I stood in the living room, staring out the large window while I watched the tree line with anxiety. For the past two weeks Cal had been coming by to take Mary-Beth for runs. He had been holding true to his promise to look out for her by trying to give her a crash course in what it means to be a werewolf. I had been good about trying to remain as passive as possible about it all. Mary-Beth seemed to really like Cal, and I could see that she looked to him as the male role model in her life now that our dad was gone.
It broke my heart to think about the fact that she had been dealing with the truth of our father's death alone. I was still trying to come to terms with everything that I had learned. I didn't know what to think about all the changes that had happened. I wanted answers but I had a feeling that getting those answers might not be worth the danger the truth might bring into my life. Perhaps, it was better to just leave things alone. Even as that thought moved through my mind I knew that I would never be able to rest easy without knowing. It was my curiosity. It was my downfall.
I heard laughter before I spotted Mary-Beth breaking through the tree line with Callum hot on her heels. I found my eyes focused on him. I took in his appearance, obviously he had worked up quite a sweat during their run together. He had a soft smile on his face. It was something I had seen more and more in the past couple of weeks. I knew that it was Mary-Beth's doing. She had filled some kind of void in his life, like the role of a kid sister. I saw it in the way he looked at her or talked to her.
I turned away from the window and moved quickly to the laundry I had been folding, doing my best to look casual when they came through the front door. I looked up to them, smiling at Mary-Beth when she looked in my direction, "How did everything go?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "Better than yesterday. I'm going to go clean up really quick."
I nodded, watching as she gave Callum a side hug before taking off up the stairs. I had seen a huge change in her attitude from when we had first arrived in Twin Peaks. The darkness that had seemed to hang around her was slowly fading away. I was thankful for that, even though I knew it probably had everything to do with the fact that she had turned. The fact that she probably felt less like an outsider now.
Callum closed the door and moved closer to where I stood. I avoided looking at him directly, though I could feel his gaze as it burned into me, "Mary-Beth is a quick learner. She still struggles with controlling her emotions but with the aid of some silver that should keep her in a manageable zone. I think it would be a good idea to get her back in school." Cal suggested as he wiped at his sweat drenched face with his shirt, "Let her feel somewhat normal."
I tried my best to ignore the defined lines of his body and the glistening of the sweat caught in his blonde chest hairs. I started to fold my laundry a little faster, "Well, what if something happens? What if she shifts in a hormonal rage in front of a bunch of kids? What if she hurts someone? I can't even begin to fathom how that would affect her. I think having her here where we can keep an eye on everything is a better idea."
Cal let out a heavy breath, "And you're going to quit your job and teach her then?"
I tossed the towel I had folding down, lifting my gaze to meet his, "Maybe I will. All I know is that I am not going to let anything bad happen to her, again."
"What do you think I'm doing here, Lucinda?" Cal questioned, "I'm training her so she can take care of herself. She needs to be able to live some semblance of a normal life. She's a good kid with a good head on her shoulders. You need to stop letting your fear rule you."
"In case you forgot, there is a reason for me to be afraid. Not only because I know things I shouldn't but because there is someone out there killing people, Cal. Mary-Beth was there...she saw that body. What if they come back to tie up their loose ends?"
"I am not going to let anything happen to her. To either of you. I'd make for one piss poor, Alpha if I could protect my pack of all...two people." I heard the frustration in his voice. I glanced away from him to the stairs, not wanting Mary-Beth to hear us arguing. I pursed my lips together as I moved around the couch and walked toward the kitchen, hoping that he would follow me.
I heard Cal's heavy footsteps behind me, "What is the real problem, Lucinda? Is there something you're not telling me?"
I spun around to face him, putting my hands on my hips, "Mary-Beth opened up to me about our Father's death."
His brows furrowed, "Okay?"
"He and his wife were murdered by another werewolf. The wolf tried to kill, Mary-Beth..." I dropped my head with a tired sigh. It had been on my mind since she had told me. I wanted to know what had really happened to our father that night. I wanted to know why it had been covered up. There was so much that I didn't know about my father, and so much I didn't know about myself. I felt like I was more lost now than I had ever been before.
Cal took a few steps towards me and I lifted my face to meet his gaze, "You think this has some kind of relation to what is happening here?"
"No...I don't know. I just can't stop thinking about it. I mean why was our father trying to keep the truth hidden from us, Cal? Do you think he was a fugitive or something? What if someone comes looking for Mary-Beth because of what happened to them? I feel like everywhere I look is danger. I don't feel safe anymore. I feel fucking paranoid. I can't lose my sister. I can't. She is all I have left. You understand, don't you? I would do anything to protect her. Anything." I felt like I was losing control of the situation. I needed someone to understand I what was going on inside of me. I reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. A familiar warmth spread up my arm, wrapping around me like a cozy blanket.
There was a dark look in his eyes as he stared down at me. I knew there was a lot that I didn't know about Callum Wolfe. He was a dark brooding mystery. He was dangerous. Everything in my mind screamed it at me and yet, I found myself drawn to him like a moth to the flame. I danced on the edge of his flames constantly, feeling the heat of them on my skin.
"I understand, Lucinda. I had a sister once. Lily was the only good thing in my life and I failed to protect her, but I promise...I won't fail you. You can trust me." I blinked, my breath feeling hard to catch as I found myself frozen in Cal's gaze. I flicked my tongue over my lips with anticipation. His hands grabbed at my face with a hungry growl, mouth covering my own. His lips were rough and heated against my own.
I could taste the tang of blood on his breath as my lips parted and I drank him in. The need I felt for him was violent and staggering. It was images of nails digging into skin, leaving ragged trails. It was teeth biting and tearing at soft flesh. He broke away from the kiss only to pick me up off the ground and set me down on the edge of the counter. I spread my legs for him, reaching out for him and dragging him toward me.
"We shouldn't be doing this." He bit my lip, grinding it be his teeth.
I found I enjoyed the sting of it as he released it, "No, we definitely shouldn't." I reached up and pulled him to me with his hair. I couldn't get enough of his taste, of his touch. I should stop myself before I lose complete control of the situation. My emotions had gotten away from me, along with the hunger I had for Cal. It wasn't something I liked to admit to myself but I had wanted the man from the moment I had laid eyes on him. From the way he was devouring me, I had a feeling that he had been wanting me just as much.
One of his hands slid up under my shirt, callous palms slithering over the soft skin of my stomach and over my ribs. I shivered against him as his thumb danced at the edge of my bra. My breast felt heavy and my nipples strained against the cotton material, begging to be touched. Cal breathed in deeply, a deep sound rumbling in his chest as his kissing became more possessive. I felt like he was trying to brand me with his lips, make sure the world had known he had been there.
I heard the sound of the old stairs creaking, reality came crashing down around me. What the hell was I doing? I was practically dry humping Cal in my kitchen like a horny teenage girl. I broke away from the kiss, my desire taking a bucket of ice water to the head. I shoved the confused Cal away from me quickly, sliding off the counter and turning my back to Mary-Beth as she came around the corner.
"You're still here?" She sounded surprised, usually Cal took off after their time together.
"Yeah. Your sister and I were talking..."
Talking? Sure, yeah, we were talking with our tongues down each other's throat. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest and I did everything I could to calm myself down, "Is everything okay?" She questioned, obviously hearing the excitement of my pulse.
I took in a breath before I spun around, burying my emotions in a deep dark cave, "Of course, why wouldn't it be?" I could see that she didn't believe me from the look in her eyes. I could see she wanted to press the subject.
"We were discussing you're going back to school." Cal interjected, taking the heat from me, "Lucinda, thinks it might be time to get you back into a more normal routine." I stiffened at his statement, gritting my teeth in sharp anger. I had said nothing of the sort. I turned my eyes toward him with suspicion, and I noticed the way his lips twitched upward in the corners. He was a real smooth bastard. "And I agree with her. I think it's time to get back to the real world." I almost heard a double meaning to his words.
She smiled a bit at this, "Thank god. No offense, Luce but I was getting cabin fever." I nodded my head, giving her a brief smile. I knew I couldn't go against him now.
I leaned closer to him as I watched Mary-Beth walk towards the fridge with excitement, "If anything goes wrong I'm blaming you."