A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Four

"Stupid essay," I mumble, crumbling up another failed attempt at outlining my paper. Why do I have to write this stupid essay on intersex pregnancies? I know how my biology works, but I do not want to get stuck taking the final.

With a sigh, I alternate between looking at my notes and looking at a few different medical websites. About an hour later, I have my entire essay outlined, all there is left to do is write it. But, that is for another day.

I put all my schoolwork back into my backpack before heading into my small kitchen. Fixing myself some dinner, I look at my now bare looking apartment. All of my personal belongings are packed away into the boxes scattered around the room. Really, there are only four boxes. Thankfully, I don't have too much stuff, it will make it easier when we move in a couple of days.

Quinn, Lena, and I have been going on dates with our mates every few days. In fact, I have one with Braeden tomorrow. This will be our last one before we move in together. The dates have been going okay. Braeden has slowly lost some of his broodiness, and I finally found out why he was so standoffish towards me.

I guess he didn't like being mated with a fox. That was something I should have suspected, seeing as he was arguing with Mr. Sheridan about it on the first day. He seems to slowly be getting over it, but there is still a long way to go. While Lena and Lottie have already had their first kiss, Braeden and I are still working up to the hand holding stage of our relationship.

Taking my dishes into the kitchen, I start the electric kettle, hoping to have some hot tea while watching some television.

My phone rings while I am walking into the living room with my steaming mug. Placing the mug down and wrapping myself in a blanket while sitting on the couch, I answer the phone.

"Hel-" I am cut off by a familiar voice before I can even say a greeting.

"Henley, turn on the news. Something weird is going on," I hear Quinn say.

Doing as he says, I turn on the evening news to see the usual broadcaster talking to Mayor Klarr. His hair isn't as neat as it usually is, and his polar bear ears are twitching every few seconds as if he is agitated.

I keep the phone to my ear as I tune into what they are saying on the television. "Mayor Klarr," the broadcaster says, "there have been some rumors lately about a possible viral outbreak affecting hybrids. Is this true?"

"Yes, but we have it all under control. There is no need for anyone to worry," he tells her, ears twitching again.

"Really?" The broadcaster mentions. "We have some reports of some hybrids in other colonies being affected by this outbreak. Do you think it is a possibility that it will reach our own colony of Coatia?"

"No, there is no possibility. We have the hu-, I mean carriers of the disease under control." The smile on his face is turning more menacing by the minute.

I hear Quinn talking to me over the phone. "What do you think he was about to say before he caught himself?"

"I don't know," I whisper. "He has been acting so strange lately."

By the time I am done talking to Quinn, the broadcaster is thanking the mayor for his time and changing to a new topic. I turn the television on mute and lay down on my couch.

"Do you think he was going to say... human?" Quinn says in a soft voice. Opening my once closed eyes, I think about what my best friend had just said.

"Humans?" I say into the phone. "That's impossible, Quinn. Humans are extinct." I run my fingers through my hair, wincing when they catch on knots.

"I don't know, Henley. We have never really learned about how they determined all the humans were dead. There could have been some who were immune to the disease."

"But why lie to us?" I say, burrowing further into the couch in order to find a comfortable position. I hear a laugh come over the phone.

"All governments lie. Ours is no different than the ones that came before it," Quinn says, tiredness ringing through his voice.

"I guess that's true."

We stay silent for a few minutes, but I hang up the phone whenever I hear gentle snores. We have been exhausted lately. Studying for finals and trying to develop a relationship with our mates is hard work.

Dragging myself off the couch, I stumble into my bedroom. Collapsing on my bed, I don't even bother to take my clothes off or get under the covers. I am asleep in a matter of seconds.

*****

"Did you watch the news last night?" I ask Braeden, taking a sip of the hot tea I had ordered. We are in the same coffee shop that we had gone to on our first date. It is our favorite place to meet up, seeing as the food and drinks are delicious.

"What part?" Braeden watches as I take a bite of my sandwich. He has his own drink but finished his sandwich a while ago.

"The interview the broadcaster had with the mayor." I glance up at my mate and see him nod his head. "Did he seem odd to you?"

"You mean the part where he stumbled and almost said humans?" He raises an eyebrow at me when I choke on the bite I had just taken. Reaching across the table, he pats my back until I stop coughing.

"You-you saw that, too?" I ask, wheezing while trying to clear my throat.

"Well, yeah," Braeden says, retracting his hand and placing it back around his coffee mug. "Lottie, Link, and I have noticed him acting strange lately whenever he gives a speech. But Lena works at City Hall. I can't remember what her title is, but she organizes all the messages that go through the mayor's office. Her mom used to work there before she passed away, and she was able to secure her that position."

"Oh, that's neat," I give him a small smile and Braeden just nods his head and gives me one of his own.

"Anyways," Braeden says, looking back down at the table. "She says the mayor has been acting differently than he was about a year ago. Something about how short tempered he is now, and he is always whispering into his phone. Whenever anyone asks him what is going on, he snaps at them."

"Odd," I mutter, taking a drink of my coffee. We're silent for a few minutes. Deciding to change the subject, I ask Braeden about Sophia.

"What about her?" he asks, leaning back in his chair.

"Don't you miss having her as your girlfriend?" I look up at him, noticing the confusion in his blue eyes.

"She was never my girlfriend. Just a fuck buddy," he says as if it is no big deal. Nodding my head, I glance back down at the table.

"And what about us?" I question. My finger is running around the edge of my cup, distracting me from looking up at him.

He is silent for a moment. I feel something warm on top of my hand, stilling my fingers. Looking up, I notice it's his hand, and he twines his fingers with mine. "We're getting there."

I raise an eyebrow at him and smile at the blush rising in his cheeks. "I-I mean mates. O-obviously it will be more than a meaningless fuck."

Giving his hand a squeeze, I silence his rambling. "I know what you meant, Braeden." He smiles at me and squeezes my hand in return.

"Are you ready to move in together?" he asks, rubbing his thumb along the back of my hand. Thinking about it, we have come a long way since our first date. We don't really have a choice in the matter, but I guess we will get used to it. We will have to. Hopefully, everything will just keep getting better.

"Yeah," I say quietly.

"Come on, let's head home. We've been here for a while now," he says, pulling me from my seat and out the door. We hold hands all the way back to my apartment.