CHAPTER 2 Wolf

Draven

"Fine. Good night, Evie. I'll call you in the-"

I wasn't able to finish my sentence. She hung up on me like she usually did when I called her in the middle of the night.

I sighed and threw my phone on the coffee table. I stood up from my leather couch, carrying my glass of scotch, and walked to the balcony of my penthouse suite which had a spectacular view overlooking the city of San Francisco. I ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated that Evie didn't accept my offer to move in on the floor beneath my suite. She argued she wanted to live in a house with a backyard and a front lawn and added the fact that she was terrified of earthquakes and would probably die of a heart attack if she was stuck in a high rise building in the middle of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Evie had one hell of a vivid imagination.

I glanced down at my watch, debating whether I should just drive to her house. I decided against it, knowing she would slam the door in my face.

God, Draven, you are so needy...

When it came to Evie, I couldn't deny it, I was needy. I don't know how it happened, but I didn't care if anyone else abandoned me, just as long as it wasn't Evie.

When I first saw her silver eyes smiling at me that last year in middle school, about 15 years ago, I cringed. Not because of fear, but because of disgust. Standing before me was another human who, without even getting to know me first, had a crush on me. It was so obvious in the way she smiled at me, held my hand and invaded my personal space. She followed me everywhere I went, sat with me during lunch, and glared at any other girl who attempted to befriend me. She was worse than my over protective mother and my overbearing father... may the Moon Goddess bless their souls. During that particular time in my life, I just wanted to be left alone, to mourn the tragic death of my parents... decompress, but Evie made it very difficult.

My parents died while I was still adjusting in a prestigious boarding school in New York City. According to the police, they were attacked at our vacation home in Aspen by a pack of large animals. It only meant one thing... My parents were attacked by rogues.

My Uncle Maverick, my father's brother, became Alpha of the Blood Moon Wolf Pack because I was not yet of age to inherit the title. He took everything, leaving me with nothing except for the clothes on my back.

Since I was a contender for Alpha of the pack, he sent a team to assassinate me once he rose into power. My nanny, Mama Agnes, took me from my school in New York after the headmaster had told me my enrollment had been forfeited and together we ran to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin where she had blood ties with a small unknown wolf pack, The Scarred Beasts.

Mama Agnes was a middle-aged Omega who worked as a household helper for my mother's family, then she took the position of nanny when I was born. She had white in her curly auburn hair and wrinkles around her warm brown eyes. She loved to cook, knit, and do laundry, because she loved the smell of a home-cooked meal, the feel of yarn on her fingers and that foral scent of newly laundered clothes.

"I'm afraid we can't go to your mother's pack in Washington State. There will be a team waiting to ambush us before we even get to the gate of the territory," Mama Agnes said while we dusted and cleaned the small house near the edge of the forest. It was house left to her by her mother's sister who was a lowly Omega in the Scarred Beasts Pack. "This house is much smaller than you're used to, but it will keep us under the radar. Tomorrow, we'll buy what we need in town. Your uncle thinks he took everything, but your mother made sure you wouldn't starve."

"She left us money?" I asked, hopeful. After my enrollment was forfeited, I knew my uncle would freeze all assets my parents had under their name.

"Yes, through me, including a safe deposit box in California," she answered, taking out a gold chain from under her sweater which had a key as a pendant. "The box is located at Chase Bank in San Francisco, California. I believe you will find a title of a building under your name and several other valuables. According to Blood Moon Wolf Pack laws, the Alpha can leave one property under the name of his firstborn and this can not be touched by any succeeding Alpha unless the firstborn dies. Since you are now under the protection of the Scarred Beasts, if someone comes looking for you, we will know." She handed me the key and sighed. "I'm your Mama now, Draven. I know I can't replace Luna Camilla, but I will keep you safe until it's time for you to take back what is rightfully yours."

When Mama Agnes met Evie, who had followed me home, she fell in love with her on sight... to my dismay. I had thought if she disliked her in any way, Mama Agnes would talk to Principal Cruz, who was a Scarred Beasts pack member, and ask him to separate us. But I was wrong.

According to Mama Agnes, Evie had the smell of newly laundered clothes, convincing her wolf self that Evie was a keeper. It was odd because to me, Evie smelled like rain in the spring, the rain that brought flowers back to life. It was a scent I liked at the time, not loved, but Mama Agnes said it was a good enough sign to keep Evie in my inner circle. Little did I know Evie's scent would become a force to reckon with when I became of age.

Ever since then, Mama Agnes would pack my lunch box with food good enough for two. She always reminded me to keep Evie close, that she was my good luck charm.

And she was right. One day while I was walking through the school's parking lot, a car skidded on the slippery icy pavement towards me. Like a heroine in a comic book, Evie pushed me aside before the car could touch me.

After that incident, I followed Evie wherever she went and made her go wherever I needed to be. During high school, I would ask Mama Agnes to pull some strings so Evie and I would be in all the same classes. When it was time to go off to college and Evie didn't have enough money to go to Stanford even on a scholarship, I asked Mama Agnes to be an anonymous donor and sponsor her education. Evie was so ecstatic when she received the letter regarding the sponsorship that she kissed me on the cheek.

Up to this day, Mama Agnes has been right. With Evie by my side, I could conquer mountains.

Before we started university at Stanford, I visited my parents' graves and brought Evie with me. I decided it was time to tell her my story and confess who I truly was.

One thing I liked about Evie was she never demanded the truth. She knew Mama Agnes wasn't my real mother, but she never asked anything about my true parents.

"Draven, I didn't know," Evie said as we stood in front of my parents' tombstones in Aspen. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was about to set. "For what it's worth, I'm truly sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how hard it has been for you to lose your parents."

"It's not your fault, Evie," I squeezed her hand to put her at ease. "I never told you or anyone else for that matter. I wish you could have met them, but if they hadn't died, I doubt if we would have become friends."

"Was it a car accident?" Evie asked. I shook my head.

"They were attacked," I answered, taking both her hands in mine. I was nervous. I didn't know if she would accept me or reject me. "Before I tell you what happened to my parents, I have to tell you something about me, something that's hard to believe. I hope when I tell you, you won't see me any different."

Evie's sun-kissed blonde hair was blowing with the wind while her silver eyes stared at me with interest... expectant even. "Draven, I know you aren't gay, so what do you have to tell me that is making you so nervous?" She giggled, shaking her hair away from her face. "Are you going to tell me you're in love with me?"

My brow furrowed while my face grimaced in disgust. "What?! No! Ew! You're like a sister to me!" I exclaimed. She yanked her hands from my grasp and glared at me.

"Then what do you need to tell me that's so important?! That you're Mafia?! That your parents were attacked by a rival organization and that you're a target too?!" I had to hand it to Evie, she was really smart and had an imagination.

"Close," I said. "I'm a-"

"WOLF!" Evie screamed while pointing at a large growling brown wolf barreling down towards us, its mouth opened wide, showing its sharp teeth.