Blair
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. A pale, dark haired girl with haunted brown eyes that looked enormous set against a face made gaunt from hunger and malnutrition stared back at me. I studied my sunken cheeks and chapped lips sadly, thankful that at least, the swelling was gone and the bruises mostly faded.
Grunge emo chick.
Mac’s words echoed in my head and I let out a sigh. To think my life had come to this, where a bastard like Mac Walsh could casually level insults my way and assume I was a drug addict because of my physical appearance.
Not that I blamed him, I did look exactly like he’d described, I’d give him that, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. I’d endured years of verbal abuse from Resse that I thought I’d developed a thick skin, but somehow, Mac’s words cut me deeper than I cared to admit.
My lips trembled as unwanted memories swarmed me, triggering tendrils of anxiety that tightened a vice around my chest squeezing until every breath was a struggle. I gripped the edge of the sink, head bowed as I gasped out each breath, willing myself to stay calm. I was thankful it was still early enough that most of the staff hadn’t yet come in so I didn’t have to worry about being overhead.
“You’ll be okay.” I whispered to my reflection, who stared back at me with panicked eyes. "Words can't hurt you anymore, you're stronger than this, you’ve survived worse. He’s just another horrible man in a world of horrible men, but he can’t hurt you, you won’t let him hurt you.You’re in control now”
I pushed back the tears that stung my eyes and hung my head. If I was being honest, I didn’t think I was in control. Sure, the worst of my injuries had healed and I was eating better these days thanks to the free lunch provided by the company and Avery’s habit of bringing enough donuts to work in the morning to feed an entire army.
At first, I’d been hesitant to accept when she’d offered me one, despite the rumbling in my empty stomach and the delicious tempting aroma. But it soon dawned on me that everyone in the office pretty much grabbed one too and so I no longer felt guilty when I took one as well. The real battle was holding myself back from scarfing down the pastry in one gulp, or going for seconds. In the evenings, if I left work early enough, I could grab a bowl of food at the soup kitchen.
My living situation hadn’t improved much though, as I sometimes missed out on getting a spot in the shelters since I was usually the last one out of the office, as locking up was part of my duties which meant sometimes staying in until 8pm. I didn’t want to complain to Lucy and seem like an ungrateful brat so I sucked it up.
Fortunately, I’d stumbled across a deserted cardboard tent in an abandoned building a few blocks from here - the previous owner had passed away recently - and I used it on the days I couldn’t get a warm bed for the night. My trusty sleeping bag helped stave off some of the chill and there were always some small fires started by the other occupants of the building where I could sit and get warm. On those nights, I barely slept, the fear of being caught made me too antsy to relax and the cold that seemed to freeze even my bones made me long to damn the consequences and shift into my wolf form so I could at least stay warm under my fur.
Before losing my ability to shift, I had always taken a lot of things for granted. Rapid healing, for one. In my wolf form, I would have healed in a matter of days rather than weeks, I could easily hunt small prey for meals instead of starving and I wouldn’t be so damn cold all the time. It was like my body had lost the ability to stay warm which I knew was a side effect of the loss. I’d never needed to huddle up in coats or wear gloves to stay warm.
Now, however, I finally understood how fragile humans are. It still shocked me at how weak I was without Trish. Colors looked less vivid, my sense of smell was so dulled that I couldn’t detect another Lorekind by their scent and my hearing was a mess. Not to mention the physical weaknesses.
I gave myself a shake and silently scolded myself for hiding in the restrooms sulking like a teenager. I gathered some water in my palms and carefully held it to my eyes, hoping the cool liquid would ease some of the redness. After carefully checking that I didn’t look like I’d been bawling my eyes out, I left the restroom.
I glanced at my watch and hastened my pace. I had to finish setting out the equipment for today, tackle the stack of new deliveries and a myriad other things that needed to be done before the others came in.
I always made sure I was the first one in every day, and it wasn’t just so I could do my tasks. When Lucy had taken me on a tour of the office, I'd been pleasantly surprised to find out that there were shower facilities in the restrooms and I'd taken full advantage of it. Every morning I'd make sure to be the first one in the building so I could take a blessed hot shower and get ready for the day before the others arrived.Oftentimes, Mac was the next to come in, though he usually ignored me and headed straight for his office. I was fine with that, since I also avoided him at all costs, except when I had to bring him his daily coffee.
My mouth twisted in derision. If he found my coffee terrible, he should have said something, rather than bad mouthing me to whomever had been on the other end of that call. He had no qualms insulting me to my face in any case.
Horrible man.
I huffed under my breath, he was totally not worth the effort of being in my head. I pushed him from my thoughts and turned the corner, only to run smack into what felt like a solid brick wall.
Pain flared up my side and I stumbled back, bracing to fall on my backside when a pair of huge hands shot out and gripped my upper arms, stopping my fall. I was jerked forward, my entire body pressed against a warm, hard body, my face mashed to his chest.
My pulse sped up, and my head swam as my body suddenly became a riot of emotions and I felt heat build up in me, so hot I was sure to combust, arousal turning my core into a pool of molten heat. My body sought to press into Mac’s on its own volition, seeking relief, pleasure, escape. I looked up, lips parted and hungry, my head falling further back until I could meet those glittering obsidian eyes.
BlairA similar heat flared in Mac’s eyes, and from the depths of his chest, I heard a deep rumbling that came out as a growl. His arms tightened around me, possessive and passionate and for one moment, I caught a glimpse of the beast within him, ferocious and magnificent all at once.For the first time in months, Trish stirred within me, I could feel her agitation because she was me and I was her, but it wasn’t an agitation borne of terror, no this was different. It almost felt… joyful?I heard a word and realized it came from my own mouth and even more shocking were the words I uttered, words I never expected to utter again in this lifetime.I went cold all over as shock rocked through my entire body.“No…” I shook my head in denial. Placing my hands on his chest, I pushed and mercifully, he let me go, so abruptly that I almost lost my balance again.His arm reached out to cup my elbow, but I shrank from him and to my absolute horror, I whimpered in fear, my arms coming up to shield
MacDespite my best efforts, the scene with Blair in the hallway kept playing over and over in my head as I drove towards the ranch. I had gone after her, haunted by the hurt I’d seen reflected in her eyes as she hurried away from my office. I might be a bastard, but I still had a shred of a conscience left and I knew I had gone too far and that an apology was in order.I had just rounded the corner when Blair had bumped into me at full speed, her tiny form bouncing off mine and if I hadn't reached out and grabbed her, she’d have definitely landed her ass on the floor.I still couldn’t figure out why I had reacted to her the way I had. From the moment our bodies had come into contact, my senses had flared into hyperawareness, my beast had craved to have the woman in my arms.And it hadn’t just been me that had felt it. I’d seen the flare of arousal in Blair’s eyes, the way she’d titled her head, lips parted, longing for satisfaction. That look had almost been my undoing. I’d nearly gi
Mac“Well, if it isn’t Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee,” Lucy quipped as Blake and I walked into her office. Brice, her assistant, who happened to be in the room, choked back a laugh, disguising it with a cough. I scowled at him and the cheeky bugger mumbled an excuse under his breath and hurried out, shutting the door behind him.“Please tell your mate to mind the way she speaks to her boss.” I complained to Blake in exasperation. “It’s bloody disrespectful.”Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee was the nickname Lucy had adopted for Blake and I back in boarding school, because in her opinion, both of us were practically one and the same person, just split into two separate bodies. It was a nickname I didn’t find particularly amusing and Lucy took full advantage of it, using it when she wanted to rile me up.“Just admit that you like it, dude.” Blake chuckled, clapping me on the back before crossing to place a welcome kiss on his mate’s cheek. He pulled her into his arms and she went willingly. “H
Blair“Please have a seat, Blair.” Dr. Strand spoke in the same gentle tone he’d used with me out on the main floor. I shook my head to decline his offer and moved instead to stand close to the door. I could feel him watching me intently and it made me even more uncomfortable.“I prefer to stand.” I replied, careful to not meet his gaze. My heart was frantically pounding in my chest, and I could feel goosebumps prickle my skin as fresh panic seized me.What kind of bad luck was this? Of all the people to run into, it had to be the doctor who’d treated my injuries, and even unfortunate, he remembered me out of all the dozens of patients he must have attended to in the two months since our encounter.Strand…I silently cursed myself for not making the connection sooner. Lucy’s last name was Strand and so was this doctor. He had called her ‘babe’ back there, so did that mean they were a couple? Probably.Another memory popped up in my head, confirming my earlier suspicions. He had litera
Mac“I just want to get the general idea of what you two talked about.” I told Blake for what felt like the hundredth time. I could literally hear his eyeballs move as he rolled his eyes, fully fed up with my bullshit, but I didn’t let it deter me. “She’s my employee - if there’s something to know, you should tell me.”Blake snorted and began unbuttoning his shirt. “Key word being ‘employee’. That doesn’t mean you have the right to nose into her private business. An employee is not an indentured servant, no matter what you may think of yours.”“I’m aware of that, but still, c'mon dude, at least give me a hint.” I urged, tugging my shirt over my head and tossing it unceremoniously to the side, which earned me a scowl from the fastidious Lucy. I shot her an apologetic smile and picked the offending fabric back up, folded it neatly then placed it among the pile.“I’m not telling you shit. Leave it alone” Blake declared. He shucked off his jeans and underwear and stood there arms on waist
BlairI’d intended to get off work early today, it was a Friday after all, which usually meant everyone was in a hurry to start the weekend and fucked off as soon as they could. By 2pm, almost everyone had already left, including Mac and I’d been prepared to lock up, but a phone call from the logistics company that handled our deliveries had kept me back. By the time Ben, the driver, pulled into the loading bay, it was already close to 3:30pm.I watched him place the last box containing lab supplies at the top of the stack, shifting impatiently from foot to foot, silently urging him to hurry up so I could close up for the day.I glanced once more at my watch. It was already 4:14pm which just left me a little over half an hour to get to the shelter closest to the office. If I was lucky, there would still be available beds and a warm place to pass the night and if I wasn't lucky…I didn't want to think of the consequences just yet.It would certainly be unpleasant. That much I knew. A co
One Hour EarlierMac“The witch’s in the cabin.” Blake fell into step beside me. We were heading towards the cabin, the farthest from the main house. I cast out my senses over the area, wrinkling my nose as I picked out a scent that did not belong.It was a human scent, but tainted with strong hints of the Lore. Which made sense since witches, unlike other Lorekind, were actually human. Lore had it that the first witch had been blessed by Hermia with powers which had then passed to her descendants.As we neared, I spotted three of my strongest wolves standing guard. I nodded in silent approval as they stepped aside to let me into the cabin.A young woman rose as I entered, turning towards me. I took a moment to study her - long raven colored hair, high cheekbones, porcelain skin and a killer body. She was beautiful in a way that was meant to stun and seduce, but I was willing to bet an arm that that wasn’t what she really looked like. Underneath that glamour spell, she could be a seve
BlairThere was something about the enormous wolf that I found oddly comforting. Maybe it was the relief that it had just saved me from death, or the fact that it was one of my kind, I couldn’t really tell.Or, maybe it was the look in its eyes. In those golden depths, I could see concern, curiosity as it watched me as though it knew me. Either way, as it turned to leave, I knew I couldn’t just let it walk away without expressing my gratitude.“Wait.” The words were out before I could even think. It carried an edge of desperation too - I didn’t want to be left alone again. The wolf stopped and turned its large head in my direction.I took a deep breath and forced my feet to move. If I was going to say thanks, the least I could do was show that I wasn’t terrified. Well, I was, but that’s beside the point. As I approached, it turned fully and sat on its hind legs, waiting, head cocked to one side. It was truly a magnificent creature, its pure black fur gleaming under the lights, looking