What Big Teeth You Have My Dear

I don't know how long I've been running. It seems like eternity. My legs were sore, and my lungs felt like they were on fire. I didn't even know where I was, but I didn't really care. I kept running. I came upon the river bank. The water glistened in the moon light.

My legs crippled beneath me, and I was panting worse than when I was in my wolf form. That was a thought. My wolf form would give me extra energy. I could run some more.

I looked to the other side of the river. It was dark under the trees. Unlike on this side where the trees seemed to be cut at the top to let the light through. The darkness seemed to creep up to the other side of the river bank, suffocating the water's edge.

There was a ruffle in the bushes behind me. It could be anything, but like I said before I didn't care right now. I was always welcome to death's sweet embrace. It was my only escape now.

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be out here all alone." I recognized the voice. I turned to see Oliver walking to where I was collapsed on the ground.

"Go away Oliver. I'm not in the mood." I breathed.

"Seems like your never in the mood." He muttered.

"How would you know? You don't know me at all."

"Because you won't let me."

"I've known you for less than three days, and you just expect me to spill my guts. And all because of a stupid myth."

"Most people at least talk to others, even a little."

"I don't need to talk to anyone. I'm perfectly fine on my own." I said.

"Are you sure? You seem pretty messed up right now."

"There was a situation at home."

"Let me guess. The date Max had with Ronnie. I don't understand why you would run twelve miles away from your house in human form because of something like that."

"Of course you wouldn't understand."

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"That means you wouldn't get it!" I screamed standing up. "No one will ever get it!"

"Why not?"

"Because everyone got to have a family! Everyone got to hear their parents saying I love you instead of beating each other up! Everyone I have ever loved has left me! You don't know what that feels like. To have everyone say they love you and then leave the second later. They always find something bigger and better. Now, Max gets Ronnie, and he'll leave me. Max was the one person I thought would never leave, and look at me now."

"It's just a date-"

"No! It's not just a date! Why does everyone keep saying that? With them, one date will lead to two, and that will lead to them going out. That will lead them to falling in love and mating, and having a family. I'll be lost in the background just like every other time!"

"That won't happen with Max."

"How do you know? What makes you think it won't? I'm nothing special. I'm just a run away werewolf that no one ever wants around. I'm a nuisance, a bother. I'm replaceable. That's all I am, and all I will ever be. I should just go to the other side of the woods and disappear forever." I muttered, tears brimming in my eyes threatening to fall.

"I think you're special." Oliver said.

"You only think that because you don't want me to jump in the river right now."

"You're right. I wouldn't want you to jump into the river right now because I would have to jump in after you, and I'm not the best swimmer."

"Why would you do that? You have plenty of things to go back to. Why would you risk it all for me?"

"You really don't feel it do you?"

"What am I supposed to feel?" I asked a few tears pouring over my eyelids quickly being wiped away.

"The pull between mates. You probably wouldn't feel it as much because you don't have any other connections with wolves, so it would be hard for you to understand it."

"Mates are a myth, Oliver. What you are feeling is probably an alpha instinct to get the rogues away from your pack."

"No, it's not! I know I can't understand what you feel, but you can't understand this. You keep saying mates are myths, and it's tearing me apart! You can't feel that overwhelming pull. You don't know that my heart breaks every time you shift away from me. You don't know that possessive urge to protect you when you get into those stupid fights. You don't know the empty feeling I have when you walk away." He got quieter with each word, barely whispering at the end.

"So we have now established that we will never understand each other. Let's leave it at that." I muttered walking in the direction I thought I came from.

"No, we can's just leave it at that. There has to be something else. There has to be." He said following me.

"There will be nothing else, Oliver. There will only be the words left unsaid."

"Then say them. Say the words left unsaid because I won't be able to stand it if you walk away from me again."

"What do you want, Oliver? You want me to mate with you? Because that will never happen. Do you want me to give you your freedom? Because you don't seem to want that. What do you want?!" I screamed turning to face him.

"I want you to try." He whispered.

"Try? I can't try. I've tried too many times, and they always end in failure. And if another one ended in failure then . . . then . . I don't know what I would do."

"That's it then? You don't want to give me a chance because you're afraid."

"No, that's not what I said. I not only want to not give you a try. I don't want to try at all anymore! I give up! I give up on everything! Especially you!" I screamed.

"You give up?! How could you give up?! You haven't even started yet! You're just scared of everything!"

"Shut up." I muttered.

"You're totally afraid! Here I thought you were a big bad rogue, but no you're a scared little pup!"

"Shut up." I said louder starting to shake.

"You're afraid! I can't believe I didn't see it! You don't fight because you want to, you fight because you need to! You are so afraid of losing control for a second that you would rather not try!"

"Shut up!" I screamed shaking more.

"No! You need to hear this! You need to know that everything in your life has gone wrong, but it gets better! You need to know that you don't need to be afraid!"

"I'm not afraid! So stop talking!" I screamed shaking uncontrollably.

"You are afraid! You're afraid of letting people in and losing that precious control that you perfected! You're afraid that when you let people in, they will hurt you again, and you won't be able to put the broken pieces back together again!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I screamed morphing into my wolf not being able to control myself anymore. Oliver instant reaction was to change also.

I lunged at him trying to make his words stop spinning in my head. I saw his reaction. He looked pained, hurt that I would try to hurt him. I stopped myself right before I was going to hit him. I snarled in his face showing him my teeth. That was one of the biggest signs of aggression wolves do. He stared into my wolf eyes for a second before stepping towards me. I let out a deep growl but didn't try to stop him.

He nuzzled his face into my neck. I tried to stay mad. I really did. I just couldn't. All I could feel was calm coming off of him. Was this what the pull felt like? To feel instantly calm when they were around? To want them to just stay with you forever?

Oliver looked my face and gave me a playful look. He went down on his two paws and taunted me by swishing his tail back and forth. I started to pounce on him, but he jumped out the way making me tumble over. I looked over at him at him, and he gave me a sheepish look. I pounced on him again making him fall over. He got up quickly, but when he tried to pounce on me again and ran into the forest.

I jumped over a log and tripped over a root. I whined, hitting the ground. That hurt. Oliver appeared above me. He cocked his head, and nuzzled his face into my neck. For a guy I was just screaming at he sure was lovey dovey. I squirmed a little underneath him, but he didn't move. He seemed to be enjoying this too much.

I heard a rustle in the bushes to my left. Oliver immediately shot up and I quickly followed. The rustle became louder, and Oliver had a deep growl irrupt from his throat. He stepped in front of me. A brown wolf walked out of the bush, and Oliver calmed. The wolf looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him. The wind blew and the smell told me it was Ronnie.

Ronnie barked a few times, and Oliver looked back at me before nodding his head. I didn't understand was happening. I couldn't understand their barks because I wasn't in their pack. Oliver nudged my head in the direction of my house and motioned for me to follow.

We ran back to my apartment. We stopped right under the treeline. I looked over to Oliver. I couldn't exactly change into my human form because I had no clothes, but I couldn't walk into my apartment in my wolf form either. Oliver seemed to understand the dilemma and walked behind a tree. He came back and dropped a t-shirt and shorts at my fight. I grabbed them and changed behind the tree. Oliver was still standing there when I walked out in my over sized clothes.

"Thanks." I said to the wolf and patted his head. He gave me a smile and licked my check. I rolled my eyes.

"Go along now dog. I'm sure you have some bones to chew or cats to harass." I said. He rolled his eyes this time. He wagged his tail and walked back into the woods.

I walked into the apartment, and saw Max sitting on the couch. He looked like he had been up far longer than he intended. I looked over at the clock and it read 2 o'clock. No wonder he looked like crap.

"I was worried. You don't usually stay out this late." He said.

"Sorry." I muttered. There was a small silence.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked.

"I could never be mad at you Maxie." I whispered. "Did you have a nice time?" I asked.

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun."

"That's good."

"Look, I know you'll never really be okay with it, but thanks for trying." He said before telling me good night and walking to the bedroom.

The only thing I could think of was what Oliver said. I want you to try.