ROWAN.
I walk out of my room and with a little nervousness, a little excitement I head down the stairs where Louis is waiting.
He turns as soon as I begin descending and I see the flare of pleasure and mild surprise at my appearance.
“Not what you were expecting?* I ask as I come to stand in front of him.
“Hmm, that is not it. I was already half expecting you to change your mind,” he replies.
“I promised to give you a chance, didn’t I?”
“Yes, yes you did,” he answers with a smile. “You look lovely by the way. This must be the first time I have seen you in a color that is not monotone.”
“Really? You must not have been looking well enough.”
“I don’t know about that, from the moment I met you, I have been looking and have not stopped since then.”
“Wow, he is good.”
“Shh. They will hear you.”
I roll my eyes at Rina’s and Lisa’s failed attempt at whispering.
“Please, ignore them. I do,” I tell him.
“I don’t even know who you are talking about,” he says with a cheeky smile before extending his hand. “Shall we?”
I smile as I place mine in his before responding. “Yes, we shall.”
And even as we walk out hand in hand, those two terrors still can’t help themselves.
“Have fun you two!”
“Do everything that I would do!”
“Now that is a scary thought,” Louis says.
And I agree.
Arriving in town should not have caused any stir at all.
I have been coming here in Intervals, so the amount of looks we get is unnerving.
“I don’t get it,” I mutter as we walk past another gaping girl. “I have been coming into town before, what is with all the staring now?”
“Have you been walking into town, or into specific places.”
Huh.
I guess he has a point.
Each time I come into town, I am in o e if the cars and I only alight when I am in front of my destination.
Not many people would have seen me, much less recognized me.
“Still, this is a little too much, don’t you think?”
“Not really. We are wolves. We have that otherworldly, slash rugged beauty to us. The way we walk, the way we carry ourselves, it commands attention. Especially when it is two stunning wolves as ourselves. Honestly, the curiosity is warranted,” he explains.
“You don’t mind?” I ask.
“I have on my arm, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. How can I mind? I want them all to see it, to see us.”
“You are cheesy. Or corny. You are both.”
“Maybe, but it is the truth.”
We hand in our tickets and join the moving throng in getting into the cinema hall.
“Would you believe me if I tell you this is the second time I am watching a movie at the cinemas?” I say as we take our seats.
“In this town?”
“In my life.”
“You are joking,” he says with an incredulous look.
“No, I am not,” I respond with a smile. “I never really went out when I was in the Ob- my previous pack. And once I became a rogue, I just didn’t have the time, the resources or the desire to have fun. It was mainly survival.”
“Hm, well you have me now, so there will be many future family trips ahead of us,” he says as he takes my hands and squeezes gently.
“Family?”
“Hmm. You, me and Jhenelle. A family.”
Warmth blooms in my chest at his words and I can’t stop the smile from breaking through.
I probably look like a crazy person with how wide it is. Thankfully, the place is all dark and no one can see it.
“Wow. You are that happy, huh?”
I turn to see him watching my lips with a mischievous smirk.
Right.
No one can see me except a wolf.
“Shut up,” I mutter as I focus on the movie
I hear him chuckle at me but I don’t turn to look at him.
Before too long, I am invested in the movie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“That wasn’t so bad,” Louis says as we walk out of the cinema with the crowd.
“You are the one who chose the movie,” I retort.
“Well, I heard it was an interesting movie. I don’t think romance is my thing.”
“I wouldn’t know. You have been doing well so far.”
“That is high praise coming from you. Are you hungry?”
“What? Are you going to feed me? with which money?” I tease.
“I participated in some tasks today Andi was given a substantial sum,” he says with a smirk.
It is a procedure we have in the coalition. You do some chores or tasks beneficial to the settlement and you get paid, when you want to.
He must have worked himself a lot for this date.
“I wouldn’t mind a corn dog,” I say
“Don’t be coy. Let’s get you something more filing. How about some chicken and chips?”
“And a strawberry milkshake,” I add with a dreamy sigh.
“There we go. Let’s do that.”
We head over to one of the fast food joints where you order at the window and then take a seat on one of the benches to wait.
“What made you choose this town?” he asks as we wait. “To start the coalition?”
“First of all, I never intended to start a coalition. I just wanted a place where we could be safe. And as for the town, the pack was weak enough for us to take over. The peaceful town was a bonus.”
“And-”
“Order for the rogue wolves!”
“Really?” I ask deadpan.
“Oh, come on. It’s funny,” he says as he goes up for it.
I watch him for a few seconds before my eyes wander around.
It is a habit for me now, to always search for danger.
I don’t expect to find anything, so imagine the shock I get when I see a pair of familiar eyes staring right at me.
Eyes from my previous pack.