Claws (Rewritten)

Eight

Chloe

I had fifteen missed calls and tonnes of texts when I left the hospital. I checked the messages as I headed to my car - some from Lyn, some from Markus, some from Caleb and some from our group chat, though they pretty much all said the same thing.

Call us when you get these.

Not for the first time, I found myself wishing that my shift hadn't ran over.

When I got into my car, I called Lyn. She picked up immediately. "What's wrong?" I asked, concern lining my voice.

"Are you on your way back? We have a...a situation." She sounded nervous, almost on the verge of tears.

"What kind of situation?" I left my phone on the passenger seat, switching it to speaker, and began driving back home.

"Well, Markus and I were bored earlier today so we went out into the forest, and Markus shifted, but then his wolf started acting really weird and growling and there was this...this rogue wolf in the forest. When you get back we're heading straight to the pack house," She rushed out.

"A rogue wolf?" I repeated.

"One without a pack," Caleb's voice came through the phone, sounding calm and collected. I had a suspicion that he was putting it on for the sake of Markus and Lyn.

Perhaps that's what the pack had been hiding from Caleb and Markus. A sort of security breach. They must've had a good reason for it - maybe they just didn't want to worry us.

By the sound of it, Lyn was definitely worried. "Are you and Markus okay, Lyn?" I asked, feeling helpless so far away. What good was I stuck in traffic while my friends were having a breakdown?

"I'm okay, but...well, Markus looks ready to shift any second. He thinks the pack knew about it, and we don't know why they haven't mentioned it before," She told me.

"He has good reason to be worried. Rogues are unpredictable. It could've been planning on hurting you both," Caleb said, his voice quieter and holding unmistakable traces of fear.

I heard it, though. "What?!" I exclaimed, the thought of Markus and Lyn being so close to a dangerous wolf making panic consume me.

Caleb answered me this time, the calm, reassuring voice back again. "They're fine, love, I promise. Drive safe, alright? We'll see you soon." With that, he ended the call.

My mind was racing with worry. Despite my will to get home as quickly as possible, pretty much every traffic light turned red as I approached. Typical.

Caleb was waiting for me when I finally arrived. I parked the car and got out, racing towards him. "Are you sure they're okay?" I asked him as he brought me into a brief hug in greeting.

"They are. Markus' pack just haven't experienced a rogue in their territory for a long time, especially one giving off such a dangerous stench." He pulled away and noticed the slight confusion in my eyes, so he elaborated, "Markus and I headed back out there a while ago to check that it had gone. The scent was hardly there but it was unmistakable - this wolf means trouble."

Lyn was calmer when we went inside, though she hugged me tightly when she saw me. Markus was looking out one of the windows at the back of the house, but he ran towards me and hugged me, too. "Honestly, we're good, it just shook us up a bit. You have time to get dressed. We're getting food on the way, too, cause no crazy rogue is going to stop me from eating." He smiled, but it seemed forced. Especially given the concern flickering in his eyes.

We all bundled into Caleb's car once I was ready. Markus commandeered the passenger seat and the aux cord, much to my and Lyn's grief.

"I swear to God if you put on anything pre-2010s, I'm going to magic your mouth away," Lyn grumbled, crossing her arms.