Chapter 9: Chapter 8

“How’s the university going? Busy?” I asked as I helped Teresa put away some medical equipment. I noticed some bruises on her arm that did not exist yesterday and I frowned.

“It’s too much! I barely have time to sleep.” She chuckled with a smile that did not reach her big eyes.

“Listen, Teresa, if you want you can stay with me, so you would be closer to your campus.” The girl went to a public university for humans not far from ours, which was just for werewolves. But Teresa lived extremely far away. And for some alien reasons, she didn’t move closer.

“Oh, thanks Ivy, but-”

“Yvaine!” Mrs Tina greeted me with her arm waving vigorously, interrupting our conversation, just as she had stopped knitting when I came in. Teresa sent me a sheepish smile and hurried to her next patient.

“Good morning Mrs Tina, how are you today?” I gave the old lady a radiant smile. Like Teresa, she practically lived in the hospital. Werewolf lady, she had been volunteering here for a couple of years. Not from a medical background, the lady was as sweet as the apple pie she baked for us, and too kind for her own good.

Since I missed my grandparents very much, she was replacing them until I could go to Scotland for a visit.

Ms. Tina lived outside her pack near the forest, and quite close to the children’s hospital, which recovered both humans and were-kids.

Her mate had died due to unfortunate circumstances, but fortunately she had children and grandchildren to ease the scary void caused by the loss of a mate. Particularly fond of one of her nephews, she often tried to introduce us. Even a lady like her, from a different generation, was aware of how non-existent my love life was.

“Oh Yvy, you are such a sweetheart! Don’t worry about an old broom like me” she chuckled. “The pain in my hip increased, so yesterday I only ate some old bread for dinner ′

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Mrs. Tina, you are not lying, are you? I remember you told Teresa that you couldn’t wait to eat the home made rabbit with your neighbours’ berry sauce.”

The lady looked like a deer in the headlights. “Damn werewolf ears,” she murmured but I heard her and chuckled.

“Yes, true, but then I was hungry again. And I ate some bread.” She covered up her lie like it was nothing. “I just need some help tonight! The pain on my leg and all the loneliness are my only company.”

Guilt overwhelmed me before I hugged her tightly. “Oh, of course! I have a night shift for my practice tonight, but I can move it, and-”

“Oh no darling, I lied.” A sly smile appeared. No trace of remorse after she just deceived me. “I just wanted you to meet my nephew,” she admitted, with that calculating look of hers.

“He’s always so busy lately with all his training and tonight he will finally come to see me!”

Here we are again.

I moved to the second child, taking a blood sample and checking the IV, paying little attention to the sprightly lady.

“I just think you two would be perfect for each other! And he’s really handsome Ivy! Just know that once two girls came to my house to look for him and ask questions about his whereabouts!” She chuckled” My poor nephew forbade me to talk about his private business with all his girl friends ever again after I gave them his personal number!”

I doubted they were friends with her nephew, at least not in the way she meant.

Arching an eyebrow, I offered my elbow to her as we walked down the hall together. As I passed through the rooms, checking and taking notes, she was by my side handing me tools or jotting down data. Or just chatting with the children.

Suddenly, Rudolph came to mind and a strange desire to check the phone invaded my limbs. Had he sent me a message again? Then again, why should he?

“You could knock some sense into my Logy...A girl like you is exactly what the boy needs!”

I shook my head, checking the IV levels and giving a sleeping girl an extra shot.

“So, you want me to babysit him, Mrs Tina. Doesn’t he have a mother?”

She was suddenly saddened. “She was a human....couldn’t bear life with wolves and ran away, leaving my son and my innocent grandchildren all alone. All desperate and needy.”

Tragedy. We never understood the meaning until it hit us or our loved ones.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I tried to comfort her. A small gesture like this could do a lot. Never underestimate the power of small gestures.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs Tina. I hope your family has recovered.”

“My son visits her from time to time. But she has abandoned her children. They basically grew up without a mother. Even though my pack is one big happy family. And my son, daughter and I took care of the kids.” A growl escaped her lips.

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we meet with your nephew in two or three weeks time? I should be freer after completing some of my medical practice,” I proposed, taking her wrinkled hands in mine. I loved her wedding ring and how it captured the light. It was the promise of a love that was long gone but still within her.

“Oh my dear, don’t worry, you are such a ray of sunshine. My boy would be so lucky to have you as a mate.” She stroked my cheek before a sly glint appeared. “But of course! Let me talk to Logy, my dear! I’ll see when the busy guy is free. You know these boys nowadays. ”

When I finished my shift, I checked my phone and noticed that I had some messages.

The first was from Makena saying all the flatmates were going to have a snack at our usual place. I quickly checked my agenda and saw that I did not have time.

“Maybe if I start my night shift earlier... or wait, an hour later,” I muttered to myself, rearranging my day to fit my friends in it.

The second message was from my Uncle Andrew telling me he wanted to invite my brother and me for dinner and to confirm the day. Again, I check my bulky agenda and quickly text him my availability.

As I open the third message, I noticed that it was from an unknown number, and a smirk crept into my face. Rudolph had sent me a message again.

Disappointment flooded me when I realised that it came from someone else.

“Hi Yvaine! When would you like to be part of the Wereball Medical Assistance Programme? Would you be available for a few games? It’s a 4-hourextra curricular activity and your CV would benefit from it.”

Oh.

I quickly replied that I would be happy but only able to get started in a few weeks, then slipped my phone into my bag and headed for my daily classes.

Wondering about a hoarse voice that had not written to me all day.

That afternoon I went to meet my roommates in our usual coffee shop. They were all sitting at a table in a corner, sheltered from the 6pm crowd flooding the place. Generous slices of cake and hot cups of cappuccino beside their laptops.

Amaia was silent, typing with one hand on the laptop, her eyes did not blink and the cup was held halfway up between the table and her face. As if she was too busy to even drink the best black drug in the world.

Makena and Tiziano were chatting in a low voice, from time to time sipping their coffees. All their smart heads turned towards me, probably sensing my scent, and all of them smiled.

“Oh, I missed you baby!” Tiziano cooed standing up, taking my massive bag from my shoulder and hugging me tightly. “You too, Tizzy. Even though we met this morning” I joked, kissing him on the cheek.

“Hey! You know how missable I can be!”

Makena avoided my eyes when she greeted me, while Amaia, after a pat on my back, enthusiastically informed me of how pancreatic cancer was approaching human experimentation for a new discovery that an Israeli team had made by reducing the tumour mass by 90% in mice.

“Which cheesecake should I try today?” I spotted the pastry shop window, with various cakes on display, to tempt us poor defenceless souls with sugar and butter masked behind pretty cakes, to complement the need for extra sweetness in our mortal lives.

“I would go for the lemon pie. Not too much sugar and a lots of lemon zest. You know that lemon is like- “And so Amaia began to disclose the qualities of lemon and how it was a key fighter in cancer prevention and how even a few drops could greatly reduce the chances of contracting it.

“Makena, come with me?” I suggested, taking her cold hand in mine.

She nodded, getting up but still avoiding my gaze. Today she wore a pink hoodie that made her ebony skin more sparkling than ever and her face without make-up looked strangely well rested.

“Which one should I choose in your opinion?” I asked, focusing on the beauties in front of me.

I was the kind of person who would check the options forever and then end up ordering the same thing over and over again. Cookies and cream.

“Ivy, I-”

“Can I have a slice of cookies and cream cheesecake with a cappuccino with oat milk, please?” I politely asked the cashier who was a werewolf from my pack.

“Sure, Yvaine.” The boy smiled as he wrote the order down. “How’s the Highlander doing this week? Ready for the game?”

We chatted about wereball for a while. I smiled at him, nodding. “He’s on the field practicing every day.” To tell the truth, my twin, right before a game, was so focused that it almost scared me. Sometimes I wondered... how enormous was the pressure he felt? Representing our pack and meeting everyone’s expectations was a bulky backpack that he had to constantly carry on his tired shoulders. It reminded me of Atlas of Greek mythology, the titan condemned to hold the celestial skies on his shoulders for eternity, after the Titanomachy.

As if I had a compulsive tic, I checked my phone again and I felt that the bold notification indicating ‘zero messages’ was laughing at me.

What was wrong with me? Why were my internal nerves pushing me to control this pathetic human device?

“Hey Ivy, I’m sorry for last night.”

“Makena, you don’t need to give me any explanation. I don’t judge you or expect a speech, so I’m sorry if you wasted time preparing one.” I stared at her firmly, sending a mental message. “I love you and if you need me, you know where my room is.”

Relief crossed her face before she kissed my cheek and murmured a thank you.

We were all aware of the feud between Makena and Gaius and we all knew we had to stay out of it. They had to find their own path in the winding road of life. Second chance mates? Mates? Lovers who had met their respective mates? There were several theories about the two stubborn werewolves. I honestly liked to think about my own business and leave other people’s business to, well, other people.

When we got back to the table, we started chatting, at least me, Tiziano and Makena, and I could not help but glance at my phone from time to time.

Let’s add “check the phone” to my list of unhealthy addictions, along with coffee, cheesecakes and a few more.

It was absolutely disturbing. I had never been obsessed with a guy and I would never, ever be in that situation that bordered on being called ‘the crazy girl’. It did not even make sense since my mate was, hopefully, out there somewhere.

“I’m not going to the Golden Fur pack’s campus!” Tiziano insisted, avoiding Makena’s pleading eyes.

“Please Tizzy! For me?” Her strategic kitten face worked eight times out of ten.

“There is no way! And it is final.” As he spoke he covered his eyes as if he had Medusa in front of him, and simultaneously thrust a huge piece of cake into his greedy mouth.

Tiziano always went out with the same crowd in the same places. The reason was simple: to avoid meeting his mate. It was not like he was against it, but he was in no rush to find his other half so soon.

After a few more pushing, Tiziano reluctantly agreed to accompany Makena, along with threats and several “you owe me” remarks.

After returning home and saying goodnight, I sat on my bed with Plutos hidden right underneath. For a moment, his muzzle appeared, sniffing and checking that it was me. Then, once satisfied, he disappeared again.

Touching my phone screen, I decided to start a conversation and being an adult.

‘I’m curious though, what did Ludmilla send you from my phone?’

I was not sure why I expected him to respond right away. After realizing I had wasted 13 minutes of my life brooding over the phone, I threw it on the bed and went to take a shower. Was my text too mundane or boring? Would he realize it was a silly excuse to text him? Why was I interested in all this anyway?!

I walked quickly back to the room, drying my hair with a towel, and the first thing I thought was to check my phone ... in case Uncle Andrew had answered about our dinner plans, I said to myself.

And there were two texts.

The anticipation made my belly swirl in a strange way, and the bitterness of disappointment took me by surprise when I realized that the messages were indeed from Uncle Andrew. He had sent me two messages in a row, to confirm dinner and then forward the location.

Winning the battle against this sticky, obsessive new side of mine, I fished out a volume of medicine from under the bed and continued where I had left off the other night. “Neurobiological Disorders” made me forget that hoarse voice. When, after a long time, my phone beeped, I jumped up, placing my hand on my chest and receiving a strange look from my pet. “Sorry P.” I murmured stroking his white fur.

R/ ‘Who’s this?’

I gasped as I read the message, before pursing my lips. Had he already forgotten who I was? Well, there was not much to forget anyway. Two strangers who barely talked for about 10 minutes. 12 to be exact. And yes, he had the sexiest voice on the planet, but that was all...my speculations were interrupted by a second message.

R/ ′I meant, who is Ludmilla, bunny.′

Relief and annoyance invaded me at the same time. How could he not remember her name? Was he serious? Did he call other girls bunny too?

Y/ ‘Ludmilla is the girl who sent you a message from my phone because apparently you blocked her number’

R/ ‘Oh, someone is curious! And I thought you were too superior to mind about other people’s business, silly me ;)’

Y/ ‘Well, then don’t tell me. I don’t care.’

R/ ‘So why did you ask me then? Was that an excuse to talk to me? ’

Before I could formulate an acceptable answer without wounding my female pride, the pervert was calling me again.

“Evening Rudolph,” I greeted, blushing when I heard a deep chuckle.

“Hello to you, Yvaine.”

Chills ran through my body as I heard him utter my name.

The silence made me bite my lip. Then I opened my mouth to say something appropriate but closed it again right after. Had I always been this awkward with the opposite sex? That would explain my lack of dating life and pathetic boyfriends’ list.

“Texting bores me, so I thought I’d call you since you’re so funny,” The hoarse voice spoke again, with a hint of laughter. I pouted at my phone as if expecting it to travel and be seen by Rudolph. “I’m glad to be your source of fun. Your life must be pretty boring”

The boy, or the man, since I doubted that voice belonged to a boy, chuckled again. Did he do it on purpose because he knew the effect it had on me and the rest of the female population?

“Are you calling yourself a boring person? Ivy Ivy! People consider you what you make them think of you. Don’t you know?” Rudolph explained with false concern.

“I don’t care what strangers think of me, since the ones I love already know me, so I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Anyway, back to the messages- ′

I heard a weird sound on the other line. “What was that? Are you snoring or sleeping?” I tilted my head to the side.

“No, baby, I’m just enjoying your voi-” He coughed once, “Speech.” He cleared his throat .

Weird.

“What speech?” I frowned.

Instead of answering, he completely changed the subject.

“Bunny ... are you a, um, human being?”

I smiled at his manoeuvre to check if I was a werewolf or not. Rudolph might be smart, after all. Plus, this confirmed my hypothesis: Rudolph was a werewolf.

“Yes, I am. What else should I be? A pig like you?” I said jokingly, lying on the bed and putting on the speaker. When the faint sounds of soft hitting soft reached my eras, I assumed he went to bed too.

Two strangers, speaking on the phone, in the middle of the night while lying in their own beds.

“I was just checking to make sure you weren’t a robot or a cougar.” He chuckled, making me roll my eyes. I suddenly felt calm and relaxed. It was an uncharted territory where I didn’t have the courage to go forward or to understand the thousand whys. “And if I were an animal, I’d be a wolf rather than a pig.” I heard him wince under his breath. Definitely a werewolf. like me. Excited, I was wondering from which pack he came from.

“I’m only 22 come on! And I bet you don’t mind cougars.” I realized I gave him my age and maybe that wasn’t a very good move.

“Oh 22...cute” He murmured, “And you are right. I don’t mind older woman. Why judge someone by their age? Sex is sex, everyone deserves some.” His voice was mockingly telling me off.

“Pig.” I murmured hearing him chuckle again.

‘Damn shivers! Go away,’

“This is an insult, bunny.” Rudolph muttered as more background noises were heard.

“You are right!” I teased him with a smirk “I feel terrible now. I have to apologize to all those pigs out there that I insulted.”

Before he could retort, I shot another question.

“Why would you choose a wolf rather than a pig?” I played the ‘unaware of werewolves’. I played human.

“Because I eat bunnies like you for breakfast, what else?” He said haughtily.

“Has anyone ever told you how rude you are?” I scoffed, crossing my arms across my chest.

“Yes, you. Even your nice nickname that you created just for me is a constant reminder” Plutos whined giving me the sad eye.

“Come to bed” I muttered to him. My bed was big enough for two, so Plutos would fit in.

“Sure why not. What’s your address?”

“Do you think about anything else than sexual intercourse?” I huffed, rolling my eyes.

He laughed ”Sexual intercourse? What are you A nun or a doctor?”

“I am.” I smiled, thinking back to my profession and how I would help those in need of my time. And I always imagined my mate to be a doctor or surgeon like me.

“Oooh good to know. Sorry but I’m not interested in talking to nuns. The prudish is not my type. Night Night, Saint Ivy!” He sing song with arrogance.

I growled at his joke. My animal sound may have been inaudible to humans, but Rudolph had heard it. His laughter halted suddenly and, again, I heard that strange sound ... some sort of growl / moan mixture?

“So, after all, you are a werewolf.” He groaned, breathing heavily. “Your growl was—” He broke off and was silent. I stared at the phone in confusion.

“Which pack are you from?” He asked out of the blue, clearing his throat once more. Rudolph was nervous after all.

“Come on, you already know my name. I don’t need any more creepy stalkers “I joked but he didn’t find it funny.

“What do you mean by stalkers?” His voice sounded too serious and somehow frightening.

“I, um, was kidding. I had a few, but my twin took care of them. Or rather, threatened and beaten up a little.” My face had dropped a little, but I regained control in an instant.

“That’s good.” He inhaled deeply.

“Er, I’m from the Comet pack” I decided to keep to myself the tiny detail that my father was the Alpha.

“And you?” I swallowed the lump in my throat, anticipating his answer...

“I can’t tell a potential stalker and crazy nun where I’m from!” The teasing was back as I wrinkled my nose.

“But you asked me first! It’s not right-”

“Oh, bunny. I can’t risk you coming to my pack and asking about me with your crazy friend Lucrezia on your heels.”

I clicked my tongue, showing annoyance. “She is not my friend and her name is Ludmilla-” “And I don’t care, I have to go now. Bye baby.”

And just like that, he dropped the phone.

What a jerk .

Boiling like a kettle, I furiously went to the phone’s setting and, again, I blocked his number.

For the second time.

AN/ Next update on Tuesday! Or read the story on my Patreon’s page!

https://www.patreon.com/ladytrex

Question of the week: Which superpower would you choose if you could?

Me: I wish I could fly!