The New Wolf Ch. 03

A/N: Special thanks as always to my editors jayknie and notsweetenough

*****

Knocking once, Lucas entered James' apartment. Suzy was sitting on the Alpha's desk. She glanced at Lucas and her smile dropped. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking out, not bothering to look Lucas in the eye. He wanted to throw her to the ground for her disrespect, but decided now wasn't the time.

"So the Leeds pack should arrive for their visit tomorrow evening. I've been told they're bringing forty-four members. It's going to be a full house. I'm asking all the apartment dwellers to let pack members stay in their spare rooms or couches for the weekend so the Leeds pack gets some space."

"Alright," Lucas said. "I'll double our border patrols too. The last thing we want is an attack while guests are here."

"Has Roxy moved back into your place?" James asked. "I'm only asking so I can give up her bedroom on the second floor."

"No," Lucas said.

"She's spent the night there every night this week."

"I'm a big boy, I can make my own decisions."

James didn't respond. Lucas thought he'd offer an olive branch.

"This weekend...we will refrain from any activities that might cause other pack members discomfort in front of our guests."

"Not necessary, Clara isn't coming."

Lucas' face dropped.

"Well, I still haven't told the poor girl about mates and seeing as how the point of this visit is to see if there are any between our packs it might get confusing for her."

Lucas nodded.

"I can't keep her in the dark forever. Once she figures it out, and she will, there's going to be some hell to pay. Since you're a big boy and all, what would your decision be regarding your little mate?"

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"The entire pack knows you're sleeping with Roxy by now. So I can't figure out if you've rejected Clara and are back to planning on marking Roxy or if you feel like humiliating Clara without her knowledge and are still hoping to connect with her?"

Lucas glanced at the ground. He didn't know the answer to that question.

"This is my life. I should have control of it," Lucas said.

"You are playing a dangerous game my friend," James said. "Right now you're hurting two members of my pack and it is starting to weigh on me."

Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but James held up his hand silencing him.

"As your Alpha I have a lot of authority. I am aware this does not extend to mates, the moon goddess has that authority alone. I cannot and will not make you wait for Clara or punish you for being with Roxy. So I don't need that speech. But I do want to hear your plan. So which one is it? Be with your girlfriend or wait for your mate?"

Lucas pushed his lips together and looked away.

"Will you let me try and speak to Clara next time she is here?"

"Can you guarantee you won't force try to yourself on her again?"

"That's the problem. The only way I can satisfy my urge for Clara is to use Roxy."

James frowned and moved forward.

"I'll make you a deal," he said. "Stop fucking Roxy and the next time Clara is here I will organize a way for the two of you to talk. Bump into her somehow, casually, and see how she reacts."

"I can live with that," Lucas said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The run was coming to an end and Clara didn't see her friend from last time. She found out in the one weekend she was gone one pack member, someone named Brad left for another pack and a new member joined, a guy named Jason. Clara hadn't realized trading packs was an option, but then again still felt in the dark about a lot of things.

She trotted down the trail back to the lodge when out of nowhere the male wolf appeared. Clara couldn't help herself and didn't hide her excitement at his return. He started bouncing his legs out, signaling the game was on. Clara wasted no time taking off, going slow enough he could keep up. They continued their game among the trees. This time Clara let it last longer, not deciding to show off her speed just yet. After what felt like a few minutes the sky started to lighten. Clara didn't want to stop playing, but she knew it was time for their game to end.

She broke out in her sprint, losing her playmate in no time. Clara debated on sticking with him, wanting to know who he was in human form, but didn't want to risk having to shift in front of him and stand naked with a stranger. She made it back to her tree, threw on her clothes and started towards the house. There weren't any hook ups this time, Clara was sure they were already long in bed. She let out a yawn, glad she exhausted enough energy this time to go right to sleep.

When she lay down a smile spread across her face. This wasn't bad. Last weekend she'd had a good time going for drinks with her colleagues and vegging out in front of the TV. She'd even gone without any chest pains. The break made her appreciate this weekend. She did love the runs and did miss Suzy and James. Maybe things weren't so bad here.

Clara didn't get out of bed until five o'clock. She felt great. As she showered she wondered what to do this evening. She didn't feel like hiding in her room with a book and wondered about Roxy's offer last weekend to go to the lake. It still seemed warm enough out. That was one person who had been missing. Maybe Clara was too hard on her and she'd given up being friends. Clara made a mental note to find her and apologize later. When she got back to her room Suzy stood in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Clara asked as she opened the door and walked over to the bed, her choice of clothing already set out.

"The Alpha wants to see you," Suzy said.

"About what?" Clara asked.

"He didn't say," Suzy replied.

Clara felt a lump in the back of her throat. She remembered the sex talk Suzy mentioned. It was such a good weekend, the last thing she wanted was for James to tell her to start joining in the orgies. The thought made her cringe. She rolled her shoulders back and reminded herself when that talk came she would stand her ground. He couldn't make her participate.

"Wow." Suzy interrupted her thoughts. "I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but it looks like you went through a whole bunch of emotions."

Clara gave a nervous laugh.

"Do you know where his office is or do you want me to take you?"

"Top of the staircase right?"

"Guess you don't need me to take you."

Suzy pushed herself out of the doorway. Clara snickered and got dressed. She brushed her wet hair before heading to James' office. A little nervous about what he wanted. She knocked on the door and stood in the hall, waiting for someone to let her in. When no response came she knocked again.

"Come in," James called.

Clara walked in and was surprised by the room. It wasn't very large, but the ceiling was almost all windows. She could see the darkening sky and stars coming out. They were beautiful.

"Sorry about that Clara," James said. "I'm used to a single knock followed by the door opening. Most people don't wait for an invite around here. Have a seat."

Clara shut the door and sat down on the opposite side of the desk.

"Suzy said you wanted to see me?"

"Sorry I couldn't pick you up myself yesterday, duty calls."

"It's no big deal. I got to meet someone new. I think Leslie was her name?"

"She's a great girl."

Clara nodded her head.

"So how was your weekend away from home? Tell me about it, what did you do?"

"I had a great time. I had drinks and dinner with friends and then we went to a..."

Before Clara could continue a knock sounded. She turned in her chair as the door was opening. Lucas looked right at her as he walked into the room. On instinct Clara stood up and backed herself up against the wall. James rose as well.

"What is he doing here?"

Clara wasn't sure she asked the question out loud. She hadn't been this close to him since that morning months ago. His eyes looked her up and down and she couldn't help but notice how the hazel color seemed to swirl. She took in a breath, and an amazing aroma filled her lungs. There was a bit of familiarity, but Clara couldn't place it. She closed her eyes, not understanding how she felt so distracted by the presence of the man who attacked her not long ago.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in here." His voice seemed to stimulate her eardrums, making her open her eyes less he attack all her senses.

"Clara please have a seat," James said. "Lucas come back later."

"I am sorry," he said.

Clara wasn't sure if he was referring to crashing her meeting with James or trying to rape her. He held his hand out, almost like he was offering a truce. Clara stared at his hand and wished the wall was further back so she could put more space between the two. Realizing she wasn't going to take it he dropped it and started moving closer towards her. Clara pushed herself harder against the wall and started sliding away from him. He stopped in his tracks before turning and leaving the room in a hurry.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as Clara stayed frozen on the wall. When he left all of her senses seemed to refocus. The scent was gone, his eyes weren't hypnotic, his voice wasn't playing on her ears.

"Clara please sit back down." James snapped Clara back to reality.

She felt reality come back to her and took a seat.

"I'm not comfortable around him," she said.

"I know. I am sorry about that," James said. "Are you doing okay?"

She nodded her head, knowing she was. Whatever weird sensation filled her was gone.

"So a few weeks ago I suggested we get together and I fill you in on some more information about out kind."

Clara nodded.

"Suzy told me you were asking some questions about our lifestyles. I know this might sound weird, but keep an open mind."

Before James continued Clara felt the pain. It didn't start out slow this time, but instead exploded like a freight chain out of her chest. She wasn't prepared and couldn't hide her scream. She clutched her heart and went limp in her chair. James was standing over her, Clara realized she was on the ground. The pain intensified, making it impossible to hear what James was saying. Consciousness threatened to leave her and it sounded like a good idea, but Clara knew not to give in, certain if she did she would never wake up again. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but slowly the pain subsided. She smiled at her triumph, feeling like she cheated death. Her hearing returned.

"I'm going to kill him myself," James said.

"Who?' Clara asked.

She scooted herself up on her elbows and a look of relief came on James' face. She sat up all the way and brought her hand to her heart.

"That was a bad one," she said. "But they're supposed to get better right?"

"Have they been getting better?" James asked.

"Yes," Clara said. "I hadn't had one in over a week, so this took me by surprise. Normally there's more of a buildup too. I can feel them coming on. This one came out of the blue. Is there another turned wolf? Someone I can talk to who can help me deal with these?"

"There's a few in other packs, but none here. I'll see what I can dig up for you."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to lie down for a while. Can we continue this talk another time?"

"Of course," James said. "Really the point of the meeting was to let you know I'm fine with every other weekend going forward."

Clara smiled and nodded. James wasn't doing a good job hiding the pity from his voice, but if his feeling bad for her resulted in more freedom she was on board with that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lucas sat on his couch staring at the door. It didn't take long for the Alpha to knock once. Lucas rose as he walked in. The two men locked eyes. James signaled for him to sit down and he followed his lead.

"Say the words," James said.

Lucas looked at the ground.

"I can't order you to, but I'm pretty sure your last bout with Roxy almost killed her."

"If I could touch her, she would know, then none of this would be an issue."

"She has made it clear she doesn't want to be near you and you've made it clear you can't keep it in your pants. Please end her suffering. Say the words."

"What if I don't mean them?"

James shook his head.

"I don't know, but I think you're out of options."

"What if I just take her? What if we make love and then she realizes what I am to her?"

"Mate or not if you take her against her will she won't ever forgive you. It will be her who says the words then."

Lucas nodded his head. He took a breath and let the words roll of his tongue, unsure how he really felt.

"I, Lucas Crase, reject my mate Clara Carlson."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Time went on and things started to feel normal. Clara was doing well at work, had a mini social life in town and didn't mind her every other weekend trips to the lodge. Her heart problems even got better, she still felt a dull ache now and then, but nothing compared to the pass out pain she had been in.

Winter came on and it was a white one. Clara had never seen so much snow in her life. She expected the pack to get trapped in the mountains, but like clockwork someone came and got her every other Friday. A few times it was in a snowmobile instead of a car.

Clara left work early and was looking at the small downtown's shops. Deciding to buy a present for Suzy and maybe something small for James. She wondered if everyone in the pack exchanged gifts or if none of them did. She didn't notice them decorating for Christmas, but it was still a few weeks away. She decided to ask Suzy about it this weekend.

She went into a crafty shop and started sniffing the homemade candles, trying to remember if she'd ever seen Suzy burn one before. The bells hanging over the door jingled and Clara looked towards the noise. A man walked in the shop. He smiled at Clara as he walked towards her. She didn't recognize him, but she smiled back. A quick scan told her something was not right. He had huge bags under his eyes and his black hair was all over the place. Her smile faded and she went back to the candles, hoping he would leave her alone. It seemed her wish was answered as the smiling man walked right past her and went to the back of the store.

The uneasy feeling didn't leave Clara. She tried to shake it away, but something seemed off. She set the candle down and walked outside. It wasn't four o'clock yet, but the sun was almost down. She decided to call her shopping trip a bust and head home. Before she crossed the street to her car the sound of the bells rang a few feet behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see the same man grinning at her.

"Excuse me miss," he said as he started walking towards her.

Clara stuck her hands in her pockets and paced ahead. The man continued calling, but she only increased her speed.

"Stuck up bitch," he yelled. "Think you're too good for me."

Clara got to her car and climbed in. She slammed the door shut and hit the lock button right as he approached the window. He screamed at her through the glass.

"You're not better than me. I'll see you real soon sweetheart."

Clara's hand shook as she turned the ignition over. She didn't buckle her seatbelt before taking off. This sort of thing happened in New York, not in small town Wyoming. Clara felt herself shake. She looked in the rearview mirror to see the man standing in the middle of the road. Laughing like a maniac.

When Clara got home she poured a drink and slammed it down, determined not to let the man get to her. She debated on calling the police, but in a town like Laramie she was sure someone else already had. Clara closed her eyes and took a few breaths. She changed into some pajamas and threw a dinner in the microwave, ready to settle in for the night.

A scratching sound broke Clara away from slumber. The blue light for the TV decorated the otherwise black room. The wind whipped against the house and the scratching noise grew louder. It was coming from the front. Clara stood up and walked towards the deadbolted door. She flipped on the porch lights, pulled back the drapes from the window and looked down. There was something leaning against her door. She couldn't tell what it was, but it looked like a piece of garbage. She decided to leave it until morning. Turning off the lights she went into her bedroom.

After five minutes of lying in bed the scratching sound grew louder, making it impossible to sleep. It was after midnight and Clara had to work the next day. She gave up and threw off the covers. She flipped the porch light back on and unlocked the door, pulling it open ready to grab the garbage. Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw that nothing was there.

She pushed the door closed, but was met with force. It flung back open, smacking her in the face and knocking her to the ground. Standing above her with the same maniacal grin was the man from this afternoon.

"Good evening, told you I'd see you soon."

He reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair, dragging her into the kitchen. Clara struggled to get free, clawing at his grip.

"It smells good in here," he said. "You forget that. How good we all smell. It's a welcoming aroma."

When they arrived in the kitchen he let go of her. She stood up and tried to run for the door, but he blocked her path. Wrapping his arms around her he bent down to smell her hair.

"You're young," he said. "Only a few months. I don't meet many turned wolves, but beggars can't be choosers."

Clara struggled in his arms, but his grip was too tight.

"What do you want from me?"

"Relax," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want us to spend a little time together. I miss being part of a pack. How about you and me start out own? A two man pack? Sound like fun little thing."

Images of Lucas attacking her came to mind. Clara forced them away. This was real, right here and now. She would not be another victim. He leaned down again and took a big whiff from her neck.

"You're not marked. Would you like me to do the honors? Then we could really have some fun."

Clara didn't know what the crazy man was talking about. She stopped struggling in his arms, but was still shaking with fear.

"It's not fair." He flung her to the ground. "I know what you think of me. The way you look at me. That man's an outcast. He's did something to deserve it. Well I did nothing! NOTHING! I didn't deserve to be kicked out, to have my dignity taken away. Do you know what that does to a man?"

Clara tried to stand up, but she felt a shoe on her back, push her back down to the floor.

"After months of being alone I finally get a break. Another wolf! And she doesn't even live on pack grounds. Maybe I can finally have someone to talk to, someone who will understand me. But I saw that look you gave me in the store. You were scared of me. Well I was nervous! Then I finally get the courage to talk to you and you run away from me. Like I'm the asshole? You're the stuck up bitch."

Clara tried to get out from under his shoe, but he increased the pressure on her back.

"Then I come in here and you immediately think I'm going to hurt you? You think that little of me? Like I would mark you against your will?"

"You are hurting me," Clara said.

"Well now I am because you made me angry, but I'm not hurting you in the way you were thinking."

With that he lifted his foot. Clara tried to stand, but was met with a swift kick in the ribs. She let out a groan and landed on the floor with a thud.

"All I wanted was someone to talk to. I thought we could have grabbed a drink, exchanged some stories. Nothing big, but you're too good for that."

On the last word he kicked hard, landing another blow right between the ribs. Clara looked up at the open front door. She needed to get out of here, the only chance she stood was shifting. She willed her body to change and heard his laughing.