power molding the image of his body like they were sculpting the clay from nothing. He was about to whisk me away on some kind of adventure and I didn’t know much about him. This was a good way to fill in the blanks but I was going to have one eye open the entire time.
Chapter Six
I felt the wind against my face and I heard Daniel's instructions in the back of my mind. It wasn’t what I was expecting and it forced me to rely on my instincts. This wasn’t some climbing wall to get my feet wet. The rock face was sheer and I was clinging with chalk-covered hands to the surface.
“Feel with your fingers and they will never fail you. Never panic and always be thinking two steps ahead. Are you sure this is your first time? I’ve taught others but you have shown real courage, when it’s common to lose focus. I tell you something and it stays there without going in one ear and out the other.” It was terrifying to hear his voice and Daniel was my instructor with nobody around for miles to hear me scream.
“It’s not like you've given me a choice. I either follow directions or I die. You might feel secure hanging here by a thread but I have to tap into my inner warrior. It’s always there when I need it, ready to jump into the fray of any ill-conceived notion. I call it my alter ego. It’s this little voice in my head forcing me to see past my fear.” It wasn’t just one voice but three very distinct and different ones.
Time wasn’t on my side and I looked down to see how far I had progressed since beginning. He had sprung this idea on me and I didn’t shy away from it. A part of me wanted to run but the other part of me was anxious to put my skills to the test. It wasn’t the first time I had gone mountain climbing but this was on a different level. I was all about taking baby steps but this was one giant leap into the unknown.
I felt the buffer of the wind trying to pull me from the safety of my harness. My breath became short and then stopped altogether. I clung to that last vestige of courage holding onto it for dear life. My veins were pumping with an excess of adrenaline and I suddenly felt invincible like I could conquer the world. It was a placebo effect and I was well aware of how fragile the human body really was.
“We all have that inner voice but I couldn’t have said it better myself. There’s a reason why we have to constantly challenge ourselves. It’s not living when you become complacent hiding within the bubble of your existence. I make a point of doing something different every day no matter how small it might be,” He said with his body in profile above me.
“What do you mean?” I questioned wishing that I was back on solid ground.
“It could be trying a new restaurant or dashing across the street playing a life and death version of the game Frogger. I’m never the one looking in from the outside.”
“There must be a reason why you risk your life for the thrill.” I was one to talk.
“Losing everything and building something from the ground up is something that I’m familiar with. I don’t have the luxury of taking things for granted when it could be taken away from me in the blink of an eye. I know my limits but I don’t pay attention to them.” It was an interesting ideology to live by and I could respect how he wanted to live every moment like it was his last.
“One day I’m fine and then everything turns black. I force myself to walk into the darkness with my eyes wide open. Your mentality is appealing but it’s hard for some people. I don’t know exactly who I’m supposed to be and I’m still learning. Being young and stupid gives me a license to color outside the lines,” I revealed with my voice raised an octave for him to hear me over the wind.
“I always wake up each day with both feet firmly planted on the floor. Meeting you upset the delicate balance but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Forcing me to live vicariously through your eyes is thrilling beyond words. I’ve done practically everything but I’m always challenging myself. I want you to do the same,” He stressed. He was a couple of feet above me, paving the way, with me mimicking his movements without deviating from the course.
“I’ve been waiting for quite some time for somebody to throw me a curve ball. I’m not sure how you feel about sports metaphors but my competitive spirit has me cheering on the underdog. This is nothing more than an obstacle to overcome.” The unforeseen side effect of the thrill he had supplied was my body screaming for a different way to burn off that excess energy.
From my vantage point, I could see his healthy and well proportioned posterior. I had this fleeting image of driving my teeth into each cheek leaving behind the mark of my sexual insanity. I could imagine his pants coming down a little while he was pushing himself past his endurance.
It was unheard of for me to have these unusual attachments. Growing up, guys my own age seemed immature. They couldn’t get out of their own way to save their life. Stumbling over their words and trying desperately to attract the attention of the opposite sex was an effort in futility. It was comical to see them struggle but it was cute to see them break through the fear holding them back.
I didn’t recognize Daniel as being the athletic sort and he projected this air of overconfidence. In high school, he would’ve been the one glaring example of a man willing to do and say anything to get some. Singing the praise of a woman wasn’t easy for some but it was almost like breathing for him.
“I appreciate how far you are willing to go to harness that inner warrior. Throwing you into the deep end was necessary to see how you would respond. It remains to be seen what will shock you. I guess I’m going to have to try a little bit harder. This is just the first salvo and you can expect me to up my game. My blood runs cold seeing you keep up with me but you can always use the safe word.” It was thoughtful of him to be concerned and he was purposely teasing me with visions of doing something particularly naughty, which is what he brought to mind when he mentioned a safe word.
I reached for the next handhold barely adhering to it by a fingertip. I swung precariously on that fingertip holding up my weight with a guilty thrill of excitement coming over me in waves. I had learned from experience that I could be my own worst enemy. Being sheltered from life made me restless and those voices forced me to go outside of my comfort zone.
I turned my body and I was facing the blue encompassing sky, void of any cloud coverage. My other hand came in contact with a crevice in the rock. One of my nails broke but I wasn’t going to cry over spilled milk.
