Wolf Tamer by Avery Song
Wolf Tamer And Boyfriends?
~SIX YEARS LATER~
"I just don't getit. We always go on vacations in December, but we never get to go together," I whined while kicking my legs aimlessly as I continued to lie on my stomach. Turning the pages of the newest book Ian had snuck out of Sam's wolf library, I quickly scanned the first page, knowing well that the intros to all these books were the same.
Ian chuckled, and I couldn't help but lift my gaze to meet his amused silver eyes.
"Just admit it. You’ll miss me."
"Yuck," I said in disgust. "First of all, I won't. Second of all, I’ll miss ALL of you. And third of all, you're the one who called me last Christmas crying your eyes out because you wanted to be on the beach in Bali, but no. You had to be in New York with Sam because of his job."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Ian groaned. I smirked in return as my eyes maneuvered back to the thick bound book resting against the wooden surface of the treehouse.
Today was November 10th, and Christmas was approaching. Since I’d gotten adopted into the Anderson household, we’d always gone on "family" vacation for the entire month of December.
As nice as it should have been, there was clearly a catch: I always had to go with Dolly and Ian went with Sam. It didn't matter what we said about the matter. It was a tradition we never really asked for, and I was hoping to figure out why.
There wasn't anything in the books that marked December as special, but I guess it meant we didn't need to deal with school for a month.
Right, school...
We'd been homeschooled up until this year, but with Dolly and Sam having to split themselves between work and the sudden rise of attacks against sanctuaries and endangered animals in general, it was getting harder for Dolly and Sam to teach us.
At first, neither of us minded, especially with the notion that we got to stay home and chill with the others, but with the pack getting older, I was beginning to see that they were going to have to go to school to gain more knowledge.
Myself included.
Unlike before, I could handle whatever bullying headed my way.
Since our silent agreement with O'Neil, I'd vowed within myself to protect those I cared about. I didn't start self-defense training until I was ten, and that was after O'Neil insisted that I should learn some type of training to ensure I could protect myself from mean boys.
I never really understood what he meant by "mean boys," but whenever he brought up that term with the saying of "cornered tactics" it always hushed Dolly up and gave her no choice but to agree to O'Neil's desire to train me.
I didn't know what a cornered tactic was and trying to ask someone older like Carter only rewarded me with a huff and "it'll never happen to you or I'll sock them" response.
Dummy.
Either way, O'Neil said if we were going back to school and anyone bothered me, I had permission to sock them in the nose and he'd make sure I didn't have a criminal record. I guess that was the benefit of basically having an "uncle" as one of the current police chiefs of the town.
O'Neil was like family to me, and though we weren't blood-related in the slightest, I called him my uncle. Sometimes I was rewarded with eye rolls and people saying he's a "black monkey" but that always got Reika's infamous glare of death, and whenever they said that, we'd stare until they had no choice but to apologize.
Or I'd just wait to beat them up.
I'd gotten into a few brawls lately, which was why I had two Sailor Moon bandages on my knees and one on my nose - Sailor Moon was the best anime ever - and Rogan was using my "rebellious" attitude against me, but I couldn't give a hoot about him.
Six years and he's still an asshole.
Regardless of time, one thing was still solid: our little secret.
During the day, I was the official Wolf Tamer of Sacred Moon of Endangered Wolves. I was the youngest ever appointed, but it was because my six wolves listened to me without much trouble.
Except for Carter. He was still a stubborn, anger management butt.
Regardless of his temper issues, I could handle him in his wolf form, just like I could beat his ass physically if he pissed me off enough.
I thought I'd get to take care of them until they were all eighteen, and eventually when I got to eighteen we'd get to reveal the truth that I knew that all of them were wolf shifters.
However...things are changing.
I didn't want to admit it, but the new school was going to be a pain. Not because of the educational part, but because of the reality that we were going to different schools - because Ian and I were poor.
It didn't matter how many meetings Dolly went to or the money she offered to prove that both of us could handle the financial strain the private schools would deliver to us, the school board said no.
Ian could have gotten an exception because of his connection with Carter, but he refused if it meant leaving me behind.
We're sticking together...even if it means he's further away from the pack.
The issue with the private school was that their schedule was different, which meant Carter, Damien, Levi, Hayden, and Heston would have to stay there during the weekdays and come back on the weekends.
From how Ian had explained it, they would get their own private dorm at the edge of campus so they would have their space to roam the forests in their wolf forms, but the excuse Dolly was giving was that they were going to be specially trained on the weekdays by an instructor that knew about their different breeds.
It wasn't completely a lie, from Damien's words. He said they were going to get a special set of teachers, which may have been super helpful to them in the magic department, but I wouldn't deny that I was a bit jealous and hurt that I couldn't go simply because I didn't have money.
Because my family is dead and so is Ian's, and neither of us have a big enough "legacy" to be accepted.
Neither of us liked it, and maybe that was why we were spending more time with one another.
We'd have to get used to it, right?
At some point, I was offered a chance to partake, but that meant leaving Ian behind.
No way was that happening.
I didn't want the others to see how hurt I was about the situation. It wasn't their fault, and the opportunity was something I wouldn't want them to ignore. Not all of them could use magic, but from their initial evaluation, it was confirmed that Carter had the strongest potential.
With him being the Alpha of the pack, it only made sense for him to take the chance to strengthen himself so he could protect everyone else. Damien and Levi were pretty close in levels and Hayden and Heston had intriguing potential. Something about their magic being there but that it needed to be unlocked in some way.
I wished we could undergo this so-called evaluation, but again, we weren't allowed, and at the end of the day, I was pretending to know nothing about the world.
The few things I had on my side were that I was smart, memorized really easily, and I was a fast runner. O'Neil said I had to work a bit more on kicks and punches, but I could at least take down someone double my size.
I could even handle tossing Carter in his wolf form, but I'd only done it once because he stole my limited edition pumpkin spice chocolate and I really didn't want to wait till next October to beg Dolly to buy a lot more.
I was still working on my magic. I could protect myself by pushing things back with the wind, but that was really it.
The necklace I'd kept in Dolly's safe for so long had some sort of magic qualities, which was why I'd begged Dolly on my twelfth birthday to be allowed to wear it as long as I kept it safe. The dagger was still in the locked box, and I was fine with that. I wanted to know how to use it first and maybe find out more about what it could do.
Maybe it would lead me to the truth about my parents.
There were so many things I wanted to learn about them - to discover the truth I felt was woven in various pieces of information I had no access to. Ian was helping me research every day, just so that we could get smart enough to figure things out, like police officers and detectives did in movies.
O'Neil was super busy and doing enough for us by keeping our secret. I couldn't bother him by asking about the past, especially when I knew that it wasn't his case to deal with.
For now, I just had to try to not get overwhelmed.
Reika normally had to remind me that we were still kids. We wanted to be strong and figure out how to shift so everyone wouldn’t shelter us – or at least all the adults but O’Neil. We wanted to be smarter, tougher, and learn about magic and all the things we lacked. Recently, we also started wanting to be rich so we could go to school with the rest of our pack.
Our pack...
That was probably what we were slowly becoming. Even if it was tricky to see the guys in their human forms, it wasn't impossible. Each of them would try to visit me once a week, usually on the days I was designated to train them.
Carter was the exception because he did whatever he wanted, but we were all treading carefully.
Reika at least thought of them as a pack, especially now that I was older and could fully envision her wolf body in every detail: those white strands of fur, the extravagant teal eyes. I felt the power growing around her, and it made me feel stronger as the days went by.
I knew we were something special, and as I grew, I understood why those past families were so desperate to bring me down.
To use me for their own games.
"Research is so tiring." Ian let out a heavy sigh as he closed his book.
"I couldn't agree more," I answered and decided to call it a day. As much as I loved to learn, there was a limit before my brain decided to shut off. "Can we increase the heat? I'm cold."
November wasn't normally cold, but this year the weather had already dipped to a chilly low. They said winter would be the worst for everyone, so O'Neil had installed a heater in the treehouse so we wouldn't get too cold.
Apparently, wolf shifters ran on the hotter side, and I normally wasn't cold, but today was just ridiculously frigid. Normally, Dolly and Sam would migrate the pack to a different location by late November and all of December while we were on vacation, but with the school term coming, I wondered if this year would be the same.
I guess the slight dread of having to move to the other sanctuary and starting school without seeing Ian and I was beginning to stress the others in a negative way.
I wish we could grow faster.
"You are?" Ian inquired as he sat up and patted his lap. "Come here."
My lips curled upward as I grabbed my book and crawled over to sit on Ian's lap. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder as I situated my book in my lap.
"Better?"
"Much better," I said and giggled.
Even though I tried to make it seem like his gesture wasn't a big deal to me, my body - particularly my racing heart - reacted in a way I was still trying to figure out.
Or maybe I just knew.
I'd be lying to myself if I denied the fact that I had a bit of a crush on Ian. It wasn't like I wished to keep it a secret, but maybe I was just a little shy. I'd tried to "research" love and how to tell a guy you liked them, but all the books centered around a guy telling the girl he liked her.
Our responsibility was to send "signals" or something, and I wasn't sure how to do that. How do you signal someone that you like them? Maybe it was like sign language or something.
The real problem was that I didn't only have feelings for Ian.
Each of the boys in the pack had different qualities that I liked, and though I didn't get to spend as much time with each of them, when I did, I really enjoyed their company.
Carter was beginning to spark these odd emotions in me, but it was far different than with Ian. With Carter, just being around him made me feel different - special in my own way - and even if we just argued and bickered, his words always made me happy.
He could try to insult me for all I cared, but I'd insult him back and my heart would race quickly like we were running through the woods. It was too complicated to figure out, and I didn't want to bother Dolly about it.
O'Neil was a guy, so I wasn't sure if he'd know what was wrong with me - if there was something wrong with me. Reika kept saying it was normal and I just liked both of them, but I couldn't date both.
Would they allow me to do that?
With a mental shake of my head, I resorted to returning to my book, hoping my heart would begin to slow down as I thought about anything other than my odd predicament.
"Ian? I have a question," I began. "Does everyone have a mate? Like...wolf shifters, I mean."
"It's complicated," Ian admitted. "There are different ways of having a mate."
"Wait, really? I thought they were chosen by the Moon and you guys do those big celebrations. Or you all gather around at a certain time in the year and boom, you find your mate."
"That's the really old way of doing things," Ian confessed. "That's what all the books say, but there are other ways. Like sure, everyone is destined to be with someone, but it's up to the Moon to change it depending on a shifter's situation."
I leaned further against him as I took an inhale of his cinnamon aroma. He always smelled like the scent, just like Carter always carried a pumpkin scent to him.
I wonder why I always pick those two scents up?
"I don't get it." I wasn't embarrassed to admit I really wasn't following. My brain liked it when there was a direct answer to a question. When there were multiple answers, it got confusing.
"Some wolf shifters can meet a human for example, like in the movies, and suddenly the human gets in a very bad situation where if the wolf doesn't save them, they'll die. There's a specific window that will allow the wolf to change the human into one of them. The wolf could have had a wolf mate, but the Moon shifted his path to meet this human who then changed to be a wolf. They can be mates, but they also may not be. It's complicated and all over the place, but people love that."
"I love them, too," I said with a smirk. "Those movies are romantic."
Ian groaned as he shook his head. "This is why those dumb Twilight movies made money."
"Hey, they were cool! The books were good."
"Don't tell me you spent money to read that horrible series."
"First, I borrowed them from the library, and second, they was good! They even released a new book from the dude's point of view!"
"You don't even remember the dude's name!"
"He sparkles in the sunlight," I hummed in delight.
"Oh Mother Moon, help us all," Ian huffed in dismay, causing me to laugh. I snuggled against him further, and his arm that was wrapped around my waist tightened a little more as the two of us sat in comfortable silence.
It felt like one of those cherished moments in time where everything felt like it was in a tranquil standstill. The quietness lulled in the soothing warm atmosphere, and I was left thinking about how grateful I was to be taken in years ago.
I wouldn't get to experience this if I kept hopping through foster homes. I wonder if the Moon decided this was the right place for me to belong?
"Can someone have more than one mate?" I inquired.
"Yes," Ian casually replied. His voice was softer before, leaving me to wonder if he was about to fall asleep.
"What if a girl meets Guy A and likes him very much, but meets Guy B later on and also has feelings for him?"
"She can go with Guy A or B, but if she really wanted, she can go with both if that's what makes her happy."
"Huh?" My brain felt like it tripped over the equation. "That's not allowed."
"Why not?"
"She can't be with both of them. She has to choose."
"Says who?"
"Um...everyone? Books? Television shows? The Bible?" I shrugged slightly. "Whenever you read or watch all those shows, the main character always loves two people but at the end has to pick one. It's no different as a shifter, right?"
"Shifters don't follow that entirely," Ian admitted. "It's hard, I think. O'Neil told me there's nothing wrong with a girl having more than one mate. I mean...right now, there are a lot more boys in the wolf shifter packs than girls. Like, you're the only girl here aside from Dolly. O'Neil said if the girl population goes lower than it is now, a lot of packs will have no choice but to share."
"It's that bad?" Now I was curious. When I'd arrived, Dolly emphasized the lack of female wolves. I think she was trying to bring more to the sanctuary, but it was basically impossible. All the female wolves were at really fancy sanctuaries that were closer to the city or in completely different provinces.
It felt like females had to have a certain status and because they were so rare, they all wanted to go to "elite sanctuaries" as Dolly would call them during her phone calls with other organizers.
I really disliked that way of thinking. A sanctuary was supposed to be a place you could call home, like I did. Not a place you went to because you wanted to feel extra special and be "popular".
"Think about it this way. With every ten male wolves, we'd be lucky to get one female wolf. It's even harder if the female is destined to be an Alpha. Finding an Alpha female wolf is almost impossible."
"Why?"
"Wolf shifters like to make women look weak," Ian bitterly complained. "Most females aren't tough and cool like you and Reika. They call them submissive because when the males speak and tell them to do stuff, they have to listen. It's like they don't have a choice because it's in their nature to submit."
"Eww." I cringed at the idea. "Nope. Not for me. What do you think?"
"It's disappointing," Ian admitted.
"Huh? Why?"
I turned my head slightly just so I could see his face. He paused to look at my lips, his face growing red as we continued to stare at one another.
"I don't want a weak mate. I want someone who will fight back if I say something wrong or stupid. Submissive wolves just say yes to whatever you say. It doesn't matter how bad or horrible the task is. That's just dumb, and honestly, boring."
"But...we don't fight. Well...sometimes, but far less than, say, Carter and me."
"We may not fight, but we disagree sometimes. If you were a submissive wolf and I said Sailor Moon suc-"
"I'd fight you!" I didn't let him finish his sentence, leaving him to chuckle.
"Dummy. I know that. I was using an example, but see? You won't let me even finish. You're not a submissive wolf."
"Then I'm an Alpha?"
"Um...I don't know. We won't be able to tell until Reika can come out."
"Are you an Alpha?"
"Nope. I'm a Beta. It's basically second in command. If the Alpha is away, the Beta has to lead in their place. So Wolfie is a Beta. Same with Levi, but Levi's more experienced than me so he'd lead first."
"So Carter's the Alpha of the pack. Then Levi and you, and then Damien, Hayden, and Heston."
"Mhmm," he replied. "Do...you wish I were an Alpha?"
"I don't care," I replied earnestly. "Alpha, Beta. Those don't matter. You're not mean and the others aren't either. Carter gets angry over everything that breathes, but he's not mean on purpose. If you're not mean to me, I don't care what you are."
With a grin, I turned back and rested against him once more.
"I like Ian for Ian," I concluded.
"Like...as in..." Ian trailed off as my words registered in my head.
Wait. Did I just say I like-!
"Meow."
"Huh?" we both gasped as we looked to the door to see Muffin poked her head between the space - her mismatched eyes locking onto our shocked gazes.
"Meow meow." She ran over to us until she sat right on top of the open book in my lap, just so she could get my full attention.
"Muffin? How did you get all the way up here?" Ian inquired in shock while I reached out to greet her with a rub of my hand against her head.
"That would be my fault."
We looked over to see O'Neil's wide smile.
"Hey, O'Neil!" I greeted. "When did you get here?"
"A while ago, kiddo. Dolly and Sam have some things to take care of, so they called me last minute to watch over you two and make sure you ate dinner."
"Oh, okay!" That was exciting because it meant the whole pack could eat with us in the living room - everyone in their human forms.
"And we're not kiddos, O'Neil. Harper's twelve and I'm fourteen now."
"Sure, mature kiddo," O'Neil stated with a smirk as he looked between us. "See ya downstairs, and get the others, will you? I doubt Sam and Dolly will be back for the night, so they can all sit in the dining area as long as Carter doesn't start a food fight."
"Yes!" we cheered.
"Muffin, make sure they don't make out," he added with a wink.
"Meow!" Muffin declared and launched from the book to lightly hop onto my head and crash into Ian.
"AH!" Ian exclaimed and fell to the side while I began to blush. "We're READING!"
"Sure, sure," O'Neil brushed off like he couldn't even care as he closed the door, leaving us in complete silence while Muffin was across the room playing with one of her toys we'd left here last time we'd brought her to the treehouse.
Turning my head over to check on Ian, I noticed his hands covered his face, which was bright red. Even his ears were red, and I couldn't help but point it out.
"Ian, your ears are red."
He groaned in agony. "It's hot from the heater! That's why."
"Super hot. Not from the heater."
Don't be a promoter.
"I thought wolf shifters are honest in books."
Hey! I'm honest.
"With me, yes. With your emotions, nope. Not even close. Ian could be your mate already, but you're playing."
That's....not true! Plus, I'm twelve.
"A very smart twelve-year-old who likes Ian Chestwood because he smells like cinnamon, which is why you like to smell his clothes when he isn't looking. But you also like Carter Moonshine because he argues with you and you think he's cute when he gets all mad and acts stupid. And I've yet to determine which one is next on the list, but Damien and Levi are a tie and the twins are just a bonus."
W-W-WHAT?!
"The truth and nothing but the truth. You should tell them."
Enough! We're not telling anyone!
"Intriguingly enough, I’ve yet to possess the power to shift and tell him, but I'm learning how to talk to Wolfie so if you won't say anything, I'm telling."
Snitches get stitches!
"Not when I'm you, idiot."
You're so mean! When did my wolf become a bully?
"I like bullying you when you won't be honest with yourself. I'll bully everyone else at that dumb school if they try to play around with us. Boom boom."
We're going to get suspended.
"Good. School sucks."
You're horrible...
"You love me."
Muffin was back in my lap and reaching out to play with my necklace. She tapped it a few times with her paw, making it dangle onto my chest.
Ian was sitting back up, his presence more obvious as he moved in close to rest his chin on my shoulder. I wondered if he was watching Muffin or taking the moment to inhale a little deeper. He did that sometimes, and he liked to compliment the smell of my shampoo.
Or my smell in general.
Apparently, to him and even Carter, I carried a vanilla scent, which blended well with the cherry blossom shampoo Dolly would buy for me. The others couldn't smell the vanilla part, but it didn't seem to be a big deal.
Should it be?
This whole mate discussion made me wonder who was destined for me, but more importantly, I lingered on the idea of being with two people.
Could I be with more than two people?
"So...does that mean you may have a mate somewhere?" My question felt hesitant in a sense, especially when my voice was so low - almost nonexistent in the quiet air.
"Maybe," Ian calmly replied. "Maybe she's waiting for me to find her."
The mere idea made my body warm as I bit my lip. What would happen if Ian did have a mate somewhere? What about the others? Carter, Damien, Levi, Hayden, and Heston. If they all had mates destined for them...where did that leave me?
Would I even be strong enough to let them go? I'd be...alone again.
The way my heart sank at the thought was topped off with prickles of anxiety about the future.
A future without my sacred pack...a future alone...with no mate of my own?
It didn't just frighten me. It freaked Reika out, too, because this place is what we’d known for the last six years. Half of our life was spent adapting, growing, learning, and coming to love these individuals in our lives.
One day, there'd come a time where I'd have to say goodbye and do adult things like going to college and getting a job, but we would see each other again.
Right?
The thought brewing in my mind was: what if we didn't? What if one by one, each wolf found their destined person? Would someone like me with a dormant wolf get a chance at being mated with someone – anyone?
"Harper?" I didn't want to move as I tried to calm down, feeling the slight prickling in my body and the sharp tension in the air. The treehouse felt a lot colder, and a light whiplash of wind began to shake the wooden walls.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, but it was Ian's arms that brought me back from the piling thoughts of negativity - his hot breath brushing against the side of my neck.
"Are you upset?"
"No."
"Wolfie says you are...and I think so, too."
"Wolfie can't see me," I muttered. "You can't either."
"Harper."
I couldn't help but turn my body enough that our faces were so close to one another’s, just an inch forward and my lips would meet his.
The heavy atmosphere felt like breathing was nothing but a sin as my eyes bored into his. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat while trying to ignore the fluttering butterflies in the pit of my stomach.
This could have been the perfect moment to say what needed to be said, but what if he didn't like me back - what if he says no? I don't want to be rejected.
The unfolding possibilities made the words get stuck in my throat, and the longer we stared, the harder it was to state the truth.
I have to say something else.
"If...you get a mate...you'll still be my friend...right?" The way my eyes portrayed the sadness blossoming in my heart made his eyes further widen as he blinked. He bit his lower lip, as if to make sure he didn't say something that didn't project his intentions.
I couldn't take the silence any longer.
"We should head to dinner! Before the food is cold."
Muffin moved from my lap, and I moved the book. I tried to get up, but Ian's arm suddenly pulled me right back into his lap.
"Ia-"
"What if I don't want a mate?"
His words left me frozen in my spot, not like I could move any further due to his hooked arm around me.
"You have to have a mate, Ian," I whispered. "It's the Moon's calling. Everyone has one...or is destined for one." Any excuse would leave my lips if it meant I could get a second or two to calm my crazy pounding heart.
It was so loud, the thrumming beats ringing in my ears and making it difficult for me to concentrate. I was struggling to remain focused, just so I wouldn't miss Ian's next words.
"What if I know exactly who I want?"
His question threw me off as I focused on his cinnamon scent that wrapped around me like a blanket. His closeness was driving me crazy while he rested his chin on my shoulder once more. I had to think fast, or at least keep up with the conversation.
"Whoever it is, they surely don't know." That was a fact, even if the idea of him already liking someone else was hurting my pounding heart. "I'm sure she'd want to know that she's liked by someone like you."
The silence that followed my words made my nerves go into overdrive. It was like they were fighting to eat me from the inside out, while my mind was spinning in circles at the idea that as much as I wanted to be Ian's girlfriend, he liked someone else.
I was desperate to hear those words. Wishfully praying that he'd want me to be the one to give him hugs and kisses on the cheek, not because we were friends, but because we were boyfriend and girlfriend.
As much as I wished for this fairy tale to be a reality, I didn't carry enough confidence to say it to him. I was too frightened, and maybe that was more painful than I wanted to admit.
I want to be his girlfriend. Who took that position when I wasn't looking?
Maybe it was due to my lack of knowledge in the relationship department. The kids in town who went to school had boyfriends and girlfriends, and they were Ian's age. Even if he didn't go to town often with Sam, maybe he had a crush on one of the girls from there.
I had no experience, and I didn't know what it was like. Was dating a boy like in the shows and movies? Was it something magical like when you took a deep inhale of fresh air or watched the first glimmers of the sunset upon the horizon?
How would kissing Ian Chestwood make me feel?
The music box tune of Sailor Moon’s intro began to sing through the treehouse, and I knew it was my phone ringing.
Ian let me go, knowing well it probably was Dolly calling me, but I was surprised by the caller ID. "Oh."
Picking it up, I smiled. "Hey, Bobby. What's up?"
"Hey, Harper. Just wanted to make sure this was your number," Bobby replied. "How are you?"
"I'm good! Just...about to eat dinner," I voiced. I didn't want to tell him I was here with Ian in our treehouse. I'd only given him my number because Dolly said I needed to try to make friends. She'd given me the phone for emergencies but didn't mind me using it to text my friends.
Even though all my friends were here. I didn't really need anyone else.
"Oh. You should go eat. I guess I'll text you."
"Ya, sure! You can text me."
"Cool. Talk to you later, Harper."
"Bye, Bobby."
"Wait."
"Hmm?" I paused from hanging up.
"You can just call me Bob, you know?"
"Oh," I replied. "Okay, Bob. Talk to you later."
"Awesome! Bye."
"Bye."
I was going to turn around but felt the press against my back as hot breath tickled my ear.
"Who's Bob?"
"Uh...a boy?" My voice was quiet as I took in the odd tone in Ian's voice as we stayed in place. He reached out and slipped my phone out of my grasp, leaving me gasping when he deleted Bob's number.
"Y-You deleted it?!" I said in shock. It wasn't like I really cared much about having his number, but what if he called or texted again? Would he know I deleted his number? I wasn't good with this whole technology thing.
I tried to turn around to give him a glare because I really didn't like that, but he pressed me against the bookshelf, causing my whole body to go back to its whirlwind of feelings.
"Who is he?" Ian's voice was probably the weirdest I'd heard it. The way it was lower and almost held a bit of controlling power got Reika's attention, while my body was hot.
"He's a guy from town. He asked for my number when Dolly and I went to the store. He's just a guy, and Dolly said I should make friends. It's no big deal. Why does it even matter?"
When he didn't answer, I sighed and forced my body to move just so I could face him once more. "It's not a big...deal..."
My words trailed off as my thoughts faded away. His silver orbs were so transfixed on mine that I wouldn't dare look away - I couldn't. It was hard to explain the intensity of his stare, but it was the twinkles of gold that flickered in the rims of his irises that left me wondering who was in control.
Ian? Wolfie? Both?
I almost forgot to breathe as the world around us felt like it had stilled.
"He can't have you," Ian vowed, his words setting whatever his intentions were in stone. He was leaning in closer, and I wanted to ask him what he even meant by his declaration, but Ian's voice dipped further as his eyes narrowed and that was when I saw a flash of pure dominance.
"You're mine."
With the press of his lips against mine, I experienced my first kiss with Ian Chestwood, my crush who I hoped would be my future boyfriend.