by Alex Anders
Hearing it slow down, Saki took off again. She crossed to another row of buildings and then ran down the sidewalk in front of it. Again moving into the open quad, she saw something in the darkness. It was a pair glowing eyes, and they were focused on her.
Her heart beat out of control. Her breathing was shallow, and the only thing she could think to do was run. Sprinting to the end of the block, she could go around it and head back toward the administration building or perhaps make it to the hill. It was a functioning monastery at the top of the hill, after all. Monks had to be living inside. If she could get there, perhaps she would be safe.
Circling the building, she heard it behind her. Trudging through the darkness, everything was unsteady under her feet. With one wrong step, she could slip and whatever it was would have her. She fought to breathe. Circling the edge of the walled pool, she saw a light.
Car headlights came out of the darkness. It had to be her mother. Running to where she would see her, she planted herself in the street only to see the car drive around her into the circular driveway. Getting a better look, the car was unfamiliar. Did it matter, though? Wouldn’t anyone do? Or would she get them killed as well?
Frozen, Saki watched as an older, dark-skinned man worked himself out of the car. He was dressed in dirty clothes, and he headed toward the administration building. Not knowing what to do, she stared at him silently. He must have sensed her because he turned toward her.
“Did someone forget to pick you up?” The old man bellowed with a furrowed brow.
Saki could barely control her breath. Her reply came out in squeaks. “Yeah, I think so,” Saki replied, not believing it to be the case.
“Did you want to use the phone?”
“Yes, please.”
Saki looked around for what had been chasing her. Finding nothing, she clutched her bag and followed the man to the doors of the administration building. Retrieving a pocket full of keys, the man unlocked the door and ushered them both inside. Locking the door behind her, the man retrieved the phone from behind the desk.
“You can stay in here. Creepy out there, isn’t it?” He asked, turning toward Saki.
“Yeah.”
“That’s why I come in and lock the door. I do as little as possible just to keep things straight, then do the real work during the day. But, go on and make your call. You need to get home.”
Saki dialed her mother’s cell phone number. Her mother picked up.
“Mom?” Saki asked surprised.
“Jesus. I forgot to pick you up,” she said, almost laughing.
Saki sizzled with anger. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? I’m the only one left at school.”
“Don’t blame me; I came to pick you up. You weren’t there.”
“I told you that I had to meet with a teacher. Didn’t you realize that I wasn’t at home?”
“Saki, I can’t keep track of you anymore. You come and you go like you own the place. How am I supposed to know that you’re still at school if you’re not at home?”
“Because I called you and told you that I was!” Saki said, hurt and angry.
Her mother sucked her teeth and then relented. “Hold on, I’ll come pick you up.”
Saki felt like slamming the phone down, but it wouldn’t do any good. “Fine,” she said before hanging up the phone.
“Is someone coming?” The old man said returning from the hallways that separated the open space from the offices.
Saki was in no mood to talk but felt obligated to chat with him, considering he had given her sanctuary. “Yeah.”
“That’s good. And you can stay in here and wait for her until she comes. There is no need to wait out there by yourself. I’ve seen some crazy things out there in my years working here. But whenever I enter this building, there’s something about it that makes me feel that nothing will happen to me.”
Saki‘s mind flashed to Mr. Jenner‘s medallion. She wondered if that had anything to do with his feeling of safety. She took inhaled deeply to see if she detected the scent of wolf. She didn’t. But that didn’t mean that the medallion didn’t contribute to his safety. For all she knew, he was the reason why Mr. Jenner kept the medallion in his office all night.
Saki waited in the lobby for a few minutes and then nervously joined the old man in back. She leaned on the open office door, staring at him while he cleaned. The old man looked up and then jumped.
“Oh, I didn’t expect to see you standing there.”
“Sorry.”
“That’s okay. I like the company.”
Saki watched for a few minutes more. “Do you clean every night?”
“Not every night. Most. But why be here when you don’t have to be, right?”
“Right,” Saki said with a smile.
The old man moved to the next office. It was Mr. Jenner‘s. Saki started to feel anxious just standing near his office. She wondered how she would feel in the same room as it.
As the old man opened up the office door, she found out. She felt dizzy and a little out of control. She couldn’t be sure, but she wondered if this was what it felt like to be drunk.
Without getting too close, she stared at the medallion as it hung on the wall behind Mr. Jenner‘s chair. She considered just reaching out and grabbing it. She couldn’t though, because even if the old man didn’t see her, it would be easy to trace her back to it.
Instead, Saki looked at other ways to get in. The window to the office had bars on it so that was out. The office door was the only other way. It had a knob lock on the inside and a key slot on the outside. She wondered how hard it would be to get a copy of the old man’s keys. As soon as the thought entered her mind, he was done. He locked the office door behind him and moved on to the next.
Following the man down the hallway, Saki saw a light that set the lobby aglow. Jogging to the front door, she waved her hands to get her mother’s attention. Waiting for the old man to let her out, she bobbed up and down with anticipation.
“Thank you, sir,” she said before running out.
“You’re welcome. Stay safe now.”
Saki entered her mother’s car without looking back. Climbing into the front seat, she locked the door behind her.
“Let’s go,” she said, remembering what had chased her only minutes ago.
“I’m going to cut you some slack because you were waiting here. But don’t get rude with me.”
Saki wanted to say many things to her mother at that moment. Much of it had to do with what she had missed tonight. She didn’t know how Dax‘s pack would respond to her not being there. She didn’t know how Lane would respond to her not showing up. Most of all, she wanted to tell her mother it was her fault she had been turned into a werewolf; she was the one who had removed them from their home.
She didn’t, though. Instead, she sat silently, refusing to speak at all.
On the quiet ride home, Saki wondered if she could still sneak out She looked at the clock and found that it was still only 8:30. She could be there by 9:15 if she left as soon as she got home. Her mother wouldn’t approve; she would complain and use it as more evidence that Saki was getting out of control.
No, she would have to stay in tonight. She had to wait till tomorrow. But at least now she was gaining the semblance of a plan.
Chapter 6
“Where were you last night?” Gully asked, turning around in his desk.
“My mom left me at school and then forgot to pick me up.”
“How long were you here?”
“Like, nine.”
“By yourself?”
“Yeah. Until the janitor came and let me stay in the admin building.” Saki said it in a way to engender his sympathy, but she didn’t get any from Gully. His brow furrowed in an expression that Saki couldn’t identify. “Anyway, I didn’t get home until late.”
“Oh, okay. That must’ve sucked.”
“Seriously sucked.”
As Gully turned back around, he still had the s
ame mysterious expression. She wondered if he knew what had chased her. It must’ve been a wolf. She didn’t smell it, but what else could it be?
Returning her attention to morning announcements, Saki knew that she had to talk to Lane today. She couldn’t look back at him now, but she had to arrange a meeting with him. She had to tell him what she knew about the janitor and about being chased. She didn’t think it was Dax chasing her the night before, but with all of the wolves left on the island, eliminating Dax didn’t account for much.
After third period, Saki got her chance. Lane was walking toward her in the quad. Saki changed her trajectory slightly to bump shoulders with him.
“Hey, watch it,” she said after being spun to the side.
“Watch where you’re going,” Lane stated for everyone to hear.
“Tonight at nine,” she whispered. “You bumped into me, okay?” Heading to her next class, Saki had to hold back her smile. She could smell him on her and his aroma was enough to drive her wild. She hoped the scent would wear off before Dax‘s pack saw her again. She could explain the scent, but she’d rather not.
“Do you want me to drop you at home?” Gully asked, gathering up his belongings before exiting homeroom.
“No, that’s okay. After last night, if I’m not there waiting for her, my mom’s gonna flip.”
“Cool. Should I pick you up tonight?”
Saki knew she didn’t have a choice. “Yeah sure. And this time I should be there,” she said with a smile, which he didn’t return.
Packing up her bags to leave, she looked up at Mr. DeMarco. He was staring at her, but he looked away as her eyes met his. Had changed his mind about answering her questions? They were all in the same class together for a reason. She was sure Mr. DeMarco knew why.
When Gully picked her up from the Fish Fry, the boys didn’t have the relaxed attitude they usually did. The car was silent, and she wondered if it was because she hadn’t been there yesterday. The danger she was in became palpable, and the tension caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.
“Where were you yesterday?” Patrick asked from the front seat.
“My mother left me at school. I was there all night. Well, at least until nine. It just felt like all night.” Saki was trying to be casual about it, but her heart raced.
“We waited for you,” Patrick continued.
Saki almost expected Gully to come to her defense. He had always been the most agreeable toward her, but he remained silent. That wasn’t a good sign. The heat built around her.
“Yeah. I heard. Sorry about that. I wish I was there too. I think something chased me last night.”
Frank turned toward her. “What do you mean?” His eyes blazed with intensity.
“While I was waiting at school. I heard this noise, and when I backed away, I saw the eyes of something coming toward me.”
The atmosphere in the car shifted. Saki was sure they weren’t telling her something. “What?” Another silence filled the air before Gully spoke up.
“It’s just that you could have called me.”
Saki wasn’t sure, but it felt like Gully was changing the topic.
“I didn’t have your number.”
“I’ll have to give it to you.”
Saki waited for a moment to see if they would return to the previous topic. They didn’t. “Do you guys know what chased me?”
They were again silent. When it became awkward, Gully spoke up. “We aren’t the only pack on this island.”
“So, there’s another alpha?”
“Yeah,” Frank added. “And he’s recruiting.”
Saki caught Gully‘s eyes in the rearview mirror. “But if you see him coming, just do what we do, run.”
Saki sunk into her seat. One alpha out to get her was enough. She didn’t need another.
Sake was prepared this time—she had brought all of her homework for the week to Gully’s house. She knew that she had to be there, but there was nothing stopping her from getting work done. She even liked the idea of it. It was something that the old her would have done.
With all of the books spread out in front of her on the desk inside Gully‘s second-story family room, Saki was feeling proud of herself. When Gully came out and encouraged her to play a game with them, she put down her pen and took a break. The day even ended up being kind of fun.
She was really looking forward to that night, though. She didn’t want to think about it too much because of the effect it had on the other boys, but she couldn’t wait to get back into Lane‘s arms. Sitting in her bedroom waiting for Maddie to go to bed, she could barely contain herself.
When 9:30 hit, Saki couldn’t wait any longer for her family to go to bed. It was Friday night. No one else in the house was going out, but in a normal household, heading out at 9:30 wasn’t unreasonable. So, changing into the clothes she most wanted to see on Lane‘s floor, she gathered herself and headed toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Maddie asked.
“None of your business,” Saki retorted, shifting her attention long enough to see Marnie sitting on the couch with her twin.
“You should tell mom if you’re going out,” Maddie suggested forcefully.
Maddie was speaking so loudly, their mom already knew. If she wanted to avoid another confrontation, she had to slip out as soon as she could.
“Why don’t you mind your own business and get your own life?” she said, annoyed, before escaping through the door.
With her eyes focused on the street, Saki walked, expecting her mother’s voice to bellow after her. If she could make it to the corner, she could claim not to have heard her. With each step, she swung back and forth between hope and defeat.
As Saki made it around the corner, she couldn’t believe she’d won. Her mother had to be staring at her from the porch. She could almost feel her eyes, but she didn’t dare turn around. She was free. She only had to escape any wolves that might be watching, though she wasn’t sure how.
Considering the boys had dropped her at home with the intention of heading out, she decided not to head toward the Fish Fry. If they were going somewhere, that’s where they would be. She didn’t need to arouse suspicions.
She decided to retrace the path she had taken away from the humane society a few days before, which meant she headed away from the Fish Fry. She stood at the edge of yard, waiting to cut through it. From the house, lights shone through the windows to the grass. It looked like people were home. She needed to cross the yard but didn’t want to be mistaken for a burglar; she wasn’t sure how to do it.
Saki looked down the street. All the homes were either fenced off or they all had lights shining into the yard like this one. It looked bad, but just standing there would get her spotted, too. She crouched down and scurried through.
Halfway through, she realized how much she had changed in the last few months. None of this behavior was like her. Before, she never would have sneaked through people’s yards. Now, she was willing to do it again and even a third time if it meant she could feel Lane‘s touch.
Safely within the trees, she stood still and took a deep breath. She could smell wolf in the air, but it was faint, not fresh. As far as she could tell, it was the residual scent of the people who had used the humane society to change. It didn’t smell like before. It didn’t smell like a wolf tracking her.
Crunching through the trees, she came up to the chain-link fence surrounding her destination. She didn’t know how to get Lane‘s attention, but then the dogs started barking. The back door opened up quickly.
Saki was about to call out when he lifted his finger to his lips. Saki wondered if Torque was still around. Slipping in past the now unlocked chain-link, she moved to kiss him only to be brushed aside as he relocked the gate. In consolation, he took her hand and pulled her back toward the door.
In the hallway, Lane quickly led her to a closed door. Stepping into the storage room, he closed the door behind them.
�
�My uncle is still here. He’s having dinner with us. He’s about to head out, so I need you to stay here.”
Saki smiled and signaled for him to bend down. With him inches away, she lifted herself onto her tiptoes and kissed his full lips. Her body immediately tingled with excitement. Lane gave a gentle tug to get away, but she wouldn’t let him go. She found this secrecy exciting, and she was wondering how long she could extend the moment.
Letting his lips retreat, she put both of her hands flat onto his rippling chest. She could feel his well-defined muscles through the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Still looking up into his eyes, she slipped her hands under his shirt and caressed his smooth skin. He no longer looked like he wanted to get away.
Staring at him, touching him, she wanted to continue to explore his body. She loved the beauty of his body. Every one of his curves was amazing. Sliding her hand down onto his jeans, she lightly gripped the large bulge stretching across his thigh.
Her fingers traced the outline of his huge bulge. He was all man, and she wanted to see it. Unbuttoning his pants, she pulled down his zipper and cradled his manhood as it popped out.
Sliding her tiny fingers around his balls, the tip of his cock almost touched the inside of her elbow. He was magnificent. Sliding his jeans down more, she took her eyes away from his and knelt down in front of him.
Eye to eye with his instrument, she didn’t know what to do. She had never examined one before. Its complexion matched the lighter color of his inner arm. He was circumcised, and the skin that stretched from the head to maybe an inch below was an even lighter color.
Wanting to do more, she brushed her cheek against its delicate flesh. It flinched. She liked that she had caused that movement. She allowed her nose to trace the ridges of its head. It smelled like sex. The aroma was everything she found inescapable about Lane. She traced the thin crease of skin across its head with her nose, then touched it with her lips. It flinched again.
Saki took hold of it with both hands, and it extended past her fingers. Tilting her head up to find his eyes, she opened her mouth and allowed her tongue to touch the backside of his cock. He flinched twice and droplets gathered at its tip.
