Chapter Five

I left the small cafe, heading over to my cabin. I didn’t bother looking back. I knew that Duncan was following behind me. 

‘He isn’t happy.’ My wolf stated the obvious.

‘And do you think I care if he isn’t happy? He left me sitting around, waiting for him for three hours. Then he shows up, acting like he is going to swoop in and save the day. Whatever.’ I rolled my eyes at my wolf. 

‘Well, he is still an Alpha.’ She replied. She could be such a drama queen. 

‘Is that what his wolf is saying to you? That I should be more respectful because he is an Alpha?’ I was getting more and more pissed off, and Duncan hadn’t even said anything. 

My wolf stepped back a bit, retreating and avoiding my question. 

“Coral. Where are you going?” Duncan asked, attempting to grab my arm. I pulled away from him, stopping in front of my cabin. 

“I am going home. It has been three hours, Duncan. Three hours since Anders told me that you were coming to meet with me. You and I both know that it is important for us to bond, but you don’t seem to give a shit about that.” I moved towards my door as I spoke, entering the code for the door. The entire cabin was actually quite secure; a necessity for the red wolf. 

“Can I come in, please? So we can talk?” Duncan had stopped walking, standing on the small path to the front door. His hands were in his pockets. He looked like a little kid who was getting in trouble. 

As much as I wanted to tell him to leave, I knew that I would never hear the end of it from Ivy if I told him to leave. 

“Yeah, you can come in,” I replied, opening the door. Duncan followed me inside. 

“Thanks,” he stated, looking around the cabin. “I like what you have done to the cabin. It was pretty basic before you moved in.” 

I looked around the cabin, smiling. Although I had only been here a month, a lot of changes had been made. Some of the other red wolves had helped me paint the living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Harley and I spent a lot of time shopping for other knick knacks and decorations for the cabin. I didn’t know how long I would be living here, so I wanted the cabin to be decorated how I wanted it. 

I shrugged. “Thanks. I will probably be here until I find my mate, so I wanted to put my own flair on it.”  I sighed, realizing how much my emotions had just changed. I hated that it happened so quickly. I was working on it and Raina had taught me a lot of new skills, but I still had a lot to learn. And my wolf and I had to get on the same page. That was something that Raina stressed every time we trained. My wolf and I needed to be fully integrated. We could not be responding in opposition to one another. To be able to use all of my skills as a red wolf, my wolf and I had to respond as one, meaning that I needed to understand her animal instincts and she needed to understand my crazy human mind. 

And that was not going well. My wolf did not seem to have a lot of desire to learn about the human side, as was evident by her wanting me to comply with Duncan simply because he was Alpha. That was definitely not going to happen.  At least that is what I assumed was going on, since she seemed so upset with me. 

I looked back over at Duncan. I hated to say it, but he always looked good. His blonde hair always seemed perfect, and today, it was pulled back in a small ponytail. When he had it down, it hit just at his shoulders. He was tall and while he was clearly very muscular, he was not as bulky as some Alphas were. I did not doubt for a minute, however, his strength. Duncan was powerful. I liked the way he looked - probably too much. 

Guilt and annoyance were the two main emotions I could feel coming from Duncan. I understood the guilt, but the annoyance pissed me off a bit. Why was he so annoyed? He needed to be here. 

“So, um, what are we supposed to do?” Duncan asked, looking over at me. 

I rolled my eyes, turning towards the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?” I asked, opening up the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. He nodded and I handed him a bottle of water. 

“There isn’t a certain way that this is supposed to go, Duncan. It is simply important for us to spend time together. We get to bond and our wolves get to bond. I mean, you have dated people. What have you done to get to know the she-wolves you have dated?” I asked, regretting the question as soon as I asked it. I knew he didn’t really date. He just slept around. 

He laughed at my question. “No one really cares to know me. The she-wolves just view me as a notch on their bedpost - they got to sleep with an Alpha.” He took the bottle of water that I handed to him. 

“And you are okay with that?” I asked, suddenly curious about this behavior. 

He gave me a questioning look. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with that? What unmated male doesn’t want to have the opportunity to have sex?” There was a note of arrogance in his voice, but the emotions that I was feeling off of him were different. There was a sense of regret and even embarrassment. 

“Well, sure, I guess so. But those relationships are all superficial. Don’t you want to develop better relationships than that?” I asked, eyeing the Alpha closely. This was the first time that I could really feel the emotions of someone else. When I was younger, I could feel something at times, but I didn’t really understand what it was. After getting Ivy back, and since working with Raina, I was becoming much more aware of how others were feeling. I also noticed that I could tell when someone was lying. 

“Why would I want to do that? I don’t want to develop a relationship with a she-wolf if I am not going to see her again. Look Coral, I have friends. Anders, Tobias, Oscar, they are all my friends. I don’t need to develop a relationship with a she-wolf who is just going to become clingy and crazy. I don’t need what Anders had.” Duncan shook his head and smirked. 

“You know you can develop a meaningful relationship with a female without sleeping with her, right? I mean, that is why you are here. We are supposed to develop a strong relationship. That is part of what being a guardian wolf for a red wolf is all about.” I moved across the room as I spoke, taking a seat on the couch.  Duncan followed, taking a seat across from me. 

“I get that we are supposed to develop a relationship, but does it really matter if you are my friend or not? We should have a close relationship because it improves our ability to work together. It makes it easier to pick up on your feelings and I know sooner about concerns. Does that mean that I am your friend?” Duncan’s tone was flat and he took a swig of his water. I could sense that he was avoiding something. 

“I know that you are well aware of the history of the red wolf. Raina is like your aunt. Callan and your dad are cousins. You were raised around the red wolf and at the red wolf compound. From what I have heard, it was well known since both you and Anders’ shifted that you were both guardian wolves.” Duncan cut me off as I spoke. 

“I get all that. I still don’t see why it means I need to be spending time with you becoming your friend.” He looked angry as he spoke. 

“Because you and I both know that is what happens. The guardian wolves are supposed to be close with their red wolf. It means that you are my friend.” I seethed as I spoke, my own anger sipping out. “Look, if you don’t want to spend time getting to know me, that if fuckin fine. But don’t show up at the cafe and act like you care when you clearly don’t.” I stood up, pissed now. Ivy was quietly humming to me and I knew she was trying to calm me down. I appreciated it, but Duncan’s lack of caring just rubbed me the wrong way. 

I walked back into the kitchen, needing to take a break. Raina had warned me that I would get my full skills as a red wolf when I turned 18. I had noticed that as I got closer and closer to my birthday, I was feeling more and more emotional. Harley always thought I was going to be a powerful red wolf. I still wasn’t sure how powerful I was going to be, but nothing was going to happen if I couldn’t get unified with my wolf.

‘Why are you so upset?’ Ivy asked as I leaned against the counter. Her tone was genuine. She was trying to understand why I was feeling the way I was. 

‘He doesn’t want anything to do with us. He doesn’t even care that he is our guardian wolf.’ I replied, standing up from the counter. 

‘He is saying that, but his wolf is telling me otherwise. He wants to get to know you. He just can’t. He has been hurt by the one she-wolf he tried to get close to. He has a wall up. He doesn’t know what to do to get the wall back down.’ I was grateful for Ivy and her ability to communicate with Duncan’s wolf. 

I put my head down, trying to think of what to do next. I didn’t want to push Duncan, but I also knew that I needed to be close to him. Every red wolf had told me how much their guardian wolves helped to ground them and keep them centered and calm. But I couldn’t count on someone if I didn’t know anything about them. 

“I’m sorry Coral,” Duncan spoke from behind me, startling me. I looked up at him and I could see the remorse written across his face. “You are right. We are supposed to be close. We are supposed to be friends. I am just struggling a lot with, well, everything right now.” He took a deep breath and looked down. I could feel the apprehension, uncertainty, and pain that he was experiencing. 

I wasn’t sure what I was thinking, but I found myself walking to Duncan and hugging him. His body stiffened initially but then he relaxed, wrapping his arms around me. This felt like the most natural thing for me to do to help calm my guardian wolf.

Pulling back, I smiled up at him. “We don’t have to dive into being besties right now, Duncan. Let’s just spend a bit of time getting to know each other. We can talk about whatever you want.” I walked past Duncan, heading back to sit on the couch. Duncan sat across from me in the chair. 

“Okay, um, why don’t you tell me about your family?” He stated, looking nervous, like we were on a first date. It made me smile to myself to see him like that.

“My dad died in a rogue attack when I was young. He wasn’t a warrior in our pack but was close to the rogues so he went to help fight. It was a really bad attack, at least that is what my mom told us.” I looked down, fiddling with my hands. “Unfortunately, I don’t really know much about my dad’s side of the family. His parents died in an accident before I was born.” 

“I am sorry to hear about your dad.” Duncan stated as he picked at the edge of the chair. “I remember Harley mentioned that your mom got sick and died before you turned 13.” 

I nodded. “Yeah. She had a very rare illness in wolves. They tried so many treatments, but nothing worked. Her wolf was so exhausted trying to heal her.” I fought back tears. Although it had been over five years since my mom had died, it was still hard to talk about. “Enough about my family.” I stated, putting on a smile. “How about you? Tell me about your family.” 

Duncan smiled. “Where would you like for me to start?” He asked, sitting up in the chair. 

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. How did your mom and dad meet?” I asked, pulling my knees to my chest. 

Duncan’s smile widened. “Just prior to her 18th birthday, Raina was kidnapped by rogues. While she was being held captive, she met two wolves who were being forced to cook and clean for the rogues. My mom and her best friend, Jennifer, were being forced to work for the rogues. When it was all said and done, both Jennifer and my mom had found their mates.” Duncan paused briefly before continuing. “I came along about two years after my mom and dad mated. My sister, Iza, was born two years later. My brother Kaleb, however, came along almost ten years later.” Duncan obviously thought very fondly of his family based on how he spoke about them. 

“I haven’t met your sister and brother yet. Do they ever come to the compound?” I asked, idly playing with my hair as we talked.

“Iza tends to stay away from the compound.” He replied, shifting in his chair. “Has Anders talked to you at all about the struggles that Romy has had at the compound?” He asked, appearing a bit uncomfortable.

I nodded. “He has. He told me that some of the red wolves have been all too uncaring about controlling certain aspects of their abilities and that Romy has had more than one love interest stolen away by the red wolf.” Red wolves, as I had learned from Raina and from Vivian’s stories, were quite sexual in nature. They could easily seduce any wolf. Raina had shared her own personal stories about this. While the red wolves were now trained to manage it, Raina, as the first red wolf, initially didn’t know how to manage it well, and it had resulted in an incident that involved Duncan’s father. Even with training, some of the red wolves enjoyed the ability to use sexual desire to control behavior.

Duncan sat forward. “Right. Well, about two years ago, Iza got tired of it. So, she just decided to spend most of her time at the Crescent River Pack.” He shrugged. “There really isn’t a specific reason for her to be at the compound, except that my dad and I are often here. My brother is still young, so he doesn’t care to come here much.” 

We spent the next hour talking about a variety of family related topics. I shared about the time that Harley and I spent running after we left the Silver Springs Pack and how that experience brought us even closer than we already were. I told him about how special my mom had been and how sad I was that she didn’t ever know that I was a red wolf. He told me about his time growing up around the red wolves and how important he understood them to be. We stopped short, however, of talking about relationships. I definitely got the feeling that was a topic that Duncan did not want to talk about, at least not right now. 

“I have a meeting at the compound house about the recent threats.” He paused, standing. “I am glad that I came over. I know I was an ass, and I am sorry about that. Hopefully I won’t be such an ass next time.” He smiled as he spoke. I could feel that he was genuinely sorry for what had happened. The smile lit up his face, making him look even more handsome. 

Knock it off Coral.  I berated myself. I didn’t need to be having those types of thoughts about one of my guardian wolves. 

I smiled at Duncan. “I am meeting with Talia and Vivian for dinner.  I guess I will see you tomorrow at the bonfire?” I asked. 

“Yes, you will.” Duncan replied.