The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Dressin up

The alpha and the wolves stood at the foot of the hill where the church was located. By the time they were able to look back at the window, the alpha could already sense that his mate was no longer in the room.

"What should we do, Alpha?" The woman asked. She had to dodge a man walking by with a folding table as she spoke and looked after him in annoyance.

During their conversation with the strange man, the once quiet streets had become busy and bustling with people coming and going carrying more decorations and supplies for whatever the event was. It was dangerous for wolves to be out in the open with so many humans; they weren't good in those kinds of social situations.

"We shouldn't be here when that man comes back," The other wolf stated, looking nervously at a little girl not far away who was pointing at them and pulling on her mother's sleeve. "Should we head back into the forest and rest for the night?"

"No." The alpha grunted. He couldn't stomach the idea of that, even if it might be the best thing to do. "This amount of movement might be just the distraction we need to blend in."

"Wolves don't blend in," The woman reminded. "We stick out."

"Well we're just going to have to try."

"Julie, come on. We were supposed to be here by six and we're almost late!" A woman's voice cut through the air. She was headed right towards the church and the wolves shared a knowing look before scattering out of the way. "Your makeup looks fine."

The woman, who appeared to be in her late forties, had frizzy blonde hair and tired eyes. She was dressed in gray capri pants and a silky orange blouse with a deep neckline. She carried a large cream leather purse in one arm and applied lipstick as she walked with the other. Behind her was her daughter who had matching blonde hair which was artificially straightened and the tiredness in her eyes was exchanged for nerves. She had on a pale lavender spaghetti strap dress that reached just above her knees. The skirt was tulle and had a fluffy shape to it which puffed from side to side as she walked. Her outfit was finished with a white sash that cinched in her waist and matched her pointed pumps. She carried a small pink compact in her hand as she blushed her cheeks in the tiny mirror.

The girl said nothing to her mother as she walked, but tripped halfway up the stone stairs which led from the street up to the church and the rectory. Her mother ran back to her with a squawk and managed to steady her back to an upright position. They both continued walking after that, only slower.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs they moved away from the church, through the churchyard, and over to the yellow rectory, just as the man who'd threatened the wolves had done. The alpha wordlessly pressed forward once they were out of sight on the white porch of the rectory so as to hear what was going on above.

"You're here, Miss Goodwin. Glad you could make it!" The alpha heard, followed by the footsteps of several other people. He instantly knew that his mate had come out with the people as the wonderful and intoxicating scent he had only just begun to know filled the air. To Elijah, Teddy smelled warm and sweet like vanilla but with a bit of a deeper cinnamon spice. The fragrance was finished off with a lingering dash of floral sophistication that Elijah couldn't quite place. He longed desperately to see his mate again but the yellow building sat farther back from the edge of the hill so he was unable to make out anyone not standing right at the edge of the porch from below.

Though he couldn't see, the alpha could sense that four people, including Teddy, had come out on the porch to greet the new guests.

"Yes, yes! And such a wonderful day for the festival this year, I was so worried it would rain! Wasn't I Julie? I think I told everyone I thought it might rain, but it doesn't look like it will, does it?" Being that she answered, the alpha assumed that the woman dressed in orange must have been Miss Goodwin.