Wolf Essence Chapter 2 - Luke

(Thank you all for your interest in my book. Thank you for your patience with me. Here is chapter 2. Please enjoy.)

I jolted awake, my heart pounded in my chest. I looked around, feeling so disoriented and lost that my vision blurred. I gave my eyes a quick rub before scanning my surroundings once again. I was in my bedroom, dark curtains pulled shut to block out the morning sun, my clothes from the previous day laid crumpled on the floor where I had let them drop, having been too exhausted to put them in the hamper. I laid my head back down on my pillow which was soaked with sweat. No, I was soaked with sweat, from head to toe. Unable to recall my dreams from last night, I wondered if I had had a serious nightmare, but of what? Usually I could recall my dreams with ease, as it had been something my father had trained my younger brother and I to do ever since we were children.

Instead, I turned my focus to slowing my racing heart. Taking deep breaths, I slowly counted to ten as I inhaled, doing the same as I slowly exhaled. With each breath I could feel my pulse calming. After several minutes I had it back under control. This was also something I had learned from my father, due to our family bloodline it was crucial for him to educate us at a young age. Strangely, even though I had slowed my pulse I couldn't shake the odd anxious feeling that something was coming, and soon. With the passing of my father, I could no longer go to him when I had questions that needed answering. But there were other means of getting the answers I required.

As I laid there, on my king sized bed, I extended my right arm to feel nothing but empty sheets. I looked over, wishing that I had someone next to me to hold and help calm my anxiety. I had had plenty of relationships in the past, but none that felt right. I usually cut ties in the relationship before things got too serious, none of it ever felt…right. Eventually I decided that I wouldn't have another relationship unless it was with my true mate. Being as I lived alone I had needed to learn how to cope on my own, and this was one of those many times. I did my best to try and fall back asleep, but ended up tossing and turning for another half

hour instead.

In the end I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My naked body was instantly bombarded by the cool air in my house. I always forgot how cold I felt without my fur, but even now I wasn’t too bothered as I naturally ran warmer than regular humans. I put my elbows on my knees, running a hand through my hair and followed by scratching my fingers through my ruffled beard. I glanced at the clock, 6:03 am. June 9th. I groaned as I realized I had fallen asleep only four hours ago due to a late night at the dive bar. And now I had woken up two hours before my alarm, which meant I had four hours before I had to be at my shop.

I groaned as I stood and walked to the curtains, throwing them open I gave a sigh as I pulled open the sliding glass door and stepped onto my wooden balcony. I took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and took a glance over the lake. The crystal clear waters rippled softly in the cooling winds.  Aside from the crashing of the waterfalls half a mile away, the morning air was pretty peaceful. My eyes followed the edge of the lake, before resting upon the dark stained log cabin on the opposite side. The moment my eyes rested upon it my heart skipped, but I was unsure from what. No one had lived in that house for twenty-one years, and during all that time I had never seen a single vehicle or person approach it, aside from the monthly cleaning lady, who only showed up in the middle of the day. Not to mention the nearest home was another half a mile off the lake, making mine and the cabin the only residents on the lake. So, I wasn't worried about anyone seeing me in my hairy birthday suit. But I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever I felt had to do with that house.

I entered back into my room, closing the sliding door behind me, before picking up my clothes from the previous night and tossing them in the hamper. I went to the closet and grabbed out a pair of gym shorts and running sneakers. After putting them on I trotted down stairs to begin brewing a new pot of coffee. Once the machine was started, I stepped out another sliding glass door that led from the dining room and onto my open porch. Leaving the door open just a crack, with no reason to worry about anyone breaking in, I stepped off the porch and began my morning run through the woods.

Following the two mile trail I had created over the years, I let my senses run free. Having woken up much earlier than usual, I noticed that the woods were far more silent than they were around 8 am. The mother robin that normally greeted me every morning was curled up nice and warm in her nest with her young keeping warm beneath her wings. Not wanting to wake them, I lightened my steps as I raced past. Not long after I caught the scent of several animals, looking to my right I caught the glimpse of a few deer about 100 meters off the trail minding their own business as they grazed.

As I patted on I could smell the moisture in the morning air as it began to thin due to the heat of the rising sun. I eyed the vibrant green pine needles clinging to the trees, the smell of the cedar wood and sap as it danced in my nose. My inner wolf longed to be let out, to run the trails with his fur blowing in the wind. But I kept him under control, not wanting to risk ripping my pants or losing my shoes. At least not this early, not again. Being a werewolf had its perks; like being able to run faster and longer than any human could ever hope to. I wasn’t The Flash fast, but I’ll admit that I could run the mile in under 3 minutes. Also, having heightened senses made my morning runs even more enjoyable to view the surroundings and smell the lavender that grew several hills over. My wolf begged to be let out every time, but being the Alpha of the Cedar Falls Werewolf pack I had responsibilities and order to uphold. Keeping myself in check was the biggest one.

I eyed the path, as I soon would be taking the last turn that would deliver me to my house once again. I could already smell the coffee, hear the last drop as it dripped into the pot. I could smell the bunny crossing my path. Hear the- BUNNY!

My wolf surged to life, my senses locking onto the poor innocent long eared creature as it raced over my path. I took off like a rocket, giving into the chase, rushing through the brush and over the roots of trees, scratching my flesh against the branches as I went. My wolf barking with anticipation under my skin, Bunny! Bunny! Get the bunny! Get it-get it-get it-get it!

“Seriously? Again?” I hollered, speaking to my inner wolf as I instantly halted the chase, turned and began walking home.  “This is why I hate waking up so early. You always want to play.”

Just like being a werewolf had its perks, it also had its drawbacks, like this situation for instance. Having been a werewolf my entire life I had learned how to control my wolf at an early age. I was able to shift on command and even control my senses in human form. But every time that I was mentally exhausted or didn't get enough sleep, my wolf instincts always ended up overpowering my human half temporarily at some random point or another. Thankfully I could easily get myself back under control soon after, otherwise I'd probably be chowing down on bunny carcass right about now. Which wasn't helping my anxiety.

One thing about being a werewolf and having an inner wolf, it’s not two beings or spirits living in one body. No no. It’s more like a multiple personality. You have one side that is you, the human part that lives life and makes decisions. The side that goes to work and makes a living working in a shop or running a business.. But then you have this other side of you that can be feral, driven on instinct. A side that wants to run free, that wants to play at the worst times, that wants to hunt. If you’re not careful this side of you could do some serious harm if you let it get out of control. We also have four different forms we can take. One being our natural human form. The other being our full natural wolf form, which is the most common shape we take. Allowing us to become one with our wolf on all fours, becoming one with nature. But there are two others in between. The third form is a semi-shift, a form that is mostly human, but our ears grow pointed, our canine teeth sharpen, we grow scruff on our cheeks, and our fingers and toes grow sharp pointed claws. This is much like that tv show Teen Wolf with Tyler Pose, not the movie with Michael J Fox. These three forms allow us to stay in total control of ourselves and our actions, where we balance ourselves with our wolf half. The fourth form, however, is far too dangerous and was deemed forbidden to use long before I was born. This fourth form is the one you hear about in stories of a beast ripping people limb from limb. This form is all wolf instinct, a monster, long limbed, clawed hands, pawed foot, large deadly teeth, all fur. This form is all bite with no reasoning. The more someone uses this form, the more it plays with their mind, their thoughts, convincing them that it’s okay. But if someone uses it too much, they can lose control of their shifts, becoming a raging monster every full moon. A beast that can’t tell the difference between friend or foe, family or villain. Come morning you won’t remember what you had done, but you’ll see the carnage you caused. This form is the reason people fear us, the reason dark stories have been written about us. The form that created nightmares.

It took years of practice as a young boy, but I managed to gain control of my shifts. And vowed to never allow myself to be tempted by the fourth form.

Now, giving my wolf a silent stern talking to as I walked into the house, I poured myself some coffee into my favorite bear mug and made my way back up to my room. Sipping at the hot dark liquid I picked out my clothes for the day, red and black plaid buttoned shirt with blue jeans, and my tan leather boots. I laid them out on my bed before starting the shower. Stepping into the warm water was refreshing after a run in the cool morning air. Grabbing the bar of soap I scrubbed the scent of sweat from my body hair, scrubbed my face and beard, then followed by scrubbing my thick cock and balls, my ass and legs, and back as best I could with a wash rag. Giving a quick rinse, I finished my morning wash by shampooing and conditioning my hair, along with my body hair to keep it from getting too rough and scratchy. The entire time my anxiety continued to toy with me.

Once out of the shower and dried off I quickly got dressed, did my hair up with a neat scramble to the front, put on my favorite sports deodorant and woody scented cologne, and brushed my teeth with fresh mint toothpaste. Once ready to face the day I half jogged down the stairs once more, putting my mug in the dishwasher, poured more coffee into my tin travel mug and headed out the door. My truck waited patiently for me as the sun began to peek over the mountains, glinting off my pickup's shiny red paint. Opening the door I pulled myself into the driver's seat, I paused as I was about to press the start engine button. I found myself looking out the window, even from my driveway I had a view around the corner of my home at the house across the lake. This feeling was starting to worry me. What is it about that house? What's coming?

With that thought, I started the car and left the driveway, heading into town. I was still a couple hours early for work, so I thought it was best to go see the one person who I knew could possibly give me some answers about how I was feeling. Hopefully she could shed some light on the situation.

I pulled up to the curb. Getting out of my truck I peered up at the sign of the shop, ‘Lotions , Potions & Trinkets’'. Locking my truck behind me, I made my way inside. As the door chimed its familiar bell tone,  I heard a young female voice emanate from the back room.

“I'll be with you in a moment.”

I took this opportunity to move my gaze around the shop. To the right and left of the entrance door were two large window displays, both of which had a black Calderon the size of my chest emitting a gray mist, no doubt from smoke machines of some sort. In the left display stood many books of varying sizes and colors, each with different titles about potions, or natural remedies, or even spells for beginners. The display to my right held an assortment of bottles and other sealed cylinders containing several types of lotions, soaps, and even toothpaste. All of which were made from natural ingredients. The shop itself was filled with shelves and tables and baskets, all containing an array of so-called magical stones, crystals, spell books, oils, gems, medallions, candles, even some fabrics and leathers and wires. On the left stood the cashier’s counter, which held most of the jewelry and medallions. Behind the counter the wall held many shelves, each containing the more rare items that were known to us werewolves and sorcerers in town to have real magical properties, and nothing like the fake stuff in the rest of the shop. It also had an entire section dedicated to actual potion ingredients, nothing like wig hair or tiny pebbles, but actual eye of newt, bat fangs, and more. Directly behind the register stood a doorway with hundreds of brown wooden beads hanging down, obviously an attempt to keep people from looking through into the back storage area, while also keeping it stylish. Lastly at the far wall of the shop sat a single brown wooden table, which I recognized as a piece of furniture my company had built for the shop owner. In the center of the table sat a single white orb that seemed to swirl with light blue mist.

The sound of the wooden beads rustling made my head turn. I met the eyes of a young woman I knew to be named Megan. She was no older than twenty-five. Her brown hair seemed to shimmer as the light glistened off it. Her brown eyes had a slight orange tint to them. She was slim, with the body of a swimmer. She smiled at me before giving a bow of her head as she spoke. “Good morning, Alpha Mitchell. How can I help you today?”

Being the werewolf alpha of the town I was often treated with high respect and kindness by anyone who knew. I gave her a smile as I spoke, my deep voice calm but firm. “Good morning, Megan. I have no doubt you already know why I'm here, she often knows who's coming and when.”

Megan gave a little high pitched chuckle, “Yeah, you're right. Nana Uni mentioned you were coming today. She's just finishing with an item order. If you'd please take a seat at the Fortune Table, she'll be right with you.”

This instantly made me feel slightly agitated. If this woman, Nana Uni, knew I was coming, why was she making me wait? As if reading my mind Megan spoke again.

“She said you had extra time before needing to run off to the shop, so you could wait a few minutes for her.”

I was about to protest but stopped myself. The statement wasn't wrong. After all, I had woken up hours before I intended to. I made my way to the round wooden table and sat in the chair facing the cashier’s counter. I looked into the white orb and found myself mesmerized by the swirling mist within. Shortly after I heard the beads rustle once again and looked up to see a graying haired woman slowly walking toward me. I had met this woman several times before and was still unsure about her age, but by the speed of her pace and the way she hunched forward, the wrinkles and dark sun spots on her already dark brown skin, I had to guess she was nearly 100 years old, maybe late 90s at best.

Megan walked next to the old woman, who just tapped her with her wooden can and croaked in a grizzled southern accent. “Thank you, Megan. I’m not that old. I'll be fine, dear.” Megan gave a nod before going back to the counter and began filling out some form of paperwork.

I stood and helped the old woman to the chair opposite where I had sat.  Her dress was a beautiful purple that faded in and out of black all around, golden threads streaked down the full length, each lined perfectly one inch apart. She wore several golden jewelry around her wrists and several of her fingers bore rings. Even with my aid she couldn't seem to stop shaking, even after I had sat her down. She just stared into the orb intently, her head bobbing slightly up and down as her body quaked the way the elderly do. The moment I sat back in my chair, she spoke.

“Ask your question, young man.”

I refrained from chuckling, reminding myself that I may be a middle aged man of 48 years, but she was at least twice my age. I looked up to see her emerald eyes now staring at me with a knowing smile. Okay, I thought to myself. Straight to the point then. I cleared my throat and stroked a hand across my trimmed beard before I spoke. “You know that I am the alpha of the town, and you know that I have an uncanny instinct for sensing when something is coming that is bound to cause harm. But this…this is different somehow. At first I thought it was anxiety from a nightmare, but I can't recall having such a dream last night. And after feeling this way for several hours, I now believe that something is approaching that will inevitably affect my pack and the sorcerers of this town. So, I ask you, Seer. What is coming, and what must I do to prepare?”

The old woman raised a brow as she spoke. “Many things come and go, knowledge of the future you wish for me to bestow. Feelings of what to come are not always what they seem, but to grant my insight a small payment you must redeem. Knowing fully well that the pain will be much. Tell me Alpha, will you grant me your touch?”

It wasn't often that I heard her silly rhymes, but I knew they did not come without warning. I never understood why she used them, possibly to lighten the mood or maybe make it seem more serious. I knew that the visions she received with her gift were all possible futures and often changed as decisions were made, but they were fairly accurate and had saved many lives in the past, and therefore I knew I could trust her. As she spoke the last sentence I watched as she extended a hand toward me, palm up, waiting for my decision. I eyed her hand, knowing fully well that she required my touch in order to have a stronger focus on my future, though temporary it still came with a cost. I knew what she was, that she would draw on the magic of my wolf form in order to fuel her own magic. It would hurt. But she wasn’t what my town feared. She was not a descendant of the man that brought about destruction and death many years prior. She could be trusted. I steadied, took a deep breath, and gave myself three words of encouragement. For. The. Pack. With that I placed my hand in hers.

Pain immediately shot through my hand like a railroad spike, and instantly spread up my arm. I could only guess that it was how it felt to be electrocuted. At the same moment the air was ripped from my lungs, feeling as though I had been punched in the gut. My eyes slammed shut as I winced sharply, desperately wanting to scream but lacked the oxygen to do so. My blood felt as though it was boiling within my veins and being drawn out through my hand with each pump of my heart. I could feel my wolf growing physically weaker with each passing moment. Felt as though my own life energy was being ripped from my body.

She pulled her hand back, and just like that the pain was gone. I knew it had been no longer than merely five seconds or less, but the excruciating pain that came as payment made the seconds feel like minutes. Though my wolf was still a little weak I could feel my strength returning rather quickly. I rubbed my hand as I looked up at the Seer. Her eyes were closed as she curled her brow, focusing with great intent. I felt the table between us begin to shake, and watched as the swirling orb rose several inches and hovered in mid air. I was about to say something when her eyes opened. They were no longer the beautiful emerald green they always were. Now, they were pure white, all hints of color had faded and vanished, not even a hint of her pupil remained. She seemed to stare through me as she spoke, a smile spreading on her face. Her voice echoed as if multiple people were speaking in harmony with her.

“You must follow your instincts. He will try to take that which you hold most dear. A decision will be made that will lead to turmoil, discord, and armies to clash. In these moments you must keep an open mind and trust your heart.  Change is needed if we are to survive.”

As she finished speaking the final sentence she blinked her eyes and they were back to their normal green. She gave me another smile, her voice having returned to normal as spoke again. “You have your answer, Alpha. I suggest you heed the words I have spoken. That is all I am able to give you.”

“I heard,” I stated bluntly. “But all I have are more questions. Who will try to take what I hold dear? What turmoil? What discord? Armies? And don't think I missed that last part about needing change for us to survive? What do you mean by “us"? The town or you sorcerers?”

“You know the rules, Alpha Mitchell. I cannot give you any more detail than what I have. My visions are not that clear.” She held up her finger in a stern manner. “If I tell you too much it either won't come to pass, or it will cause you to make decisions you wouldn't have otherwise, and will make things much worse. Trust yourself, sugar. You'll know it when the time is right.”

I was about to push for more answers, but I knew she was right. I sighed, giving her a nod before standing. I reached out and helped her to her feet, knowing that there would be no pain as it only happened when she required magical essence. Thinking on her words I couldn't help but wonder if I should get a few pack members to come keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe, but that idea was short lived. On the outside she looked like a frail old lady, but after feeling what she could do with a touch on more than one occasion, I was certain she could easily bring anybody to their knees if she wanted. We didn't have much history about Seers, all we knew was that they were extremely rare and very powerful.

“Thank you, Mrs. Uni.” I said with a slight bow of my head.

“I've told you time and time again, Alpha.” She began gently guiding me toward the door. “My dear boy, stop calling me Mrs. I prefer Nana Uni, as I'm the oldest hag in town.” she cackled.

“I recall,” I chuckled as I opened the door, hearing the familiar chime. “But calling you Nana just makes me think of my own grandmother.”

“Ah yes, Susan. I was sad to see her pass. But, I might as well be everyone's grandmother. Now, off you go. But first take a piece of candy.”

I shook my head as I watched her hold out a handful of butterscotch hard candies. Holding up my hand I gave her a smile. “No thank you, I'm alright.”

“I insist. Entertain an old lady, will you.” She held them higher.

I found myself unable to deny her twice. Giving in, I took not one but two pieces, instantly unraveling one and slipping it into my mouth as I put the other in my pocket. I gave her another head bow before I turned and walked to my truck. As I pulled the door shut I heard her shout one last comment. “Do me a favor and tell your brother I said to behave.”

I smiled at her comment, we shared a wave before I backed out and headed to work.

Walking in through the back door of my company building I was greeted by a slap on the shoulder.

“Hey, Luke! You're here early.” Jeff said. Being a workaholic and someone who loved to work with his hands, Jeff always showed up an hour early for his shift. Ever since we were young he had always been there for me. Him and my two other close friends, Gordon and Nate. The four of us had been close friends for many years. I often wondered why I didn't make one of them my second in command of the pack, instead of my younger brother. Jeff poked me in the chest as he continued. “You're looking a little down. What, was that guy a bad lay last night or something?”

I couldn't help but chuckle. Jeff, was my best friend and fellow werewolf, always the jokester, finding a quick way to lighten the mood of nearly any situation. I gave him a quick once-over, taking in his freshly buzzed sandy blonde hair and shaven round face, his blue eyes, his broad shoulders and strong arms, his rotund middle that hugged his tan t-shirt which he kept untucked from his blue jeans. His strong legs filled the blue trousers well, even his tan leather boots which he insisted were for his hikes after work.

Looking back up at him I shook my head, “Actually, the hookup never happened.”

“Ah, that's why you're looking glum, a little pent up.” He patted my back, though a little too hard. “How about you try again tonight? Some fun company might do you good once in a while.”

I chuckled, “No, I'm okay. I know it's cheesy, but I've decided I wouldn't hook up or marry unless it's my fated mate.”

“Awe, the big bad Alpha's gone soft has he?” He reached a hand up and began scratching behind my ear and up to the top of my head. While doing so, he spoke as if to a child. “Da big mut wants some wuv and cuddles.”

I found myself leaning into his hand and was even embarrassingly unable to catch the sound of my wolf groaning with pleasure as it escaped my mouth. In a haste, I instantly pulled back and slapped his hand away. I gave him a glare. “Stop it! You know I hate when you do that. Especially in the morning when I'm tired.” I ran a hand through my hair, doing my best to fix it without a mirror. “And no, I haven't gone soft. You know how the gays in this town are. They see me and see Luke Mitchell, big strong Alpha of the Cedar Falls wolf pack. All I am to them is a tally on their bingo mat. I'm tired of being treated like just another fuck to them. I want something real.”

“Wow, that was deep,” Jeff said as he folded his arm. “Did you rehearse that in front of a mirror?”

I put my head in my hands and slowly drug my fingers down my face as I let out a deep sigh. I gave him a glance before walking away as I answered, “not in a mirror.”

He guffawed as he followed.

I couldn't help but smile as we entered the shop, the smell of worked wood entered my nose. Ever since I was young I enjoyed working with power tools. My interest was so great that I put extreme effort into becoming owner of a lodge furniture manufacturer company, a business I had built from the ground up. Being that the town has its own lumber mill about a mile away, it was the perfect opportunity. Now, my companies supply furniture to not only the entire town, but also to many homes and businesses in the surrounding states. It's possible someone might see our work if they traveled to the lodge at Old Faithful, over half of the furniture there was created right here in my own shop.

I was hoping that I'd be able to distract myself with work, but it didn't go as planned. Throughout my shift I couldn't get Nana Uni's words out of my head. What turmoil and discord was she talking about? Who was she talking about? Follow my instincts, about what? I'm a werewolf, I usually always followed my instincts as my wolf had never led me astray, unless of course I was tired and he had something to chase. But what could happen that threatened a town, especially this town? After the Hunting Massacre of Timber Peak Massachusetts 300 people had died in a hunter raid. My grandfather had promised to make Cedar Falls a safe haven for sorcerers and werewolves. He had vowed that our family line would protect them from any hunters or anyone else that would threaten our peaceful town. We weren't going to allow any hunter to kill anymore werewolves or sorcerers alike just because they had heard the wrong stories about our kind. We had safeguards put in place for that exact reason, wards around the town line to keep anyone wanting to harm us out. Those were unbreakable, weren't they?

And open my mind and heart? I mean, one had to keep an open mind when they were a supernatural creature sworn to protect a town of humans and sorcerers, along with being attracted to the same gender. But open my heart? To what? To change? I recently decided that I wouldn't be with anyone unless they were my fated mate. Perhaps that's what she had been referring to? Was I supposed to-

“Woah Luke!” I heard Jeff shout as my hand was instantly jerked away from the plank of wood I had been running through the table saw. Unknowingly I let my hand get within an inch of the spinning blade and would've lost my thumb had he not pulled me back. “Jeez man, are you trying to lose your fingers?”

I ripped my hand free of his grip, frustrated not because I almost lost a finger, but because I had allowed myself to become so distracted that I needed saving. I was the Alpha, I shouldn’t need saving. “Relax, it would've grown back. . . Maybe.” He gave me a look as if I were crazy. I noticed the rest of the men in the shop stopped to look at what was happening. I could feel my anger rising, but I took a deep breath before I spoke, feeling defeated. “Okay fine, it wouldn't have. Thank you, Jeff. I just. . . have a lot on my mind today.”

Jeff put a hand on my shoulder as he stepped closer. “Why don't you take a break, bud. You're obviously too distracted to be in the shop. I've been working with you for years, I know the drill. Let me run things for the rest of the day. You head home, and I'll close up tonight.”

I glanced around at the rest of the crew. As I made eye contact with each one of them they knew to get back to work. I glanced up at the clock I had hung high on the north wall. 2:49 pm. I couldn't believe I had been so distracted for four hours, it had felt like minutes. I was surprised that I had managed to go this long without an accident.

Looking back to Jeff I nodded and handed him the shop keys. “You're right, but I'm not going home. I'm going to be in my office filing paperwork. Come up after closing.”

He gave a nod and I made my way up the steps in the back of the room. Entering my office I closed the door behind me, making sure to close the blinds to the window that overlooked the shop. I eyed my desk and the pile of papers I had left sitting there for the last week, which contained bills and other inquiries. I knew I needed to get them filed away, but my eyes glanced at the couch I had set in front of the window and I felt it calling my name. Without hesitating further I plopped myself down on the cool leather sofa and was snoring within minutes.

I awoke to the sound of tapping on my office door and Jeff's muffled voice. “Hey bud, it's after six. I've sent everyone home and locked up.”

“Great, thank you Jeff. Come on in.” I stood quickly and adjusted my ruffled clothes, I cleared my throat while I rubbed the back of my head, just as the door opened.

“It's not a problem, I know how to get when- you were sleeping weren't you?” He paused, staring at my face which I had no doubt was red on one side and more than likely covered in crease patterns from being in one position for too long. He entered and sat on the couch, obviously noticing that it was warm from me having been laying there only moments ago.“Jeez, did you come up here and instantly crash? You really are tired if you slept the last three hours of the shift. Are you sure you're alright.”

“Yeah, I just had a late night and didn’t sleep well.” I grunted as I rubbed my eyes and sat next to him.

“No, I know you. Something else is bothering you, what is it.”

I sighed and glanced in his direction. I shrugged before I gave him a rundown of my morning events. I explained how I had been feeling this morning and went to visit the Seer, Nana Uni. I explained what she had told me, word for word, and how that was the reason I almost lost a finger.

“Oh man,” he said with a shake of his head. His stunned amazement was noticeable on his face. “No wonder you've been zoned out all day. What are you going to do?”

I shrugged. “The only thing I can do. Prepare myself and the pack to be ready to face whatever’s coming. Whatever it is, we'll face it together.”

We talked for a couple more hours before I took back my keys and locked the back door as we headed to our cars. I gave my best friend a hug and we went our separate ways for the night. The drive home was relaxing, being that the sun was starting to go down past the mountain ridge and I knew it would be dark within the hour. With the town residing within a valley bowl, surrounded by mountains on all sides, it tended to feel later than it actually was.

Driving down main street I passed Milton's, the dive bar sat almost directly in the center of town, it was the same place I had met the man Jeff tried to get me to hook up with the night before. Odin’s mercy, the guy had been so understanding, though hurt, when I told him I didn't want to sleep with him. I definitely didn't want to make Milton's the “Hook Up Spot''.

After crossing the bridge, I turned right and pulled up my driveway. After turning off the truck I rubbed my hands down my face, the nagging feeling still picked at the back of my mind. Once inside my house, I kicked my boots off by the front door and crossed the living room to my home bar, which I had built myself a little over two years ago. I poured myself a deep glass of Wolf Moon Bourbon Whiskey, being a werewolf I felt it was appropriate to have in my house. Taking a good swig as I made my way up to my room. I opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto my balcony. Leaning against the rail I watched as the crescent moon began to rise. I couldn't wait for the next full moon, which was in a couple weeks. I missed the feeling of its light bath over me before a shift.

I glanced around the lake, seeing its clear waters reflecting the darkening sky as it rippled from the falls. I quickly found myself staring at the house on the other side again, just like I had this morning. I watched it silently as I finished my drink, never taking my eyes off of it as if it would move the moment I did. I didn't know why, but whatever it was that had me on edge today I still had the undeniable feeling that it had something to do with that house.