Forgotten Ch. 02

She spun around when she heard the door knob twisting, remembering she had locked it she wondered how long Michael would wait before smashing the door down, that's what werewolves did wasn't it? When the door did not open or smashed to pieces a soft knock rapped on the painted solid wood door. "Shell?" He called, "Come on, open the door."

Michael sounded calm, how dare he be calm with this! "What do you want, Dr. Paterson?" she asked in a formal tone, hiding her fearful quiver poorly.

He winced. "Michelle, please come out of there," he begged his voice pained with desperation.

"And why would I do that?" she retaliated getting angry that he was sounding like the one wronged in all this. She glared at him through the door she was sure he could feel the icy stare.

"I do not want to talk to you through a solid oak door," he leaned his forehead against the door sighing at her stubbornness.

"Tough," she replied crossing her arms, "I'm not going out there with you!" she was pacing anxiously, was it wise to challenge a werewolf? Probably not but she did it anyway.

"Shell, what's wrong?" he pleaded.

"What's wrong?" she echoed him incredulously, "you are a FUCKING WEREWOLF!" she yelled fighting the urge to open the door and tackle him, "When were you going to tell me you were one? Or were you just waiting for me to turn into one so I couldn't escape?"

Michael was getting angry now, "Michelle, you won't turn into werewolf because you already are one." He squeezed the brass handle of the door crushing it in his fingers.

"I think I would have noticed if I were," she spat back at him, "I don't have a problem with silver or have an uncontrollable desire to howl at the moon!" she punched the door, the shockwave going through Michael's head, "And a funny thing, Mickey ..."

"Don't call me that!"

"... I have never turned into a wolf," she snarled through the wood, "ever."

He stepped back from the door, apprehensive at her statement, "Never?" he tried to open the door more forcefully now, cursing his father's criteria for doors in the house, "Michelle, we must talk about this."

"No Michael," she responded, "You are going to leave that room so I can get dressed and I am going to walk out of here." She had adopted her commanding voice the same one she used on the undergraduates when they try to push her to consider them for lab assistants. "Do I make myself clear?"

He hated when she spoke like that she sounded like his father after dealing with pack business, the 'I'll tear your throat out if you disobey me' tone. "Alright," he conceded retreating from the room after pulling on a pair of boxer-shorts.

Shell waited until the bedroom door closed before she unlocked the door and left the chilly bathroom. Moving as quickly as she could she dressed not bothering to tie up her boots and edged her way to the bedroom door. She pressed her ear to the solid wood door straining to hear if it was clear on the other side, which it appeared to be. Opening the door she peeked around.

"Michelle," Michael was waiting for her leaning against the opposite wall, "We need to talk." She saw his blood shot eyes downcast and forlorn.

"You had your chance to talk," she glared at him hardening her exterior to the display of emotion he gave. "You had plenty of time to tell me what you are, yet you chose not to. Why? Was it to trap me into staying? You know if you had asked me I might have said yes."

"Shell ..."

"No, I'm leaving now," she hastily left Michael's presence heading down the staircase towards the main entrance.

Outside the extensive gardens were filled with children of all ages and a few wolf cubs all of different ages. They all seemed happy just playing with each other under the midday sun. Over in the gazebo a teen couple were kissing their hands excitedly roaming over each other's bodies. A rush of guilt ran through her upon spying the two adolescences she turned away and continued down the driveway with increased determination to get home.

A commotion erupted behind her, "Fuck you, Lester!" a girl screamed at someone obviously named Lester. Michelle heard a slap and the telltale sound of stomping feet. "Arsehole!" Shell continued towards the large iron gates. She heard those same feet quicken to a jog, "Hey, where you goin'?"

Michelle stopped, turning to see the girl who had moments ago been kissing the blond boy in the gazebo. "Home," she replied simply.

"I haven't seen you here before," the girl said, she was quite tall nearly a full head above Michelle and had jet-black hair, "who were you visiting last night?"

"Excuse me?" this girl was a little too forward for her liking.

The teen cocked her eyebrow, "you know, visiting?" a cheeky grin crept across her face. After a long silence Michelle looked away wanting to continue her now not so hasty escape.

"Michelle," Michael came jogging out, "Please listen to what I have to say, I beg you."

"Great Horned God Above!" the girl exclaimed excitedly, "The Michelle?"

"Not now Gwen," Michael snapped at her, "I need to speak with Michelle alone."

"You said you were going home," Gwen looked towards Michelle ignoring her brother, "You are home," she lifted Shell's left hand, "you accepted his mating proposal."

"NOT NOW GWEN!" Michael's voice rising to a volume that caught everyone's attention. Michelle took the distraction as the perfect opportunity to run. When Michael returned his gaze to where Michelle stood where he saw an empty space and the distinctive clomping sound of her army boots on the paved driveway. "Shell, please! Come back!"

She was not listening she wanted to get out of there and come hell or high water nothing was going to stop her. Eventually she made it to the large iron gates, they were closed and locked. Not wanting to give up she began to climb the metal barrier kicking her legs over just before Michael could grab her ankle. Ignoring his pleas she continued walking along the quiet country road. She had remembered which direction they had travelled from the night before and retraced it as best as she could.

No more than five minutes into her walk she heard a truck rumbling in the distance behind her turning back and flicking out her thumb summoning the driver's attention and was soon in the truck with a man who looked to be in his mid twenties with a scruffy beard and a dark tan. "So where are you heading, ma'am?" he asked politely.

"Just into town, I'll be fine once I get there," she replied looking out the window.

"So," he asked slowly, "what were you doin' out at the ol' Patterson place?" her head shot around to study his curious expression.

"What do you know about them?" she enquired suspiciously.

"Only that they are the oldest pack in the country," he shrugged changing lanes to over-take a car.

"You know what they are?" she blurted out shocked that some stranger knew the truth about Michael and she who had been a colleague for over ten years knew nothing.

"William, the Alpha, helped my mother about four, maybe five hundred years ago," the driver spoke as though having a mother who could have graced the court of Queen Elizabeth I as a normal thing made her uncomfortable. "He helped protect her from a rival for her territory whilst she was pregnant with me and me sister."

"My God, what are you?" she asked feeling the urge to jump from the vehicle.

"Were-Tiger," he smiled, "And I must say that if you were also a Tiger I would invite you to mate with me this season and carry my first brood."

"What do you think I am?" she asked ignoring the blatant non-human pick up line.

"You're a Wolf, Ma'am," he replied cocking an eyebrow at her in question, "and your mate is a lucky man."

"How do you know I am a Wolf?"

"You ask a lot of questions, ma'am," he took his eyes off the road again trying to figure out where the interrogation was leading.

"How do you know I am a Wolf?" she repeated her fingers tapping the armrest.

"You smell like one?" he answered thinking she was just being stupid, "you smell like a Bitch in heat and you also have the scent of a male on you. Smells a bit like the Alpha but not quite."

Shell felt her stomach drop was Michael telling the truth? Was she already a wolf? And if so, why did she not know? No, he must have done something to her she had no memory of being an animal.

@}-,-'-

Michael retrieved the keys for the gate when he could not climb over it as easily as Michelle did, the females were always more agile than the males regardless on which species of Were they were. His sister did not help at all, yes she was excited to meet Michelle and he had talked about no one else since he met her. Gwen obviously wanted to meet the girl who had captivated her brother but her timing had given Michelle a chance to run without him being able to talk to her. He followed her scent out onto the road and ran to follow it until it stopped dead. "No!" he cried angrily, she had hitchhiked with some stranger and now could be anywhere.

He paced on the spot for a while trying to figure out what he was going to do. His father had the sense to follow his son the situation was unusual and thought that it would not be wise to let him chase his wayward mate on his own. "Do you know where she lives?" William asked his son.

"She told you what happened didn't she," Michael responded, "And no, I would have to get that from Monahan."

William nodded, "I'll drive you," he placed his arm around his son's shoulders, "you are in no condition to be behind the wheel."

They walked back to the compound and Michael sighed, "I guess you won't be giving the pups their music lesson today."