The conversation

The drive home was calm, I felt strangely at ease; when I talked to Alpha James again all I had to do was convince him to let me stay till graduation and then everything would be okay. That seemed like a decently easy task compared to trying to get a place to stay and the idea of living with Scarlet’s family was a happy one. Pulling into the driveway I was surprised to see lights still on with the fact it was just a little pass midnight; normally the house would be dark when I got home from my shift.

My nerves were on edge seeing the lights on and I remembered before I left the fact Alpha James wanted to talk to me, I tried to not think about that to long though. Maybe Charlotte had stayed up past curfew again and the Alpha or Luna was up waiting for her, it had happened before. I tried shrugging off my unease and turned off my truck before heading in.

Walking in I quickly realize I had every reason to feel uneasy when I see Alpha James sitting in the front room, the look on his face making it clear he was waiting for me. “Alpha James?” I didn’t know how to address him anymore, we barely spoke, yet alone this late in the night. “Rouge. I told you early we needed to talk. Why did you stay out so late?” He asked me, something in his eyes was different, normally they showed some kindness below the surface but tonight he just seemed very distant. “I had work Alpha, I was working the closing shift. I apologize I couldn’t get home sooner.” I replied honestly confused on what could be so important. “We’ll take a seat Rouge.” He motioned to the chair across from him and I quickly sat down trying to calm my nerves, feeling the now familiar pressure in my mind.

“Next week you turn eighteen Rouge and I know their has been a lot of questions on how it will be handled especially being the fact you haven’t yet shifted though you smell wolf. The elders had granted permission for me to raise you although I would have either way but what was never discussed, even with your father was what would happen once you were eighteen, in most packs they’d view you as a threat or a slave but to be honest with you I view you very neutrally. Many have passed around the rumor that at eighteen I’d reject you from the pack lands and make you fend for yourself.” He wasn’t leaving any pauses in the conversation for me to speak so I understood this wasn’t we needed to talk but he needed to tell me. “Rouge, I know it might not seem like it but I care to much for you to just toss you out especially with it being your senior year, I also am aware that Rose has offered you a place once your eighteen, which I have no problem with until graduation.” I tried to speak but once glance told me that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Rouge for your birthday next week, many of the other packs will be coming to visit, you will be presentable at all time and I’ve already requested Rose give you the week off. I am hoping maybe another pack will be willing to take you in. Now they might not want you to be a regular member of the pack, you might be allowed to join a pack under their service but it would keep you safe after graduation.” I looked at him, the reality of his statement sinking in; I would be cast out of the pack one way or another and this was the only way he could think of to possibly keep me safe. “Rouge I know you wanted to stay, and if your mother had survived this would be completely different but this pack has had laws in place for many generations that I can’t simply ignore. I know that you know your life could have started out far worse and I will be forever grateful your father sat aside his pride and brought you back to your mothers pack but I can’t go against everything the pack has followed generations again. By all right I should have tossed you and your father out that night, by all right you should have ended up in one of those rouge orphanage when your father passed and you might have died along side that day.” He was rambling, he had broke eye contact somewhere along the way. “It’s because of the Luna isn’t it?” I asked. His eyes darted up meeting mine briefly, a pain was visible in his eyes that confused me. “Your Luna has her reasons for suggesting we stick to the old laws, I promise it’s not out of hate that we do this. I know we haven’t been as close to you as we could have been and I am sorry for that but we do care for you.” He sighed looking at the clock behind me. “Rouge, I hate to drop all this on you so late yet alone send you off to bed after it all but I do have some early meetings.” He stood up and helped me from my chair, he pulled me into a quick hug before pulling away and walking out of the sitting room. I stood there for a moment. Alpha James hadn’t hugged me in years, why did he look so pained when he did just now? Why was the other packs coming?? Why did I have to leave?? Questions swirled inside my mind, the pressure of my wolf increasing against the door in my mind I knew answered wouldn’t come no matter how long I stood there so with a deep sigh I went upstairs to my room. Sleep did not come easy that night, the hours of tossing and turning went on till I finally fell into a nightmare of a dream.

A large black wolf had me pinned to the ground, I struggled to breathe as it’s large paws pushed against my chest. With each breath a spasm of pain would pass through my body. I was trapped in my human form under this great beast of a wolf as the pressure built up against the barrier, my wolf was attempting to push past it and I fought to stay breathing. A dash of white on it’s ear caught my attention for some bizarre reason. The wolfs breath hot against my skin, blood was starting to pool to the top of my shirt where the wolves nails pressed against my skin, a growl escaped my lips; pain spread across my body then nothing.

I woke with a start; the same nightmare used to come to me soon after my father passed away, always the same wolf. It felt so real each and every time, my chest could still feel the invisible pressure but this time was different. Looking down at my shirt there was small dots of blood exactly where the wolf in my dream had wounded me. Removing my shirt I moved to the mirror, I could see the red marks of wolf prints; the blood came from exactly where the nails would dig in if it had been real. Blinking as if the image in the mirror was just a dream I tried to will myself to wake up. Standing there I realized the truth though, some part of that had been real; the truth was a wolf had truly been baring down on my chest before I woke. Looking around the room I saw no signs of a intruder or for that matter any sign that someone had been in my room at all. Trying to shake the feelings of unease I quickly changed for school and made my way out of the house. Never quite feeling at ease until I was sitting in my truck with the radio blasting.

Driving to school I finally look at the time, realizing that even without my alarm going off I was now running early to school and had enough time to stop at the donut shop a few streets from the school for a donut and a coffee which I knew I’d need. Such restless sleep always resulted in me getting tired later in the day. Pulling in I saw Charlottes car parked a few spaces over and a part of me wondered if her dad had told her yet about the up coming packs being in town and how she would treat me if she knew. A part of me almost didn’t get out of my truck but a hot French vanilla coffee sounded so good, I got out hoping maybe I’d not run into her or her friends. That maybe they were at the book store next door but I knew most likely they wouldn’t be. My nerves picked back up as I approached the donut shop door.

The comforting smell of fresh baked donuts and pastries hit my nose as soon as I opened the doors, bringing a small moment of calm but then I saw Charlotte at the table closet to the cashier. Looking at her group I noticed a new guy, around the same age as her but weirdly enough he was looking at me and seemed not to be paying attention to the group. “I don’t understand why he’s going through all this trouble, just toss her out and be done with it; she’s almost eighteen any way.” I hear Charlotte say clearly upset. “I don’t know but hey it will get her off pack lands soon.” One of her friends say. “Well at least it let me meet Thomas, right hun” Charlotte giggles pulling on the new guys arm trying to snap his attention back to her. “Yeah, yeah. You do know I can’t say for sure your my mate until your eighteen and then you would have to decide my pack or yours to be Luna over Char.” He replies looking down at her. He’s a good six inches taller sitting down with her so probably even taller standing. I shrug off what I’ve over heard and make my way to order my coffee and donuts so I don’t end up hearing more, it was so like Charlotte to make this about her and that new guy didn’t seem all that impressed with her which would start to drive her crazy. I order my normal coffee as well as a cinnamon roll and a freshly done glazed donut. Paying and leaving as quickly as possible trying to avoid Thomas looking at me again. He seemed higher up in his own pack and the last thing I needed was him making Charlotte jealous by him looking at me when she wanted his attention. He wasn’t my type any way, he looked like a surfer; tan skin, blonde hair cut shaggy to look care free although I knew he probably spent a good hour making it look like he didn’t care the only thing I liked was the fact his eyes were deep ocean blue but he really wasn’t my type. I prefer my men to look like a warrior not that I was allowed to date anyway and even if I was able to the Luna made it very clear when I was younger that no one would dare be with me because it could result in the loosing their place in the pack. I didn’t want that for anyone else so any time someone had showed interest I made sure to seem uninterested no matter who they were. I was going be a rouge or in service of a pack after all. Who would want me?