Chapter 5

Running Away

She glanced at the pilot as he flew her out of Wilde. The village slowly shrank until it disappeared. Since she'd had little choice but to leave with Conrad there, why did she feel so bad? All she was doing was just going back to St. Louis to dive into her work while everything else faded away. Conrad wouldn't bother her back home where she had support. A few of the local policemen were wolves that also worked with the council. If Conrad showed up, she could call them, and they would help.

When she thought about Naqi, she feared he would be on her mind often for a long time. Only the realization that he hadn't wanted anything, but a fling made cool logic prevent her from breaking down. The wolf flying the plane was probably picking up all kinds of emotions except the good ones. She was unhappy, scared, and heartbroken just to name the top three. Her stomach was rolling because of emotions she didn't even want to begin to name.

When they landed at a small private airport near Anchorage, she was glad as she watched the small plane leave her behind. She hoped she wouldn't think of Naqi now that the last reminder was gone, but it wasn't the case. Riding in a taxi to the main airport after two hours, she was finally seated on the plane. When she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of the few days she had been in heaven in Naqi's arms. Waking as the plane lifted off, she was glad that no one sat by her because she wasn't fit company for anyone.

After a four hour stopover in Minneapolis where she worked on her laptop for most of the time, she got on the plane headed for St. Louis. Work was something that would occupy her mind while she tried to numb her aching heart. It would be good to be home and reclaim her life. All she needed to deal with was the fact that some people aren't meant to find love and she was one of those people.

Relaxing a little once the plane landed in St. Louis she relaxed even more when she pulled into her driveway. Her large Victorian style house welcomed her like always. It was built in eighteen sixty and considered French second empire with its Mansard roof, dormer windows, and square tower. The house was a medium blue with purple, pink, and dark blue trim. The house comforted her like an old friend. She walked up the steps onto the front porch that ran along the whole front of the house. A porch swing was on one side with a bistro table and two chairs on the other.

Stepping into the house breathing in the smell of a mulberry candle she had been burning regularly before she left on her trip, she went to the kitchen. It was the only room that was completely modern and didn't reflect the period the house was built in. The stainless steel appliances gleamed, and the granite countertops echoed the high end feeling of the rest of the kitchen. Wood cabinets painted in a warm espresso made the room welcoming.

Once she opened a cabinet pulling out a jar full of tea bags, she put a cup of water in the microwave and set the timer. She set her sugar jar and a teaspoon on the counter. When the microwave pinged, she pulled out the water and made her tea. She could only hope it would soothe her mind which was on overdrive. Thoughts of Naqi fought with fears of Conrad, and she wasn't sure if she should have left or stayed. It was never good when you second guessed yourself. It was a new habit she had developed since she had met Naqi.

Turning on the TV for some background noise, she heard the commercial running for Sexual Joy's Big Boy vibrator. She turned to watch and felt good about the way the campaign had turned out. Maybe it was a sign that she should tend to her own needs and leave sexy wolves like Naqi alone. She opened a snack cake, this was the time to indulge in a junk food binge. After she carried her tea and the cake to her computer she logged on and got to work. An hour later, she brushed the crumbs from her keyboard. Not usually such a slob, her depression brought out the worst in her. She closed her eyes, and she could imagine Naqi with his arms around her slowly sliding into her as her body welcomed him into her hot, slick depths.

It was because she was exhausted, she was daydreaming since she had barely slept on the plane and in the hour spent on her computer, she had accomplished a good deal. She logged off, shut down, and hurried to the bathroom. Now she showered, dried off, threw on a sleep shirt, and went to bed to get some sleep. Wrapped up in the comfort of what was familiar in both feel and scent, she would rest. Tomorrow, she would go to the office to work, and she cringed inwardly when she thought of all the questions that would come her way.

When the alarm rang, she didn't feel like getting up. In her dreams at any rate, she had spent a night lost in Naqi's arms. It was the only way she would ever be in his arms again and it pained her to think that way. She dressed carefully and put her emotional armor on so no one would see the pain she was hiding inside.

As she went into the office, getting there about thirty minutes early, it was enough to avoid ninety percent of the workers since her office was in the back and she had to walk past all the others to get there. A couple of people who had probably bugged out early the day before were there playing catch up. Slipping by their doors unnoticed while they concentrated on their work, she was being a coward and it would only put things off. She would have to face them at lunch or the end of the day.

As she got to her door and inside her office, she almost slid to the floor in relief that she had made it without seeing anyone. She sat in her office chair and logged onto her computer diving into her work. Success, in one area of life at least, was welcome. She went through the new accounts looking for one that was unassigned to immerse herself into. If her mind wasn't busy, she might go crazy thinking about a certain wolf that was far away.

All she did was work, putting all her effort into her job blocking her thoughts and refusing to let memories replay in her mind. She was so deep into a campaign for a major food chain that had taken a few hits in their sales lately, she didn't even realize it was past lunchtime. There was a knock on the door before it opened, and Mel stepped in.

"You've been hiding from me."

Joey smiled and she was happy to see Mel, except for the questions she knew she'd ask. "I'm not hiding from you, I'm hiding from everyone else. Conrad showed up and started trouble with the local pack. The council had to be called so I snuck out while they were all otherwise occupied."

"Damn, will that bastard ever stop pursuing you? Why can't the council do more to stop him?"

"I'm not sure, but Naqi seemed to think the council getting involved at all was unusual."

"Who is Naqi?"

"A wolf I met."

"You know me well enough to know that's not going to satisfy me. Unload now, girlfriend!"

"He's the contractor that's doing the work on the cabin and he walked in on me when I was about to test the Big Boy."

"OMG, he didn't." Mel examined her as if she wanted to be sure she wasn't kidding her.

Joey felt her face heat as she remembered what had happened. "Oh, he did. It seems he had a spare key he hadn't turned back in after he made a repair. I thought I would die of embarrassment. He's a real hunk, but a bit of a gigolo."

"Is that a personal observation?"

"I'm afraid so and I normally don't go near a guy like that, but I went into heat. I nearly raped him when he came too close, and I kept him in bed for a week until Conrad showed. Naqi went to warn him away and I ran as fast as I could. I knew when he got back, he would give me the talk."

"The talk, are you sure? Maybe he wasn't going to bail on you."

"He told me that he wasn't the settling down type, not that he had to say a word though because you can tell just by looking at him. He's a heartbreak just waiting to happen and if I didn't get away from him soon, I'd be one of countless females he has to fight off like the one at the place he took me to eat at. She thinks he'll come around to mating her someday. At least she's not sitting around pining for him like I would be."

"Okay, now tell me how you really feel," Mel said sensing more than Joey had revealed.

"You know me Mel, I always land on my feet."

"Maybe you're a cat instead of a wolf. I've never seen you in wolf form."

"Ha, ha, and cats and dogs don't mix, right. Sorry, but I'm wolf through and through. A bit small, but I can be fierce."

"I already know you're a tough bitch, but the thought of you turning into a soft fluffy kitty makes me laugh till I cry," Mel said giggling.

"You are so not going to annoy me, so I'll morph for you. If you want to see my wolf, go to the woods with me."

"I'll go with you next time you go to Ariel's which better be soon," Mel said as she left.

Joey relaxed and leaned back in her chair. She remembered the first time her wolf had come out. It had been eight days after Ariel had done the ritual with her. Ariel had been there, both her and Blake had on the mountain just up from their house.

"Close your eyes, Joey. Bring your wolf to the surface. Envision her in your mind."

"I could help. The mated wolves have a different way of doing it," Darnel said. He was a visiting alpha who had hit on her a few times since they had met.

"That's okay. I'm very good at visualization. It helps in my line of work."

"You're not being any fun at all." His lower lip pushed out into a pout. It looked sexy rather than petulant, but she didn't give in.

"This isn't about you having fun."

"Tell me about it."

"Leave her alone so she can morph. I have a good feeling about this time," Ariel said.

Joey thought about her wolf, the one that had already been making herself known. She was eager and ready to take control and wanted nothing more than the wind in her fur and the grass under her paws. That's what she imagined, and she felt the buzz of electricity in the air, and it ran just over the surface of her skin giving her goose bumps. It was a rush and she felt giddy and high.

She opened her eyes, unsure of if the change of form had taken place, but she was low to the ground so either it had, or she'd fallen down. Then she heard a yip as Ariel took off with Blake behind her, both in wolf form. She stumbled after them, awkward on four feet at first before she picked up speed as her wolf quickly mastered the skills that had been hidden deep inside her all her life. The smells of the earth assaulted her, as well as the heat in the air, and the smell of prey just out of reach.

Her wolf felt gloriously free and her senses alive. She came to a stop suddenly as she caught sight of a rabbit. Darnel ran right into her unable to stop. The rabbit took flight in the face of two predators temporarily distracted as they became a tangle of legs and paws. She growled at Darnel, he had cost her the thrill of her first hunt. He looked at her and seemed to smile then he jerked his head to the left and she followed his look. There were two rabbits, one for each of them. As they stalked their prey coming at them from different sides, the rabbits took off running in circles.

She could smell the fear coming off them in waves. In human form, she would have let them go, but she wasn't in human form. Now she was wolf, she was a predator, and she caught the confused bunny easily watching as Darnel killed the one, he had caught. He had shaken it, not the quickest or kindest way to kill. She ripped the throat out and drank deeply of its rich warm blood. Later once she was human again, she would feel guilty, but right now she reveled in the primitive need to hunt and feed. The iron rich blood tasted good to her and she threw back her head and howled in a celebration of her first kill. Life was good.

Darnel threw back his head and howled too, before turning his attention back to what was left of his kill. She finished eating right after he did, and she followed him down to a small wet weather creek. There were isolated pools in the creek bed from a recent rain and they both slaked their thirst. When she took off running Darnel pursued but she managed to evade him making her feel euphoric. Ariel and Blake came trotting back before turning back into humans. She and Darnel took the hint and turned back too.

"How was your first run?" Ariel asked with a smile.

"I loved it. I could never have imagined how free it felt to run like a wolf."

"It never gets old," Blake said and as the oldest born wolf present, he would know. Darnel was a young pup of about twenty, she didn't know how old Blake was, but knew he was much older than he looked.

"I guess it's time for me to go back home now before the business goes under."

"Mel can more than handle things while you're gone. Admit you just can't stand the thought of not being there yourself. You've been gone less than two weeks and I still worry about heat," Ariel said.

"You're right, I miss work and my home. I can't stay here indefinitely. It looks like the heat just skipped me. I can't say I'm sad."

"Keep an eye out for the symptoms and let us know if you need anything, anything at all. Okay, Joey?" Ariel asked.

"I will. Come visit me sometime. You guys would love it there."

"We just might do that sometime."

Darnel was disappointed. He had offered his services in case the heat hit her after the change. The male was attractive and if forced to, she would have made use of him, but she was glad she didn't have to. They all walked to the bottom of the mountain and back to the house. Joey had packed up and left that day. It had been a couple months later before she had made her first trip to Wilde. Life sure had a way of messing with a person sometimes.

Joey suddenly realized it was three pm and she hadn't eaten all day. The great thing about being the boss was she could go home early. She drew little attention as she moved through the hallway. Everyone must be hard at work and she was home in no time and glad to be there. After she opened a can of soup, she didn't have much food in the house, she decided it would have to do. Heating it up she sat down to eat with the TV on. Nearly finished when she yawned, she felt tired. Maybe her recent plane travel had worn her out since she hated flying and wasn't the best traveler no matter what way she chose to go.

Thinking about going to bed when the phone rang, she answered it. "Hello."

"Joey? It's Damon."

"Hi, Damon. I wasn't expecting you to call. Please tell me it isn't bad news." The long silence told her it was.

"Conrad has left Wilde, but he isn't back in New Mexico. He landed in Chicago and disappeared. I have a bad feeling about it, so I called to warn you."

"Thanks. I don't know why he won't leave me alone." She beat down the fear that she felt instantly at the thought of Conrad coming for her.

"I don't know either. I've alerted Danny and he's sending a couple of wolves to watch out for him." Danny was Ariel's son and had recently defeated the last local pack alpha of St. Louis taking the pack over himself. Everyone was happy about it too. The last alpha, Hemple, had been a total asshole to his pack. She knew Danny would do all he could to help, and she just had to have faith that it would be enough, or she'd have a meltdown.

A few days passed with only rumors and unconfirmed Conrad sightings. She saw Danny's wolves hover in the distance where she only spotted them a few times. They tried hard to blend in, and she appreciated it. She missed Naqi, but he didn't try to contact her, so she wasn't really surprised only disappointed.

A few days turned into a week and a week into two. Conrad was still hiding and possibly waiting to do his worst. Danny had switched out his guys on a weekly basis, but she always had someone watching her. The business was doing better than ever, but she didn't feel as excited about it as she should have. Her cousin Janey had an extended visit at her cabin in Wilde, but she hadn't heard anything from her yet. She must still be acclimating herself to the quiet of Wilde compared to the noisy city. For a moment she wished she could trade places with Janey and be right there near Naqi, but it was hopeless, and she knew it.

It was bedtime and she was home. That was the worst time for her because thoughts of Naqi filled her mind and she knew later, he would fill her dreams. As she got ready for bed she sank into her comfortable and familiar bed. When she closed her eyes, Naqi was all she could see. She could fight the memories, but then she wouldn't get any sleep at all. As she tried to relax, she let her dreams take hold.

"So, what do you do? Are you a jack of all trades?" She smiled hoping he would tell her something about himself. Two days in bed together and she hardly knew more than she had known before.

"I have a couple tourist related businesses and the construction business which is the one I rely on the most. Luckily, I can delegate so when a tourist needs me, I'm available."

Her smile fell, he did this kind of thing all the time. He just fell into bed with whatever visitor came around. It hurt, but it shouldn't have. She had known what he was like before she had dragged him to bed and nearly raped him. The old adage, you can't rape a willing soul came to mind. In his case, he had just admitted he was always willing. She turned away from him to hide the hurt on her face and blinked away the tears that came to her eyes.

"Damn it, Joey. I was just teasing. I'm not that much of a whore dog."

That made it all better, he was just a little whore dog. She steeled her heart, she would not let him in her heart. That was what she repeated over and over to herself until she fell into a fitful sleep. As she woke with him still next to her an aching need, she couldn't fight had taken hold of her. She had thrown off the light blanket she usually covered up with and sweat coated her whole body. When this was over, she needed to wash everything on her bed. The thought of getting rid of his scent, the scent of them together, made her feel bad, but she would not let him in her heart.

Now she turned to him, need taking her over. He was awake and he drew in a deep breath, hunger filled his eyes. They fell into each other's arms, carnal needs took over. She felt his straining cock find her already slippery entrance. Naqi pushed hard, not allowing her any time to adjust to his size, but she didn't care. She was overcome by a deep aching, burning need that refused to allow any hesitation. His need seemed to echo hers as he pulled out only to slam back in all the way to the hilt. Later, when she reflected on those days, she would call it a fuckfest. They had only had minutes in between hours of sex to talk. Every time they had, their differences had angered or hurt one of them. They couldn't agree on much and what they wanted out of life and love was so different.

Naqi just seemed to want exactly what he already had. All the food he could eat and all the females he could fuck. He really seemed to be a primitive beast at heart. She, on the other hand, someday wanted love, a partner to stand beside, children, a nice, safe home like that cabin could be. Romantic versus realistic with no compromise in sight. The truth was, she was much better off miles from him where she wouldn't make a fool out of herself by following him around. How embarrassing would that be when he rejected her?

Waking, she wondered if she would she ever stop dreaming about him? She felt hot, achy and she knew nothing would help her. A cold shower would at least make her feel clean, so she got up surprised that it was one in the morning. Rarely did she wake that soon, but nothing was like normal since she had met that wolf. Now she heard a noise, she listened harder using her supernatural wolf senses. Someone was on the steps and they were trying not to be heard.

She slipped out of her room and peeked around the corner. When she saw a big male nearly to the top of the landing, she imagined her wolf and the tingle assured her the change was coming. As she ran around the male, she got a good scent of him, wolf. Her wolf ran down the steps around the couch and into the kitchen. As she exited through a pet door, she had installed she ran like the devil was at her heels. She looked back and saw the wolf of her nightmare's chasing her. He was closing in, and she could smell him. An ill-advised glance over her shoulder showed his jaws dripping and an eerie red glow in his eyes. He was so close she feared he would lock her neck in his jaws and strangle her.

Now she veered to the left and his momentum took him straight. She could hear more wolves as she headed to the park near her home. Staying in wolf form around humans was a chance she had to take to escape. Although she didn't know who this wolf was, didn't recognize his scent, she did know he had been near Conrad. So now he was hiring mercenaries to capture her?

The wolf had regained the distance he had lost when she had swerved and once more was almost on her. Fear had lent her strength, but she hadn't been a wolf long and the speed and endurance built over a lifetime favored him. His vile breath she scented and imagined she could feel the heat of his large body, she couldn't avoid him much longer and she sensed he was about to pounce. She kept running, but closed her eyes and prayed, but she opened them just as he lunged, and she knew she was done for.

A dark shadow moving with lightning speed caught her assailant in midair. She spun and stared trying to identify the newest player in this deadly game. It took her a moment to realize it was her cousin Danny who was the local pack alpha. The huge beast that had attacked her was only slightly larger than Danny, but he looked deranged. Danny was holding his own and none of the males he had with him stepped in to help.

She changed to human because it was the only way to speak. "Help him damn it. That creature's not a regular wolf. There's something off about him," Joey yelled at the males.

A male she didn't know said, "He's the alpha, he has to fight his own battles." That would be fine if this was a fair fight.

Joey could smell blood. It wasn't just Danny's, but the surreal creature must be bleeding too. Joey knew she couldn't just stand by and let this creature that looked like an enraged wolf on steroids kill Danny. Joey changed back feeling a little dizzy when the power of the morph hit her. It was a little draining to change so quickly but even though Danny was holding his own, he was fighting against a creature that had artificial strength. She inched closer so when the opportunity presented itself, she could aid him. The chance came quicker than she expected as Danny lunged at it scratching it down its back and it backed away almost bumping her. She jumped on its back sinking her claws into its neck. This thing had come after her and she didn't care about the rules. As a female and a white wolf, it was against the rules to attack her. This creature was just a criminal that needed to be restrained before it injured someone or even worse, killed them.

It let out a howl of pure rage and tried to shake her off. The creature growled and snarled as it tried to claw at her and twisted its neck back and forth, but it just made her claws sink in deeper. She had no desire to kill the thing, but she wanted it neutralized so Conrad would know it did no good to send his minion, for lack of a better word, against her. Danny edged closer trying to help, but the creature bared its fangs, and she could see Danny feared he'd hit her if he attempted anything. The thing just kept shaking and trying to claw at her until she was worn out and let it go.

The second she was clear, Danny jumped in and wrapped his jaws around the throat of the beast. It slashed him with its claws, but he just tightened his jaws until the beast collapsed. He lay across the creature motionless, and she realized he was hurt too. She pulled him away and the stink of the beast's blood was strong. It had the hint of something else to it, something she hadn't smelled before.

She told Danny's wolves to tie the creature up with something strong and help her get Danny to her house. If she weren't a white wolf, they would have refused to listen. Since she was a white wolf, they reluctantly followed her instructions as she dialed Ariel to get Danny help. Whatever was in that blood had a bad effect on him. Ariel was calm and assured her help would soon be on the way. Joey wondered if Ariel had called Dru, Danny's mate, or if she tried to shelter her since she was with pup.

The males helped carry Danny to her house in his wolf form. He was unconscious so he wouldn't change to human form. She had them place his on her couch so they wouldn't have to carry him up the stairs. Since she had a big couch, he fit, but barely. She had a couple males stay to guard him which they agreed to with some grumbling. She checked Danny over, cleaning his wound as well as she could. His adversary had caught him on one side from his back to the start of his belly with his claws leaving deep gashes.

They should have already begun to heal, but for some reason they looked fresh. She went and got a turkey baster and some water. She gave him some but didn't want to overdo it. She went back to the kitchen cleaned up and made some sandwiches for the guards who seemed happy with the snack. It never hurt to keep the wolves guarding you happy. It was around an hour before there was a knock on the door.

Joey opened it to a flashy exotic looking witch. She looked around and noticed her wolf detail had disappeared. You'd think they would stick around for such a lovely female even if she were magical.

"I'm Frederica, but you can call me Freddie. How did this happen?"

"He was fighting a wolf that looked crazy, almost rabid. When he clawed him, they both collapsed. The blood of the creature smelled tainted, and Danny's wound doesn't look like it's healing."

Freddie leaned in close to Danny sniffing at his wound. "It's not healing and that's because the wolf that did this is ramped up on vampire blood. That's like speed only more and makes them feel invincible. They don't feel pain and it makes adrenaline pour through their system. Once in their blood, it becomes toxic, especially to other wolves. We need to neutralize it or at least dilute it as much as possible. I have a basic kit with me." She pointed to a duffle bag Joey hadn't noticed before.

"I wasn't expecting this, so I'll need to raid your kitchen for some supplies. I hope you like to use spices."

"I love them, and I have a lot of them, but some are combinations for certain recipes."

"Let's go look." They headed to the kitchen leaving Danny alone on the couch. Joey felt bad that no one sat with him but getting him medicine was more important especially since he was unconscious.

She rummaged through Joey's fridge first pulling out a gallon of milk. "Wipe down the wound with this, it will dilute the poison that's left there that hasn't entered his system yet."

Joey hurried to follow her instructions grabbing a bowl and a towel. She poured the milk and dunked the towel then dabbed it on his scratches. She tried not to cause any unnecessary pain. Once she had dabbed the whole wound, she returned to the kitchen. Freddie had a lot of stuff piled on the table. Not all of it was the dry spices she expected, some were flavoring like vanilla and others were food items like a steak. Joey thought she might plan to put the steak on the wound since she had heard they were good for bruises.

She pulled down two bowls and started to combine ingredients in one and then the other. "One bowl is to put on the wound then cover with the steak, the other is to feed to him. We need to act quickly, the longer the poison ravages his system, the bigger chance of permanent harm. I need you to put this on the wound now." Joey grabbed the bowl and the steak so she could quickly do what was needed. By the time she was done, Freddie was in the room ready to feed Danny the contents of the bowl.

"I need a way to get this in him. It's liquid but I fear I will lose too much if I try to pour it down his throat."

"Here's a turkey baster. I used it to give him water earlier."

Freddie smiled and said, "Good idea." She took the baster and fed him with it as fast as she could. "Now we wait."