Chapter 4: Make New Friends

Rakesh came to his destination and what he saw took his breath away. The scenery was lush and green, with a few butterflies fluttering to and fro. The brook was crystal clear and sparkled in the sunlight.

“This is like something out of a movie.” Rakesh breathed as he sat on the bank. “There’s no way this is real.”

The man was almost mesmerized by the sound of the brook. His eyes fluttered shut as he just sat in relative silence and listened to the world around him. He was sure that was the closest thing to heaven he would ever achieve in his life. In the middle of his impromptu meditation, a thought crossed his mind. He suddenly remembered that Josie suggested trying to shift again. Rakesh adjusted himself to sit up on his knees, already feeling his wolf beginning to rush to the surface. As he felt his teeth begin to extend into fangs, his calm was swiftly overtaken by a surge of anxiety. All he could see was the silver teeth glistening in the moonlight, the only thing he heard was the sound of the trap snapping shut.

His eyes shot open and it took everything in him to calm his breathing. It felt like an eternity, but he finally stopped the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears. After some deep breaths, an interesting scent crossed his senses. It wasn’t one he had ever smelled before, but that didn’t stop it from being familiar to him.

“Another wolf?” Rakesh muttered before stumbling to his feet. “Since when?”

As he walked along the trail back to Josie’s cottage, the scent got stronger. When it finally dawned on him that that was where they were, his adrenaline went through the roof and he hobbled as fast as his injury let him until the cottage came into view. He heard an unfamiliar man’s voice, a growl of warning rumbling deep in his chest. The front door swung open and he stood face to face with the unknown man, who was just as tall as he was. The man’s blue eyes narrowed as his growl answered him. Rakesh took a step forward before a familiar voice stopped him.

“Alright, you two!” Josie bellowed, hip checking the man and pushing her way past him. “Cut it out!” She turned to Rakesh. “I’m fine! See? I’m not in any danger!” Her attention then turned to the other man. “And you already know about him. This is literally who we were just talking about! Calm your nerves!”

Both men unpuffed their chests and had the looks of scolded children. They muttered their apologies and the trio sat in awkward silence for a moment.

“Well, since no one else seems to wanna do it,” Josie finally spoke up, “Rakesh, this is an old friend of mine, Soren. As you’ve already guessed, he’s a wolf just like you. Soren, this is Rakesh, the wolf I told you about.” Josie pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. “Now, I’m almost done with Soren’s potion, but I need a few more minutes. So, if you two could please play nice with each other till I’m done, that’d be great.”

Without another word, the witch stepped back into her cottage and slammed the door a little harder than the men had anticipated. The awkward silence returned for a moment or two before Soren finally spoke up.

“A firecracker, that one.” He said sheepishly.

“And kinda scary.” Rakesh agreed.

“You have no idea.” Soren chuckled. “So, you’re the wolf that Josie saved. I’m sure your pack must be grateful.”

“Maybe they would be if I had one.” Rakesh shrugged.

Soren’s eyebrows flew up in shock. “You, too, huh?”

“Oh, umm…yeah.” Rakesh nodded. “Been that way this whole time.”

“I was approached once, but the Alpha was a prick.” Soren rolled his eyes. “Stuck up and self-centered and his pack was just as bad.”

Rakesh’s face crumbled in a grimace. “Yeah, that’s the reason why I refused to join a pack. I don’t do well with that kind of authority anyway.”

“It’s nice being your own boss.”

The men shared a laugh as the door opened again. Josie looked at the two and her face brightened as she handed Soren a small bottle.

“Now, see? Was that so hard, boys?” She asked. “I knew you two could get along!”

“I will admit that it’s nice to see another wolf in these parts.” Soren admitted, half mumbling. “Even though I've settled on doing my own thing, it’s nice to find someone else like me now that I’m back in town.”

“For good?” Josie asked excitedly.

“Yeah, I suppose.” Her old friend smirked. “We all gotta come home sometime.”

The witch clapped happily. “I get to see more of you! This is awesome!” She turned to Rakesh. “I might know a lot about a lot, but if anyone is my authority on shifters, it’s Soren. You two will get along swimmingly.”

“Let’s hope so, lest we bring about the wrath of the Siren of the Woods.”

Rakesh snorted, but Josie simply rolled her eyes. “Alright, get outta here. Don’t you still have boxes to move or something, smartass?”

“Something like that.” Soren smirked, but only for a moment. “Molly asked about you.”

“Well, she knows where to find me.” Josie fidgeted in her spot a bit.

“You know you could–”

“Soren.” Josie warned. “Not yet. You know it’s not safe.”

“I know, I know.” Soren let out a sigh. “She just misses you, is all.” Soren decided to drop that part of the conversation as he turned to Rakesh and extended his hand. “Catch you around sometime, then?”

Rakesh smiled and shook his hand. “Yeah, I guess you will.”

Soren gave Josie a quick hug and trotted off down the path. Rakesh watched the man disappear out of sight.