VIKTOR.
NB: CONVERSATIONS WITH WOLVES ARE DONE INTERNALLY.
I return to our spot with my hands full only ro find Rowan missing.
“What the-”
Where did she go?
Turning, I look around trying to find her in the crowd, no such luck.
“She couldn’t have gone back to the pack now, could she?” I mutter to myself as I head back to the food truck.
“Excuse me,” I call to one of the servers. “Can I have a to go pack for all these?”
“Sure thing. Give me a moment.”
Less than a minute later, I’m carrying two brown bags, moving through the crowd searching for my mate.
Everything was going well, wasn’t it?
She was smiling, teasing me, we were good.
So what could happen that would cause her to leave like that?
“Maybe she was spooked?” My wolf supplies.
“Spooked? I don’t know about that, Rowan doesn’t spook that easily,” I tell him.
“Well something happened.”
“You are very helpful, you know that right?” I tell him sarcastically.
“You are very welcome,” he responds in a similar tone.
I shove him to the back of my mind as I head to the parking lot where the jeep is and that is where I see her.
Inside the car.
“Rowan?” I call quietly as I get into it. She looks pale and … terrified. Her eyes keep wandering around the lot and she seems somewhat diminished, like she was trying to hide herself.
Appear smaller.
Less obvious.
“Rowan?” I call again. “What happened?”
She doesn’t say anything.
In fact, I don’t think she realizes I am in the car.
Slowly, so as to not to startle her, I lean closer to her, so that she can see me approaching before I actually touch her.
It works
Her eyes latch onto mine on my movement, and I see the exact moment recognition flashes into her eyes.
“Louis,” she whispers and it breaks my heart.
It breaks at how lost and afraid she sounds. Like she can’t exactly trust me but she wants to.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me. Louis. Are you okay? What happened?”
“Uh… nothing. I just… I just got tired.”
That is such a blatant and poorly crafted lie, that I am surprised it even came out of her mouth
“Rowan. You can’t seriously expect me to believe that, right? Talk to me, please. I want to help you. To know you. And I can’t do that if you are unwilling to let me in.”
She stares at me for a few seconds before she blinks away the fear and doubt.
“I thought… I think… I think I saw someone.”
“Someone? Do you know the person? From where?”
“From my past. From… the pack.”
Oh.
“Oh.”
“He… he was one of them… he was one of the people that beat me up before I was…”
“Got it,” I say before turning back to the door about to get out. “Where did you see him? What does he look like? Did he see you?”
“Wait, where are you going? Louis, get back into the jeep. Louis!”
I hear the side of her door alam shut and her footsteps hurry to catch up to me but I don’t stop.
One if those bastards are here and he is going to die.
“Louis!” She snaps. “Stop it already! You don’t even know who he is. And for all I know, I might have just imagined it.”
“Really? And how many times do you imagine seeing people from your past, huh? Come on, answer. I am waiting.”
“Not much,” she mutters.
“Not much?”
“Rarely okay! Almost never!”
“There you have it. So, it is most likely you saw him. Did he see you?”
“I… I think so.”
“Damn it!” I curse. “Where did you see him? Tell me what he looks like.”
“Louis, come on. It doesn’t matter. We had a nice day today, let’s not ruin it with them. Let’s go home.”
But he has already ruined it.
She ran, scared.
I will kill him.
I will kill them all.
“Come on, let’s go home,” she coaxes me.
I let her lead me back to the jeep and we begin our ride home.
It is quiet, both of us lost in our thoughts, the cheer of the day gone and the food forgotten.
If whoever she saw recognized her then he must be going back to report to the one that hurt her.
Which means he might come back to try and finish the job.
Good.
It means I can kill him myself.
“You are still thinking about killing him, aren’t you?”
“No, I am not.”
“Yes, you are. It is fine Louis, I can handle myself,” she says.
“I know you can. That is not my problem.”
“Then what is it?”
I take a deep breath before I speak up.
“You looked terrified. I hate, hate, seeing that look on your face. I want to wipe out everyone and anyone who is capable of putting that look on your face. Why can’t I?”
“Because… They are from a pack. And we are rogues. I cannot afford to jeopardize the tentative peace we have because of my own issues.”
Damn it.
She has a point
Very well.
Louis might not be able to kill him but Viktor can.
And he will.
“Fine,” I say, pretending to give in. “You are right.”
I pack the car in front of the mansion and get out to open her side.
“I will let it go ”
“Really?” She asks with suspicion. “Just like that? Why?”
“Because you asked, oh so nicely. And also because I don’t want to do anything that will cause you harm or worry.”
“Thank you,” she says as she smiles beatifically at me
“I don’t suppose you will tell me the name of the pack, just for knowing sake.”
“No, not a chance,” she says with a scoff. “I had a good day today.”
“Maybe we can have another one?”
“Maybe,” she says as she walks in.
I wait for a few minutes before I open the mind link.
“Andre, meet me at the town’s border.”
“Yes, Alpha.”