Whispers of the Wolf

My Friend

Alaric

Walking away from Radley, leaving him fast asleep in my bed, was not something I wanted to do. My wolf was whimpering in my mind, trying to get me to turn back, to crawl into bed with my mate.

Between his wolf trying to force him to shift, to finding out that he was a werewolf ... Radley had had all kinds of shocks today. His body would need to get used to it. To recover. But my wolf didn't understand that. He just saw his mate in pain and wanted to comfort him, and he was whimpering loudly in my head, hating the fact we were walking away from Radley.

"But, Mom, so much of this doesn't make sense." I followed her as she walked along the hallway towards the stairs, while trying to block out the noise of my wolf. "Why is Radley's wolf just showing up now? He's nearly nineteen ... he should have had his wolf for almost a year now."

Mom stopped, and spun on her heel, her eyes glazed. "I think some of this was because of a decision. Made nearly nineteen years ago." She sniffed and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Your grandfather made a decision all those years ago that hasn't helped Radley at all."

"What are you talking about, Mom?" As if today wasn't confusing enough, my mother was talking in riddles.

She reached out and squeezed my hand, a tear running down her cheek. "We'll talk later. When your father comes home. He's talking with Claudia now. To get some more answers before we ... talk to Radley."

"Mom, please, just tell me." I pleaded. "What is it? What's going on?"

She pulled her hands back. "Let's wait for your father." She wrapped her arms around her waist. "Why don't you ... look after Radley. Watch over him while he sleeps. I think his wolf has forced him to rest, to gather some strength. He's had shock after shock today." She glanced over my shoulder towards my bedroom door. "Poor guy."

"But, Mom ..."

She held a hand up, silencing both me and my wolf. "We'll talk later, Alaric." Her words were stern, but the shake in her voice and tears in her eyes gave away her true emotions. My wolf whimpered once more, and I was pretty sure it was because his Luna was sad.

I stood where I was and watched as she walked away, disappearing down the stairs.

Running a shaky hand down my face, I heaved a sigh. This was all too much. For me. For Radley.

How would Orion fair under all of this information?

Fuck! Orion ... Radley still didn't know he was here, in the cells.

Shit.

That would be another shock to add to Radley's already fragile state.

I could feel my wolf lying down, his nose buried in his front paws. It seemed that he was just as confused as me.

Fucking hell.

"You okay?"

My head snapped up. Enzo was walking towards me along the hallway, his face etched in concern, his blonde hair a mess.

"No." I answered his question, walking towards him to meet him in a hug.

Fuck. I needed this guy, my best friend. Now more than ever.

"It's all one big fucking mess," I mumbled as I pulled away, wiping at my eyes. More tears. Radley. My mother. Me. All three of us just couldn't stop fucking crying.

"What's going on?" Enzo squeezed my shoulder. "Seriously ... what the fuck?"

Shrugging, I leaned my back against the wall behind me, knocking my head against the plaster. "Beats me. First, I found one mate. Then, another mate pops up out of fucking nowhere. And not only is he a human, he's a fucking wolf hunter. Now I find out that Radley has a wolf after all ..."