by Isa Hunt
An hour later, she glanced out the window. It was now dark. “I must be the only one left in the building,” she murmured to herself. She decided that enough was enough and shut down the computer. But as soon as she stood up, a wave of nausea washed over her. She groaned. She hadn’t eaten anything out of the ordinary for lunch. She rushed to the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time as the contents of her stomach were projected.
Weakly making her way back to her desk, she grabbed her handbag, hoping she wouldn’t be sick again. She walked to the door, trying to walk steadily. She wasn’t the type to experience nausea and vomiting. Weird. I must be coming down with something.
But then another thought struck her. She stopped abruptly in her tracks. She hadn’t been paying much attention because of her excitement of being in a new relationship. But, if she calculated correctly, her period was almost two weeks overdue. Could it be? She gulped. Oh no. Walking out the door on wooden legs, she nibbled nervously on her nails.
Calm down, you don’t know anything for sure, she attempted to reassure herself. In the back of her mind, she knew it was very possible. She’d had unprotected sex with Ethan their first night together. How could I be so irresponsible? She knew why. She had been swept off her feet by him and thrilled that a man like him was interested in her. Oh God, I’m so screwed. I can’t be pregnant from my boss.
She reached the elevator and stepped in, still lost in thought. She took a deep, steadying breath. She needed to compose herself before Ethan arrived. Stepping off the elevator and into the lobby, she nodded to the security guard and headed out the door. She crossed the street and decided to wait for Ethan at the bus stop. She detected movement in her peripheral vision and turned to check it out. She frowned when she saw nothing.
Looking around, she was starting to feel uncomfortable and regretting not remaining inside or within the security guard’s sight.
“Christine Morrow?”
She swung around startled, to see a burly man walking toward her. “Who wants to know?”
He leered. “By the description I got, I would say that you are.”
She took a step back, eyeing the door across the street, wondering if she could make it across. But, the man drew closer, making that route of escape impossible. Her heart began to pound. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t worry Christine, I’ll make it quick.”
She gasped and took several more steps back. Was it just her imagination or did his eyes flash a different color? “Please, if it’s money you want, I’ll give you whatever I have.” She held out her handbag to him.
With a laugh, he kept stalking her. Whirling around, Christine broke out into a run. It was just her luck that there were no buildings she could dash into on that side of the street. The sound of pounding footsteps behind her stopped. Taking a chance, she slowed down to glance over her shoulder. The large stranger was nowhere in sight. She stopped, finding it strange that she had outrun him. Taking precaution, she ducked behind a bush and waited. Seconds ticked by and he didn’t show up. Thank God. Maybe he had given up the chase.
She stood up slowly and backed away from the protection of the foliage. But turning around she let out a strangled gasp. Gripped with terror, she starred at the very large animal in front of her. She knew there were wolves in Washington, but what was the animal doing in the city? It stooped low and let out a growl, ready to pounce. There was no way she could outrun the animal. A scream escaped her lips as the animal lunged forward, its front paws hitting her in the chest and sending her to the ground with a loud thud.
The impact left her struggling to catch her breath. She stared up into the eyes of the animal, knowing for sure that she was going to die. But suddenly, the pressure of the wolf’s weight was lifted off of her. The sound of the animal whimpering followed by the sickening sound of bone cracking penetrated her terrorized haze. She lifted her head to see another wolf with thick brown fur approaching her, its mouth covered with blood. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the red liquid.
She let out a frightened moan and attempted to back away from the approaching animal. It stopped moving forward to stare intently at her, its eyes changing from yellow to black. It remained still and she frowned. It was almost as if the animal was trying to reassure her. She made eye contact, noting that the animal’s eyes looked familiar. They looked like eyes she had stared into many times over the past month. “It can’t be,” she whispered before spiraling into unconsciousness.
***
Ethan stared down at an unconscious Christine with concern. He was beginning to regret not taking her to the emergency room after she had fainted. She now lay on his couch, her features pale. He wondered how much she had seen or if she would remember anything. Stooping beside her, he stroked her hair. His fear of seeing her pinned beneath another Shifter still had not worn off. The Shifter wasn't a part of his pack, but a member of a long time enemy pack, the same one that had caused his father's death. His brows knitted. Why would one of its members go after Christine?
He glanced down when she let out a soft moan and shifted slightly. Relief poured through him. Her eyes fluttered open and he smiled, staring into her hazel depths. “I thought you’d never wake up,” he whispered.
She frowned. “Ethan? What happened?”
“You fainted.”
Struggling to sit up, Christine groaned. “How embarrassing. You should know that I’m not the fainting type. Well, I do get a bit woozy when I see blood.” She paused. The memory of seeing blood played across her mind, triggering everything else. She turned to him, her eyes wide with dread. “There was a man chasing me and then he disappeared.” She stopped, shaking her head. “I thought I saw wolves. But that’s ridiculous, right?”
Ethan averted his gaze. “Uh, well what exactly do you remember about the wolves?”
“They tried to eat me of course.” Sitting up, she swung her legs over the edge of the couch. “We need to call animal control.”
“Christine, don’t get up. You still look a bit pale and the animals have been dealt with.”
“So you saw them then? Okay, I’m not going crazy. Did you find me unconscious?”
“Not exactly, you were still awake when I arrived.”
She pinned him with her gaze. “I need to make a police report, Ethan. The man that came after me was sent for me.”
He stood up, alarm mounting. “What do you mean?”
"Before I ran, he called my name and he said someone gave him a description of me. I don't understand. Why would anyone want to hurt me? I'm a secretary, for goodness sake. I don't even go out except when I go out with you. What enemy could I possibly have?"
Ethan stayed quiet, his mind working overtime. “Christine, just calm down.”
“Calm down? You can’t seriously be telling me to calm down. Someone tried to kill me and then I almost got eaten. I mean what are the chances of being attacked by both human and animal in the space of five minutes?” She let out a mirthless laugh. “It is so not my night.” Taking a deep breath, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blow up like that. I’m really stressed right now.”
“It’s okay.”
“I really should report it.”
“You can’t.”
“Why the hell not, Ethan?” She asked outraged and confused.
“The man that attacked you is dead.”
She gawked at him. “What? How do you know?”
Ethan turned away from her and ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. He would have to reveal what he was sooner or later because he didn’t plan on ever giving her up.
Christine stood up. “Ethan, what is it? I don’t understand why you don’t want me to call the police. If there is a dead man lying around, they should know.” Although, she couldn’t figure out what had caused the man’s death.
He turned around to face her. “I killed him, Christine.”
Her heart stopped and she took a step back. “Ethan, you can’t talk like that.�
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He took a step toward her. “He was going to kill you and he wasn’t human.” She was starting to feel faint again. “You should sit down.” He suggested.
She looked at him with fear in her eyes. She glanced at the door, wanting to run. Ethan huffed, “For goodness sake, Christine, if I wanted to hurt you I would have done so a few minutes ago when you were unconscious on my couch.”
She made a distressed sound. “You’re talking crazy. What do you mean that man wasn’t human?”
“He was a Wolf Shifter, like me,” he said softly, gauging her reaction.
Christine blinked and then let out a laugh. “A what?”
“A Wolf Shifter.”
“Oh my God, you’re being serious. I’m in love with a crazy person,” she murmured.
His eyes widened. “You’re what?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. I can’t believe I said that out loud. “Let’s not stray from the fact that you think you’re a wolf or whatever.”
He shrugged. “I have been wondering when to tell you.”
She held up a hand. “Not another word, Ethan. It’s ok. I’m sure we can get you a good psychiatrist.”
His lips twitched. “I’m not crazy, although my brothers would tell you otherwise.”
“You have brothers?” It dawned on her that she really didn’t know much about him. She had chosen to look over the fact that he was always so secretive. She captured his gaze, her mouth falling open. Another memory appeared. She had looked into the eyes of the second wolf and they were identical to Ethan’s. Shaking her head, she whispered, “That’s impossible. The wolf had your eyes.” He remained silent, holding her gaze. “This is ludicrous. There is no way you could have transformed into an animal.”
So she really has no idea about her own half-Shifter gene, he mused silently.
Christine dropped onto the couch. “I saw you the other night. You ran out of the woods naked.”
Ethan froze. He had detected that something was off with her behavior when he took her home the following morning. Now he knew why. He really needed to be more careful. But he had been in a rush to get back before she woke up and discovered that he was gone. “I was coming from a pack meeting.”
“Oh God,” she groaned, dropping her head into her hands. “Pack? As in a group of people who think they are wolves?”
“I am a wolf.”
She sighed. “Alright, say you are whatever you say you are, does anyone else know?”
“No. We can’t afford to let humans know about us. People are afraid of what they can’t understand.”
“Then why would you tell me?”
“You are my true mate.”
Christine was taken aback. “Um, I’m not quite sure what you mean.”
Chapter Seven
Christine kept her eyes on the man standing over her. She was trying to decide if she should be afraid of him or not. But he was right. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have already. Now he was telling her that she was his mate. For some reason, she knew that the words held a different meaning than being just his girlfriend.
Ethan took a seat beside her. “My kind has a mate for life. Each of us has someone made for them as if connected by destiny or nature. I never quite believed it, until I saw you. The first time I saw you, it was like something connected. I can’t explain it.” When she continued to gape at him, he continued. “After having found you, I don’t think I can live without you.”
She blinked, “Oh my, this is…”
“I know, it’s too much and too soon.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No, I really don’t mind hearing something like that.” Considering that she had fallen in love with him within just a few weeks, she was ecstatic. There was only the problem of him thinking he wasn’t human. “Show me.”
Ethan frowned. “What?”
“You say you’re some kind of wolf. I find it very hard to believe so show me.”
“Christine, I don’t think-”
“I won’t believe it if I don’t see it.”
He sighed in resignation. "Okay." Turning to her, he took a deep breath. Lethal-looking canines erupted and his dark eyes transformed to a bright yellow. Christine sucked in a breath, the color draining from her face once again. Ethan eyed her with concern. "You're not going to faint again are you?"
She shook her head, unable to speak. “I’m trying very hard not to faint. This is insane.” Even with the evidence in her face, her mind was still having a hard time processing that he really wasn’t human. “But you look human.”
He shrugged, “I guess I am a bit of both, wolf and human. I’m sorry, Christine.”
"What are you sorry for? It's not like you have control over who- what you are, right?"
“Right.”
She swallowed. If she was indeed pregnant, that meant her child wouldn’t be quite normal. She thought of telling him that she might be carrying his child but decided to wait until she was sure. “I should get home.”
“You’re not staying?”
“I-I need some time to think. Alone.” She saw the fear flash in his eyes. “I won’t go to the police,” she reassured. What could she tell them that wouldn’t make her sound like a candidate for the psychiatric ward?
His lips lifted wryly. “That’s not what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid you won’t come back.”
The vulnerability she witnessed coming from him tugged at her heart strings. There was no way she could leave now. “I suppose I can think just fine here.”
He let out a breath. “You know, you are taking all of this much better than I thought you would.”
She shrugged. What choice did she have? So, he wasn't quite human, but he was the best boyfriend she had ever had. "I know what it's like to be judged for one's appearance. Sure, your teeth can get a bit sharper and you can get extra hairy, but you're still the same man I have been with for the past four weeks. You are, aren't you?"
He smiled. “I am. Christine, about what you said earlier-”
The ringing of her cell phone interrupted him. Christine pulled it out of her bag, grateful for the interruption. He was no doubt going to ask her about her slip of the tongue earlier. He would want to know if she meant what she said about falling in love with him. That wasn’t a subject she wanted to discuss at the moment. “Hey, Keira.” She watched Ethan get up and stroll out of the room.
"Hi, hon. Are you okay? I thought you would be home already."
“Uh, I did a little overtime at work.”
Keira snickered. “Overtime huh? With your boss?”
Rolling her eyes, Christine answered, “No, I was actually working. But I’m with Ethan now. I should have called to let you know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, as long as you’re fine.” Keira let out a sigh. “I’ve hardly seen you since you started seeing your hunk of a boss. I’m happy for you, but I miss you.”
Guilt swept over Christine. She had been spending the majority of her time with Ethan. “I’m sorry Keira. How about we plan a girl’s weekend? It will be just you and me, no boys allowed.”
“Sounds like a plan. I take it you’re not coming home tonight?”
“Uh, no.”
Keira chuckled, “Of course you’re not. Alright, I assume you’re coming home in the morning, so I’ll see you then.”
“Yeah, see you in the morning,” Christine hung up the phone and stared at it for a few seconds. If only she could share the bizarre events of the night with her best friend. She sighed softly.
“What’s wrong?”
She jumped and let out a shriek. Clutching her chest, she turned to Ethan. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
His lips twisted, “Sorry.”
“It’s fine and I’m fine. I need a shower.” She sprang up and made her escape to the bathroom before he could resume their conversation.
Ethan watched her rush past him. He let out a sigh. He wondered what was going through her mind. The fact that she was still in h
is apartment was a great comfort. He had assumed she would run from the room screaming when he had shown her what he was.
***
Christine emerged from the bathroom and glanced around cautiously. She couldn’t’ help being anxious about the fact that she was in an apartment with someone who could turn deadly in an instant.
“You’re still on edge.”
She gasped. “Oh my God! You have to stop doing that.” She placed a hand over her pounding heart. “I might die from a heart attack.”
Ethan stood up. “I didn’t mean to startle you. You spent quite a while in the bathroom. Are you alright?” He studied her with concern
“Stop looking at me like that. I’m fine. I was just in there thinking.” She pulled the towel tighter around her, “Everything you just revealed to me is hard to digest. I just want to get some sleep.” He let her go without another word.
Hours later, after tossing and turning, Christine threw the covers off and sat up in bed with a frustrated huff. Sleep had managed to remain elusive. She glanced over her shoulder, noting that Ethan wasn’t present. Running an agitated hand through her hair, she got up and stomped to the balcony. The cool night air caressed her skin and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Her mind refused to settle down and allow her to get a few hours of sleep.
She heard footstep approaching and smiled. Ethan made an effort to make his presence known so as not to startle her.
“Can’t sleep?” He asked.
She glanced at him over her shoulder. “No. I have given up trying. You didn’t come to bed.”
He came and stopped beside her. “I was trying to give you as much space as possible. I didn’t think you would feel comfortable sleeping beside me.”
She frowned. “The fact that I decided to stay the night is indication enough that I’m comfortable. I don’t believe for a second that you would hurt me.” She reached up a hand to tentatively brush her fingers across his cheek.
His eyes flew to hers. There was no mistaking the blatant need reflected in his gaze. But he kept his hands at his sides. Christine smiled. “You don’t have to be afraid to touch me.”
