I am just about asleep when the door slowly opens. I am not sure how, but I know it’s Owen. He is calm and seems concerned."Mel, are you okay?"I sit up in bed quickly and look at him. The room is so dark I can't see his face, but I can make out his silhouette.How do I answer that? No, I am not okay, but I don't understand why I'm not okay. I am trying to protect myself and keep my personal feelings to the side, but every time I'm near you, my heart skips a beat. No, I can't say that. Maybe telling him the truth is the best course of action, you know what they say, ‘honesty is the best policy.’"Owen. I should apologize to you. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that I know you don't date. When we were at dinner, it felt like a date. That scared me. I don't want to get to know someone only to have them walk out of my life in three months.""I don't plan on leaving in three months. I need you to trust me, Mel. We build trust by answering and asking questions.""You gave me the shorte
I wake up feeling incredibly hot. I slowly open my eyes to see Owen. He is holding me to his body like a child does a lovey. Prying myself from his grasp, I slip out of bed. After drinking a bottle of water right before bed, I must use the bathroom. I grab his shirt off the floor and make my way down the hall. When I finish, I know there is no going back to sleep. Maybe I should make Owen breakfast. What does he like for breakfast? I open the fridge and, to my surprise, find it fully stocked. I grab eggs, bacon, and milk. Then I open the pantry and pull out sugar, flour, and vanilla extract. I find bowls, pans, and utensils before getting to work.I start to think of Sam while I am mixing the ingredients to make pancakes. She and I would wake up on Saturday morning and cook breakfast. French toast was her favorite, while mine is chocolate chip waffles. Our mom would still be out with some random guy. She usually left Friday night, and we saw her sometime on Sunday or early Monday.I a
Snow crunched under my feet as I ran. I could hear the creature behind me, and it was gaining. I needed a plan. Maybe climb a tree? Find a weapon? Something and fast. All of a sudden, it was in front of me—a giant dark brown wolf. I screamed; its red eyes met my grey as it licked its lips."You don't want to eat me. I promise I don't taste good. I might smell sweet, but that's just perfume." It took a step closer to me. I took a step back; when I did, it growled. I took another step back. It snarled at me and leaped forward; I closed my eyes and braced for the impact.
I woke up Sunday morning. It was already nine. When we signed the contract, Owen told me I could leave at ten. I didn't want to go, but this was a business deal. I got out of bed, went to the spare room where my things were, and started packing up. When I finished packing, I brought my bag into the living room. It was almost ten. Should I wake Owen and tell him I'm about to leave? Maybe just a note?I decided on the note.Owen,I didn't want to wake you, but I know the contract said to leave at ten. I'll see you next Friday at 7.MelWith that done, I called a cab and left.I should have known Rachel would be waiting for me. There were no pleasantries; instead, I was met with "He's got a nice dick, right?". All I could do was roll my eyes and turn red. "You look so relaxed. If I knew all you needed was a good dicking, I would have gotten you laid a long time ago," she gave me a sly smile."Do you have to be so crude, Rach?""Yes," she looked at me as if I was the idiot for even asking.
OwenI run out of Mel's apartment. All I see is red; my wolf is snarling demanding blood."She didn't deserve the pain in her life. Kill everyone who made her cry. All her tears need avenging!""They will pay, we need to figure out how to make her life easier for now."
It's finally Friday. I have barely slept this week. Every night has been bad dreams, or sleep would not even come to me. I probably look like a dumpster fire. There are bags under my eyes, my face lost color, and holding a conversation is way harder than it should be. I look like a zombie and act like one too.Owen doesn't look much better. "Have you had a hard time sleeping too?" I ask him."Yeah, it's been a rough week."
Owen – 2 Weeks LaterI have been thinking up a way to tell Mel the truth. But I know the reaction is not going to be good. After Mel told me the news her survey was going to be allowed in other schools, I was excited for her. It was a big deal; every school had its institutional review board to determine the ethics of the research. She could have gone out and asked individual teachers, but then she would not have been allowed to call them teachers. Having the IRB of every school, she sent the survey to agree was almost unheard of; she was excited, and I was proud of her.
Owen"Hey, handsome, I have great news.""Andrea, why are you here?"She walks into my office and sits on top of my desk. She sits, so she is facing me with her legs apart, trying to entice me by giving me a clear view of something I don't want. "I have decided we are mates. I keep trying to fill my
EpilogueFour Years Later“Wyatt and Maverick, Nana is here.” I heard little feet running down the hall while I finished fastening Amelia into her car seat. “I think I packed her enough milk for the weekend.”“She will be fine, Mel; I am excited to have my granddaughter for the first time. It’s your fifth anniversary, go out, and have fun. They will be fine; if anything happens, I will call.”Little voice screamed, “Nana!” and wrapped their arms around Vanessa's legs. Wyatt looked up at me. He is now four, and I don’t know where the time has gone. “Is Millie coming with us this time?” He was protective of his little sister. Amelia just turned ten months and had both of her brothers, as well as her father, wrapped around her little finger. All she needed was to make a noise, and one of th
Wyatt is now eight weeks old. Owen has come by every day to see him. He loves being a father. I am not ready to be without Wyatt for long, but having Owen around is a big help. Yesterday he took Wyatt out for a walk in his stroller, so I could get some work done. Owen has also brought food when he comes over, which is often. I am not sure if he cooks it or Vanessa does, but it’s always delicious. He will plate our food then wait for me to finish with Wyatt and eat with him. Owen has also spent the night a few times so I could get a full night’s sleep. He sleeps on the couch or the floor in Wyatt’s room, so he doesn’t disturb me. That is until last night:FlashbackI quietly left Wyatt’s room. He was defiantly a little man, fell right to sleep after eating. Owen was cooking something in the kitchen that filled the air with a mouth-watering scent. “What are you making?&
OwenIn the last few weeks, I have watched Mel at the university. I worry about her, the campus is quiet, and with her being pregnant, I have concerns. Every day she goes to lunch with a man. He’s tall, over six foot with dark hair and tan skin. He laughs at Mel’s jokes, and she laughs at his. The day I decided to go and talk to her was the first day I saw her eating lunch with him. After that day, they seemed to be together a lot.With the way they interact, I am afraid they are more than friends. I should be happy she isn’t alone. I typically bring my laptop to do work, and at night my mother and I take a course to become doulas. It was something I didn’t want to do at first, but when mom told me about how it would impress Mel, I caved. It is Mel’s last day of giving finals. The finals should end around f
It’s been a month since the incident with Andrea and Jennifer. Owen texts me at least once a week asking me how I’m feeling and if I need anything. I haven’t gotten to see him in person since, but he is at least staying in touch.Since the beginning of the summer semester a couple of weeks ago, I have gotten close to a work colleague named Evan. Dr. Harris asked me if I wanted to make extra money over the summer by teaching a course, and I jumped at the chance. The class would end two weeks before my due date, so I felt confident that nothing would interfere with teaching.Evan also recently completed his Ph.D. in humanities. Since the university staff as few people as possible during the summer he and I met in the café during lunch. I was getting food, specifically, chocolate pudding, when one of the fitness instructors asked me, “Are you going to feed your baby that?” shocked a
I brought Owen to the back entrance of the club, he got out and grabbed a spare key from inside a fake rock. Unlocking the door, he ushered me inside. We walked into his office, “Sit on the couch, and I will go grab the first aid kit.” I turned and left before he could argue. Going up to his apartment, I grabbed the first aid kit from inside the master bathroom. Opening it quickly, I checked the kit for gauze, tape, and disinfectant spray. Finding everything in place, I shut the kit and went back downstairs. “Okay, can you either lean forward or lay on your stomach?”“What would be easiest for you?” Owen’s eyes traveled to my stomach. “Are you okay?” His eyes went back up to meet mine.“I just need you in a position so I can get at the cut. I need to clean it and find out how deep it is.” The look in his eyes told me that his worry is far greater than
OwenI spent today training the younger kids self-defense. When I finally got back to the packhouse, it was well after nine. I should have let the kids go home earlier, as I am sure for some, it was past their bedtime. I walked into my office, Jennifer came by as soon as I sat down, and I asked if I needed anything. She wanted to go out with some friends; I didn’t care what she did, so I told her to go.My mother called a few minutes later. I left my cell in my office while training. “Hey, mom.”“Owen, darling. What time are you meeting, Mel?”“What? Meeting Mel? We didn’t have plans to meet.” I said in a confused voice.“Mel thinks she is meeting you. She figured out you were behind everything and wanted to talk with you.” My mother stated.
I moved into my new place a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t take much from my apartment on campus, I sold or gave away all the furniture. The only things I took were kitchen items, books, and clothes. Everything else was already in my new place, waiting for me.Today Vanessa, Leana, and Rachel were throwing me a baby shower. It seems I am moving at a snail pace these days, and I know it will only get worse. My current due date is the beginning of August, so I have a little over two month to go.Rachel told me to where baby blue today, and lucky for me, I found a maxi dress in the perfect shade. Wearing a long dress also meant I could wear flip flops and no pants. I got into my car and headed for the address Vanessa gave me. When I pulled up, I was surprised to see they rented a hall. To my knowledge, I didn’t have that many friends, but this place looked huge.I parked in a spot th
OwenEveryone came outside. I watched Mel put her hand over her mouth and hug everyone. She tried to say it was too much, but none let her finish. I smiled, knowing Mel was going to keep it. I watched as she explored the car, how her eyes lit up when she says the moon roof and the way Mel smiled when she saw the car seat.When people started going in, Mel stayed behind for a moment. Then she looked at me, panicked, I turn and ran. If she saw me, she may know I was behind getting her the car. On the other side of the territory, I hid a pair of shorts. Grabbing them, I ran to the forest near my club. Then I shifted back, putting on the shorts, and pretended to be out jogging.The next morning, I woke up to a few pictures from my mother. She finished the nursery, and it looked amazing. I told her to thank you and began finishing up some things before heading back to the pack. Getting i
It was finally Friday, and after I finished my day at work, I headed to Derrick’s former pack. It was a long drive, but I enjoyed the scenery. When I pulled up to the WoodMoon packhouse, I was surprised at how many people were there.Walking inside, I found balloons, and a group of pack members yelled, “surprise!”. I never had a surprise party before. Leana gave Sam and I a couple of birthday parties but nothing like this.“Thank you, everyone! This is amazing.” There was a nice dinner that Cindy and James helped prepare. Even Rachel and Rodger came. They seemed to be in love.The biggest surprise by far was when Derrick handed me keys to a new car. We went outside, and I found the latest Hyundai Palisade model. It had to be one of the premium models because it had a moon roof. It was a sleek charcoal grey, and the interior was black leather. What surprised me m