Wolfblood: The Price of Loss Ch. 04

Hector woke up with a start and groaned as the crick in his neck sent a jolt of pain up into his head at the sudden movement. Flexing his head left and right a few times took care of it though, as the sore muscles healed quickly and he sat up on the couch that had been his bed for the past 15 days. His thoughts tumbled through his head at an annoyingly sluggish pace as he realized that he was far from finishing the duty he had assigned himself and was not getting anywhere with his tactics.

From the very start, he'd noticed that Valery was not herself and had wondered at her behavior when she ran out of the cocktail party. His caution had increased however when, as he was driving her to the one private and secluded spot he knew of in that area, she'd suddenly shifted and turned into a wolf, ripping her beautiful dress to shreds. He'd been startled and had yelled in surprise as she'd extended her claws to swipe at him, growling menacingly like she didn't recognize him. The SUV had skidded to a stop as a result and he'd practically yanked the doors off their hinges in anger as he got out and opened one of the back doors so that he could restrain her; if she didn't want to behave, then he would have to convince her to in less than savory ways.

His plans had come crashing down when, as he opened her door, she'd jumped straight at his face with a snarl, making him duck quickly as she soared over his head and took off from the road and into the darkness, her howl fill the air. Hector had stared after her in shock and growing irritation; he really had little patience for out of control situations. But this was Valery he was dealing with and he'd grudgingly gone after her, racing through the darkness and tracing her scent until he found her, or rather found the wolf, pacing around in circles, snarling and growling. He'd approached her carefully, recognizing the madness he saw in the animal's eyes, having seen it in many a vampire's eyes, on numerous occasions. The wolf had stumbled around in the darkness, pausing every so often to growl as if it was in pain and he'd waited, all senses alert, ready to restrain her if she tried something as stupid as attacking him again.

Suddenly the animal had stopped and arched to howl up at the skies, its cry echoing through the night before it collapsed and the fur receded with its form lengthening to turn into Valery. He'd moved quickly then, listening to her beating heart and finding it regular. Hector had taken off his jacket to cover her naked form and carried her unconscious body back to the car, moving as fast as he could with his supernatural speed and driving like a maniac to reach the little cabin he'd had built centuries ago.

It was a sturdy structure built just for him. He'd bought the land over two centuries back and had brought his one and only sire to the cabin to teach her how to best control her abilities. She'd learned slowly, often letting her feral nature get the best of her and he'd been glad that the land was vast and isolated with woods to cover their activities as he'd had to restrain her many times. It seemed like the best place to bring Valery to after she'd displayed such uncharacteristic behavior and he'd had hope that he could help her as he did his sire, then.

It was 15 days later and while they'd made a little progress, Valery didn't seem to be getting much better. She was moody and changed, nothing like the woman he'd gotten to know before and while they'd established a routine of letting her animal out in the late evening, allowing the wolf to run and roam the plains and the woods as Hector followed at a safe distance, she still had instances where she'd lose control and try to get away from him. On many an occasion, he'd watched her hunt down and devour small woodland animals, an act that bespoke of the increased savagery and wildness of her beast and one he could barely stand to watch. No humans had crossed his territory in the 2 weeks however, and he was grateful that their stay there had remained inconspicuous.

The plus side was that she'd managed to establish enough control over her wilder nature and the random shifts had all but stopped, so long as she let the animal out at night. That was when it was most taxing. Granted, his wilder vampire nature loved the chases and the chance to catch his prey, but he hated that he'd often have to restrain her, trying to not hurt her but eventually doing just that as the wolf fought against him, trying to bite and claw its way out of his grip. Its whimpers of pain when he'd finally put a stop to its struggling would eat at him and he found he could barely sleep at night as he heard the girl's own whimpers coming from the bedroom upstairs even when she tried to muffle her crying into the pillow.

It was the same routine day in and out and he was getting frustrated. Valery would sleep fitfully whenever she dropped off and her constant tossing and turning was audible to him, frustrated him and ensured that he couldn't sleep as well.

He sat up on the couch as he heard her groaning, no doubt still asleep and fighting whichever demons appeared in her dreams. Glancing at the clock in the room, he noted it was coming to 6am and quickly made up his mind, standing up and climbing the short flight of stairs leading to the bedroom which he entered without knocking. He found her asleep, tucked underneath the covers with her hair spread out on the pillow beneath her head but even from his distance at the door, he could see the dried but visible tear streaks on her cheeks. His heart sank at the sight and he crossed the room quickly to sit on the bed beside her.

"Valery," he called quietly and lifted his hand to stroke her forehead as she started to stir. She was a light sleeper, he'd noticed over the weeks, and he was loath to disturb her but he couldn't wait any longer.

She opened her eyes, sleep clouding them for a few seconds before they cleared and he saw her focusing on him in the dark.

"Hector?" she asked with a frown, sitting up and angling herself so she could look at him. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"Well, yes and no," he said, chuckling softly as he saw the flash of irritation cross her face. She was certainly quick tempered and he found that irresistibly adorable.

"You need to learn to speak plainly. Especially if you're going to wake me up at ungodly hours of the-"

"It's 6am, Valery," he cut her off.

"Really?" she asked with a frown before she sighed heavily. He was well aware of the dark circles beneath her eyes and the tired, worn-out air that followed her around these days and that's what he planned to put a stop to, that day.

"Yeah, but I suppose I could have left you to have a few more hours of sleep before I woke you up," he said, feeling a little guilt grab his heart.

He'd gotten used to her pulling out uncommon emotions in him. From the time she'd turned his advances down nearly a decade ago, he'd taken a liking to her and had hoped to still stay in contact. While he'd gotten used to women falling into his arms pretty easily over the years, it also hadn't been the first time a girl had been wary of him and turned him down. She'd grown on him and he'd found himself liking their light friendship, even going as far as looking forward to their interactions whenever he was travelling into her city. But there was little he'd ever cared to know about wolves and she hadn't been willing to share, so he'd found himself in a position where he was unable to offer a solution to her problems.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I wasn't having a very...enthralling dream so I'm glad you woke me up," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

He gave her a small smile, rather glad that he'd found her in one of the rare moments when she was a bit more like her old self and more reasonable.

"I have to go back into the city today," he said, watching her face closely for reactions.

"Uh, okay. You don't need my permission for that, Hector. I've been fine during the day for nearly a week now."

"No, you haven't. You've been moody and quick to anger," he responded, looking directly at her, knowing she'd read his stern facial expression even in the dim light. Werewolves' eyesight was almost as good as that of vampires. "I need to know that you won't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Yeah...yeah, sorry about that, but I won't. I'm not exactly stupid, you know" she said calmly, trying to be polite but he could see her bristling underneath at his words and the indignation in her tone was audible. "Will you be back before nightfall, though?"

"About that," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I don't think our routine is working, your progress is very slow and-"

"But I am making progress, Hector," she interrupted him. "I am! I can feel the difference. My wolf is more vocal now and my control is getting better. Please...don't give up on me."

Her heartbeat was getting faster and he could see the slight panic on her face.

"I know I dragged you into this and I'm sorry but...but I really need your help. I'll make it up to you somehow...I promise, I just need to get through this and I will. I promise."

"Valery!" he cut her tirade off, his tone sharper than he'd intended it to be, making her go silent and increasing the panic in her face. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, standing up to start pacing in the small room.

"First of all, I am not going to leave you until I am sure that this whole thing between you and your wolf has been settled," he said, fixing his eyes on her. "But even you have to accept that while you have improved, it's only slightly and you're still more savage and wilder than normal. We need a change in tactics."

She frowned at him, her whole countenance practically screaming out her disagreement with his words but he stared at her, crossing his arms and waiting for her view. She most certainly was not stupid and would eventually come to the same conclusion he had, even if she didn't like it. Her plan...their plan was just simply not working. He watched the emotions play out on her face, warring against each other before she took a deep breath and let it out, her heartbeat finally settling down.

"Ok...so what do you suggest? I'm out of ideas," she said, her tone subdued.

He thought about his words carefully, not wanting her to catch on to his plan.

"I was going into town today to get some more provisions for us, food and whatnot, including clothes for you. You can't keep walking around in my shirts," he said, pausing slightly to see her eyes following him as he paced. "So I was thinking I could elicit the help of somebody who might be more...suited to help you out of this."

There was a pause and he heard her taking another deep breath, no doubt to calm herself, but it wasn't working as her heart rate picked up, racing much faster than before.

"Are you going to talk to someone in my pack?" she asked, her calm tone belying the panic he knew she felt.

"It's for your own good, Valery. I...I can't bear to keep watching you struggling like this. I have to do something about it if you won't."

"Please don't," she practically whispered.

"I have to," he said. "Let's think about this rationally, Valery. Does your pack even know what's going on with you? What about at your job, do they know where you are? You can't just disappear without a thought as to how the people who know you will react."

"If the pack thought there was something wrong, they'd have tracked me down by now...at least I know Richard would have and wouldn't let me hear the end of it. My job is connected to the pack so they'll understand my struggle at the moment," she responded, arguing against his points. "I don't want to bring them into this...it's complicated."

"You keep saying that and I don't want to push you but even you must admit that we've hit a wall with our routine."

Hector stopped his pacing and looked at her form, tired and hunched over in sorrow as he forced the very thing she dreaded on her. He couldn't turn back now and she couldn't stop him. They both knew it and he saw acceptance slowly make its way into her eyes.

The sun was making a slow rise and the dimness in the room had lessened. She got out of bed and walked slowly towards him.

"Ok...ok," she said, her eyes fixed on him. "You do what you must but please, find out what you want without bringing any of them here."

"I won't," he said, admiring her bravery.

Whatever her mate's rejection had done to the beast within her, needed to be reversed, but they were stuck and needed a solution. He hoped his plan would do exactly that and he walked out of the room after giving her a last smile he hoped was reassuring. He was going to nip this thing in the bud if it was the last thing he did.

****

"Can't we just send a scout to go after her, just to make sure she's fine? Heck, I could even volunteer if that'd help," Nicholas said, frustration lacing his every sentence.

"It's not our business, Nicholas. We cannot get involved in a wolf's mating," Jonathan responded, his brow furrowed.

"But it's been 2 weeks! 2 weeks!" he emphasized, hoping someone would be on his side. "Dad, mom, come-on!"

His father turned to look at him, appearing equally frustrated if not more so, but just shook his head and sighed. They were having yet another meeting about Valery except she wasn't there this time. Richard had previously informed them what he'd found when he'd tracked her scent the day after she disappeared and they'd gathered in Jonathan's home on Nicholas' insistence that it was odd for 2 weeks to pass without Valery communicating to anyone. So there they were, seated in their Alpha's living room couches, having a discussion that was very quickly turning against him.

"Jonathan is right, Nick, we cannot interfere in her mating," his father said and Nicholas groaned in frustration.

"But she would have called, you know that. She can't just disappear like that and not call," he tried to argue. He didn't agree with Jonathan's complacence on the situation and continued to challenge his ruling even though the older man was his Alpha.

"Nicholas, dear, you've never been mated before, otherwise it'd make sense that she'd forget to call. You just sort of lose track of everything else except your mate, for a while," Annet responded to him. "I know that's how it was for me."

"I'm sorry honey, but I agree. Richard followed her scent from the cabin to the main road and from there picked up the scent of a vampire. Clearly they left together and we have no reason to suspect that she might be in danger," his mother said, restating the facts for him.

He looked at her in defeat, losing a bit of the fight in him. It just seemed strange and while Valery usually went about her business without consulting anybody, he felt she'd have called or said something before she went off to mate with her vampire. It just wasn't like her.

"I know how you feel son, I feel the same way. The situation doesn't tie together nicely but I need a stronger reason to go and interrupt her mating other than the fact that she didn't call," his father said.

Jonathan felt his wolf bristle at the unspoken order for him to back down. He'd never been prone to following orders that flowed down the pack hierarchy but he'd been feeling his rebellion at them growing even more in the past few months. Valery had been the one person he'd managed to bond with over that fact but now that she'd been gone, he'd been left alone with the growing irritation and had formed a theory as to its source. A theory he was just about ready to test out.

"Well, it doesn't matter what you say, I'm going to track her down," he said, trying not to glare at Jonathan but sticking to his statement.

"Sweetie, you can't do that. What makes you think you can go against your Alpha's instruction-"

"Because I'm an Alpha," he responded quickly, cutting his mother off and looking around the room. "Right? I'm an Alpha and you all know it."

His father groaned and ran both of his hands through his hair.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, staring at his father accusingly.

"Because, Nick, it wasn't my job to," his father responded, all of a sudden looking more tired that he'd seemed a few minutes ago.

"It's a rare enough occurrence to have an Alpha born outside the ruling pack family, Nicholas," Jonathan said, fixing a stern look on him. "But we'd hoped that you'd realize what you were on your own, though your timing is terrible."

"So you all knew? When?" he asked, a little angered at the thought that they'd seen him struggle with orders and being lower in the hierarchy than her felt he should be and had all kept quiet.

"It became quite evident in your teenage years, sweetie. We figured it out then," his mother said, standing up from her seat to go sit next to him. "You had to come to this realization on your own but we'd hoped that it'd happen well into your 5^th decade."

"This is going to be harder than I thought," he mumbled in frustration, his theory having been proven correct. "I still want to go after Valery, though."

"That would be a dangerous move Nicholas. You, being an Alpha and having embraced that fact as of now, cannot directly disobey my directives without it being construed as a declaration that you're no longer under my leadership," Jonathan said, interrupting his thoughts of going off on his own. "You have to think very carefully about it. I'm not against you coming out from my leadership but that, in essence, would you be saying that you're no longer part of this pack."

"Oh, come on!" he cried out, his wolf practically growling within him. "You can't be serious."

"He's right. That's why we'd hoped you'd come into your own when you were more mature and could lead your own pack," his father said, understanding and sympathy softening his eyes. "It might get harder for you to follow pack hierarchy now, but until you're ready to get out, you have to submit to Jonathan."

Nicholas sat back in frustration and tried to calm his agitated beast. He'd never felt more tethered by the pack's rules and wanted to be free of their commands more than anything at that moment but he had to be realistic about the whole situation at that point. He couldn't challenge Jonathan's directives at and go off on his own, at least not yet and he'd known that but to have it laid out flatly for him wasn't making him feel better. That was why he was eager to find Valery again; they'd always bonded over their rebellious nature and he'd felt he could stand the stifling hierarchy a little more if she was enduring it as well. But now he had to deal with the current mess at his feet on his own.

"So sweetie, what will you do?" his mother asked.

"I'll wait, for now," he said, fixing a look on Jonathan before turning away and sighing. This was certainly going to be so much harder than he'd anticipated.

****

Vincent sat on the patio, feeling another wave of fatigue go through him, making him take a deep breath before fixing his thoughts futilely on relaxation. Sleep had had little rest for him of recent and he knew exactly why, practically sighing in resignation as the images that had been tormenting him for the past few weeks played in his mind over and over again, like a torture video on repeat, made specifically for him.

He remembered the phenomenal wolf that had walked into his office three weeks ago. Valery, her name was Valery; he could never forget that beautiful name, he couldn't forget a single thing about her. He remembered her cinnamon scent as she'd walked towards him with all the confidence her hopes had given her. Her lips and the taste of her had stayed with him all those days and her voice as she'd moaned for him, arching herself into his hands had replayed constantly in his mind. The feeling of her blood rushing into his mouth, revitalizing him with a fierce energy he'd never felt before, her soft body pliant underneath his own...oh God, it was almost too much for him to bear every time.