Craving Him | Completed

Chapter-17

Sam

Sam was burning up, the pain on his shoulder was throbbing with every movement. He didn't expect the wound to take so long to heal. It had been at least three days since Rick's wolf bit him in the forest, and he could still feel it's sharp teeth breaking through his flesh. He shivered at the memory. He should have been scared but all he felt was a hollow tug in the pit of his stomach. A fluttering that he couldn't really explain. He couldn't remember much of the night except for the pain and the horror of being caught between those rogues.

He studied his reflection in the murky mirror of his bathroom, leaning down to peer at the obvious red marks of the teeth. There was no blood or infection, visually it looked healed but the pain said otherwise, not to mention the fever that had not left him in the past three days.

Sam put on a thick full-sleeved t-shirt and gym shorts before taking his bike(*bicycle) and riding to the Yoda pack property. He threw his bike at its usual spot under the tree and ran inside the training area. He was slightly late and so was Rick. He dashed to the locker to keep his stuff. The sound of the metal locker door echoed in the empty room.

"Yeah, I saw him." Sam heard a girl say from the women's locker room.

"Are you sure?" another girl said.

Sam wasn't the kind of boy to give heed to gossip but he stopped hearing a familiar name. Rick's name was spoken in a hushed whisper.

"Those are just rumors." the second girl said dismissing the girl who spoke first.

"Rumors hold some truth, you know. Why would he sit with David in the middle of the night by the lake? David was his best friend and he stopped talking to him ever since David got married. What does that tell you?"

"No way!" the other girl said, shocked. "That is so...scandalous. Were they fucking?"

"The way they looked at each other, it looked like they did.'' The girl's laughs pierced Sam's chest like tiny spears. He had to hold on to the locker so as not to lose his footing. He remembered all those times begging for Rick's attention as a child while Rick remained mesmerised by David. They were inseparable as teenagers, how did Sam not see it before? Of course, Rick was single. Of course, his love life was a mystery. He loved David.

Sam slammed the locker door shut with a loud thud and the girls gasped, going silent in the opposite room. When he came out, Rick was standing before the students, wearing a tank-top. His arms were slick with a layer of sweat as if he had been working out.

"Today we will learn to summon our wolf's in a controlled environment." Rick said after everyone formed a circle around him.

Sam's blood ran cold at the prospect of summoning his wolf. Not only was it impossible to command his wolf. He wasn't willing to show Rick his wolf, especially not after what he learned in the locker. It could be a rumor for all he knew, but for some reason it didn't seem like one.

"We will start by closing our eyes and taking deep breaths." Rick walked out of the circle and strolled outside it, passing each student. Everyone including Sam closed his eyes and did as Rick said.

"You will count to ten between each breath." Rick said. "You control your wolf and not the other way round. Remember your training, believe in yourself. You are stronger than your wolf."

"Carl, you are doing great." Rick yelled for everyone to hear. He went to each student and praised their efforts. "Jeena, I know you can do it."

"Let the wolf out. Give it the physical power but you are the one who holds the mental rein."

"You will feel your body morphing, your temperature rising." Rick sounded far, as if he was standing at a distance.

There were sounds in the air of grunting, of ripping clothes, of animalistic growls. Sam opened his eyes a few minutes later and saw most of them had changed to beautiful wolves except for him and a girl. The girl's eyes were closed still, her brows furrowed in concentration.