3: Who was that masked man

"Ri'elle... Who was that man? And why did he think i should know him..?" I ask.

Ri'elle is quite for a moment, thoughtful. Then he stands and enters the house, I know from years of friendship that i am expected to wait here, so i do. When he returns he is holding a small golden bowl, a bundle of sage, and a lighter. He lights the sage, and starts to chant quietly under his breath. He taps the sage against the bowl, and swirls the smoke around and around my head. He silently stares at the smoke for so long that i start to worry that the spirits are giving him grave news indeed. When he speaks, i am not at all prepared for what he says. 

Ri'elle speaks slowly, making sure i don't miss a word. "Annie... The spirits... they say, well, they say that he is your Inamorato... Your other half... your Mate." 

"But... Ri'elle, your mother told mine when i was born without a wolf i would never have an Inamorato, I am destined to a life alone..." I let my voice trail off, not knowing what else there is to say on the subject. 

"Well, I don't know what to tell you about that.  I wasn't there. What i do know is that i have more to tell you. You do have a wolf. The spirits can sense her, she is faint, only just barely there. I think... Yes, they agree, we think there must be some sort of curse over you. Though i have no idea who may have wanted to curse you as a baby... That makes little sense to me." Ri'elle finishes speaking just as Micheal and Peter return with a man who is supposedly my Inamorato between them. 

"You followed me here?" I ask him, I cannot explain the hurt in my voice even to myself. He locks eyes with me, but only for a moment before he returns his gaze to the ground. 

It is Micheal who answers me "No, he didn't follow you, only your scent. We found him two blocks away, following your scent at a leisurely pace, almost like he was not sure he wanted to be following it." 

"Did he hurt you?" I ask Micheal. "Or you Peter?" 

The both say no, then Peter adds. "He didn't even pay attention to us, not until we told him that we could bring him to you, and then he followed us without comment." I stand and approach them cautiously. I am still a few paces away when the wid shifts, blowing his scent towards me, and many thingsd happen at once. 

First, his scent envelops me, like lilac, honey, and something i cant quite place that reminds me of the woods. 

The man howl's like he is in immeasurable pain. 

I barely have time to register either of these things, when i see a blinding purple light, i hear a womans voice calling my name at the top of her lungs, and i crumble to the ground, immobile.