19 comments/ 28802 views/ 28 favorites Wolf in Red By: TasteofHome Ashleigh hummed to herself as she tried to brush some of her brown curls into submission in her shoulder length hair. She looked in the mirror in the dim light of her room and stuck her pink tongue out at her reflection. It didn't seem to matter how much brushing she did, it seemed like all it ever did was maker her hair fluffier. She didn't even know why she bothered, it seemed like the more she tried, the more volume her hair seemed to gain. Setting the hair brush down on the top of her dresser, she took a long look at her self n the mirror. Her curly nut brown hair fell around her slender shoulders. The spaghetti straps on her navy blue top, made her pale skin look even paler. If she didn't start getting some sun soon, she could be mistaken for the walking dead. A few freckles danced along her pale shoulders, like constellations in the midnight sky. Her brown eyes, seemed to be made out of pools of liquid chocolate, if any one had ever bothered to look behind her thin wire frame glasses. Not may people saw her eyes, because they spent most of her time spent in a book. Looking at her body frame, she critiqued the few extra pounds that seemed to hang around her hips, no matter how often she tried to get rid of them. They seemed to give her a bit of a curvy figure more then the svelte figure most of the guys in her town seemed to be attracted to. All the books that she read, talked about how guys liked more curves on women, but it just didn't seem so for her. A ringing noise startled her. Breaking her gaze from the mirror she looked down at her cell phone ringing. "Mom" flashed up on the id. Trying not to sigh, she flipped open the phone and forced a smile. She heard some where that a person can tell if you answer the phone with a smile and if you did the call would go better. It didn't seem to work for Ashleigh this time. "Hi Mo..." started Ashleigh. "Don't you Hi Mom me young lady! You be better be on you way to Leona's right this instant. If I so much as hear that you did not show up or if you were late, you will be in so much trouble when I get home," yelled Susanna. "I am on the way,"replied Ashleigh trying to keep and even tone in her voice. She wished that there was a time that she could remember when her mother didn't seem to yell at her about stuff something. What ever she did or didn't do never seemed to be enough to make Susanna. Some days it got so bad that Ashleigh would slip off into the woods and wait until what ever bug had crawled Susanna's butt that day and died slid out. "On your way! I seriously doubt that, I bet you are still sitting in your room with a nose in a book, You probably haven't left the house yet," screeched Susanna as she continued to rant at Ashleigh about what it meant to be responsible. Ashleigh tried not to cringe as she grabbed her red shawl hanging on a hook by the door on the way out. Ashleigh tried to shut the door as quietly as possible so the click wouldn't be audible on the phone, and then started to walk away from the brownstone house she called home, trying to close the distance between where she was and where she wasn't. "I am taking a short cut through the woods," sputtered Ashleigh, trying to cool the verbal wrath of Susanna. It was hard to believe that Suzanne was even her mother at times, since it seemed like they had little tolerance to do with each other, much less little in common in their looks. Ashleigh had long stopped thinking of her as mother,and also called her Mom, to avoid another blow up. "The woods! Are you insane? You have not sense of direction and you will most likely get lost in the woods and die! If you die I will never hear the end of it from your wretched Grandmother..." "If you don't want me to be late..." "Fine, go and die in the words for all I care, but if don't show yo at your grandmothers house, not even death will save you from my wrath!" screamed Susanna before she hung up Ashleigh. Ashleigh clicked her cell phone shut and dropped it in her pocket and sighed deeply. She could use a little less drama in her life. It seemed like if it wasn't one thing it was another. Susanna would nag at her about getting a job, and then when Ashleigh would look at job, she would hear from Susanna how she should be getting her degree then wasting her time at the animal shelter. The only respite Ashleigh had was when she visited her grandmother. Susanna hated her grandmother Leona with a passion, but what ever her grandmother wanted, Susanna would bend over backwards to make sure she got. She didn't mind visiting her grandmother. In a weird sort of way, she really liked the time she spent with her. Her grandmother had an aura around here that seemed to command respect among most every one she knew. Then again, it probably wasn't hard, considering they lived in such a small community. Her father ran most of the area business with the mill that he owned. Or at least she was pretty sure it was a mill that he owned. He seemed to be always away on business, in fact, it was hard for Ashleigh to remember the last time she had actually seen her father. Every now and then she would get a call from him and he would send her pictures from where ever he was at. Susanna, whom she only called Mom for the sake of formality in public seemed more concerned with her social status than anything. It wasn't a wonder that Ashleigh preferred to spend her time at the animal shelter working, or taking college courses on line or reading then dating and partying as most people her age did.When it came to socializing with people, Ashleigh for the most part felt completely inept. Walking along the path in the woods, Ashleigh tried not to get herself too distracted by all the different things to look at. Most people found the woods boring, but she had always found them to be rather calming for her. And after the shrilly lecture from Susanna, she could use some calm. There were always things to look at and places to discover. Her favorite place in the woods was a small clearing that the only way a person could get to it was if they climbed down a small rock over hang and dropped down. Hidden by the rocks was a small clearing and sweet grass and wild flowers grew. Thinking about some of the flowers that could be found in the clearing, Ashleigh began picking some of the flowers along the path to her grandmother. It was true that her grandmother hated tardiness, but she also loved thoughtfulness. Picking some of the wild flowers that grew along the paths she began to form a bouquet. Perhaps the thoughtfulness would cancel out the tardiness, this once. An hour later, Ashleigh showed up on her grandmothers front porch. The front porch wrapped around the house in a grand farm house style. The windows of the house were partially open to let some of the cool spring breeze into the house. Pausing at the door before knocking, she, straighten up her hand made bouquet, tucking some of the corn flowers and wild lilies in a little more orderly fashion. It didn't seem to matter how she fussed with the flowers, they still looked exactly like they were, roughly picked wild flowers. Ashleigh could hear her grandmother talking to some one in the house. As mush as she tried, she couldn't hear what they were saying. She could tell by the tone of her grandmothers voice that it was something serious. She hoped that what ever was going on, was not about her. Trying to quell the pit in her stomach, she took at deep breathe and knocked on the door. ******* Wade could believe it. His life as he knew it was over. Things were never going to be the same for him again, and it was the fault of that white haired stubborn woman sitting in the kitchen chair in front of him. Lady Leona, the undeclared leader of their small town and Alpha of the Pack decreed that he was to mate with her uneducated backwoods grand daughter. It was horrible, it was wretched, it made him want to vomit six ways to Sunday, but there was no way around it. He had the greatest respect for the wisdom and leadership of his alpha, but this was more then just taking one for the team. This was asking him to give up his youth and be tied to one woman for the rest of his life. He could just image that she was some skinny skanky twit that chewed bubble gum and wanted nothing more then to pop out babies and stay at home and do nothing. This was bad. Wade wanted to panic, he wanted to run. Lady Leona just watched him, and it seemed like she knew everything he was thinking if the arch of her eyebrow was any indication. The arch of her eyebrow practically begged him to challenge her on this. It was almost as if she wanted him to fight with him about it, because she knew something he did. Trying to control his panic, Wade took a deep calming breathe, and then another. Once he began to feel centered an in control of his emotions, much less his inner wolf who was getting anxious because Wade was panicking mentally. Taking one last deep breathe and smiled at Lady Leona, before he tried to reason with his Alpha as to why this was a bad idea. The words never even made it out of his mouth when Lady Leona spoke. "Go answer the door," said Lady Leona a moment before a firm knocking sound echoed through the house. Wade dropped his head down and dragged himself out of dining room chair and walked to the front door. Perhaps a little break will help him find the words that would convince his alpha that he might not be the right candidate for this sort of task. Surely an older and wiser member of the pack would work out better. The shadow of a woman could be seen in the stain glass window pane that framed the doorway. Wade took a deep breathe and opened the door trying not to cringe at what he was sure was on the other side of the door. Standing in front of him was a girl around his age with fluffy brown hair, wearing a red wrap and blue jeans. Her glasses were slightly askew on her face, and her cheeks were a little pink from either the sun or exertion, he couldn't really be sure. Her eyes were wide behind her wire frames and seemed to be some sort of color brown. and her soft pink lips seemed to be shaping an O of surprise. Wade stared at her. He wasn't sure what to expect, but this wasn't it. He was expecting a skinny flat chested she beast of a woman. Not this bookish looking woman with a chest that made him think of grapefruits. Large delicious grapefruits. A throat clearing sound came from behind him, and he broke his gaze from her chest and looked behind him.Taking a look at the girl before moving out of the door way, he realized that she wasn't expecting him to be there at all. His presence was a complete surprise. He could tell Lady Leona was there, raising that eyebrow at him again behind his back. Wade stepped away from the door way to let this unexpected morsel in. Glancing back at the brown haired book worm, he saw her look straight at her grand mother and smile as she tried to slide past him. He was a bit surprised. Most women would fall all over the chance to chat with him alone, or shyly flirt with him. This one seemed to be trying her best to pretend that he wasn't there. It irritated him. He wasn't sure why, but it did. Wades heart sank a little bit, despite this girl being at least decent to look at, she didn't want to have anything to do with him. He would be mated to a nun . He had to wonder if this was just a joke. A cruel joke on him to deflate some of his ego. Just like a woman to plan something like that. Wade scowled at the thought having something so important as mating being held over him as a joke. It was mean and not something any member of the pack should joke about. He watched as Ashleigh tried to slip past him without touching him. He refused to move, even thought it would have been the polite thing to do. He saw her eyes flicker up to him briefly and then back towards Lady Leona. Lady Leona just stood their smiling and looking at them expectantly. As Ashleigh moved past him, he could smell her scent. She smelled like cinnamon, cloves and oranges all wrapped into one. She smelled awesome. This was not good. It seemed like even his hormones were against him. Smell of her made him want to sink his teeth into her in all the worst ways. He tried to remain calm and impassive as she queried a glance his way before making eye contact with Lady Leona again. For this being a joke, they seemed to put a lot of effort into it, thought Wade as he watched Ashleigh interact with Lady Leona. "Grandma, I am sorry I am late. I got a little bit distracted on the walk here with all the flowers that are in bloom, I know how much you like lilies, so I thought that I would try to at least gather a bouquet as a way of apology" said Ashleigh. Wade noticed how she kept one eye on him as she was talking to Lady Leona. It was interesting. It seemed like she was trying to size him up and didn't know what to make of him. "That is awfully sweet of you, my dear. Forgive my rudeness, but have you met Wade Blackwell yet?" asked Lady Leona making a point to focus their attention on Wade. Wade tried not to scowl at introduction. He watch Ashleigh as she seemed to take a bracing breathe and looked straight at him with a forced smile. "No, I don't think I have. I am Ashleigh, Leona's grand daughter, how do you do," said Ashleigh politely. He watched her as her as she struck out her hand for him to shake. After a moments hesitation and an evil glare from his Alpha, he quickly gripped her and in a loose shake. There mere whisper of her skin touching his caused his eyes to open wide. It was like touching a live wire. The power the coursed through the contact left him feeling a little slack jawed. He would never have guess by looking at her that she would have any sort of power at all, except to possibly help a person find books in the library. Peering at Ashleigh through hooded eyes, he saw shock register behind her thin wire frame glasses before she dropped his hand and turned to her grandmother. "Do you have a vase I can put these flowers in?" asked Ashleigh. There was a stressed tone to her soft voice as she peered at her grandmother. "Yes, top shelf in the kitchen, I'll show you and perhaps we can all have a cup of tea and talk. There are a few things I need to talk to you about," said Lady Leona lightly. Wade watched Ashleigh narrow her brown eyes slightly at her grandmother as she followed Lady Leona's retreating form into the kitchen. Could it be possible that Ashleigh didn't know about the Alpha's plan to have them mate? Wade perked up at the idea that she might not know and therefore put up a fight about it. Who married complete strangers these days? No one. Watching Ashleigh follow the Lady Leona in to the kitchen, he followed some distance behind. Checking out Ashleigh, he realized that life might not be as bad as he thought. If this was a joke, then Ashleigh wasn't in on it, and if it wasn't, well he might not like being mated so young, but he certainly couldn't wait to taste some of the curves that Ashleigh seemed to be so well endowed with. Wolf in Red Ch. 02 Ashleigh couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bad was about to happen. It had started when she knocked on her grandmothers door and it opened by a mouth watering member of the male species. Her grandmother had company over from time to time, but no one around her age and no one that she had ever had any sort of attraction to. It disturbed her that a few moments in his company and she got the feeling she was was being covertly observed. Sort of like when she was at work, with her hand in the biscuit jar and all the dogs start staring at her to jedi mind trick her into giving them the treat. Ashleigh walked into the kitchen and put the flowers down on the cool creamy tiled counter tops, and opened the honey colored kitchen cabinets next to the sink and pulled out a vase off of the bottom shelf. Ashleigh could feel their eyes watching her moments. With a well practiced hand she dropped the bouquet of flowers into the vase and quickly filled it about half way up with water from the tap. Turning around, Ashleigh noted that Wade was seated in on of the kitchen chairs, trying to look relaxed. Her grandmother sat with her fingers interlaced, looking expectantly at Ashleigh to sit down. Resisting the urge to sigh, she placed the vase of flowers in the middle of the large kitchen table and took a place at the table. Silence was thick around the table. "I'll start the kettle for the tea," said Ashleigh, trying to buy herself some time before sitting down at the table. Plucking the copper kettle off of the stove, she filled it three quarters of the way from the tap, and set the kettle on the stove. Turning the gas stove on, she set it to a medium flame, to hopefully speed up the processes with out it being obvious. The entire time, she could feel her grandmother watching her along with Wade. Holding back a sigh, she sat slowly down in the kitchen chair and waited. "I am sure that you are wondering as to why Wade is here," said Lady Leona smoothly, ignoring the silence. Wade straightened up in the chair he was lounging in, since the focus seemed to have turned to him. Ashleigh darted her eyes quickly to him, to find him watching her, and then back to her grandmother. "I am sure that you have many friends, and it is not my business to inquire about your choice of company," replied Ashleigh trying to side step the issue, because she could feel her stomach dropping at the grandmothers inquiry. What ever was going to happen next, it was going to be bad. Ashleigh could feel it. "I do have many friends and have a deep appreciation for your restraint. Wade is not here for me, my dear, he is here for you," said Lady Leona. Her voice was cool and well modulated, and for a moment, Ashleigh had hoped that she had miss heard her grandmother. It took her a moment to remind her lungs that she needed to breathe. Ashleigh glanced at Wade, he was sitting straight up and watching her and waiting for some sort of reaction. If anything, Ashleigh prided herself on not being a drama queen, she was not going to give either one of them a reaction that she figured they would want from such a statement. "Wade, you will have to forgive me, but I seem to be at a loss to what exactly you are here for, would you care to fill me in," said Ashleigh. Ice dripped from her voice. "There is no need to be uncivil," said Lady Leona, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "I don't see how me asking a teeny tiny question would be considered uncivil, if he is here for me, then I am sure that he would have not problem expanding upon that. I really am not all that fond of guessing games," Ashleigh replied in a tight cool voice. As equally tight smile plastered onto her face as she looked at Wade expectantly. "I...am here to be your mate," said Wade as if each word was being pulled out of him by pliers. Ashleigh was not quite sure what to say. Mate. Deciding to be quiet to see if he said anything else, she sat back and watched him for a moment. In her opinion Wade looked like he wanted to be any where but at that table with her and her grandmother. She wasn't sure exactly what he had meant by mate, but it didn't seem like it was something he felt he had a choice about. "Thank you for your offer to be my friend, it is very kind of you, but I can tell that you are not comfortable with the idea of being my friend, so I am going to have to decline your offer," said Ashleigh frowning. She noticed how her grandmothers eyes were practically glittering with humor. Wade had gone pale at her words and was looking directly at her grandmother for guidance or perhaps and early escape. " Well, as amusing as it is to watch Wade squirm, I am afraid that you misunderstood what he was saying, the tea kettle is about to go off. Be a dear and finish making the tea. I will explain everything to you when you are done" said Lady Leona. Ashleigh looked at her grandmother for a moment and wondered exactly if she wanted to know what this was all about. Half a second later the whistle on the tea pot started to scream. Standing up, she turned off the burner and opened the lid of the kettle. Pulling the tea out of a tin on the counter counted out tea bags and placed them in the hot water so that they could start to seep. Pulling a delicate blue sugar bowl with yellow flowers painted on the lid, out of the cabinet she set it on the table in front of Wade. If Ashleigh was a betting girl, she figured, he would be putting several scoops of sugar in his tea. He just seemed the type to have a sweet tooth. He looked up at her blankly and opened the lid the sugar bowl to see what was in it. Perfectly square white sugar cubes sat in the delicate blue dish. Ashleigh wanted to laugh at his confusion. It became obvious to her that he had never had tea with her grandmother before. Biting back a smile, she pulled matching tea cups and sauces out of the cabinet and sat them on the table. Pulling a tea pot out of the cabinet, she set it on the table. She could feel Wade's eyes watch her as she poured the hot liquid from the kettle in the the tea pot for serving. Setting the kettle back on the stove, she moved the tea pot to the table and poured tea for every one. Sitting back with a hot cup of tea in her hand Ashleigh waited. She was promised answers and she was going to get them. ***** Wade shifted in his chair and tried to count the petals on some of flowers in the vase. This day was getting weirder and weirder for him. He had been called to the Alpha's house on an urgent matter, told that he was going to mate her grand daughter, rejected by said grand daughter and now was sitting at the table drinking afternoon tea as if he was a little old lady. He wanted to feel relief over not having to mate so soon, but he also felt a little bummed that Ashleigh didn't even want to give him the time of day. It didn't help that he hated tea. It didn't matter how much sugar he put in it, it still tasted bitter to him. "What Wade so eloquently said, was that he wants to mate with you. While I am sure that it would be a benefit to be friends first it is not entirely necessary. Friendship can be developed," said Lady Leona. "Ah. So he wants to mate with me... That clears up nothing. What does that exactly mean," said Ashleigh. Wade wasn't sure what to do. He was not sure if she was being difficult or being dense. He could tell she was getting frustrated with this conversation. In truth, he was to a bit. It seemed like there was a lot of tip toeing around something, and he was not entirely sure what it was. "You work at a shelter and you don't know what mating means?" asked Lady Leona. He saw Ashleigh color up, her cheek darken in embarrassment. "I don't see what that has to do with me," said Ashleigh, Wade could hear the tightness in her voice. He noticed that she seemed to have death grip in the delicate handle of her tea cup. "I will lay all the cards on the table, since it seems that Suzanna has not quite been doing her job," said Lady Leona in a huff. Wade turned and looked Lady Leona. He saw sadness and pity fill her eyes, before she started again. "I believe that you are a Latent Were. Latent Were's only come into their own when they mate. Therefore as Alpha, I have taken it upon myself to find you a suitable mate. Wade is to be your mate. Once you come into your own, I will be training you to take over as Alpha." said Lady Leona. Wade watched her sip her tea calmly. He couldn't believe it. He was going to be mated to the future Alpha. What a beautiful future that was. He was going to be top of the pack with her. Making all the big decisions. He mind swam with all the possibilities that the future could hold. He couldn't believe he was going to be so lucky. They would have to have pups. Reeling his thoughts in at having pups, he looked at Ashleigh. Her face was a shuttered mask. She was extremely still. Some thing was wrong. Very wrong. "Latent Were. Were as in werewolf?" said Ashleigh softly. Wade could feel a tension building in the room again. It confused him. Why would something so simple as what they are be and issue? "Yes, Latent Were's or Werewolves are Were's that do not change. Regular Were's change into wolves, and start doing so around the time they are four or five. Most Latents catch up to regular Were's when they mate, you have never mated, so you have never changed," said Lady Leona. "How come this is the first that I am hear about this," said Ashleigh. Wade felt as if the other shoe just dropped. The silence in the room as thick and heavy as the sun was high. He couldn't help himself, he needed to ask the question that was tapping at the back of his mind, begging to be asked. "Has any on ever talked to you about Werewolves," said Wade. He had a feeling he knew what the answer was, but he just wanted to be sure. He could feel the anger building up in Ashleigh. "This is the first and if it weren't for the fact that I know my grandmother is an honest woman, I would think that you are both lying to me. There are no werewolves. I am not a werewolf and there is no way that either on of you are werewolves, so there has to be an explanation to all of this," said Ashleigh. Wade could hear a little bit of a tremor in her voice. He was not sure if it was fear or if it was anger that was causing her voice to tremble. The sugary tea in his tea he had gulped down was making him all jittery with anticipation. "I was afraid of this, I told Suzanna to protect you until you came of age and it looks like she did it a little too well," said Lady Leona with a small sigh. "What does Suzanna have to do with this," asked Ashleigh. "Suzanna is your guardian, after your mother died, she was assigned to protect you until you matured. It seems that her way of protecting you was to leave you ignorant of everything," said Lady Leona. "So... I don't know if I can believe all of this. You are telling me that I am a werewolf and that you are a werewolf, and he is werewolf and that Suzanna is a werewolf, and...." sputtered Ashleigh. "Wade, please change. Let Ashleigh see your wolf. That should make things easier," said Lady Leona. Wade thought he was going to panic. Or perhaps Ashleigh was going to panic. He had not expected this turn of events. "Uh..."started Wade. "Now." said Lady Leona, there was death dripping from her voice if he did not comply. He did not want to die today. Bowing his head in submission, he started to slide out of some of his cloths. He did not have spare clothing at the Alpha's house and still wanted to be able to go home on two legs. Taking his shoes off he, pulled his socks off and set them on the chair bottom. Sliding out of his pants he folded them and set them on the chair, next came the shirt. Standing in nothing but his boxers, he looked up at Ashleigh. Her face was bright red and she was trying not to look at his boxers. Smiling slightly, he called forth his wolf and shifted. The boxers ripped and fell to the ground. Sitting on the floor was a large brown wolf. A clatter of a chair falling to the ground as Ashleigh rushed to stand up, had him growling and some of his hair standing on end. Realizing there was no real danger , he settled down and watched Ashleigh as she watched him. A moment later Ashleigh had walked out of the back door with out saying a word. Wade was confused. He wanted to follow her, but he also knew that he had to wait for the Alpha to indicate it was alright. Wolf in Red Ch. 03 Ashleigh could not believe it. Werewolves were real. She had to leave. One minute she was looking at Wade blushing in his boxers and the next moment there was a shift as muscles began to twitch and turn and blur as hair started to sprout all over and all that stood there in Wades place was a large brown wolf looking at her. She had been so startled, she had knocked the chair she was standing next to over. Ashleigh saw the wolf raise his hackles for a moment before he calmed again. Glancing at her grandmother impassive face, Ashleigh could feel the air get tight in her lungs. Werewolves were real and her entire life was a lie. She had to leave, so she walked out the kitchen door. She wasn't even sure what she was doing. Her feet just seemed to move, one step after another The need for escaped pressed heavily upon her.. A part of her wanted to run. Run as fast as she could and as far as she could to get away from this madness, but the logical side reminded her that dogs chase things that run. She had worked at the animal shelter long enough to know that if she made any sudden movements or started to make a dash for it, the wolf in there would think of her as prey and chase her. She did not want to get eaten or mauled today, even though every thing she though she knew was obviously wrong. There was no guarantee that despite he knowing that Wade was the wolf, that he would be able to quell the very nature of the wolf. Thoughts swirled in her head. Questions and answers and more questions warred for space in her mind. Ashleigh just kept walking. She wasn't even sure how long she had been walking or even paying attention to where she was going, until she found herself at her favorite spot in the woods. The spot that she always went to think. It was a if her sub conscience had made the decision for her. She stood for a moment and looked down at the bed for wild flowers from the top of the ridge. The spot she suspected was created from the creek that was a little ways away, in the spring when the snow had melted the creek bed would over flow and slowly eat away at the rocks, making a natural ridge. Ones the water had receded the ground was soft and fertile for wild flowers and clover. Jumping down from the rock over hang to the soft ground below, she felt the ground give a little too much and then pain shot up from her left ankle, bringing tears to her eyes. Taking a deep breathe, Ashleigh was trying her best to keep her composure, but it seemed like nothing was going to go right for her today. Plopping down onto the ground, she pulled her left foot up to her lap so that she could check it out. The pain from the movement was like lightening. She was pretty sure that she might have sprained her ankle, for the mere sake that there were no bones poking out of her ankle or foot. Trying to move the foot into her lap had been a bad idea, it felt like fire was ripping through her, that she stopped and just let her foot stretched out on ground in front of her. Some of her discomfort eased, but is her ankle throbbed in anger at the slightest movement. Looking around her, she realized that as much as she loved her secret place, no one knew she was there and she wouldn't be able to get out of with out help. She was trapped. The pain, the realization that her life wasn't what she thought it was and being trapped with no way out was too much. Bringing her hands up to her face, Ashleigh started to sob into them. Sometimes you just need a good cry, before you can move on, and if any one deserved a good cry, she did. ******* Wade sat there in wolf form next to Lady Leona, not entirely sure what to do. He wasn't sure if he should change back into human form or just stay as a wolf. Deciding that the energy it would take to change back multiple times would wear him down, he would just wait in wolf form. Not to mention that it also go him out of having to actually do more then nod if asked a question. Lady Leona had been oddly silent when Ashleigh walked out the door. He was not sure what he expected out of this afternoon, but it was not this. Cocking his head to the side, he could still barely hear Ashleigh walking in the woods. The crunch of dried leaves with her soft footfalls got increasingly softer as the seconds ticked on. "This will not do," said Lady Leona. Wade turned his head and watched Lady Leona. He was not entirely sure what Lady Leona had meant by that. He watched her. Suddenly her focus shifted from the empty door way to him. It felt like a thousand eyes were watching him and he wanted to cower away. "You. You will find Ashleigh and explain everything to her. I mean everything thing. You will leave nothing out. It has become obvious to me that Suzanne has failed and I am going to have to make her aware of that. You will educate Ashleigh in everything she needs to know about us, and you have one month to do it and to have her mated. Do not fail me, or it will not be pretty," snarled Lady Leona. The wolf was fully in her eyes and in her voice. Wade dropped his head in submission as he quivered with fear. Lady Leona may look like every ones grandmother, but she was not some one to be trifled with. She had a core of steel and a mind like a vice. Wade was not entirely sure what Suzanne was supposed to have told Ashleigh, because technically it was against pack law to talk to an outsider about pack business. Ashleigh was not part of the pack because she was not a Were. She was a human. However if the alpha told you to do something you were supposed to do it. Valuing his life, Wade decided rather quickly that he would educate Ashleigh. Bringing his head up slowly, he nodded at Lady Leona keeping his eyes low in submission. Wade's ears perked up as he heard a sound come from the woods. It was soft, but he could make out a cry in pain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lady Leona stiffen. If he heard the cry of pain, then Lady Leona had definitely head the cry of pain. He was pretty sure it was Ashleigh. Bending down to grab his jeans into his mouth, he stood by the door and waited. If she was in pain, she could have been attacked by wild wolves. Despite there being a local Were population there were still some wild wolves in the woods and they were not exactly friendly tree hugging sort of wolves that an injured person would be safe with. They were more likely to take it as an opportunity for a quick meal. The screen door was shut and he had enough sense to know that if he took a leap through the screen that Lady Leona would not be pleased at all, despite the pressing urgency of the situation. Nudging the door, he looked at Lady Leona. She had a thoughtful look on her face. He watched as she opened the screen door. Not wanting to wait around, Wade ran down the lane following Ashleigh's scent. **** Ashleigh was not entirely sure how long she had been crying. Her eyes felt red and gritty from the tears, and her face was hot from all the blood rushing to her face. Her mind was feeling a little dull from all the energy that it took to expel to torrent of tears. Hiccuping a little, as she settled down, she slowly became aware that she was no longer alone. Ashleigh could feel eyes upon her. Bringing her face out of her hands, she looked up and around here. The light from the afternoon was beginning to fade and the long shadows from the tree's made it harder to figure out what was staring at her. Scanning the ridge, her gaze met those of a yellow eyed wolf. The wolf was staring at her. Ashleigh was trying her best to hold it together. She wasn't sure if that wolf was Wade or if it was someone else, or heaven forbid and actual normal wolf. Anger boiled up with in her. It was slow an hot like a slow leaking lava. It slowly destroyed the fear in her brain as the wolf stared at her. The wolf began to bare its teeth at her and growl. Ashleigh could feel the thin line of fear snap as anger began course through her. Letting out a primal cry of rage, she grabbed the nearest thing she could, a medium sized rock on the ground and threw it at the wolf, startling the wolf to take a couple of steps backwards. Screaming obscenities into the air, she continued to grab at some of the rocks on the ground and throw them at the wolf. Some of the smaller rocks missed the target along with some of the larger ones, but were enough for the wolf to back up out of range and continue to watch her tire herself out. She could hear the wolf growling and see the remaining daylight bounce off the sharp whiteness of the wolfs teeth. Ashleigh could feel her arm getting tired and she was beginning to run out of rock. She could throw flowers at the wolf, like some hippy flower child and tell it to make love not war and hope the wolf would go away, but that wasn't likely to work. She was going to die in these woods. Her bad day was going to end by her getting eaten by wild dogs. The wolf slowly crept forward, growling at her the entire time. The end was near, she had no plan. Deciding that if she was going to die by wild dogs, she might as well laugh at the irony of it. A small giggle escaped her as the wolf came even closer. Yellow eyes of death stalked her every breathe. A rustle in the underbrush started her and she watched the wolf warily watch the bush on the ledge begin to twitch and shake. Suddenly a larger wolf sailed over the brush and let out a loud menacing snarl to the smaller wolf. She watched as the smaller wolf snarled and snapped at the larger wolf. The hackles on the large wolf were raised and the large wolf snarled and then lunged at the smaller wolf. Ashleigh saw the smaller wolf dodge and snap at the larger wolf. It looked like a larger version of some of the dog fights she had scene at the kennel. At work they had tried to put the new dogs in with some of the older dogs that were more mild mannered, but sometimes no matter what two dogs that you would think would be fine with each other were get into a nasty dog fight. Biting, and fur flew in the air as the wolf fight in front of her continued. Suddenly the smaller wolf must have decided that she was no longer worth the fight, as she watched him dart into the darkening woods. The larger wolf sat and howled his victory before turning and started rooting around the bush that he had jumped over. Pulling a pair of jeans out of the bush, the wolf trotted behind the bush, and a moment later Wade walked out, wearing nothing but the faded jeans that were in the wolfs mouth moments before. Ashleigh's mind clicked as she connected the dots that Wade was the large wolf that had just saved her. She wasn't going to be a meal for wild dogs. Her day just dropped from a level 10 on a shit scale to a level 9 1/2. Not dying was an improvement, but not much of one. Ashleigh noted that several bruises and cuts were on Wade's torso, but overall he seemed to be no worse for the wear after the fight he was just in. She had to wonder if sparring with wild wolves was normal for a Were. "Are you alright?" asked Wade as he hopped down from the ledge gracefully and landed next to where she sat. Concern was evident in his voice. "Mentally or Physically?" replied Ashleigh with a little bit of a snort. "Both." "Physically I think that I may have a sprained ankle, Mentally the jury is still out," replied Ashleigh. She watched as Wade slowly picked up her foot and then hissed and pain as he poked and prodded her ankle, checking for broken bones. "Will you be able to put any weight on it," asked Wade quietly as he lowered her foot and checked the not injured one for any swelling. "It hurts less then it did, but it still hurts quite a bit, I don't think I can put any weight on it yet with out screaming in agony," said Ashleigh and sighed in relief and he set her foot back down on the soft ground. "I don't feel comfortable trying to get you up the embankment and out of the woods in the dark with you being injured. I think we should stay here for the night and then I can get us out in daylight," said Wade bluntly. "Ah..I am not exactly prepared to spend the night on the dirt floor..." said Ashleigh as apprehension started to fill her. The shadows of the trees were even longer on the ground and she knew that Wade was right, that it would be hard for them to get her out of the woods in the dark with her being injured. They would most likely injure her further before they would be able to get her out. "I can get a fire started and I think that will help. Once the fire is up and going that should keep the other predators away long enough for me to get a blanket or two from my car. I am parked at Lady Leona's house and it shouldn't take me long to bring them back," said Wade. Ashleigh stared at him. She wasn't sure what to think. He was being really nice and understanding, but she still didn't want to be stuck in the woods over night, but in reality she really didn't want to go back home either. She didn't want to have to deal with Suzanne or go back to her grandmothers and talk to her. She may not want to spend a night in the woods, but perhaps it would be a good idea to do it, just to clear her head a bit. Ashleigh watched as he started to fidget with one of the wild flowers, slowly pulling petals off the head while he waited for her answer. The silence stretched on and she watched him maul another flower waiting for her to answer. "Okay. I guess I am game for spending the night in the woods. If you are going to go back and get blankets, bring back some food too," said Ashleigh. Wade nodded and let out a full breath that she hadn't be aware of him holding and then watched as he immediately began to assemble wood to make a fire. This might not be the ideal situation and they might not have anything in common, but just for a moment Ashleigh was glad to have Wade with her. It made the bleakness of the lies that had been told to her not feel so lonely. ***** Wade started to prop sticks of wood into a teepee position with a few dried leaves that he had been able to find shoved in the center. He really wanted to get the fire going. It was getting cooler as the rays of daylight disappeared in the the inky blackness of the woods, and even though he had spent many nights in the woods, it was always nice to sleep next to a warm fire. Reaching into his jean pockets, he was relieved to find an old matchbook that still had a couple of sad looking matches still in it. He had absent mindedly shoved the matchbook in his pocket earlier that day when he was cleaning out his car. It had belonged to his cousin that had left it in his car the last time they were together. He had made fun of his cousin when his cousin had said that it was his lucky matchbook and had begged him to look for it. A Wade was pretty sure that he could light a fire by rubbing two sticks together, but if he didn't have to, it seemed that the matchbook was indeed lucky. Lucky for him. Striking the match against the soft matchbook, a prayer of thanks left his lips as the match head burst into life. Moving the tiny flame to the dried leaves, they caught on fire quickly. Blowing on the flame softly to make the flames rise higher, small pieces of wood caught on fire and slowly got bigger. After a few minutes of feeding the fire, it had stabilized and was throwing off a good amount of heat. Looking at Ashleigh, he observed that she seemed to be lost in thought staring into the flames. Wade was beginning to feel the adrenaline rush from the earlier fight begin to drain. He was going to need to get going, if we wanted to have enough energy to bring food back for both of them. "I am going to head out to get blankets and food and stuff," said Wade, mentally berating himself for sounding like an idiot. Ashleigh looked up from the fire and and nodded at him that she had heard him. Sighing, he got up and brushed some of the dirt and leaves off of his jeans. He was going to have to change back into a wolf if he wanted to find his way back with out feeling every single rock, twig or thorn that was in the woods. Climbing up the side of the dirt bank he ducked behind the bush and stripped his jeans off and shook them out. Wade new that he was going to have to bring the jeans with him and he really didn't want to taste dirt and mud in his mouth the entire trip back. Closing his eyes, he call forth the wolf and willed his body to change. He tried not to groan as his muscles moved and shifted. His vision changed and then righted itself. The woods were no longer as dark as they once were, shade and shadows became much clearer and the whispers of the nocturnal animals danced in his ears. Bending down he snatched the jeans off the ground and started to make his way back to grandmothers house. The entire trip back to the house, all he could think about was Ashleigh and the other wolf. He had heard her scream of rage and he thought that his heart was going to drop out of his chest and quit beating. He had smelled the wolf and could sense the desperate hunger in the air. Wade wasn't sure what had possessed Ashleigh to throw rocks at the wolf, but he was glad she did. It had given him enough time to get there. If he had been even a few minutes later, there was no telling to if she would still be alive. The fragility of her humanity frightened him, but her bravery in the face of an uncertain death made him proud. To be fair the wolf had put up a good fight and had gotten in a few good licks, before he had turned tail and ran. Wade knew that he was never going to forget the crazed look in Ashleigh's eyes as she desperately threw stones into the face of death, and if that determination was an example at her tenacity, then he figured he was going to have an uphill battle trying to get her to agree to mate with him. Wade was approaching the Alpha's house. Stopping at the edge of the woods, he morphed back into his human form and tried to shake of some of the weariness that came from doing several changes through out the day. Walking out of the woods and towards the house, he noted that the lights were still on and that there were several cars parked in the drive. The one car that had caught his attention belonged to his parents. Wade walked up the drive and knocked on the door. Waiting for the door to open, he hoped that he would be able to get in and out of the house with the rest of his clothing without too many questions. Wade could tell that his long night was going to get even longer, when the door opened and his little sister, Emily opened that door and smirked at him. His sister was only two years younger than him, and had this annoying habit constantly getting in the way and being in the way or wanting to tag along. Wade could just imagine how well Ashleigh would respond if he came back with supplies and his little sister. She would most likely throw stones at him. Biting the inside of his cheek, Wade smiled at Emily what he hoped was a surprised and carefree smile and followed her into the house. Wade saw his parents, sitting at the table chatting with Lady Leona. They all stopped talking and looked at him as he walked in. Without a doubt in his mind, Wade knew that he would rather be in the woods with Ashleigh throwing stones at him and screaming obscenities then be the center of attention of his parents and alpha. He had to glance down for a split second to make sure his fly was not undone. "Where is Ashleigh," asked Lady Leona. Wade shivered as the ice from her tone, cause a bead of sweat to sprout across his forehead and upper lip. "In the woods, she sprained her ankle. We are going to camp out and I'll take her home in the morning," rushed Wade, trying to get all the words out before he ran out of breathe. "Ah,"said Lady Leona as she watched him. Wade could feel her gaze dismiss him and he dashed out of the living room into the kitchen. To his utter relief he heard his parent stop Emily from following him. That was one complication to this evening that he had narrowly avoided. Entering the darkened kitchen, Wade saw his clothing neatly folded into a pile at the end of the kitchen table and a picnic basket next to them. Pulling the shirt over his head, he glanced at the picnic basket. Slipping into his sneakers, he mused that this night looked like it was going to be even stranger then the day way. Grabbing the picnic basket, he slipped out the kitchen door and headed to his car to pull out a blanket of the trunk.