Chapter 12

Olivia dropped the duffel bag onto the hardwood floor, the thought of whatever was out there played on her mind for a moment, but the relief of being back, at the closest thing to home comforted her. She took her boots off at the door, removing her coat and hanging it up against a hook on the wall, following behind Isaiah.

“Come on. Let’s eat.” Isaiah motioned, walking towards the kitchen.

It was getting late and the day had flown by with everything that had happened.

She smiled at him as her hands fingered her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and then twisted the elastic around it to secure it tightly.

They had grabbed a pizza in town and the scent of cheese and pepperoni filled the air making her stomach growl. She followed Isaiah into the kitchen and grabbed a seat on the stool at the kitchen nook and watched as he placed a slice of pizza on a plate and passed it to her.

Olivia took a bite and mumbled, “Oh my god. So good.” Isaiah grinned and his thumb came up and wiped away some sauce from the side of her lip.

“Thanks.” She smiled, taking another bite.

Both of their heads whipped to the kitchen window when they heard a loud yelp from outside.

Zeus.

“What the fuck!” Isaiah dropped the pizza and ran to the front door and swung it open. Olivia didn’t waste a second. She was right behind him and already had her boots on rushing past him onto the front steps. A second later, Isaiah ran out yelling for his dog.

Nothing but silence.

Isaiah searched the area the noise came from as Olivia went the other way. Her instincts were on high alert when she caught sight of the blood trail and then a pair of green eyes staring at her through the thick forest from a distant.

“Isaiah!” A second later she felt the crack of her back, her clothes ripping from her body as the shift took place and she was now standing on all fours.

A mixture of Zeus’s blood and the rogue wolf’s scent assaulted the air around her. Anger rolled through her and she felt Isaiah’s presence behind her.

Just as she lunged towards the forest area, the large brown wolf’s body came flying through the air at her. Both bodies connected mid-air and both wolves hit the ground with a hard crash.

Her muzzle latched onto her attacker's shoulder as she bit down with every ounce of strength she had making him howl into the night’s cold air.

A moment later, she felt a sharp pain radiate through her back again. His claws dug in as he struggled from her grip. When she finally released the wolf, she watched as Isaiah’s large black wolf lunge at the rogue taking him down once again in the snow. They rolled, biting, claws ripping flesh and then she watched Isaiah’s large jaw ripped into part of the rogue's throat.

Olivia was rooted on the spot as Isaiah released his jaw and a second later, the rogue bolted up and ran off into the forest again.

He was hurt, badly. Between his neck and the bite on his shoulder, there was no way he could make it too far. They could track him. Olivia shifted back to human form and walked over where Zeus was laying. She knew how much Zeus meant to Isaiah and she felt more emotion swarm up from the pit of her belly. There was just no relief for her here, ever since the days before, more and more piled on with each incident more devastating than the last.

She knelt down and shook her head as she felt Isaiah beside her. She watched as he picked up his beloved pet and started back to the house with Zeus in his arms.

“Fuck!” He screamed an eerily haunting yell escaped Isaiah. He was broken, his companion, his sidekick, his friend was reduced to nothing, and it killed him. Zeus was never a part of this, and to Isaiah, this act of violence towards his pet was just as bad as against one of his own blood kin. He wanted to cry but forced back the tears that welled in his eyes. Olivia needed a protector, and for now, he would stay strong. Only for now.

Olivia followed Isaiah back into the house, the wall of emotion that emanated from him, striking her with full force. She’d not had time to grow attached to the pet, though knew how much he meant to Isaiah. She knew the heartache and devastation that this brought. Zeus may have only been a dog, but the bond between a dog and his master is unbreakable. “Stay there. I’ll grab some towels.”

Olivia raced up the stairs and gathered as many towels as she could carry. She made her way back to the foyer where Isaiah stood covered in blood with Zeus in his arms. She covered the wooden floor in between the dining room and living room as Isaiah walked towards her and carefully laid his dog onto the blankets.

“I’m so sorry, Isaiah. This is my fault.” She crouched between Isaiah and Zeus on the floor, tilting her head back to get a better view of his face; ending up only looking down at Zeus who lay motionless. If she hadn’t interfered in Isaiah’s life, this would have never happened. The cold sting that this would cause a rift between her and the man she’d become awfully fond of, scaring her more than she could imagine.

“He’s wounded. Let’s go. We’re tracking that motherfucker now!” Isaiah growled. He was enraged and wanted his revenge. He would get it, no matter what the case was. Olivia could see how his eyes glazed over, amber shining bright in his irises, with his canines forming over his bottom teeth. He knew that nothing would bring Zeus back, but if he could get out there, get revenge for his pet, then he would have some semblance of satisfaction. He would have something that made this a little easier, and though he couldn’t process the loss of Zeus just yet, he knew that it would come. The wave of emotion, the storm that brewed within, the loss of his companion, they would all come to the surface eventually.

“Turn around, let me see the wound.”

Olivia turned and tried to look at it herself, then looked at him. “It’s healing. I’m okay.”

When the front door closed, they both shifted and headed in the direction the rogue raced off to. The snow was sprinkled with a trail of deep crimson red as they headed into the forest. Now that the rogue was bleeding his scent was heavy in the air. As Olivia raced behind Isaiah, she could feel the cold wind whip past her fur and her paws dug deep into the snow-covered terrain. They continued for another twenty minutes through the thick forest when she noticed the trail of blood become smaller and harder to follow. She watched as Isaiah come to a full halt in front of her and walk slowly to a ledge.

She walked slowly, standing on all fours behind Isaiah. They followed the trail all the way to a farmhouse. Here she sat, their eyes connecting almost as if they knew exactly what to do next. An animalistic instinct that burned in both of them, shining through.

She followed Isaiah’s lead down the trail when they finally reached the back of the farm house. Both transformed back into their human forms and Olivia looked around. She couldn’t smell the rogue's scent or feel his presence. It was like he was never there. Like he was a ghost. She turned and looked at Isaiah, her face puzzled. “His scent is gone.”

She could see the anger on Isaiah’s face confirming what she had just said. She looked at the back of the house. The lights were on as they both made their way up the back porch.

Isaiah didn’t bother knocking. He kicked the door in with a forceful leg, striking it precisely and snapping the frame. She watched him enter, following closely behind as they came upon an elderly man, shaking from fear between the entry of the kitchen and another room.

She approached slowly behind Isaiah as the old man held up his hands in front of them and squealed in a frail voice, “Please! I don’t want any trouble. Take what you want.”

She watched Isaiah follow the old man into another room, forcing him to back into a wall. Isaiah’s hand curled around the man’s throat and lifted him off the floor, growling, “I know he’s been here. Where is he, old man?” On a normal day, Isaiah would have never done anything like this. His respect had been something he’d always admired in himself. Today was different; he had no intention of letting anyone get in the way of him and the man that harmed his pet.

She couldn’t get over the strength Isaiah had or how terrifying he looked. Yes, he was a much larger wolf than her. Most male wolves were, but Isaiah was more than just powerful. He had a tactful control over his abilities, a focused and sharpened mind that was unbeatable in battle, and this somewhat reminded her of her father. Her eyes trailed over the length of his bicep, down to his forearm. She finally took a step closer and placed her hand on his arm gently and whispered, “Isaiah, don’t. He’s an old man.”

His head whipped to the right and he stared her down with intense amber eyes. She watched as he released his hold on the man and then growled. “He’s been here.” She followed his finger to the area he was pointing to.

There was a large staircase with a door in the side of the wall, probably leading to the basement but then her eyes landed on a small blot of blood that was on the floor in front of the wooden door.

The old man tried to shimmy the wall to the right when she rushed in front of him and her hand came flying up beside his head, her palm placed firmly on the wall not allowing him to move another inch. She exposed her canines, giving him an eerie smile and smirked. “Show us the way, pops.”

The elderly man raised his hands in front of him, attempting to stop Olivia from coming closer before he started to whimper.

“Ok. I’ll show you. Just please don’t hurt me.”