And There Were Wolves

two | rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky

and he's passing by / rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky / and he feels like home / if the shoe fits, walk in it everywhere you go

As the afternoon was winding down, I parked my motorcycle in the garage and removed my helmet. Monday was packed, but luckily, I only worked for a short time. My boss was more than okay with it — he must have noticed that something was off with me and that I needed time off. Ever since that peculiar encounter with Ryker a few days ago, thoughts of him and the sensation of his touch have been lingering in my mind, occupying my thoughts for almost every hour of the day.

I fondled the keychain that Ryker had once given me before pulling the key out and sticking it inside my pocket. With my backpack on one shoulder, I entered the pack house through the door that linked the garage to the pack house. Surprisingly enough, someone must've forgotten to turn on the light because everything was dark. A moment before I caught a glimpse of light, I heard the sound of people singing Happy Birthday.

Gradually, I began to recognize each of them as they approached. They were Eros, Dmitry, Dmitry's cousin Trish, and a couple of our friends. Dmitry was holding the cake at first before Eros took it from him, saying, "You and your emotionless face don't suit this celebration, mate." My best friend approached me with a beautiful cake with birthday candles on top of it. "Happy birthday, Xyrra."

It completely slipped my mind that today was my birthday and, truthfully, I wasn't feeling up to celebrating. Nevertheless, upon seeing their faces and their effort, I managed to put on a happy smile and blow out the candles, making a wish. Someone turned on the lights and Trish was the first to throw her arms around me.

"Happy birthday, Xy! I hope all your wishes come true! You know whatever you want, I'll give it to you, girl!" After planting a kiss on both of my cheeks, she moved away to give others a chance to congratulate me.

Eros gave me the longest hug and handed me a small intriguing box, saying that I should open it when no one was around. I laughed and slipped it into my pocket. A few pack members who were invited also shared their wishes. Dmitry was the last one to talk to me.

I was in the kitchen, fixing myself a drink, when he suddenly approached me. I had a near-heart attack when I turned around to grab the vodka bottle and saw him standing right behind me. My hand came in contact with his abdomen and I quickly retracted it. "Gosh, you scared me." Since I couldn't step back with the kitchen island pressing against my lower back, I tried to move around him.

Dmitry seemed to pick up on my uneasiness as his brow gave a little, barely recognizable twitch, and he muttered an apology while stepping back. "My apologies."

"What's up?" I lifted my eyes and locked with his captivating brown gaze.

"I came to wish you a happy birthday." He slid his hand into the front pocket of his black trousers and pulled out a small box. Handing me the black box adorned with a silver ribbon, he said, "Here, this is for you."

"Thanks." I pulled the silver ribbon and opened the lid to reveal a beautiful necklace with a very intricate pendant. I picked it up and studied it for a minute. I had never seen anything like this before in my life. As my thumb moved delicately across the flower-shaped pendant, I got the impression that this necklace had been around longer than I had. Intrigued, I looked up and asked, "Is this an antique or something?"

His eyebrow twitched once more. "Do you not like it?"

"No, I love it. It's very beautiful," I quickly told him. "I was just wondering because this doesn't look like it came from this day and age."