NINETEEN

                                    

                                          
Isaac didn't miss Roxy sitting on the wicker chair beneath the veranda as he tore up to the house. Even from inside his truck he could see there was something different in her cornflower blues. They had a glow – no, a fire – inside of them. Her gaze stuck to his truck until he rolled into the garage. A foreign nervousness filled him and like a database, his mind began deciphering what she could be annoyed at him for. It couldn't be that he was an arsehole because he was always an arsehole. Giving her a day off school to stay resting in bed all day? Doubtful. 
Isaac cut the engine of the truck, looking to the direction he could sense her. A coldness crept down his spine, nestling itself between each vertebrae. The man had sworn him to secrecy, determined to keep the truth from her so she could live a life without fear and worry. To a degree Isaac agreed but the thought of lying to his soulmate with such volatile information was like lead in his stomach. Roxy was sensitive – ten-fold when it came to him. Had she sensed he was keeping something from her? Did he know what he was keeping from her?
The memory of listening to her scream in the middle of the night made his heart race just like it had as he'd torn towards her room. Images of her being taken from her bed had tortured his mind until he'd barged through the door with Kayla and Tobias, to find Roxy hysterical on the floor of her bedroom. She'd looked lost in the room she'd been staying in for the past few weeks, her eyes darting about wildly as if searching for something that didn't belong. His blood had run cold when her weak voice had uttered what she'd dreamt of. Was it a coincidence that she had a night terror about the very thing hunting her the same day he'd been made aware of it?
Shaking himself, Isaac made a start for the house. After being held up with helping one of the mechanics fix a machine at the quarry, he had to get to work in adjusting the patrol rosters before their own pack's blood was spilt. Although they didn't know it, apart from Tobias, they had a high risk of rogues coming for them any day. The man had said the leader of these rogues was different to the rest. Rather than being impulsive, he was hauntingly patient. But Isaac wasn't taking the word of a stranger – not with something so volatile. So he'd made the decision to pull all the less experienced wolves off the night patrols, with rogues known to strike packs in the cover of night, and replaced them with the more experienced. There was the risk of having too many leaders in one group but they would have to grit their teeth and bear it. And the pack would sense something was afoot. The inexperienced wolves would be insulted that they couldn't be relied upon but he'd spin some story about wanting them to focus on schooling more due to grades slipping.
When had lying become so... normal?
Isaac blinked up to the sky as thunder rumbled lowly. Sprinkles of rain were beginning to fall. Rough night to be on a night patrol. He'd ensure Kayla made some of her famous chicken noodle soup for them for when they returned in the morning. He might not be the kindest Alpha but he knew keeping the morale of pack members meant retaining respect. If he kept sending the experienced warriors out on night patrols with no reward he'd be quick to pay for it.
A strong smell of vanilla and berries carried on the warm breeze, making Isaac automatically snap his head to the corner of the veranda which Roxy rounded. A frown settled onto his face as he watched her stomp along the timber slats. Her hands were curled into fists. Electric blue eyes like the lightning dancing around them narrowed. He looked to the ground to hide a fighting grin. It was humorous to watch her trying to be angry – it was like a toddler placing their hands on their hips and stomping their foot.
Isaac's body was tense when she came to a skittering halt in front of him on the lawn, so close that her breath fanned across his skin as she looked up at him. His heart began beating wildly, his wolf rumbling at the unmasked desire swirling in her eyes.