My Neighbor is a Wolf

Chapter Ten

Rachael

Sunday Morning

M y bed was cold. I had grown too accustomed to Hunter's heat and no amount of blankets had the same effect. Sunlight filtered through my blinds, warming my skin but the chill I felt was deep in my bones.

I laid on my side, facing the window, and my hand rested on my neck where I had covered the bite mark with a large bandage. Sleep never came last night.

When Hunter had climbed on top of me, I had barely been awake. He was panting heavily as if he had just run a marathon. I remembered the way his eyes practically glowed above me, but it was as if he was looking straight through me. All rational thought left my body when he marked a path along my neck with his tongue. Hunter had known how to play my body like a fiddle.

I knew something was wrong though when I moaned his name and he didn’t respond. He enjoyed making me squirm underneath him with his dirty praise. The man who had been above me was not Hunter, the man I had started falling in love with.

Worry had coursed through my veins when he had pushed inside of me bare. I could feel his knot at my entrance and it scared me. We had been using condoms all weekend and never had the conversation otherwise. I wasn’t on birth control and who knew if that scumbag ex of mine gave me anything.

I had been lost in thought and didn’t notice Hunter’s bared teeth until it was too late. The pain that ripped through my body had been unbearable. Horrified, I had watched Hunter blink down at me in confusion then all of a sudden it was like he woke up.

He had tried to comfort me, but I couldn’t let him. He had promised to never hurt me, told me he cared for me. The thought of him touching me after what he had done sent my mind spiraling into a panic attack.

So I ran.

My apartment had been unlocked but everything was in pristine order. Hunter had said Benny was going to fix it up and replace the locks. He must have cleaned up, too. There was no trace of that night. I had made a mental note to track down Benny and ask him about new keys. Marching to my room, I had crawled under my sheets and cried, sobs wrecking my body well until the first rays of morning sun peeked into the room.

Now, here I was.

I was still wearing Hunter’s shirt. Tucking my nose into the collar, I breathed in his scent. Pine and oak. Like walking through a forest after a summer rain.

Even though he had hurt me, I didn’t want this to be over. Something told me there was more to the story. I knew I was crazy to even be considering it, or maybe it had been all the mindblowing orgasms. Maybe I could hear Hunter out and listen to his side of things.

Absolutely not. You were not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

But Chad had been horrible. He had no respect for me. It had been all about him and what he wanted. I had just been too scared to leave him and start something new, but it was easy when he stopped respecting my boundaries. Why was I comparing him to Hunter?

Rolling onto my back, I stared at my ceiling. It was official. This was the last time I was letting my vagina make decisions. She was a horrible influence. I grabbed a pillow and threw it over my face, screaming out my frustrations. How did I find myself in the middle of this mess?

A tiny meow broke through the deprecating self-reflection. I sat up and saw a tiny black cat sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Thor?” I asked. He meowed in response and padded across my blanket towards me. When he reached my legs, I crossed them under me as he sat.

He meowed again, but this one was longer. It felt like he was asking me something.

“Shit hit the fan, Thor. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.” I reached out, running my fingers through his short black hair. “And now I’m talking to a cat as if he’ll respond.”

He came closer and settled in my lap. I continued petting him, his purrs of contentment filling the silence in the room. It was actually very relaxing. We sat there together and, with each passing second, I could feel the anxiety leaving my body. The anger and regret coursing through me minutes ago dissipated.

A knock echoing through my apartment broke me out of my trance. Thor stretched as he left my lap, then strutted out of my room. Grabbing a pair of pajama shorts, I jumped into them as I followed him to the small entryway.

He sat in front of the door and looked up at it as if waiting for me to open it. Peeking through the peephole, I recognized the red curls from the night in Hunter’s living room. I barely had the door unlocked and open when the short, stocky man burst into my apartment and started berating his cat.

“Thor Loki Fee, what are you doing up here?”

I chuckled at the fact this cat had a full name. Benny shot me a quick look before returning his attention to his cat. I closed the door behind the two of them, leaving them alone in my entryway while I walked to my kitchen. Coffee would be a necessity if I was going to keep up with this man

“You know I could care less if you wander the halls on the first floor but you can’t go breaking into apartments up here. You’re going to get shipped off to the animal shelter!” Thor meowed in response. Benny didn't stop, the two of them going at it for several minutes while my pot of coffee brewed. I tried my best not to laugh at the crazy scene taking place in my living room.

Is it any crazier than when Hunter was a wolf and lying unconscious on your floor?

Touché, brain.

I sipped my coffee, letting the warmth flow through my body and chase away the chill that had settled. My stomach rumbled and I thought about those waffles Hunter had made. They were easily the best tasting thing I had ever eaten.

The things that followed were pretty great too. I had never felt so empowered in the bedroom. Hunter did more for my confidence in one weekend than I had been able to do in the last few years.

Hunter…

Benny came up beside me, pulling me from my thoughts. Thor was perched on his shoulders. “I’m Benny. Nice to officially meet you.” He held out his hand and I shook it, holding back the laugh at the sudden professionalism. Like I didn't just watch him talking to his cat for the last five minutes.

“I'm so sorry about him.” Benny gestured to Thor with his head.

“No apology needed.” I chuckled, reminding myself what Thor had walked in on. “I think he knew I needed the company.”

“He told me he likes the sun spot on your bed. So it seems his motivation for finding his way into your apartment was purely selfish.”

“That's okay.” I reached out to scratch under Thor's chin. He sank into my touch, his neck stretching out as he closed his eyes. I spoke directly to Thor, “You can come lay in my bed whenever you want.”

“Especially if you're going to be spending more time downstairs.” Benny crossed his arms and leaned his hip against the counter.

I nearly choked on the gulp of coffee in my mouth once my brain caught up. “What do you mean?” I sputtered out between coughs.

“In all the time I've known Hunter, he has never had interest in a woman. Especially not a human one. No offense.”

“None taken, I guess.”

“He didn't say it, that night he brought you down to his place, but Liliana and I both knew. Hunter is absolutely smitten with you.”

“Who says smitten these days?”

“Well, I do. And it's true. Plus, Thor told me what he walked in on the other day. You and Hunter in his bedroom.” Thor meowed from Benny's shoulder then jumped down. He rubbed between my legs as if apologizing for telling on us.

“It's okay, buddy.” I bent down and scratched between his ears. He meowed approvingly once more then meandered out of the kitchen, towards my room.

I turned my attention back to Benny.

“So why are you up here instead of down there with him?” he asked while grabbing a mug from my cabinet and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“It's a long story,” I muttered. Benny wasn't my friend, he was Hunter's. There was no way he wanted to listen to me. Worse yet, he would take Hunter's side and tell me how dramatic I was being.

“Just because I'm his friend, doesn't mean I'm not aware of his shortcomings,” Benny said, as if responding to my thoughts.

“How did you–”

“Doesn't matter,” he interrupted, waving off my confusion. “If anything, Hunter being my friend probably makes me the most qualified to listen. I know that man can get inside his own head sometimes.” He walked over to the small table I had set up in the kitchen corner, coffee mug in hand.

He gestured to the empty seat next to him. “Time to spill, darling.”