The crisp howling of a wolf woke her at close to three in the morning.
Blindly, she made her way out of bed and over to her window to study the horizon. Why she wanted to get up to watch for wolves, she was estranged to.
Her mind kept saying go to sleep, screw the wolves, but she was searching for him.
She waited a few minutes and saw nothing. As she turned to leave, a figure darted from the bushes. She stepped forward and pressed herself to the stone cold glass, squinting.
It was large white wolf and he ran fast across the valley below.
She watched his huge, beautiful self as she wondered who it was and furthermore, if he was good or not. He didn't seem to possess the same pit of darkness she'd felt when she'd seen the black wolves fighting outside the one night.
This wolf was different, not like Grayson or Darcy. Gangly and lean, a perfect coat, but possibly underweight from his journey, wherever that was from.
She had made up a whole story for the wolf and she had to shake the thoughts, wolves had become her obsession it seemed.
She lost sight of him and walked to her bed, curling up in the layers of heavy blankets. Even the few minute departure from her bed had left her chilled. She closed her eyes, trying to forget about the white wolf, but it would keep her tossing most the night and so would the constant nausea from being without Wolfboy.
She tried to convince her father to let her stay home from school Monday morning with Dodge, but Henry didn't agree, not after getting the call from her English teacher on not completed assignments. Yeah, she had Grayson Holtz to thank for that one!
“It's alright.” Dodge chewed his breakfast of corn pops and milk, “I'll just watch TV and wait for ya' to get home.”
Chloe rolled her eyes as she heard the front door slam. Her father off to work, again.
“Well, I'll see you later. Have a good day,” she leaned over him and hugged him. His hand patted her back and she had to hold back the momentary gagging.
“See you later, French-fry.”
She nodded, pulling away and walking to the door to throw on her outerwear.
Once outside, she had to book it up the drive, hoping she'd make the bus and she had, but just as it rounded the corner of the highway.
She sat at her usual back of the bus spot and turned on her music.
She knew the day was going to be thoroughly awkward, like usual, but had started to not give a damn. With the budding potential of Dodge, she had decided that sealing that deal, even if it'd rip apart her insides and make her puke – could turn out in her favour. Untimely ending with the break of the wolf-curse.
At school, she hoped off the bus and made her way to the front doors. Doing her usual general avoidance of basically everyone, she came her locker. Switching out her books and homework for the textbooks for Biology, she headed down the stairs for first period.
It would be the toughest class of the day. She had all of her most favourite people in it; Annie, Dayna, Bruce, Scott, and then there was Grayson, Mike, and Kyle too.
She looked for the empty table, but today, another boy occupied one of the two spots. He looked crumpled up with wide framed glances and dishevelled red hair and freckles.
She knew he was book smart, but life smart? He needed to get his shirt untucked from his skinny waist jeans that were in fact, too short for him.
She walked over and smiled, “Hey, I'm Chloe. Can I sit here?”
The boy looked up and stammered, “Oh, uh... yeah, sure.”
She sat and spread her books out, “Thanks.”
“I'm D-Dean. I'm kinda... is there a reason you want to sit with me?”
She looked to him and smiled, “Nice to meet you and to answer your question,” she pointed at Annie and Dayna, who were now giggling over her sitting with Dean. “Those girls are bitches... and those boys...” moving her finger across the class to Grayson as he slumped his back into his chair and stared at the overhead projector “Their asses. So maybe Dean, we can do better than them?”
Dean smiled, “Sure, Chloe.”
“Cool.” She grabbed a pen and flipped open her text book.
“Do... Do you like Biology?”
She looked to him and smiled, she had no idea why he was so nervous, but he seemed friendly enough.
“It's alright,” she shrugged and glanced up as Mike burst out laughing but Grayson next to him looked less than thrilled.
The teacher flipped the lights off and started the lecture and she took her full attention off the werewolves and focused on Bio twelve, but that ended quickly. The class just wasn't long enough. Once the hour and half had passed, she got up and made her break.
She walked quick, heading for her locker to get her gym clothes.
“Chloe.”
She stopped dead, his voice ricocheting in her head as he crashed into the back of her.
“Damn, Little.”
She spun around as Grayson stepped back, “Do not call me that! And you're not permitted to speak with me.”
His brow arched, “What?”
“I'm forbidding it.”
“Chloe.” He pressed, “A-are you okay?”
She rolled her eyes, walking away.
“You're not sick?” He came to her side.
“Leave me alone, Grayson!” She hissed.
“You look sick... Well, it's just, I'm sorta messed up.”
The internal forever Chihuahua bond was getting him down too? Oh, she really hoped it was!
At least, she wasn't sick at that moment, not with him standing so close she could reach out and touch him and kiss him and... She forced herself to focus.
Grayson wrinkled his nose as she turned towards him, “What's that smell?”
“What smell?” She shot.
He dropped his nose closer and she backed away. The warning bell for class rung.
“Damn,” she cursed and started to walk, she couldn't be late for gym again.
Grayson trailed her step, “It smells like a guy!”
She couldn't believe him, he was so nosey and he'd gone a week without talking to her on top of it.
“I was sitting next to Dean in Bio, you idiot. You have eyes, use them. Better yet, why the heck are you talking to me still!”
“Chloe...” he put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him.
She shoved him off, “Don't you touch me!”
Grayson's eyes darkened as he studied her, “Who is he?”
“No!” she shrilled. “Leave me alone. You have no grounds to even be talking to me right now!”
He growled, “It smells like hormones, another male. What's going on?”
“You're a jerk,” she shot. “That's what's going on, so, get a life!”
Grayson growled, “Yeah.” He looked her over once more and stalked off.
Her stomach settled as she walked to her locker, maybe she was getting over Grayson Holtz.
***
She spent her one hour lunch in the Library and decided to stay there for her last two spare blocks before the bus ride home. She curled up at the back, with the cozy shelves and began to read her English novel that she had been behind on.
By the time the end of school hit, she had finished most of the book, but had also fallen asleep. Groggy, her face creased into the leather purse as the lights flickered off around her.
She shot up and swallowed, adrenaline filling her as she realized she'd totally fallen asleep.
She scurried to her feet and tried to make her way out of the dark Library, finding the doors before the Librarian shut them.
She caught up to him, “Sorry!”
“Oh! It's four-thirty, Miss.”
“Oh, crap!” She had more than missed the bus! “Thanks!” She jogged through the halls to her locker and dressed herself for the outside. Finding her cell, she tried to call her dad, but there was little to no reception inside the school.
She'd have to brave the outside. Heading for the doors, thankfully still unlocked.
As she fumbled with her phone, she noticed the already looming darkness, the lonely spot light around the back of the school was enough to settle her nerves, though. She brought the cell to her ear and waited as it took its sweet time connecting.
Impatient, she paced back and forth before she heard the slam of the school doors. Glancing over her shoulder, she turned to see Bruce coming her way.
“Hey?” She tried as he approached her, smirking.
He grabbed the cell out of her hand and threw it against the side of the school. It shattered as it fell to the ground.
She jumped back, “What the hell!”
He shrugged. “What's up, little Chloe?” his words made her stomach turn.
Chloe tried to find her bearings and hoped he was going to be human civil to her, “I fell asleep in the Library. I need to call for a ride.”
Scott rounded the corner and stopped up at Bruce's side, “You found her.”
“Yeah, finally,” Bruce shot. “Didn't we check the Library?”
Chloe wrinkled her brow, “Huh?”
Scott rolled his eyes, “Can we just get this over with?”
Bruce lunged forward and grabbed her around the waist.
She panicked and thrashed against him, but he held her firm. Inhumanely firm. She screamed and Scott threw his hand against her mouth, silencing her.
Bruce lifted his hand to her neck and crushed her throat. His grip tightening, prolonging the experience.
She kicked and thrashed as her ability to breathe was taken away. Her boot nailed Scott between the legs and he bent over, yelling and cursing.
Bruce continued her suffocation, “Hush now, little mate.”
She gasped for air, tears streaming her cheeks, knowing he was killing her.
His mouth tight against her ear, he whispered, “I'll make it quick now. I pity you, reject.” He crushed her throat, making her convulse.
Her eyes rolled back and she hit the cold icy cement. Her head bouncing off the ground as she hit. The blurry figure of Bruce as he was thrown against the near wall came into her narrow vision.
As seconds passed, it all became clearer, Chloe gasped and watched Scott barrelled across the cement, somersaulting. She stared up at Mike as he took a quick looming glance over her.
“Alright, California?”
“Mike.” she croaked.
He jumped over her and tackled Scott again as the boy tried to make his way up.
She turned to see Bruce off the ground, dangling under the grip of Grayson. Bruce endured a long ride along the ice and shifted into a large brown wolf. His coat warn and tattered.
Bruce snarled and snapped his teeth, drool flying in all directions.
“Leave her alone!” Grayson shouted.
Bruce lunged forward, but Wolfboy wasn't about to take much more. He shifted, kicking off Bruce and slamming the brown wolf to the ground.
Bruce cried out in pain as his paw snapped under him.
Grayson shot around, his nails gripping and ripping up the solid ice beneath his paws. He snapped and ran at Bruce, lunging on top of him and gripping Bruce by the neck. He shook his head and threw the tattered brown wolf against the side of the school.
The stucco loosened and crumbled around them, but Grayson wasn't finished. He slammed Bruce once more to the side of the building. When finally, Bruce wavered, giving in and submitting to the big grey wolf.
Chloe started to get her breath back and it was enough to sit up. She stared at Grayson in his wolf form.
He huffed and puffed, growling still and so worked up he had drool all over his coat. His nose wrinkled with discontent and his canines bloody as he snarled.
She looked up as Scott booked it away on his feet and Bruce was quick by his side.
“You pussy's!” Mike shouted as they booked it away.
Grayson hung his head and watched her from where he stood twenty feet away.
Mike walked to her, “You're mate wants to know if you're okay. I suggest you give him an answer.”
Chloe swallowed and looked to Grayson, that's what she was, his mate.
His.
Forever his.
“I'm okay.” she said in a whisper.
Grayson growled and ran from sight.
Her heart thundered in her chest, she didn't know why he was leaving, but it made her cringe, luckily not enough to make her barf. Of course, her stomach was empty, so it likely impossible anyway.
Mike helped her to her feet as he found Grayson's keys mixed with the ripped clothing and crumbled stucco.
“Gray's truck is around the front. Come on.” he took her elbow and led her.
She limped at his side, “What just happened?”
“Grayson is obsessed with making sure you get to and from school alright... no, never mind that, Gray is just obsessed with you in general. It's starting to make me hope I never find my mate.” He hadn't really answered her question, but then again, he'd answered a few other pressing issues.
He beeped the truck open and opened the passenger side door for her.
She climbed in and felt the safety of being in Grayson's care wash over her.