CHAPTER 18

AUTHOR"S MESSAGE

THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR. PLEASE I WISH FOR YOU GUYS TO ENGAGE IN LIKE AND COMMENTING SO I KNOW MY AREA OF IMPROVE.......................

Pip, much like the ground, froze. Brown hairs on the back of his neck bolted upright.

Standing only five meters away was Mark, the person Pip dreaded being alone with, especially in the woods.

"That was Pathetic, Pippor," Mark said with a smile that darkened his eyes. He pushed himself away from the tree. "I see your fingers are healing. It would be a shame for anything else to happen to them, wouldn't it?"

Pip heard more footsteps. Marks idiot friends stepped from behind the trees, matching Mark's evil grin.

Pip was right next to his house. He could try to fling himself over the fence, but there was no tire to help him. Pip panicked. Running seemed like the only logical thing to do when Mark took a step closer.

"S-Sorry for spilling drinks on you," he mumbled.

Mark shook his head. "You need to tell us who that guy was who thought he could fight us. We want a rematch."

If you knew where he lived, you wouldn't look so smug. He pressed his back harder against the wood. "I don't know him," he half lied. Pip knew Krey lived in the institute, lost his father recently, drank black coffee with no sugar, and liked running.

"You were seen walking into the café together," one of the girls said. "Don't lie to us."

"You were also sat together at the table when we entered."

"I-I don't k-know him, not really." Pip felt his heart speeding up. Krey seemed like a guy who could handle himself well and could deal with Pip's bullies if they went looking for him. Pip didn't want Krey to have to deal with them. Krey always seemed a little stressed when they met like he had too many things on his mind.

"You're lying." Mark stepped forward. Pip eyed the path he had created over the years by running in the same direction.

"H-He beat you," Pip said, still staring down the path. "Why w-would you want to get beaten again?'

Mark's face hid no expression. Pip shrank under his angry gaze. "Tell us where he is or your fingers can-"

Pip didn't want to tell them about Krey, so he ran, and he ran quickly. Pip pelted from the fence and whizzed down the path he knew better than Mark and his idiot friends. Pip was a fast runner and spread a good distance between him and his bullies.

He tumbled down the path, jumping where there were bumps, turning where he could. Following a path was too easy for Mark. Every time Pip glanced behind him, he saw them chasing.

Now that Pip had run from them, if Mark caught up, they wouldn't hold back.

Pip wore so many layers, he was boiling. His yellow puffer jacket was slowing him down. With every step, he felt slower and slower.

He tried speeding up and unzipping his coat at the same time. Pip had to ditch the layers. He didn't want broken fingers or a bruised face or to cry in front of his bullies again.

His coat flew in the wind from his shoulders, dropping somewhere on the trail. Pip didn't dare to look around for it. He pressed on, pushing himself and his lungs to run faster.

Pip ran four times a week for two years. He could comfortably run five miles, and sometimes, he practiced sprinting because someone was always chasing him. Pip thought his bullies would stop as they got older. Their bullying only got more severe.

Trees whipped by and the cold stung Pip's face. The wind watered his eye, and he rubbed them just for a moment, but the seconds were long enough for him to trip on a twisted root.

The ground was solid, and Pip crashed into it hard. His palms skidded across stones and mud and dead leaves. Pip's knees scratched on the solid mud too.

His chin almost clashed with the frozen ground, though Pip saved himself just in time.

He didn't stop to look at the cuts on his hands or knees. Footsteps were getting closer, so Pip carried on running through the pain, hoping he could outrun them, and hoping he wasn't running in the direction of the institute.

**********

Krey sulked on his walk around the perimeter of the institute. He was checking for any holes in the fence. Once he was satisfied with the metal being intact, he ventured further away, looking for wolf tracks.

The southern wolves refused to talk and fled as soon as Krey's wolves approached. Krey assumed they were playing mind games. Southern wolves loved a battle. Krey was relieved that they didn't start trouble. He was in an unpredictable mood and wanted to lash out on those who took his father.

Krey was surprised he held back for months. Krey was even more surprised that his mother hadn't plotted revenge. She lost her mate and her wolf because of Krey's carelessness.

He shook his head to rid the thoughts. He hadn't been able to leave the institute for days because he worried that he might lead other wolves to Pip.

A stream trickled ahead. Krey watched the water run gently down the woodland floor, smoothing over stones and leaves, coating everything in its freezing grasp. He crouched and splashed water on his face.

The icy water gave him a moment of clarity, a moment to feel an odd churning in his chest.

Krey paused, listened, and focused. Something wasn't right. He sniffed the air and felt anxious. He heard movement in the distance, too far for him to know what was going on, but his heart screamed at him to find out.

Krey stayed low to the ground and shifted into his wolf form. He grimaced at the pain of his bones, cracking and bending out of shape to create his wolf.

Once shifted, Krey shook his head and sniffed the air again. For a brief moment, he thought he could smell Pip. Krey's ears pricked and he tilted his head, sniffing again. This time, the wind rustled his fur and brought the smells closer.

Krey smelt fear, human sweat, and his mate.

He tore through the water so fast; it parted from his paws and sprayed on the trees around him. Krey didn't just run, he bolted through the woods. Trees blurred around him. He felt exposed in the daylight, but nothing else mattered other than the well-being of his mate.

Krey moved so fast he doubted anyone would have the time to tell that he was a wolf.

His muscles worked and burned. The feeling was rewarding when his speed brought him much closer to Pip, much quicker.

Krey slowed when Pip's scent was strong. Several fast footsteps crunched in the distance. Pip sounded like he was getting chased, and if those who were scaring his mate were the ones who bullied Pip, they were in for the biggest shock of their lives.

Krey darted towards the commotion. He didn't care that he was still in his wolf form, or that humans were about to see him. Krey only cared about his mate and keeping him safe.

Pip was first to burst into view. Pip ran so fast, Krey stopped, so they didn't collide. When Pip saw him, his reaction was what Krey expected.

Pip harshly skidded to a halt and fell onto his back. Krey didn't move as Pip stared in utter horror. He scrambled backwards, not daring to blink until his spine pressed against a tree and he couldn't move any further.

Pip's blue eyes, now wide with terror, stared at Krey as if he would eat him at any moment.

Krey didn't like his reaction, but he understood.

He had no time to make Pip calm because his bullies sprinted from the trees, grinning like idiots.

Krey bared his teeth, growling lowly. Pip flinched and covered his mouth with trembling hands. Krey stalked past him and towards mark who skidded on the icy ground and fell. The rest of his friends slammed into Mark, all gasping and crying out from shock.

Krey was a huge brown wolf with black markings. His red eyes didn't glow as much in the daylight, but his long sharp teeth could easily puncture a tire. His hackles stood on end, looking threatened.

Krey continued to growl and stalk forwards. He moved slowly and smelt something potent. Mark had wet himself, and others were starting to sob and break down.

He glanced to Pip to see his state. Pip was as solid as the ground, quite literally paralyzed with fear. His wide blue eyes still stared like he was scared to look away in case Krey turned on him instead.

One day, you'll love my wolf, he thought glumly.

Krey stepped closer and growled again. Should he give Mark a nibble? Bite him? Krey couldn't leave any wound that would make people believe Mark's wolf tales.

Krey opted for a sharp bark. His wolf voice was lower than his human voice. His bark was loud and echoed through the woods, all while baring his teeth.

Mark had paled enough to look like he was ready to faint, but Krey's savage barks sent him running back through the woods, screaming at his friends and trying to push them behind him to be the furthest away.

Krey bolted after them for a few hundred yards, but he didn't want to leave Pip, who seemed to be morphing into the tree trunk, well, trying.

Krey stopped stalking and walked normally, with light footsteps and his head up, his teeth away and his ears floppy.

Pip's lip trembled as Krey neared. A tear dribbled down his cheek, his skin was red from being hot from his chase.

Krey wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, and he would never hurt Pip, but he couldn't speak. If he tried, his voice would simply whine.

How could he make Pip relax?

Krey kept walking closer until only a foot was between their faces. Pip's neck was tight from trying not to breathe on the wolf. Krey just wanted to press his face against his chest and tumble into Pip's lap like an overgrown puppy.

Instead, he moved his head closer until his wet nose touched Pip's cheek. He sniffed like a dog who had found a treat. Pip's sweet smell made all Krey's troubles melt away, though he still felt the human's distress.

He pulled back to look at Pip's face. His cheeks were wet from more tears. Pip made no sound, yet his eyes leaked just how much Krey scared him.

Krey would have dried his tears with a hand if he were human. The next best thing was to lick them away. Pip's skin was warm; Krey's tongue was rough. The back of Pip's head hit the bark of the tree from the force of a lick.

When Krey pulled back again, Pip was more stunned than terrified.

Now Krey had a choice. He could spend time with Pip in his wolf form and help him get used to the animal side of him, or he could go and then return in his human form, and pretend like he knew nothing about huge wolves roaming the woods and scaring teenagers.