Finding Her

Stefan

I walk towards the tree line and stop, I’ve no idea if she shifted or anything. Walking back to the house, the guard looks at me.

“I need Wayne, please.” I stand waiting. His eyes glance across me, and he nods, walking back in. I watch as the door opens, and Wayne looks at me, confused.

“Did she shift?” I ask.

“Yes, why?” He stands looking at me.

“Because I will need clothes for her, as I’m guessing she didn’t take them off before running away.” She will either need to come back as a wolf, or naked. I look at him and wait.

“Fine, I will get her clothes.” He slams the door and walks off. Standing I wait and smile at the guard, he glares towards me. The door opens and Wayne holds out the clothes.

“You stay out of sight while she shifts back and gets dressed,” his words are almost growled.

“Why?” I smile at him. “I’ve seen her naked already.” I smirk at him.

“Keep going and you won’t stay tonight.” He glares towards me.

“And I won’t find her.” If he is going to taunt me I will do it back.

“Stop being an asshole,” he shouts at me.

“Could say the same about you, thanks for these.” I hold up the clothes and turn to walk away, his hand stops me.

“If you weren’t fucking her she wouldn’t pick you. That’s the only way you can win right, by getting her in bed and blinding her that way.”

Laughing I nod. “At least I got her in bed.” His body flies at me, and Samuel jumps between us.

“Stop! My sister is missing and you two are acting like assholes, go find her please.” He looks at me, sighing I hand him my crown.

“Back soon.” Walking to the treeline I strip and shift, running through the trees I try and sense her. I’m hoping she didn’t keep running and go to another pack.

She wouldn’t do that and leave the pups, I hope anyway. I lose track of time as I run and try to track her but what feels like hours later I feel her and rush towards where she is.

I stop when I spot her, she’s still in her wolf form and laid beneath a tree. Walking over, I nudge her wolf and watch as she launches an attack of me.

Screaming stop in my mind, she pauses.

Stefan? Her head tilts.

You can hear my thoughts? Okay, that’s weird. Shift back please, then we can talk like people, not wolves.

I focus and shift back, she’s new, so won’t know how to control her thoughts, and I don’t want to hear things she wants to keep to herself.

She looks at me, shaking her head.

“Why not? You left the pups behind, remember,” I say, waiting for her response, her head falls. “Can you shift back?” Maybe that’s why. I watch her head shake.

“Okay, you need to calm down. Whatever you are thinking of is what keeps you as a wolf, let it go for a bit, concentrate on something different. Think of the pups, it’s getting late, shouldn’t you be getting them to sleep?” I ask, waiting and hoping she can stop obsessing over whatever it is.

I watch as she shifts back, her body falling onto mine and I hear her crying. Do I talk? If I do will this whole thing start again and her attack me. It might actually hurt this time if she punches me.

I don’t move, I just keep my arms around her as she cries. A short while later I decide to risk it.

“What’s wrong Harlyn? This isn’t over you finding out your dad isn’t your dad.” She wouldn’t be this bad considering how bad he was towards her.

“Nothing is making sense, everything I felt seems to have changed, and even Wayne has changed.”

“How has Wayne changed.” I grasp her chin and look at her.

“He shouted at me, which he’s never done, and I feel like he hates me.”

I want to say good but that is fucked up. “He doesn’t hate you, he’s worried for you, hence I came to find you. He didn’t want to go too far from the pups, but he’s worried about you. So he doesn’t hate you.”

God that was my chance to make him look like a jerk. I didn’t. Bravo me.

“Look, you just got your wolf, nothing right now will make sense. So give it time, don’t rush into anything. Your emotions, thoughts and everything will be all over.” I laugh slightly. “Although they were already and I have whiplash from your mood swings.” I smile at her and she laughs.

“Sorry for punching you.”

“I probably deserved it for something, so don’t worry,” I joke.

“That’s changed,” she whispers and I peer at her confused. “The hate and anger I felt when you spoke, it’s gone. I don’t replay you rejecting me when you speak.”

I want to celebrate but even I know it could come back any second.

“I want the pups go back with you Stefan,” she says, and my eyes widen at her words. “They deserve to know their family, to have a choice in if they want to be princes and princesses.”

She’s joking, she has to be. “No, I won’t take the pups away from you Harlyn. They stay with you.” I would love to, but it wouldn’t feel right taking them with me and her not being there for them.

“They deserve a chance to get to know you and your family.”

“And they can with you there,” I reply.

Sighing her head shakes. “I’m not coming back, that’s not my home. My dad hates me, I don’t want to be near him. You can take the pups for a few days, but he stays away from them, promise me.” She looks at me waiting.

“I won’t promise because I won’t take them without you. You’re not exiled, forget what he said, I said you’re not.” I want to tell her everything, but I feel like if I start saying the truth about Wayne the magic will get a hold of her and it begins again.

“Look, we can talk about it, right?” I smile at her. “Even if it means you stay at the palace, and your father is locked in the manor so you don’t catch a glimpse of him. I will make it happen.” Kissing her cheek I smile.

“Can I come home?” She looks at me.

“Anytime Harlyn, you could have returned anytime and told us what happened and you wouldn’t have been thrown out of the palace.” It was wrong of Harold to do that to her. We don’t move, we just sit in silence, and I wonder what she is thinking.

Everything is screaming at me to tell her the truth, but I can’t, not yet.