Connor’s New Wolf
Georgina Stancer
Copyright © 2018 Georgina Stancer
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.
ISBN: 978-1-9160067-0-6
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Editing by Stacey Jaine McIntosh
Cover design by EmCat & Butterfly Designs
This book is dedicated to my wonderful partner and children.
Without their love and support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
Burning!
Pain consumed Anya along with the flames that covered her.
She rolled around on the floor of a filthy alley, squirming in a desperate attempt to extinguish the fire slowly melting away her skin right down to the bone. The smell of singed hair and sizzling flesh filled her nose and mouth as she tried to suck in air to scream for help.
“Help me!” She screamed as loud as she could, but no sound passed her parched lips.
No one would come. No one could hear her. No one else would be stupid enough to walk down an unlit alley in this part of town in the middle of the night. The only people who came down here were the homeless and less fortunate.
“Help me!”
Again, she struggled to force the words from her burning throat. Again, she failed. Tears evaporated from her eyes before they had a chance to settle on her cheeks.
Scuffling sounds from the dark shadows broke through the pain, giving her a moment of hope, before being dashed as a vicious snarl came from above her. A heavy weight landed on her shoulders and then a sharp pain as teeth pierced her neck on either side.
Shit!
***
Anya bolted upright in bed, her hands flying to her throat. Covered in sweat, heart racing, and breathing heavily. She leaned over to switch on the bedside lamp, but her hands shook so badly it took her a couple of tries.
She waited for her eyes to adjust to the bright light, and her head to clear from the nightmare before she looked over her body for any injuries.
Her skin was hot and soaked in sweat, but she wasn’t burnt in any way.
Exhaling with relief, she kicked the tangled duvet away from her legs.
“3:27a.m. Perfect!” Her alarm wasn’t set to go off for another four hours. “Stupid fucking nightmares.” She grumbled.
She sat thinking about the dream for a couple of minutes before it occurred to her that she didn’t recall getting into bed. Nor how she got home.
The last thing she could remembered, was leaving work and walking to the bus stop. Obviously, she made it home okay, but how? And why couldn’t she remember?
It didn’t matter how hard she tried to recall what happened after work, nothing was coming back. So, she gave up trying for the time being, deciding her memory might return if she stopped forcing it. A bit like when you’ve missed placed your keys. Generally, when you stop looking , that’s when you find them.
Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she slipped her feet into the fluffy slippers she kept there and made her way to the bathroom, turning on all the lights along the way. Normally she didn’t mind the dark, she knew the layout of her flat with her eyes closed anyway, so she didn’t need to rely on having the place lit up all the time. However, tonight was different, she felt the need to be more aware of her surroundings.
Once there she turned on the shower before returning to the bedroom to strip the bed while the water heated up.
It was times like this Anya regretted not having more than one bedding set. Fighting with the sweat soaked duvet, she swore at it several times when it refused to do as she told it. She found herself tangled up in it more than once.
Huffing, she grabbed the pile of washing and took it to the kitchen. Loading the washing machine, she switched it on before turning on coffee machine. Filling it with enough water and ground coffee beans so that it would be ready for when she finished in the shower. Then she flicked the on switch and returned to the bathroom.
Steam billowed out of the shower to greet her as she walked in the room. Stripping out of her sweat soaked night clothes, she stepped under the hot water and sighed as the heat worked to ease her tense muscles and washed away the last remaining remnants of the nightmare.
After a couple of minutes of soaking up the heat, she picked up the shampoo and squirted it on the palm of her hand. Massaging suds into her scalp helped relieve the tension headache that was building. She rinsed out the bubbles, then scrubbed her body twice before turning off the water. She wrapped a towel around her hair and another around her body as she stepped out of the stall.
Stopping at the sink to brush her teeth, she noticed dark circles around her eyes when she wiped the mirror.
“Ugh.” She said, pulling a face at her reflection.
Despite knowing it had been all a bad dream, Anya still stood in front of the mirror checking herself over for any marks on her neck or body. Finding nothing, she sighed out of relief and picked up the toothpaste and resumed her normal morning routine of brushing her teeth.
Anya could have sworn the circles were getting darker by the second.
Spitting out the paste, she wiped her mouth, and with one last look at her reflection, she left the bathroom.
The coffee machine gurgled in the kitchen as she walked through the open plan living area.
“Mmm.”
Anya didn’t think there was anything better than the smell of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning. Admittedly, not normally at this time of the morning, but what was she supposed to do? It wasn’t as if she was going back to sleep any time soon. At least, not easily after that dream.
Even if she did manage to sleep again, she would just wake up in a bad mood later. And that would not go down well at work, so it was best not to bother.
After drying herself, she pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and a light grey vest top. Yes, she may be up, but that didn’t mean she had to get ready for work yet.
Having forgotten her slippers, she went back to the bathroom to retrieve them. Slipping them on, she headed for the kitchen where she poured herself a large mug of coffee.
She looked around her apartment, unsure of what to do for the next couple of hours. She could make a start on the housework, but who in their right mind would be doing that at this time of the morning? Normal people would be sleeping, not contemplating tidying up.
Instead, Anya settled for watching the sun rise from her balcony. It was still pitch-black outside, but it wouldn’t be long before the sky started to lighten and people emerged.
She knew it was going to be cold outside, so she pulled on her dressing gown and tied it tightly around the waist. As she walked passed the sofa she picked up the blanket from the back of it to cover her legs with, and headed out.
An icy blast hit her as soon as she opened the door. Not letting that stop her, she took a deep breath and stepped out, shutting the door behind her.
It wasn’t the largest of balconies. There was enough room for her to have a small table, two-seater bench and a couple of plant pots. As Anya got comfortable on the wooden bench, she inhaled the crisp morning air and waited for the sunrise. Letting the mug warm her freezing hands like a mini hot water bottle, she leaned back and relaxed.
“Mmm.” Anya sipped the coffee, savoring the flavor in her mouth before it slid down her throat and warmed her from the inside out.
Overlooking the row of houses opposite, she could see as one by one the lights came on inside. At the same time, the street lights started to go out as the sky lightened.
Anya always wondered what their mornings might consist of. Did the single people and couples enjoy their peaceful morning routines?Were the parents rushing around getting themselves and their children ready for the day ahead,? Did they have cartoons on, or the news? Maybe they liked to listen to the radio?
They were the ones she envied the most. The families. Her heart ached for a family of her own. As much as she enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with solitude, she also craved the love shared between the bonds of family.
Anya didn’t know how long she sat there daydreaming. Before long the sun was starting to peek over the houses in front of her. She enjoyed watching the spectacular display of colours that came at dawn and dusk.
When she next looked down at her cup, it was empty. Needing a refill, she uncurled from the bench and stretched her legs. She looked at the clock when she went back inside and noticed that it was still too early to get ready for work. She poured another cup of coffee, but instead of taking this one outside, she sat on the sofa and switched the news on.
Sighing, she let the overstuffed cushions and soft blanket cocoon her. Covering her mouth as she yawned, she zoned out to the sound of the news.
It was easy to stay awake when she was outside in the brisk morning air and sat on a hard bench. Now that she was back in the warmth and on a comfortable sofa she could feel sleep pulling at her.
The last thing that went through her mind before she drifted off to sleep was a dark figure standing over her.
***
The whole time Anya sat out on the balcony she didn’t look down towards the street once. He could have stood in the middle of the road and she wouldn’t have noticed.
Still, not willing to risk being seen by her just yet, he decided to stick to the shadows. The time wasn’t right for him to make himself known to her, he just had to have patience, because it won’t be too long now.
The witch that did the spell appeared behind him.
Young and beautiful, not to his taste, but exactly what he needed to get the job done. Once she was no longer useful to him, he planned to kill her. Until that time came he had to hide his abhorrence of her and her kind.
“Are you sure she won't remember?” he asked, he didn’t need to elaborate since she knew exactly who and what he was talking about.
“Yes.” He could imagine her rolling her eyes at him.
He didn’t trust the witch as far as he could throw her. For that matter, he didn’t trust anyone. He made that mistake once before, he wasn't about to make it again. But for the time being he needed her magic. “I want you on call in case anything goes wrong.”
“Nothing will…”
“I know, because you are going to make sure nothing does, or it will be your head I’m after,” he cut in.
“Don’t threaten me,” she said, between clenched teeth. “I am not some weakling that you can push around.”
“That wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.”
CHAPTER TWO
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Anya woke at the sound of someone beating the shit out of her door. Realizing she had drifted off to sleep, she groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching.
“Anya! I know you’re in there.” Bang! Bang! Bang! “Open the door!” Her friend and work colleague, Sasha, shouted as she continued banging.
Anya jumped up and raced to the door. “One sec.” She shouted back.
She unlocked and swung open the door as quickly as she could before Sasha broke the damn thing. “What’s wrong?” She asked, concerned.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong?’ I’ve been banging on this door for the last half hour! Not to mention the amount of times me and the guys at work have tried calling you on the phone. Not once have you answered. Not once!” Sasha fumed as she entered and made a beeline for the coffee pot. “You had us all worried that something had happened to you.”
As usual, Sasha was impeccably dressed. Today she was dressed in a light gray skirt suit that brushed the tops of her knees, paired with a light pink shirt and elegant six-inch black stilettos. Makeup done to perfection and not a strand of her long white hair out of place from the intricate braid she had it in today.
It must take her most of the morning just styling her hair.
Anya didn’t know where Sasha found the patience to spend that amount of time on her hair in the morning, and then the extra time she spent applying her makeup as well. Most of the time Anya couldn’t be bothered to brush her hair, putting it up into a ponytail was a lot quicker and easier. Makeup was reserved for special occasions, or the odd night out on the town.
Certainly not something she was prepared to spend ages on before work in the morning.
Pulling a face at the cold coffee, Sasha tipped it out and started making a fresh pot.
“I haven’t heard my phone.” Anya said, as she sat at the breakfast bar and watched Sasha move around in the kitchen. “It should have woken me, it’s not on silent.”
“You didn’t hear me beating the shit out of your door for the last half hour, either.” Sasha pointed out as she refilled the coffee machine.
“What do you expect at this time of the morning? Any sane person would still be asleep, not banging on doors.”
“Half past one in the afternoon is not early, Anya.”
What the fuck?
That meant she hadn’t just dozed like she originally thought, but had slept solidly for hours. “You’re joking, right?”
Sasha scrutinized Anya as she shook her head and then tilted it with a concerned look on her face.
Well, at least I didn’t have another nightmare.
That was something to be grateful for. She would rather not have a repeat of last night. She would rather not have a repeat of last night, thank you very much.
Still looking at her, Sasha raised an eyebrow and asked, “What the fuck happened to you?”
“Nothing. Why?” It was at that moment Anya remembered her hair had been wrapped in a towel when she fell asleep on the sofa. Assuming that was the reason Sasha was looking at her weirdly, Anya ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to straighten it out a little.
“You look like shit. Did you get any sleep last night?” she asked.
“To be honest, it wasn’t the best night’s sleep. Do I really look that bad?”
“No, it just looks like you had a very…busy… night. Did you have a late night visitor by any chance? Is that why you slept in so late today?” She asked, hopefully?
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but no late night booty calls. Just a really, shitty, night’s sleep.” Anya admitted.
“And here I was, hoping that you finally had something juicy to tell me.”
“Nope, not unless you want to hear about my sleeping problems.”
“I think I’ll pass, thanks.
But it is about time you found another man. You can’t mope over what your ex did to you for the rest of your life.”
Sasha was convinced the only way to get over a relationship, whether it was bad or not, was to jump right into another one. Anya thought differently. She wasn’t interested in getting tangled up with another man. No, thank you. Her ex had been bad enough, she didn’t need another one fucking up her life, not when she was finally happy and settled.
“Not interested.”
“Oh, come on Anya. It’s been how many years since you split from that asshole?”
Not only had her asshole of an ex treated her like shit, belittling her at every opportunity and making her feel inferior and that she deserved everything he did to her, but he also cheated on her with a multitude of women throughout their relationship.
Sasha was the one that told her about him cheating on her. Anya hadn’t believed her at first, it wasn’t until she witnessed it with her own eyes that she accepted what Sasha told her was the truth.
The first couple of days after she left him had been the hardest. She was sleeping in her car when Sasha found her on her way into work early one morning. Anya still didn’t know how Sasha managed it, but by that evening Anya was moved into this amazing apartment with no bond and cheap rent. For the size of the apartment, and the area it was in, it should have been at least double what she was paying.
“It doesn’t matter, I’m still not interested. Now, can we change the subject?”
It’s taken her years to get over the humiliation, build her confidence back up, and mend her broken heart. Even though she was more confident now, it didn’t mean she was ready for another man in her life.
“Okay, if you don’t want to talk about men, how about a holiday instead?” Sasha asked with a cheesy grin.
“Now that, I’m happy to discuss.” Anya replied with her own cheesy grin plastered on her face.
Whenever Sasha mentioned going on holiday, she always had something up her sleeve, and this time was no different.
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