Dark Side of the Moon (11 page)

We slowed down when London did, and a moment later, we breached the tree line at his house.  About forty wolves ranging in color from black to white, brown to red, were there, sitting or lying down.  When they saw us, they stood.  London stopped, so I did.  He barked four times, then looked to me before taking off.  A couple wolves followed him, and I had to run to catch up.  What was up with that?

As I ran to catch up, I noticed Channing and Artemis weren’t in the group.  Where did they go?  Instead of worrying about it, I focused on running and observing the others.  I had no idea who they were, but a few of them looked older.  Their fur had gray mixed in.  Everyone here was either black or brown in color.

I had absolutely no idea what we were doing.  Yeah, we were running through the forest, but I wasn’t sure why.  London said we’d be wolves from sunset to sunrise, so wouldn’t we have to sleep at some point?  Were we running to exhaust ourselves to the point of passing out so we’ll sleep easier and go through this faster?

Or were we searching for the rogue who had bitten me?

What was going to happen if we did find him?  Was he going to try to attack us?  My nerves kicked into gear again.  I wasn’t ready to confront him.

We had been running for a long time.  Possibly for an hour or two.  We mostly ran through the woods, but every now and then, London had us cross a couple roads when the way was clear.  When we stopped at the roads, he had me stand beside him, but when we took off running, I always fell behind.  I wasn’t used to this much exercise, but I guess I was going to have to.

Then, I caught a scent that smelled very strange to me.  I was at the back of the group, so no one saw me stop.  But I wasn’t too worried about them.  I wanted to know what it was I smelled.

But as I was about to follow the scent, I heard someone growl at me.  Looking to them, I found it was one of the brown wolves.  What the hell were they doing?  I had no idea what to do since I couldn’t ask what his problem was.

I was about to try to find the group when a black blur tackled the brown wolf.  The force of London’s blow forced the wolf to the ground, onto its back.  Its eyes widened as London stood over him.  I was shocked that London was snarling and growling so fiercely at the wolf, his lips pulled back so far all of his teeth were exposed.  Shit, did I just get someone in trouble?

A moment later, London stopped growling, and came over to me.  He sniffed me over before licking my head again.  Then, he walked off, prompting me to follow him.  Okay…what in the hell just happened?  I’ll have to ask in the morning.

Though I could still smell the scent as we ran, I didn’t try to follow it.  I just focused on the wolves in front of me.  I had no idea what happened, and I didn’t want to get anyone else or myself in trouble again.

But then I smelled another scent that had the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.  Before I could try to alert the others, something hit me, forcing me to the ground.  I tried to get out from under it, and found it to be a black wolf.

And it had piercing yellow eyes.

Fuck, how did it find me?  And what in the hell was I going to do?

Thankfully, the others saw that he was here, and got between us.  Everyone growled and barked, but no one attacked.  Were they just going to run it off?

I really didn’t want to find out.  I didn’t even want to be in the same vicinity as the rogue.  So while it was distracted, I took off running in the opposite direction.  I needed to get as far away from it as possible.  I had never been as scared as when I was attacked a month ago.

I didn’t stop running until I was in the part of the forest behind my house.  It was still dark out, so I had a couple hours before I could turn back into my human form.  And there was no way I could get back into my room without some help.

So, I found where I had discarded my clothes, and carefully tried to pick up everything of mine.  Then, I found a bush, and lay under it, trying to hide in case something or someone I didn’t want seeing me came along.  If I had been in my human form, I would have been freezing, but it was just a little chilly now.  Curling up under the bush, I buried my nose in my bushy tail to keep it warm.

A few minutes later, I tried to stay silent when I heard a twig snap.  Something was here, and I didn’t want it to find me.  I was alone, and there was nothing I could do if whatever it was wanted to attack me.

Then, a black paw came into my line of view.  My heart pounded in fear until they lowered their head.  Blue eyes stared back at me.  London.

He reached out with a paw, and scratched at my back.  I didn’t know what he wanted, so I crawled out from under the bush and stood.  I didn’t want to go back to his place, and just wanted to stay here.  Thankfully, he must have known that and lay down where I had been by the bush.  He looked at me expectantly, so I lay back down beside him.  I guess this was all the comfort I could receive while we were wolves.

After I was settled, my nose back in my tail, London rested his head on my back.  He softly whimpered, but I didn’t know what he meant by it because I didn’t speak wolf.  But I was glad that he had found me and was here.

Listening to his breathing, I felt my eyelids slowly drift close.  All of that running had exhausted me, and I felt like I could sleep for days.  The last thing I remember was London snuggling closer to me, as if he were trying to keep me warm.

Chapter 13

Something touching my hip woke me.  The air was chilly, but it didn’t really bother me.  I felt very warm.

Then, something wrapped around my waist and pulled me back.  I was fully awake now because I had no idea what it was or where I was.  Opening my eyes, I found trees and bushes and dead leaves and dirt in front of me.  How’d I get outside?

Something touched my hip again.  Looking down at myself, I was shocked to find that I was naked.  And an arm that didn’t belong to me was wrapped around me.  Slight breathing was by my ear.  Moving the arm and leaning up, I found it was London.

A naked London.  And he was
very
happy but still asleep.

What the hell?
I wanted to think at first.  But then I remembered that last night was the full moon.  We had been wolves and we ran into the rogue.  Then I ran off to return home, and London found me and we fell asleep.  It was clearly past sunrise now.

Sitting up more, I moved his hand off of me, and tried not to look at him to give him some bit of privacy while he was in such a compromising position.  My clothes were around here somewhere…. Shit, he was laying on them.  “London,” I whispered.

He groaned, but didn’t wake up.

“London, move so I can get my clothes,” I said, shoving his shoulder.

He groaned again, and rubbed his eyes with his hand.  Before he opened them, I tried to cover myself.  He may want to date, but that doesn’t mean he gets to see all of me already.

“Selina?”  His eyes were slightly unfocused as he looked at me.

“Get off my clothes.  I’m cold,” I told him.

He didn’t even try to cover himself.  “You sure you don’t want to do anything else to warm up?”

I rolled my eyes.  “Just give me my clothes, you moron.  And how in the hell are you not cold?”

“Used to it,” he responded, sitting up.  My clothes were just under his back, and were a huge wrinkled mess.  But I didn’t care.  I just needed something on so the neighbors wouldn’t see me trying to sneak back into the house naked.  London handed them to me, but didn’t try to look away.

“Turn around.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me.

“Turn around, London,” I said a little more forcefully.

He rolled his eyes and turned his head away from me.  “Yeah, you’ve definitely got spunk,” he said, holding my clothes out to me without looking.

I took them from him.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I put my bra and panties on as he said, “Usually, most wolves are submissive, willing to take any order given to them no matter what it is.  There are a few who are slightly defiant, which gives them qualities of alphas.  That’s why not just anyone can be an alpha or an alpha’s mate.”  I slipped my shirt over my head.  “I was glad your first day in Chemistry that you defied me and found your own way to do things.  If you had been born into this life and trained to expect it, you could have been an alpha.”

I stood to put my pants on.  “Were you just testing me that day or genuinely being an ass?”

“Both.  Are you decent?”

“Yeah.  I’m going to need some help getting back into my room.”

He turned around and handed me my socks and shoes.  “Give me a minute.”

London still didn’t try to cover himself as he stood and went to retrieve his clothes.  Did he do this all the time?  But as he went to put his clothes on, I did sneak a little peek at him.  His body was slim in frame, but he did have some developed muscle tone.  And that was just his back.  I didn’t really look at his front for obvious reasons.  Anyone could easily admit that he was attractive, though.

Once he was dressed, I asked, “What time do you think it is?”

“Not sure.  I left my phone at home.  I’m going to guess it’s after seven thirty.”

My eyes widened.  “Shit, I hope my parents haven’t woken up yet.”

“Before we go, I’m going to pick you up sometime after seven.”

I gave him a confused look.  “Why?”

“We’re initiating you into the pack.”

“What all does that entail?”

“Nothing much, just swearing your loyalty to the pack for the rest of your life in front of everyone.  You’ve already got my scent on you, so there’s no need to do that.  So that’s pretty much it.”

“Will I have to shift in front of everyone?”

“Not unless you want to.  Which I’m guessing is going to be a no.”

“You’ve got that right.  Now I really need to get going.”

London nodded, and urged me to follow him to my house.  He looked around before leaving the tree line, then quickly darted to my house.  I guess it was to see if anyone was watching.  I followed him to my house, trying not to make too much noise.

Then, he squatted, and grabbed my legs.  He easily lifted me up to my window, and helped me with some leverage to open it.  Then, he lifted me some more so I could slip inside.

But when I turned to thank him, he said, “Hand me your phone.”

Figuring he wanted to put his number in it, I grabbed it off my bed, and turned it on before handing it to him.  It took him a moment to put his number in it before handing it back.  “See you later, Selina.  Stay warm.”

I gave him a small smile before gently closing my window.  Glancing at my phone, I saw that it was almost eight o’clock.  I’d probably only be able to get an hour of sleep, tops.  So I quietly stripped off my clothes, put on new panties and pajamas, and gingerly slipped into bed.

At nine, a knock on my door woke me.  “Selina?  Are you awake?” my mom asked.

I stretched as I got out of bed and went to my door.  “Yeah,” I groggily responded as I opened the door.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked with concern on her face.

I nodded.  “I feel fine.”

“Would you like some breakfast?”

“Sure.”

She gave me a little grin before heading to the kitchen.  Since I was awake, I figured I’d get ready for the day.  But when I came out from the bathroom, I saw Dan leaning on the wall across the hall, smirking at me.

I warily eyed him, knowing something was up with him.  What was he up to?

“Have fun with your boyfriend, Selina?” he asked.

I tried not to act surprised.  “What are you talking about, Dan?”

“Don’t play dumb.  I heard the window opening, and saw him running away from the house.  Is there a chance of me becoming an uncle in nine months?”

My eyes widened.  “No, Dan.  And keep your voice down.  We weren’t doing anything.”

“Make it worth my while.”

That little twerp.
  “Fine, what do you want?”

“Besides getting on the football team next year?  How about the new zombie game?”

“Okay.”

“Premium collector’s edition.”

My eyes widened with shock.  “Those are over a hundred dollars, Dan.”

“Hey, Mom!” he called.

I clamped my hand over his mouth and whispered, “Fine you little jerk.”

“Yes, Dan?” Mom called back.

I released his mouth.  “Do we have any bacon?”

“Yes, I’m putting it on the skillet right now.”

As I pulled away from my brother, he grabbed my hair.  I was about to smack him when he asked, “Are you sure I won’t be an uncle?  There’s only one way for dead leaves to get in your hair, sis.”

“Shut up, Dan,” I responded as I snatched the leaf from him.  I gave him a glare while he just continued to smirk at me.  I should have been quieter in opening the window.  I’ll have to be next time because I couldn’t afford to buy new collector’s editions of games for my blackmailing brother.  But in a way, I was glad he confronted me because Mom and Dad would have been very suspicious as to why there was a leaf in my hair.  And just to make sure, I went into the bathroom to throw the leaf away and to check my hair to make sure there wasn’t anything else in there.  Afterwards, I headed toward the kitchen so I could eat.  I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday, so I was starving.

Mom made several pancakes for each of us, about a dozen scrambled eggs, two dozen pieces of bacon, and a couple sausage patties.  Though I was starving, I didn’t scarf it down.  They had to think that I had an upset stomach last night.

Afterwards, I ventured back to the bathroom to take a shower.  I had slept in the woods all night, and who knows what all had crawled on me.  I should probably wash my sheets, too, since I laid on them.  After I dressed, I put my sheets in the washer.

As I returned to the bathroom to brush my teeth and dry my hair, the doorbell rang.  I thought nothing of it until my mom came into the bathroom.  “Selina, a girl named Artemis is here to see you.”

“Artemis?” I asked, confused.

“That’s what she said her name was.  Why didn’t you tell us you had new friends?” she asked, joy clear as day on her face.

“I-It’s fairly recent.  Could you tell her to hold on for a minute while I dry my hair?”

She nodded and shut the door behind her.

I quickly finished getting ready, and went to greet Artemis.  My mom had showed her to the living room, and she smiled when she saw me.  “Hey, Selina, how are you doing?” she asked.

“Fine.”  I wanted to ask why she was here, but I didn’t want to seem rude.

Thankfully, she went ahead and told me.  “So, I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping today.”

“Sure.  Let me put some shoes on and grab my purse.”

She nodded, and I ventured to my room.  I quickly put some warm boots on, as well as my coat, and grabbed my purse and keys and phone.  As I came out of my room, I saw Dan standing in the hallway.  “Who’s your friend, Selina?”

“Her name’s Artemis and she’s seeing someone.”

“Are you lying?”

“Nope.  And I wouldn’t want to piss him off if I were you.”  Heading to the living room, I told Artemis, “Alright, let’s go.”

After I showed her out of the house she asked, “Do you mind if I drive?”

I shook my head, and approached her car.

This was very strange.  I just formally met her last night, and she shows up at my house wanting to hang out.  Was this going to be the norm now that I was in the pack?  Well, I would be tonight.

“So…” I said, trying to get the awkwardness out of the way.

“So, London told everyone this morning that you were his mate.”

I tried not to react.  I knew that was going to happen even though I told him I’d have to think things over.

“I know it seems scary, but it’s honestly not that bad.  Channing and I are very happy together, and I can’t stand being away from him for too long.  The body aches at the end of the day are nothing compared to if you spend days away from each other.”

“But I don’t even know him, and he doesn’t know me,” I blurted.

She gave me a small smile.  “Channing and I didn’t know anything about each other, either.  We just spent a lot of time together away from the rest of the pack and got to know each other.  The attraction was already there, but it was amplified after we realized how much we had in common.  That’s the thing about mates.  Yes, they are your opposites, but no one I know has ever heard of mates never getting along.  Some try to resist it, and make the process a whole lot harder than it has to be, but they eventually realize that their mate is the best person that will ever come into their life.  You’re going to have to spend some time with London and understand that he’s our alpha and has a duty to do.  A few of my friends from my old pack couldn’t get that through their heads and constantly fought with their mates over them constantly doing pack stuff.  It is so much easier to not go to bed angry with your mate.”

I snorted.  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen any time soon.”

“Which part?”

“The going to bed either angry or not.”

She giggled.  “London didn’t come back to the house last night.  So I’m guessing he was with you all night.”

I didn’t want to answer, but ended up saying, “He helped me get back into my house this morning.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Selina.  I’m just being nosey.  Channing and London grew up together, and being Channing’s mate, I’m always around him.  I’m just happy that he’s finally found someone who’s not Ricky.”  She shuddered and made a noise of disgust.

“What’s her deal anyways?  She was staring daggers at me last night.”

She sighed.  “I’m not sure if I should tell you, or if London should.  Just…don’t judge him.  I will tell you that Ricky has fought desperately to try and make London officially mate her.  She’s just jealous.”

I could kind of guess what happened between Ricky and London.  It kind of made me a little upset, but there was nothing I could do about it.  It was in his past, and hopefully, it’ll stay there.

To change the topic, I asked, “Where did you and Channing go last night?”