Pup Among the Big Dogs

Turns out: college is torture! It's horrible! Terrible! A nightmare! But Michael seemed to enjoy my torment! The only good thing about that day was knowing the jog Mikey had promised me would be happening sooner and sooner with each minute of....college.

It's like a disease or something. Or at least a curse!

At the end of the day, my brain was fried. Mikey laughed as he walked with me to the forest I had been away from for so long. I was a bit scared to go there, but I was more excited. And nervous. Extremely nervous.

"Be sure to keep up, Ree," Mikey told me as we set food on the path.

"Ha, you're funny."

Our relaxing jog turned out to be a dead sprint as we raced each other. He was fast, but I had to beat him. I jumped on his back and we tumbled to the ground.

"You play dirty!" he yelled, getting on his feet.

"I know!" I called back, laughing as I ran ahead of him. But then everything went wrong. I was running so fast and I was happy. So very happy. I had forgotten the feeling of exhilaration running brought me. But I hit something. Something hard like stone and cold like marble.I fell backwards and looked up at a face I had hoped I would never see again.

Gabriel.

"Oh no," I groaned, standing up.

"Hello, Isabel." I grimaced.

"It's Renee now," I informed him, sighing.

"Ahh." He inhaled. "You smell like mutt."

"Whatever."

I heard leaves crunch and looked over to see Mikey glaring and standing completely still. Like a statue. He stood straight up and he towered over me. Maybe that was the point: to look intimidating.

"Gabriel," he bid him.

"You know this vampire?"

"You managed to step on a few toes, yet still you're alive. How is that?" Gabe asked him, glaring.

"I guess I'm lucky," he told him, snarling.

"Not for long. Renee, we have some unfinished business to attend to."

And with that he lunged at me and I screamed, refusing to defend myself like a wolf would do. No, I was just a normal girl. I wanted to be normal! But no impact came. I heard a growl and a thud as bodies hit the ground. I opened my eyes and stared as Gabriel's throat was ripped out by...

Oh no. I knew that wolf. That russet colored fur and the tone of his barks...

Ian.

"Michael..." And it dawned on me. Ian and Michael. The same person. Figures...

The wolf yelped and Ian was standing before me. He had discarded the colored contacts and his auburn roots were showing underneath the black hair dye.

"No. I left that behind," I told him, running as fast as my legs would carry me.

"Isabel wait!" he called, but I kept running. No, I couldn't go back.

I fell to the forest floor and cringed as I looked at the gash in my leg. Ian walked up carefully.

"Why? Why did you do this? I left!" I cried.

"Because I love you!" he told me and I shook my head, sending tears flying everywhere.

Whether it be from blood loss or stress, I passed out. And I had a feeling I knew where I would wake up.