Kurzgeschichten

An offer (part two of the english short story)

"I need to tell you something. I don't know if anyone told you that before but... well it is important to me so...", Albion says shy.
Tessa grins at him and encourages him to speak what lays on his heart.
"You do know werewolf have partners?", He asks.
"Yes, I mean humans also have partners. What's the matter, Albion?", Tessa is confused.
"Just let me explain... Do you know they have some kind of soulmate? Short form is just mate? Their mate is their only real partner and only with him or her they are strongest.", Albion explains and looks her in the eyes. The blue color shimmers and stares at him directly.
"Well, I did know that we have some kind of partner but not like this. Isn't it awful to can't chose who you love and who you can be with?", she answers thoughtful.
Albion looks uncomfortable but plays it over. He shrugs:" yeah, well Chrm I don't know... uh I gotta go, see you in the evening." He stands up, hugs her lightly but soft and leaves the house trough the backdoor. He is probably buying groceries or meeting some friend.
He lefts Tessa alone who feels comfortable in this house. She was here now for a few days and real liked it.
Mela comes downstairs and grins widely and Tessa:" how you doing girl? And where is al?"
" Thanks, I am fine. And you? I don't know he said he had to go. Maybe he is meeting a friend, I don't know... And Mela, when is the next full moon and where do you guys shift?"
"I am good. Don't you feel it in your skin, in your bones when the next full moon is? At least I can feel it. But nevermind, it is in 3 days. Normally we change in some cabin in the woods, which we built some time ago, it is wolf-proof." She laughs and Tessa sees her teeths which are sharper than usual.
"But Albion said something about rescuing other wolfs from this lab. I think he searches the rest from our pack. He is an alpha ya know."
Tessa eyes widens, Albion an Alpha. She felt this strange feeling around him, sure, but it wasn't really the feeling of respect which you have in front of an alpha. It was some kind of other feeling Tessa couldn't classify.
" But where is the pack? Aren't they supposed to stay around him? Protect him, I mean a pack is like a family, isn't it?"
Tessa was never in a pack, a long time ago she lived in a orphanage, until she was attacked one evening after she was out secretly. The attacker was a werewolf and that how she got her disease. For her it was a burden, not a gift. After she had discovered she also changes on full moons she left the orphanage and lived on the street. Alone, forgotten and abandoned from the society, until these people from the lab found her.
"The alpha decides. And Albion decided that we can stay here if we want, but we needn't. Some guys or girls returned to their family, but when his call arrives them they have to come. I stay here because I have nowhere else to go and I am albinos closest friend, I am the betha."
Tessa looks with new eyes at Mela, the girl seems tough and she must be pretty strong if she was a betha and Albion must really like her that she was, but somehow Tessa senses that mela is not so different from her. She looks exhausted and broken when she thinks nobody is observing her. And Tessa was sorry for that. For Tessa herself all hope is forlorn. She is broken and alone. She has nowhere else to go, except to stay here, but she couldn't stay here forever. She isn't even part of the pack. She truly has nobody.
And in this moment, where she recognizes it, tears fill her eyes and she forces herself not to cry in front of Mela. But a single sob escapes her mouth.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?", Mela asks immediately and looks sorry.
"No it's not you, it's just... I don't have a place to go, except the street and I am all alone, I don't even have a pack..."
For an instant mela looks at her with a strangely look but than she looks normal again. It was probably Tessa's imagination.
Then she grins: "oh darling, I think you can stay here, trust me. He wouldn't have brough you here if he hadn't want you in his pack. I know him well, so you don't have to worry about it. Maybe he wants this full moon for the initiation in his pack, you know?"
Tessa shrugs: " I don't know... but I guess we will see."

Later in the evening Tessa hears how the door opens and then closes. Footsteps and murmuring of voices, then a bright hell laughter.

"Oh man, Albion, you idjit.", the guy laughs and walks into the living room, where Tessa sits on the couch, watching some talk show.

"And you must be Tessa. I am Luke.", he looks at her and grins widely. He has dark blonde, curly hair and brown eyes. Full lips and white teeths. He is awfully gorgeaus.

"I am pleased to meet you Luke.", Tessa says politely.

"Sure you are.", he grins again and then two other guys enter the room. It is Albion and another guy, who Tessa doesn't know.

"Tessa, this is Jack. The others of the pack will arrive in the next days."

I wave at him and then put my interest in the talk show.

"Don't wanna know where Al was, Tessa?", Luke asks.

"Why? Obvously he met you and Jack, so why should I ask? It is none of my business, I am even a member of his pack."

"Ah Tessa, I forgot to ask.", Al explains and glares at Luke, "I wanted it to make more formal, but that doesn't matter now, as Luke can't shut up. Wanna be a member of my pack?"

Tessa stares at him, speechles. She never thought he would ask her. She was homeless nearly her whole live and she is still pretty screwed up.

"So? Are you not gonna say anything or...?", he trails off, unsure what to say if she refuses his offer.

Then her face transforms to a grin: "Oh gosh, of course I wanna be a member! Thank you so much, Albion. I'd never thought... I had not been in a pack since I was bitten. So thank you soo much!"

"I am glad you took my offer.", he seems relieved and then smirks.

"Who wants to eat pizza?", he says louder and from upstairs Tessa can hear Mela shouting: "Me, me, I want a pizza! Margaritha ya know!"
And so they order some pizza and eat it while watching some random TV- series.

"You know, you must be marked by the alpha, so everyone can see in which pack you are. Otherwise you'd be an omega.", Luke explains and smirkes at Albion.

She shrughs with her shoulders: "Okay, where? I don't care at all, I am glad you took me in and I can stay here."

Al now looks uncomfortable: "I will have to scratch you on the full moon. I hope it won't hurt that much."

"Never mind, I am not a porcelain doll, you know?", Tessa smiles softly and finishes her pizza.

"If you don't mind... I am still a little tired and want to go to bed now..."

"No prob, maybe Al can escort you.", Luke mumbles and smirks at Al. Tessa pretends she didn't hear anything and waits on Albions answer.

"Yeah, sure. Good night, Tessa."

Tessa gets up and goes to bed.

It feels like the dark ceiling looks back at her and Tessa shivers. In that moment it reminds her of the ceiling in her cell in the lab. Dark and dangerous. She feels like the doc could come in any minute and take her to another painful experiment. Suddenly she can't breathe. Her chest tightened and her pulse fastened. Desperate she closes her eyes and tries to think of other, beautiful things, but she can't. She thinks she is still in the cell, alone in the dark. But then her thoughts go to another subject. To the eyes of somebody, dark blue. In that moment she can't remember from whom the eyes are, but she only knows this person is important for her.

And then she calms down, the thought of his eyes calm her down and her breath eases, as does her pulse.

And then, alone in the dark room, she smiles. The first real smile in what seemed like a century.