Page 15 of The Wolf

He freezes in place as if caught in a crime, slowly spinning around to face me. “You know how much I wish I could stay with you in this bed forever, but I’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he says all serious.

“Okay,” I respond calmly, but I don’t like his tone.

“Edwin’s been taking care of things while I was gone, and now that I’m back, I must return to my responsibilities.”

I turn on my side and prop myself on an elbow, more alert now. “So, what’s going on exactly?”

He sighs heavily. “We’ve been monitoring one of the hunter bases for a while, and we think it’s time to strike.”

As his words sink in, my heart tightens. I don’t approve of where this is heading even a bit.

“The full moon will pass exactly two weeks from today, and to have clear minds, we’re going to wait it out,” he continues.“We plan to leave after All Hallows’ Eve. This gives us enough time to prepare.”

I don’t even know what day it is anymore, and I need to take a second to do some calculations. After thinking about it, I believe it’s Saturday, October 14th, but time doesn’t seem to matter around here.

“You guys celebrate Halloween?” I ask surprised.

“Samhain,” he clarifies. “Like many other pagan holidays, it made it into the Western culture, but it’s a festival to mark the end of harvest. And the witches are very vigilant about honoring their rituals.”

“I’m game as long as there’s no human sacrifice involved.”

He smiles in his wolfish way. “It’s more of a bonfire and a feast type of night.”

“Sounds great!” It genuinely makes me excited, but I‘m more focused on the other bomb he’s dropped. “And we can head out after the festivities,” I add, acting all casual about it.

He gives me a look, his eyes hardening just slightly. “No, Julia. This isn’t up for discussion.” His voice is measured, but there’s a subtle edge to it.

I realize he’s trying to be kind since I’d be a liability there, but I can’t help it.I’m not going to sit around and wait while he goes off risking his life.

I sit up in bed, fully awake at that point, feeling a rush of determination. “I’m going with you.”

He’s trying to hold it together, but I can see the struggle—the push and pull between his need to protect me and the growing frustration that I won’t just agree.

“I’m going!” I repeat, my voice cracks as my eyes get watery.

“No, the fuck you’re not!” he snarls, loud and emotional, his voice reverberating around the chamber.

I’ve never seen him this angry at me before. I startle and recoil.

He corrects himself immediately but stays firm. “I let you convince me once to your plan before, didn’t I? And it could’ve ended in a disaster.”

“You don’t have to be mean about it,” I croak, tears streaming down my face. But he’s right. I blame myself for what happened in Michigan. I put everyone in danger, though I’m not sure what would happen to my parents if we didn’t show up.

“You don't understand,” he mutters under his breath, pacing a few steps away from the bed, his muscles tensing beneath his fur. “It’s not on you but onme. I just can’t… I won’t be able to focus if I’m constantly worried about you.”

“Worried?” I scoff. “I saved you.Twice.”

That hits him harder than I thought it would. His golden eyes flash with something intense—guilt, anger, something more—and for a moment, I see him struggling to contain it.

“Yes, but you shouldn't have been in those situations in the first place!” His voice rises again, breaking with emotion. “Do you think I wanted you there? Do you know what that felt like? Being so powerless and seeing you in the middle of it all, knowing one bad move and—” He stops, turning his face away, his breathing more rapid now, his hand trembling slightly before he clenches it into a fist. “Damn it, Julia, I was fucking terrified! The most I have ever been. I can't go through that again. I won’t.” His voice is still restrained, but it’s slipping with each word, the outrage and fear mixing in his eyes. “I’ve lost you once. I’ll never again put you in a situation where your life is at risk.”

And then he shows me the memory of me fading in his arms. It catches me off guard, cutting deeper than I expected. I can feel all of the emotions he felt in that moment. His crushing pain is all-consuming, it overpowers my entire body, I can hardly bear it.

I inhale sharply, trying to collect myself. “Alex, I—”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to yell at you,” he interrupts, softening for a second, rubbing his face in frustration. He lowers his voice, almost pleading now. “You’re too important to me, Julia. Please understand. I can’t protect you when I’m focused on completing the mission. I need to do this, too many lives count on me. Don’t make it difficult.” The storm inside him is still brewing visibly, unresolved.

“But I have something to fight for now, too.”

---