Boundless

I sat up in the bed untangling the covers from my legs. My hands went to undo the braid in my hair sending my damp locks around my shoulders. I edged out of the bed, my joints cracking as my feet touched the ground. I reached my one good arm toward the ceiling, groaning as I stretched.

There were fresh clothes at the bottom of my bed.

I pulled the blue jean shorts up around my hips and buttoned the oversized flannel shirt over my barely there chest, careful not to jostle my bandaged arm. The black boots from yesterday lay at the bottom of my bed along with a new pair of socks. I slipped them on.

I let out a whoosh of tension through my lips. Placing my hand on the top of my head, I paced the room. How long would I have to stay down here before someone came for me?

The Council situation sounded sketchy as I’d never heard of them. But then again, I’d been a Stray for so long that I’d obviously missed out on a couple of things. Like the fact that things… like me traveled in packs just as natural wolves did. Though I’d never seen anyone with the ability to Blink like me, I always knew there were others like me. I just didn’t care enough to find out where those others were.

Last night had been the first time I Blinked in two years. It was a wonder I still remembered how to walk.

I didn’t hate my human form it was just my wolf form was more comfortable. There was something enticing about the wind blowing through my fur as I ran. I loved the feeling of dirt combing through my claws and the vibration of my throat as I howled. It was easy not to interact with any living things aside from the ones that filled my stomach. As a wolf I was free. There were no rules….at least there had been no rules before I fell into that trap.

I glanced around the room noticing things that I hadn’t noticed in the suddenness of yesterday. There was only one window in the room and it sat at the top of the ceiling, too small for even a child’s frame to squeeze through. The walls were cream and the floor was carpeted in white. The place looked comfortable enough but it was clear no one had been down here in awhile.

There was a vanity in the corner. It was white and bare with a plush white stool in front of it. The wooden piece was elegant and I found myself walking over to it and settling onto the stool. I placed my elbows on the wooded frame and my chin on my hands before gazing into the mirror.
My hair didn’t look as wet as it felt but it was tangled. There had to be a brush in here somewhere. I peered around the vanity until I spotted the drawer under it.

There were pictures.

In the first one the girl had black curly hair and flawless brown skin. She wore a red shirt and she was smiling into the camera with obvious joy. The second was of the same girl but this time Keeley was saddled beside her. Keeley’s arms were wrapped around the girls waist and the girl wrapped her arms around Keeley’s shoulders. They both beamed into the camera. It was clear that they were related as they had the same authentic smiles and almond shaped eyes. The pictures were taken on different days as the girl had on a green shirt in this one.

The last one was taken at night.
The one they called the Alpha stood in this picture with his back up against….the shed. I could tell from the glassless windows that it was the cabin I’d slept in. He had a genuine smile that caressed his lips as he peered down at the curly haired girl. She peered back up at him with a comedic frown on her lips. The moment captured was so intimate that I felt a pang of guilt for rumbling through the vanity. I placed the pictures back in the drawer and headed to the bathroom.

There was a brush in there.

In the same moment as I finished with the brush and placed it on the sink, my stomach growled. The smell of breakfast was wafting through some unseen opening and I was starving. I shuffled to the bedroom door and placed my ear against the cool of the door. There was nothing but silence.

I placed my hand on the door knob, twisting it.

I cursed as the door easily slid open. Great, so they lock me in here at night but leave the door open in the morning? “What planet are these Martian’s from?” I growled in impatience.

There was nothing but darkness outside my door and I felt my way through it following the cool air that guided the way to steps. There was light beaming above me. I climbed the steps until I reached the top.

Cellar doors.

I placed my good arm above my head palming one of the doors. With all my might I pushed at it, straining until light cracked threw it.

“Ummph!” with one good grunt the door flew open and light beamed down on me causing me to cast my eyes down, shielding them. Gingerly, I creased my eyes against the light taking the rest of the steps out of the cellar. I breathed in a gust of the fresh air, relishing the sunshine licking my skin.

“Took you forever to wake up,”

Startled, I whirled around to face the voice. There standing with his arms crossed was the Vince guy. He had a gray beanie sitting atop his head and a crisp white shirt that hugged his frame. He wore jeans that loosely rode his hips. I wanted to squirm under his accessing gaze but I refused. “I’ve been waiting for over two hours.”

Recovering, I crossed my arms and favored my right leg in annoyance. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I actually enjoy comfy rooms set in the bottom of dark cellars. You understand, don’t you?”

He smirked. “You’re not a morning person, are you?”

I ignored him, taking in the forestry around me instead of answering. The large house was overtopping the cellar but there was no activity outside though the aroma of breakfast had become stronger upon climbing out of the cellar. My stomach rumbled in recognition.

“You’re hungry? Good.” Vince said, placing his hands in his front pocket and turning on his heel. “Breakfast is this way.”
^^^
I swallowed another forkful of eggs.

“Slow down kiddo. You eat like your carrying a pup.” Bay voiced as she set another glass of water in front of me.

I raised in inquisitive eyebrow at the word. “Pup?”

Bay chuckled at my bewildered look, pushing a blonde lock behind her ear. “A pup…it’s what our kind call babies.”

My eyes bugged at the thought and I nearly choked on my food. I inwardly rolled my eyes, thinking 'not in this life time'.

The Vince guy had brought me into the brown house leading me through its homely walls into the large kitchen. Bay had been working over the stove and the smell of breakfast was full force now. I had only just sat down before Bay placed a plate full of food before me. I immediately dug in succumbing to my stomach’s hunger.

Bay tsked at this. “We say thank you around here.”

I stilled my assault on my plate, and quickly worked the food in my mouth to one side of my cheek.

“Twank Yhu,” I said, careful not to release the mouthful of food from behind my teeth.

Bay nodded, flashing me a smile before setting a plate in front of Vince. She ruffed the fringes of hair that hung outside of his beanie. “There you are Vinny.”

His eyes squinted in and his mouth twisted as if he tasted something sour. The face was grin worthy against his sly features. It was clear that he wasn't a fan of the nickname ‘Vinny’. “Aunt Bay, it’s Vince. You’re the only one who hasn't let that ship sail.”

Bay giggled, wiping her hands on her blue jeans, smudging them with the last piece of food she’d
touched. “Never, you’ll always be Vinny to me kid.”

She planted a gentle kiss on his temple before turning to the sink. The action was filled with the obvious compassion she felt for the guy. It sent shivers of the past down my spine. Images of my mom, smothering me with kisses before pulling the covers over me…

“So how old are you?”

I swallowed another delicious mound of food before shifting my eyes from my plate to Vince. When I didn’t respond, Vince smirked, then popped a grape in his mouth. “Well I already know Bay’s age.”

Bay whipped around at that, placing her wet hands on her hips. “I’m going to kill Blue.”

Vince chuckled. “In his defense, I bribed him with a piece of your cherry pie.” Vince turned his attention back on me. “So?”

I looked away, placing my fork down on my plate. “I won’t be here by the time night rolls around, none of that matters.”

Vince folded his hand under his chin. “Why are you so evasive?”

I clenched my teeth together. “Why are you so curious?”

Bay sat down, placing her clasped hands atop the table. She fixed me with a gentle gaze. “You have to understand our prying kiddo. It’s honest wolf impulse to want to know about those that are like us.”

I shrugged, looking out at the empty yard, admiring the way the sun beat on the window seal. “And it’s also honest impulse to protect yourself against obvious strangers.” I looked back at Bay. “I don’t know you.”

Bay leaned across the table, leveling her gaze with mine. “Well the first step in getting to know people is introducing yourself.” She held out her hand. “I’m Bay Wolfe, no pun intended.”

I stared at her hand and then her face. Her eyes were as open as Keeley’s had been. I could smell a legitimate wave flowing from her. My mind quickly clicked back to Keeley’s kind gesture and her obvious want to know my name. Both of them were really adamant about my name, as a matter of fact...everyone was. Why did it matter to anyone around here if I was just some useless Stray?

I breathed in deeply, then shook her hand. “Cloverfield… Nash, but call me Clover.”

Bay’s eyebrows rose. “Cloverfield? What a beautiful name.”

I attempted to smile but only managed a grimace. “Thank you.”

We all settled into a quiet silence.

I noted that Bay, Vince and I were the only ones in sight. It seemed as if everyone had disappeared. . There was no one else moving about the house yet just last night the house had been active with life. The place was vacant of able bodies that should be going about their daily business between its walls.

I cleared my throat. “Where is everyone?”

I looked between both Vince and Bay not missing the instant scent of uneasiness that zipped between them.

Bay spoke, “Many of the pack members weren’t…” she exchanged looks with Vince, “comfortable with you staying here in the house so a few of them left.”

I chuckled humorlessly. “I might as well have leprosy.”

“I mean we have a tiny piece of you…your name,” Vince pointed between he and Bay, “to the others you’re just a Stray. Don’t take it personal.”

I wasn’t taking it personal but I was a bit peeved at their apparent indifference to me. I didn’t have any desire to be there with them at their “Den”. Nobody here was giving me a choice. Which is why I ran.
And I would've got away had it not been for that incessant Alpha guy.

“Believe me, I want to be out of here just as much as they want me to be.” I snuffed.

Bay reached her hand across the table, I instinctively recoiled, but she held on tighter until my hand relaxed against the wooden table. My gaze lingered on my hand that lay camped out under her own.

Her fingers curled around mine until she was gently cuffing my hand.

My eyes cut to hers. “Just know that we don’t all feel that way about you. I believe everything happens for a purpose, Clover.”

She gently squeezed my hand before releasing it. Quickly, I covered my hand with my own. I peered down at at my palm trying to see the gentle ways of warmth her hand had left behind.

A gentle chime sounded through the house.

Bay’s smile faded from her lips at the same instant. “That must be Dr. Ross.” She rose from her chair and I could feel the worry dripping off of her shoulders. Her curls didn’t seem to carry their usual bounce as she disappeared around the corner.

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Doctor?”

Vince nodded, his face mimicking Bay’s sudden paleness. “Dominick…last night in the woods…we had to call someone one in.”

The sudden despair that I smelled on Bay suddenly made some sense. She was worried about the Alpha.

It was weird to see her lips frown down at the edges. Bay was different than everyone else. She hadn’t showed me anything but consideration since I laid eyes on her. Inwardly, I appreciated her kindness but I couldn’t let on that I did. The only thing that I wanted was to leave this place and never see it again. In some ways they were right about me. No I wasn’t some rabid, killer Stray but I was a stray wolf. The word "home" was like some language I'd never heard of.

I glanced up at Vince who hadn’t taken his eyes off of me since Bay left the room.
The air had become stuffy in the time that I’d been lost in my thoughts. My body was swiftly weighted with sensual tingles. I needed to move. I rose to place my bare plate in the sink.

I gathered my unruly hair and pulled it to the side of my face, tangling my hands in its length while leaning against the counter, staring at the floor.

My legs stilled.

My gaze strayed to Vince’s as if some mesmeric force had taken control of my actions. I was unexpectedly very aware of him.

All of him enclosed in on my senses. The physical, clean smell of his skin and his sudden shallow breathing. I could even smell the minty toothpaste on his breath.

I watched him watch me. His green eyes took on a strange intensity. I felt them trace the lines of my face and body. This pull had nothing to do with any power, no this time I didn’t want to look away.

I could smell the translucent waves of emotion that sprung between us and my heart sped up at the impactful smell of his honest 'desire'. I closed my eyes only to be assaulted with images of hands intertwining and lips colliding with full on want.

My eyes shot open with alarm, my chest rising and falling with every intense breath that I took. My eyes held his and I took a few steps toward him as a full blast of excitement smacked me. I shoved my hands in my pockets, when in all honesty I wanted to get near him. To actually…touch— what was I saying?

“Stop it.” I snarled, breaking eye contact and retrieving control over my breathing.

He rose from his seat, and I instinctively moved away from him, my eyes targeting his every move. I watched as he rinsed his dishes and turned to lean against the counter. His chest was still rising and falling and it was clear that he was regaining control of himself.

His eyes studied the floor before connecting with mine. “You felt it.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I did. I felt whatever that was that made me want to cling to him relentlessly…shamelessly.

“Does every male around here have some super human staring problem?” I bit out, wiping my hand across my face.

He chuckled. “My wolf was recognizing yours. The only reason it was so intense was because your…”

I crossed my arms. “What?”

“Well your wolf is totally crushing on mine.” he grinned.

My eyes widened at his juvenile words. “Well, I’m in control of my wolf and I can honestly say that it wants nothing to do with yours." I snarled. "And as soon as this Council weirdo gets here, I’m out of here.”

Vince’s smile went a bit limp. “What are you scared of?”

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “I’m not scared. What don’t you get? I don’t belong here!”

Vince ran his hand over the hair not tucked into his beanie. “You don’t know that.” he grabbed a toast off the counter before taking a seat again. “Nobody chooses their destiny.”

Bay rounded the counter just as Vince sank his teeth into the bread emitting a crunch sound through the quiet of the kitchen.

“The council is here.” Bay spoke, her voice strangely grave. “And they’ve brought Dane.”

Dane?

The name echoed with foggy familiarity like a long lost friend.

I caught Vince’s gaze, not missing the immediate alertness that his pupils took on. “Dane?” he repeated.

I furrowed my eyebrows in puzzlement. “Who’s Dane?”

Bay’s eyes were filled with untainted disquiet as they connected with mine. “You’re being summoned.”