True Nature

12

It didn't matter that it was a short, 5 second sprint to his car. By the time we got there my jacket and jeans had absorbed a ridiculous amount of water and my teeth were beginning to chatter loudly with the cold. Tobias was quiet as he held the passenger door open wide enough for me to slip and squelch my way haphazardly inside. The leather seat of his car squeaked noisily as I shifted about, excruciatingly aware of the wet mud caked onto the bottom of my shoes and the spotless interior. I felt bad at the mess I was leaving behind before I reminded myself that, as far as I was concerned, this was a borderline kidnapping situation and kidnappers do not deserve to receive sympathy for ruined upholstery.

The minute he slammed the car door shut behind me, all my brain registered was the scent. In the small, cramped space, the smell of fresh leather mixed with clean, male sweat was intoxicatingly potent, and I gritted my teeth, fighting my wolf again who was drunk happy on the addictive smell. I watched apprehensive through the side mirror as Tobias quickly skirted behind and around the car before clambering into the driver's seat, his door clicking shut with an echoing finality. We had never been properly alone together in such a private, confined space before and my nerves were frazzled with awareness, jittery legs tap dancing on the floor. It felt as though his presence took up all the available space and there didn't seem to be enough oxygen left over for me to breathe normally anymore.

His slid me a glance, probably noting my tense posture, before breathing out shortly and flicking the switch to turn the heating on. Then, without warning, he reached down and grabbed the hem of his damp jersey, dragging it up and over his head. I tried to avert my eyes lighting-speed, but they flicked back involuntary as his fingers accidentally caught and pulled up the bottom of his t-shirt. I felt my mouth dry at the sight of his muscled stomach on display, slightly dewy from the rain, and my mind went blank.

He cleared his throat, interrupting my creepy staring, and my eyes shot up to latch on to his smug ones, noting with chagrin the now teasing smile gracing his lips. I quickly turned to face the window to hide my reddening face and shut my eyes briefly, inwardly debating whether or not I could get away with pretending to be asleep for the rest of the journey. Dammit, he had caught me looking at him again. No worse, blatantly ogling.

"Seatbelt." He ordered, his aggravatingly cheerful voice breaking the awkward silence. I rolled my eyes childishly as I buckled myself in, still embarrassed. Damn Alpha wolves and their ego. 

"Where are we going?" I asked softly a couple of seconds later, once I had my wits back.

"You'll find out soon." His vague response was the opposite of reassuring. I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to insist on an explanation before thinking better of it. I didn't completely trust him but, if anything happened to me, Tobias would be prime suspect number one with Nat and old Archie as my witnesses, I decided confidently.

I spent the next 10 minutes watching the countryside fly by through rain streaked windows, trying not to be affected by Tobias's presence beside me yet all the while subtly taking deep breaths of his scent like a crazy person. We suddenly hit a bumpy, unfamiliar road and I focused more closely on the view from the window, frowning when I didn't recognise our destination. "Where are we?" I asked again, trying to keep the slight edge of dread out of my voice.

"My house." He tossed out casually, parking his car at the end of the road before jumping out and making his way around to my door. The rain had lightened up a bit by now, though it was still steadily pouring down, and by the time he reached my side, his t-shirt was a second skin on him.

I was riveted by his deliciously toned back as he walked me up the drive, then as we reached the entrance, left peering up in awe at what can only be described as a masterpiece of a house. Ivy wound artistically up the two-story, 19th century stone building, the large, Victorian windows to the back and sides of the house overlooking the scenic beauty of the forest. I followed Tobias inside, letting my admiring gaze roam the elegant architecture. 

If the outside of the house was beautiful in its simplicity, the inside was a touch too bare, the white walls in desperate need of decoration or some kind of personal touch. There wasn't much furniture either, I noticed as he guided me through another door into the kitchen and left me there momentarily. He was probably just renting, I reasoned logically, but my heart still ached a little in sympathy at the lonely atmosphere of the place.

Said feelings, funnily enough though, dissolved as soon as he reappeared at the door again, this time without a shirt on. I inhaled suddenly and somehow managed to choke on air. He had to be doing this on purpose to throw me off my game, I thought provoked. It's true that most wolves are, in general, more comfortable with nudity than humans. Most of us have seen each other naked once or twice before, as it's sort of inevitable when we have pack runs. However, this situation - us alone together, him half-naked and practically preening - was not so familiar to me, considering my love life was practically non-existent. Stupid Alpha wolves always looking for opportunities to show off, I thought grumpily. 

"Tea?" he asked innocently, his expression mirthful.

"Please." I managed to choke out, busying myself with taking off my sopping wet rain jacket and scarf. A minute later I was sitting on a wooden table chair, my palms hugging my warm mug of tea to my chest and waiting for him to break the silence.

"So" he murmured eventually, getting straight to the point. "Care to explain what happened Friday night?" No going back now, I brooded apprehensively.

"Can you put on a shirt first please?" He snickered a bit but promptly did as I asked, returning to the kitchen 30 seconds later in another of his black t-shirts. He leaned back against the kitchen counter, palms resting on the ledge, and nodded his chin at me to continue. I took a deep breath before explaining properly, for the first time, everything that had happened as I remembered it, glossing over, of course, my inexplicable interaction with the rouge at the end.

"You have no idea why he let you go?" He questioned lightly, his expression neutral.

"No." A brief silence followed as he put down his own mug and stood up straight. He was so tall, I thought, as he stalked over into my personal space, stopping a couple inches away.

"Listen Ivy." My heart gave a surprised bump when he said my name. "The wolf that attacked you and Chloe got away after he saw both of your faces." He paused as if to let the seriousness of that sink in. "We don't know exactly what his agenda is, but that puts you and her in danger and its vitally important that I know exactly what happened that night so I can protect both of you if it becomes necessary."

I felt my face pale. My eyes were frantically scanning his face for signs he was bluffing, but he was watching me intensely, his gaze serious. Me, a target? The idea was laughable. But the rouge's euphoric expression as we made eye contact and the inexplicable thing that happened between us once again flashed across my mind, only this time a bit more sinisterly.

I thought of Chloe and how my silence could affect her and dropped my head, admitting defeat. I had to tell him something, I thought, resigned. I looked up and made eye-contact, feeling almost vulnerable in the unexpected intimacy of the moment. "I don't know what exactly happened, but he was behaving strangely, especially after we made eye-contact." I swallowed. "You see I-"

"Tobias!" My voice faltered at the unexpected disruption. Taken by surprise, we both swivelled simultaneously to face the direction the sickly sweet voice had come from. I saw with some shock that Ruby was standing haughtily in the kitchen doorway, a fake smile plastered on her face for Tobias, and the promise of a world of pain in her eyes for me.