7

                                    

                                          
Word Count: 2271
~Alvera

I wince, feeling the agonising press of the narrow wooden bench beneath me.

This isn't just any town meeting.

Once this old town hall would be filled with a bustling crowd on a Wednesday night. Now, it's sparsely occupied with only the bravest - or most stubborn - people.

The werewolves are coming. How have they not fled by now? How have I not fled by now?

"What's he doing here?" Eldon asks from beside me, looking behind him.

I follow his gaze. Venn glides into the room, seeming to suck the air out of the place as he does so. All eyes raise to him as he settles into a seat right at the back.

His gaze meets mine. I swiftly turn back, folding my hands on my lap uncomfortably.

"He's a town member," I remind Eldon under my breath, feeling the weight of his stare on my back.

"He gives me the creeps." He shudders, affected just as much by Venn's presence as everyone else that is ever around them.

"He's just an intense person. Ignore him."

I give polite smiles to the familiar faces that thread through the wooden benches, choosing their place to sit. Many look so different, so jaded.

"Did you fuck him?" Eldon asks abruptly.

"What? No!" I hiss under my breath, turning my entire body to face him.

Eldon gives me a knowing look. He's been waiting to ask, and chose the most inopportune time he could manage.

"Seriously? You were just friends with a guy that looks like that?"

"He didn't always look like that, exactly," I exclaim lowly, the back of my neck bristling from Venn's assessment. "And I never said we were friends. I said we were, and still are acquaintances."

Venn has always been gorgeous, but Eldon doesn't need to consider to what extent. I hate lying to him, but what happened between Venn and I is long in the past, and we are only here for a few days. There is no point stressing him out over nothing.

"Did he ever try anything with you?" Eldon bends his head close, drawing curious glances from the gathering townspeople.

I tilt my head from side to side. "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?" He looks back at Venn, then at me, trying to decipher what went down.

"It doesn't matter, let's just leave the past where it is, okay?" I pat his jean covered thigh. "We only ever spoke one time, and it was mostly about werewolves."

"All those years and you never talked?"

"He only arrived into town eight months before that. He's a loner type, sticks to himself," I explain, watching the town's mayor bustle his way up the centre aisle. "Everyone tried to reach out but he pushed them away. I never risked an interaction until a week before I left."

"Were you attracted to him?"

I suck a breath in through my teeth, stamping down my irritation. Why he insists on asking questions that only upset him, I don't know.

"I thought he was nice to look at, of course. But was quite mean to me, actually. I left and didn't look back," I explain, keeping my voice barely above a whisper.

"Did he—"

"Shh, it's starting."

The dull chatter has quietened as the mayor takes his stand at the front of the hall.

He looks worse than I remember. His hairline has backed up a few inches and a light sheen of sweat decorates his forehead. It's so bad enough that he keeps dabbing at it with a folded tissue.

"Hello town," he greets, his voice wavering. "A sombre setting for us all considering there is only five days until the treaty expires. However, in positive news, a friendly face has reappeared."

Everyone sweeps their attention to me. I take the opportunity, smoothing my dress down as I stand.

"Hi everyone. I just want to quickly ask for you all to come to me if you have any information regarding my sister, Belle. She's been missing for a week," I say, trying not to look at Venn. "I put up posters today that you may have seen with a tip number printed on them."

People murmur between themselves, no doubt speculating.

"She left town like the rest of those cowards," a man states gruffly from the front bench. He has his back turned to me, giving me free reign to glare bitterly at his scruffy mullet.

I recognise him. He was friends with my father. We haven't spoken in years.

"No, Belle wouldn't leave. Our family home meant too much to her."

"We will consider what information we have, thank you Alvera," the mayor says, gesturing for me to sit. "Now, we need to go over basics. Everyone must have an adequate amount of all the essentials to last at least a week locked inside. Make sure your radio's are on the right frequency, and ensure you have replaced your doorknobs with silver."

I rub my arm, feeling chills gather as tiny bumps across my skin. The threat so real now, so tangible.

The mayor, Geoffrey, opens his mouth to continue with the spiel we have all become familiar with, but pauses.

"Something funny, Venn?"

I turn, seeing him smothering a smile behind his hand. He doesn't flinch as everyone looks at him. He's used to being the focal point of the town's curious stares.

"Everyone should be leaving. This land does not belong to humans any longer. It never has," he announces, his strong voice carrying through the cold space.

The mayor adjusts his collar, the dampness from his forehead also gathering on his neck.

"We will not concede without a fight."

"You don't stand a chance against them." Venn seems like he's warning us, warning the townspeople.

The mayor clears his throat, offering everyone a watery smile. "We fought them once. We can do it again."

Any sense of patriotism falls flat. Some people grumble their agreement, but I can tell in the way some bow their heads and hunch their shoulders that Venn is teasing out a worry they have buried deep.

"More was known about the species then. Their weaknesses, for example."

"Feel free to leave Venn. This conversation isn't for you." Geoffrey grips the paper in his hands until it starts to bend and wrinkle.

Venn only shakes his head, getting up from the bench.

His eyes meet mine for a brief second before he turns and strides out the doors and into the night.

Eldon takes my hand as I turn, giving me a long look. I look ahead, swallowing thickly.

"Now, I will be attempting to make peace with the Alpha King. We must all hope he is generous and allows us to integrate with his people...wolves. Whatever." The mayor waves his hand dismissively.

I scoff quietly under my breath. The Alpha King is going to rip his head off.

"Otherwise...I wish you all luck. I will take any private questions now."

People stand, most flooding to the front to speak to him. I grab Eldon's hand and drag him to the exit. That meeting was painfully uninformative. I had hoped the mayor new something at least.

Turns out he is as lost as everyone else.

The chill of autumn climbs through the threads of my sweater as we emerge from the hall. Eldon's phone immediately buzzes in his hand, an unknown number flashing onto his screen.

"Important," he mouths, pressing the phone to his ear as he backs away.

I turn to see Venn is leaning against the exterior wall of the building, scuffing his boot against some loose stones.

His eyes are seem to encapsulate the silvery rays of moonlight as they meet mine, luring me toward him.

"What's going on with him?" He asks, nodding at Eldon who paces across the lot from us, speaking animatedly.

"He lost his job awhile back," I divulge, stuffing my numb fingers into my pockets. "He's been struggling to get a new one."

"Ah."

I'm assuming it's his friend who is supposed to be hooking him up with a new job. He lost credibility as a journalist after he slept with his intern...

Me. To some degree, I tarnished his reputation. Although not as much as he did to himself.

"He will figure it out though. He always does." I teeter back and forth from heel to toe.

Venn studies me quietly, that familiar intensity forcing me to avert my eyes.

"You have a lot going on, don't you? Sister missing, unemployed boyfriend," he murmurs.

I shrug. "Yeah...I just have to push through."

"Let me unburden you of some of that tension," he offers gently.

My heart feels like it's in my throat, or perhaps it's my rampant pulse beating incessantly. The anxiety this man rouses out of me is unbelievable.

"How so?" My voice is hoarse.

"Don't pretend like you don't remember." He pushes off the wall, backing toward the edge of the building. "Come here."

"No, Eldon won't get it."

I glance behind me, watching Eldon press his fingers against his brow as he curses vividly. That phone conversation isn't going well.

"Explain it to him," Venn encourages.

I laugh softly under my breath. Explain what, exactly? The relief I felt when I spilled my greatest problems to Venn was unlike anything I've felt before. The instantaneous release of stress, of tension was practically orgasmic.

I've never believed humans could harness magic before, but what else could be said for Venn's miraculous ability?

"I tried to explain how you did it, but it seems it only works when you do it," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck with my chilled fingertips.

"Then take the opportunity while I'm still offering it."

His wicked grin chases me into the shadows with him. I press my back against the wall of the hall from its other side, ignoring the dull sounds of the townspeople exiting.

Venn shifts closer, bringing with him that dark, masculine scent that has my toes curling in my boots.

I close my eyes, bracing myself for his nonphysical presence. It invades my space, flooding my senses. Then, he presses his forehead against mine, the wavy tresses of his hair pressing against my straight bangs.

"Alright. Unburden," he commands softly.

I launch into it, putting my insecurities behind me.

"I'm tired of worrying about my sister. I'm scared something terrible is happened to her, while also being scared she will return and I will have to face her," I admit, wincing as I say it.

I'm a selfish, miserable sister. Belle and I have a rough history since our parents died, and seeing her after a year is a terrifying notion.

But not more terrifying than finding her dead, or never finding her ever again...

"Keep going," Venn encourages.

"I'm tired of carrying the burden for Eldon. I'm tired of looking after him, feeling like him his mother," I breathe.

"What else?"

"I'm tired of missing home. Missing this place," I sigh. I feel this town in my bones, in my very being. Being away from it has drained me, like I left a critical part of me behind.

"Anything else?"

I huff out a breath. "And I'm tired of not being able to orgasm. It's been two months and no matter what I do I can't manage one."

My eyes open to find Venn staring right back at me. Oh god, why did I say that?

"Have you tried-"

"I've done everything. Trust me." I lean my head back so our foreheads are no longer touching. The temperature of my body is high enough that I'm convinced I could turn autumn into summer.

His smile is so pretty it practically punches me in the gut.

"I can always help out."

I roll my eyes, shoving his shoulder. "Unburden me already."

Not only does he bring his forehead towards me, but also his hands. They slide up to cup beneath my jaw, keeping me still.

The moment we touch again, I feel the immense amount of relief I've been anticipating.

It feels like a thread that has been nicked and pulled taut, unravelling a years' worth of built up pressure and stress. I can practically taste the magic, but I don't care. Whatever this is, I can't get enough of it.

"That feels so much better," I sigh blissfully, resting my head back on the wall as Venn pulls away slightly. He keeps his hands near, though, anticipating my body collapsing onto the ground beneath us.

"Relaxed?" He asks, surveying my expression.

I nod tiredly. "I feel like I could sleep."

"It's time for you to go home now," he murmurs, stepping back to hold his hand out to me.

"Definitely."

I don't take his hand, forcing my legs to move past him. That was intimate enough. I feel much better now, and I'm grateful for that, but I need space from him now.

He turns to me as I back away, the shadows melting around him. "When your mind is right, we can talk about all of that."

I pin him with a look.

"No chance," I tell him, trying not to actively recall everything that I admitted to him. "Thanks anyway, Venn."

He nods once, his eyes following me until I make it around the corner of the hall. 
💗••💗
Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading this story, it means a lot!
If you want to read ahead at any point, you can read this story 10 chapters ahead on Radish and 15 chapters ahead on Inkitt (: 

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          

~Midika 💜🐼