Chapter 15
“Who’s that?” I asked, gesturing towards a red–headed guy standing alone in the corner.
My friend shrugged. “I think his name’s Jackson. He’s been to a few of these meetings, but he’s really quiet. Keeps to
himself.”
I nodded, still watching the stranger off in the distance. Something about him seemed familiar. The way he cupped his glass in both hands as he sipped, the way he quickly looked from person to person as he gazed across the room. I could have sworn he was like me a werewolf.
1 excused myself from the conversation with Vanessa and decided to go get to know this stranger a little better. As I approached, I saw him push his shoulders back, righting his posture. So he was a little uncomfortable around people, I told myself. That doesn’t mean he’s a werewolf. You’re probably just feeling homesick again.
As I approached, the stranger put his hand over the top of his glass. I reached out to shake his hand, and he fumbled around. trying to set the glass on the table and shake at the same time.
“Hi. I greeted him warmly, shaking his hand. “I’m Marlene, or Marlie if you prefer. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
The stranger cleared his throat. His clear, green eyes caught mine, and a shy smile crept across his face. “I’m Jackson,” he replied. “Yeah, I’ve stopped by a few of these meetings, but not in a while.”
I nodded. “Yeah, life gets busy. It’s hard to stay so involved with a club, am I right?” I chuckled.
The stranger laughed. “Yeah, I mean, I love rock collecting, but with all the classwork, and with graduation around the corner, it’s just hard to make time for hobbies.”
I nodded and gestured towards the stranger’s glass. “So, what are you drinking?” 1 asked, innocently.
Immediately. I could see this question made Jackson nervous. He reached for his glass, grabbing it almost defensively. “Oh. uhh just wine. Red wine,” he stammered.
Maybe my instincts had been right! Maybe this guy was a werewolf after all. What were the chances? I had never seen a wolf with red hair before, but perhaps he was from a colony far away
I moved a little closer to him, hoping to catch a whiff of his drink. Finally, I decided to just bend over and smell it. If he was a human after all, he’d just think I was a crazy girl trying to smell his wine, and that wouldn’t be
so bad.
Sure enough, as I moved my nose closer to the drink, I took in a familiar aroma. Blood tea. Indeed, he was a werewolf!
I almost let out a squeal. It had been months since I’d met another wolf. In fact, I had always assumed I was the only one here at Ithaca College. Had this guy been here all along?
I stepped a little closer to the red–haired wolf and whispered, “blood tea? I’ve been known to indulge myself”
The red–haired wolf’s eyes grew wide with the sudden realization that he, too, had just encountered one of his own.
“Really?” he gasped. “You’re…. You’re..”
“The same as you,” I said quietly, not wanting anyone nearby to overhear our conversation.
The red wolf gently grabbed my arm and led me outside. As soon as we were outside the building, he pulled me around the corner and said, excitedly, “Oh my God! I thought I was the only one!”
1 giggled. “Me too! I mean.. how long have you been here? It’s my fourth year. I’m due to graduate next month.”
“Me too!” Jackson exclaimed. “What’s your major?”
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Chapter 15
“English lit. You?” I asked.
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“Computer science. No wonder we never met!” Jackson replied,
I looked around to check whether we were alone. There were a few humans walking down the sidewalk, so I decided we had better not risk it. “Do you want to walk to the park and talk more” I asked.
Jackson nodded. “Absolutely! I’m not really that interested in rocks, anyways. I just have to come to at least three. extracurricular activities for my humanities class.”
I giggled at the idea of a werewolf attending a humanities class, and then we were on our way
to the park.
Jackson and I sat down on a bench, and we hit it off immediately. He explained how he’d come here from Ireland when he was 18, even though his parents had begged him to stay behind. He had really wanted to study computer science and make a career for himself in the human world. He explained how, for the past four years, he too had assumed he was the only wolf on campus
“So, you drink blood tea and just hope nobody will notice?” I asked, curious about his choice of beverage.
“Yeah, I have a cousin who sends it to me in care packages. Actually, nobody has ever questioned it. They all just assume it’s wine I don’t think humans can smell the blood like we can,” he explained.
“Interesting theory. I guess we’ll never know what they can and can’t smell!” I quipped.
“Ah. it is just so refreshing to finally be around another wolf!” Jackson exclaimed.
“Shhh” I replied, not wanting to be overheard.
Jackson looked around, nervously.
“It’s okay. We’re alone. I’m just so used to having to hide,” I explained.
Jackson nodded and leaned back on the bench. “So, where are you from?” he asked.
“I grew up in a pack in Vermont. Fairwood. You may have heard of it? We’re always in the Werewolf Metro for our voting system and our progressive education programs,” I explained.
“Haven’t heard of it, but then again, I’m not from around here, Jackson replied. “Sounds like a nice place.”
“It is. I had a great upbringing there, really. We really focused on humanization from an early age, and I think it’s helped me blend in here at Ithaca,” I replied, suddenly noticing how enthralled I was with Jackson’s Irish accent.
“Yeah, my youth was just about the opposite. The Hedge is soooo traditional. I had a really hard time suppressing my urges the first semester. Iswear my roommate saw me transition a few times and was just too scared to say anything,” Jackson replied, his voice drifting off towards the end.
“I so wish we would have found each other back then!” I exclaimed, reflecting on my own awkward encounters freshunan
year
“Me too! You seem like such a cool girl,” Jackson replied, excitedly.
As Jackson spoke, I realized he reached over and placed his hand behind my neck. I didn’t move or push him aside, but his -url did make my heartbeat quicken a bit. I was having a hard ane focusing on the conversation after that. All I could
think about was this cute Irish wolf sitting next to me, and how much better the next few months were going to be now that I knew at least one other wall in college.
Jackson looked me deep in the eyes, and before I knew it, our lips were pressed together. His embrace felt warm and inviting, and I melted into it, welcoming the physical contart.
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We made out for a few minutes before reclining on the bench and beginning to people–watch. “Look at that one over there. What do you suspect she’d look like if she were a wolf?” Jackson asked.
I laughed. My brothers and 1 used to play this game when we went into the human towns back home. “I bet she’d be really short with stubby legs and uneven fur. I giggled,
“And maybe a few bald patches by her tail?” Jackson added, shaking his head from side to side.
“Haha. Exactly.” I agreed.
Before long, the sun started setting in the sky. Jackson walked me back to my apartment, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead before heading on his way. “I’ll see you around, Marlie We’ll have to get drinks sometime. You know, the good kind,” he said.
I winked at him and closed the door. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I actually preferred human beverages to blood tea. And if drinking blood tea was what it took to spend time with another wolf, I was more than happy to pay that price.
I had trouble falling asleep that night. As excited as I was to meet another wolf, I was worried he was more attracted to me than I was to him. My mother always told me that when I met my one true mate, I would know it. I would feel an impossible–to–ignore sensation in my neck and spine, and I’d be drawn to that wolf like nobody else. I hadn’t felt that with Jackson not when we made out in the park, and not now when he’d kissed me goodbye. That truth was hard to deny. But then again, who said we couldn’t still be friends, and maybe even date if that’s where things headed? I was still young, and right now.. I needed the company of another wolf. Even if this guy wasn’t my one true mate, he seemed nice and charming enough. I didn’t need a mate bond to be happy. That was way too wolfish for my taste, anyways.
I tried to push the memories of Jackson aside and stop the tears from falling. The shower was now growing cold, and so I climbed out, drying myself off, I realized I didn’t have any clean clothes to put on. I considered putting the gray tights and sweater back on, but decided against it after remembering how badly they smelled.
As awkward as it was, I really had no choice. I wrapped myself up in a towel and gingerly stepped out of the bathroom.
Thankfully, Jackson and Lenore had moved to the living room. Our eyes awkwardly met as I stepped out of the bathroom, and I heard Jackson start to say something. But I ignored him and made a beeline for the bedroom.
I tried not to think too much about the messy bedsheets or the piles of clothing by the side of the bed as I rummaged through my own dresser to find things to wear. I realized I was still shivering a little. Spending so long out in the cold this morning had truly chilled me to the bone, and I was certain I would soon become ill as a result. In an effort to chase out the cold, I pulled on two layers of tights- a thin one, followed by a thicker fleece one- along with a thick sweater and a longer cardigan.
I reached for my brush and ran it through my hair quickly. Then, I looked around the room. What was I going to do with all this stuff? There were the matching dressers. They were mine. Then, there was the bed itself, which I had purchased when we moved in. Not to mention, I had mountains of clothes in here. I’d been meaning to go through them and donate some things, but I hadn’t gotten around to it.
I pushed some things to the side in the closet and pulled out my large, rolling suitcase. I started to toss clothing inside of it, not taking the time to fold or neatly situate anything. Perhaps just because I was still so cold, I packed the warmest items
I was waiting for Jackson or Lenore to come down the hall and say something to me, but they didn’t. So, I just kept packing My large suitcase filled, I pulled one of my larger purses out of the closet. I remembered how Jackson and I used to use it to sneak snacks into the movie theater, back when we were poor students with low–paying jobs. This memory, once a happy one, made the tears start to well up in my eyes again.
I shoved all of the makeup and accessories I could fit into the purse, and took a deep breath. This was all I really needed. I wasn’t sure yet where I was going to go, or where I could stay. Be at least I was now clean, warm, and ready to get out of here.
I cautiously stepped our of the bedroom and male any way down the hall. Jackson and Lenore were awkwardly sitting on the sofa, waiting for me like angry parents wait for their disobedient child to come home so they can sculd then.
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Chapter 15
“What are you looking at?” I scoffed as I walked into the room, wanting to speak before they did.
“I just do you need anything?” Jackson asked, tentatively.
“I’ll leave if you want me to.” Lenore offered.
P
I let out an exasperated sigh. “No, I don’t need you to. I don’t need anything from you. I’m just getting my things and then I’ll be out of your way. Forever.”
I realized once the words left my mouth that I sounded a bit like a grumpy, immature teenager, but I didn’t really care. I set my purse down on top of this suitcase, grabbed a reusable bag from the kitchen cupboard, and started filling it with some kitchen essentials.
Jackson and Lenore remained on the couch. I saw them exchange an awkward glance, seemingly unsure of what to do or say to me. All the better, I told myself. They deserve to feel bad.
Now that I was in the kitchen, I wasn’t really sure what I needed to take, I tossed a couple of protein bars into my bag because I knew I’d be hungry as soon as I got out of here. I threw in a mug that I got as a gift from my old boss, and a couple of plates that were my grandma’s. I paused to wrap them in paper towels, hoping this would keep them from breaking
Finally, I looked around at the kitchen, and then at Jackson and Lenore.
“Well, that’s all I need. Rest is yours. Have fun. Have a great life. Hope you enjoy telling this story to your pups one day,” I said, my voice cold and hostile.
Jackson got up from the couch and started walking towards me. What about the lease?” he asked.
“What about it?” I replied..
“We’re both on it. Don’t you want to discuss who’s going to keep the apartment? I mean… I’m open to moving, if that’s what you want.”
I shook my head. “No, don’t bother. You can have it. I leave for Gaulten in like, a week, anyways. I’ll figure something else out after that
“Suit yourself,” Jackson replied, sitting back down on the couch. Lenore looked at him. He shrugged, apologetically.
I balanced my purse and the grocery bag on the suitcase, and wheeled it out the door. Just before leaving, I turned around and called back into the apartment.
“I should have left you years ago! I KNEW you didn’t feel the mate bond, either!”
With that, the door slammed shut. I smiled with a newfound sense of confidence. I was closing the door on that stage of my life, and opening the door to a new Marlie a Marlie who took care of herself and put her own needs first.
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