Chapter 7
-Johan-
I hadn’t been waiting at the vi for very long before Ignatius showed up. I watched his car pull into the
bay and folded my arms. I hadn’t expected him to lift Dorothy from
passenger seat and I clenched my jaw at the sight of the two of them.
the
I had onlye to confide in a friend, but my anger came rushing back almost immediately upon
seeing that Dorothy was still in his care. I tried to keep my cool, leaning back against the door of the
vi and waiting for Ignatius to approach.
I had hung around the college campus for a while after Mavis rushed to her next ss, leaving me to
clean off the red lipstick stains that had smudged across my neck like she’d shed my throat.
Despite all of my efforts, I couldn’t keep the image of Dorothy in my old friend’s arms. out of my head. I
didn’t like the contrasting thoughts waging war inside my head, and eventually decided it was time to
pay Ignatius a visit to talk it out.
Mavis wouldn’t be thrilled that I was here, considering it had to do with my feelings towards Dorothy,
and furthermore, she had never really taken a liking to Ignatius but the situation couldn’t be helped. I
needed to see my friend, in order to remind myself why I shouldn’t and wouldn’t want to tear out his
throat.
Seeing the gentle way in which he carried Dorothy had my inner-wolf fighting to throw all thoughts of
peace and understanding out of the window. I was unintentionally fuming by the time he made it to the
porch.
“Johan, hey.”
my blood
Ignatius greeted me nonchntly. His calm and cool demeanor only boiled further. I was enraged by
him, frustrated with myself and fighting to stay neutral.
“Why is Dorothy here. Why is she still with you?”
–
I ski pped past a greeting, my inner-wolf demanding immediate aggression. Ignatius looked down at
Dorothy – at my mate whoy against his chest with her face buried in his neck. My jaw twitched. The
way he looked at her had me feeling all the more possessive.
“The healer gave her some magic stick s hit that made her drowsy. She said she didn’t want to go
home so I offered to let her stay here.”
“She cane home with me.”
I hadn’t meant for it to sound like a growl but there was no controlling my infuriated
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tone now.
Ignatius eyes me warily.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said it slowly, standing his ground and keeping his
tone even.
In that moment I both hated and envied him.
“You’re not her mate.”
“No. But after you break the bond, you won’t be either.”
His words caught me by surprise. He’d learned the truth of the mating call between me and Dorothy.
He knew the primal turmoil I was feeling. This calmed me down slightly and I released the balled fists
I’d been clenching since he had approached. My inner- wolf, on the other hand, remained restless and
vtile.
“Let’s go inside,” Ignatius said, striding past me and unlocking the front door. “We have a lot to talk
about.”
I followed him into the vi and nced around. It was small and mostly empty with his single suitcase
propped up in a corner. Ignatius headed for the tiny bedroom with Dorothy and I followed close behind.
I could smell her glorious scent, only this time it was mingled with that of Ignatius’s and I wished I
hadn’t noticed it at all.
I watched as he gently ced Dorothy down on the unmade bed and carefully unsped her pale
noodles arms that were wound tightly around his neck. Dorothy mumbled as he did so and from where
I stood in the doorway I could see her bright green eyes gazing up at him in a daze.
I wanted to storm in and scoop her up. Carry her away from this ce and erase any hint of Ignatius’s
scent from her being, but I restrained myself, just barely. Ignatius left Dorothy in the bed and strode
back to me.
I watched her stretch out on the mattress before curling up and falling asleep again.. Ignatius came to
stand before me, barring me from entering the room and folding his
arms.
“She’s probably going to be out for a while. If you’re going to reject her you’re going to have to do it
“I’m not going to reject her,” I answered without thinking, and backtracked just as quickly, saying: “I
mean, I am. Just… I can’t do it yet.”
There was sympathy in Ignatius’s fine features but this clearly irked him a little as he
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said sharply, “You have to! You can’t leave her like this just because you’re having a hard time making
up your mind.”
“I have made up my mind!” I winced as my cry stirred Dorothy. She grumbled something before rolling
over andying still again. I lowered my voice, “I have made. up my mind. I chose Mavis, it was always
going to be her. It’s just… hard to let her go.”
“You don’t have a choice. Things will only get worse for the both of you if you don’t put an end to this
soon,” His harsh tone softened for a moment and he lowered his head, “It’s cruel Johan. She’s
suffering.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I felt guilty, I knew what I was doing was unfair. But I couldn’t shake
the thought that I was making a mistake. It was painful to think of never looking into those green eyes
again and knowing that she wanted me too. I folded. own arms tightly, holding myself together.
“Just give me some time.”
Before Ignatius could answer, Dorothy, stirred again, turned onto her side, and mumbled a name.
His name.
“Ignatius.”
my
Ignatius looked just as bewildered as I was and we both peered over at Dorothy. She didn’t say
anything more andy peacefully on her side with her chest gently rising and falling.
Ignatius recovered from the shock first and, stepping back into the room, he made to close the door,
“You can hang around until she wakes up. But then you have to put an end to this.”
His tone was sympathetic and he spoke quietly, refusing to look at me from behind the door, “I’m sorry
about all of this.”
–
Before the door shutpletely I caught onest glimpse at Dorothy. My Dorothy. She was peacefully
curled up on the bed and her red hairy about her in waves. My inner- wolf cried out in mourning and
my heart felt throttled in my chest. I drank in the brief sight of her before the door closed in my face.
-Ignatius-
It hurt to shut the door on Johan. Even though I was frustrated at his actions, I knew he was suffering
too. To battle ones natural instincts is difficult enough. To fight the mating call is another matter entirely.
I could only imagine the internal torment he was enduring. However, Dorothy was in no state to handle
a true rejection currently and Johan was too undecided to be trusted. near her. I was aware my part in
the matter wasn’t helping his possessive instinct but that couldn’t be helped. I only hoped he wouldn’t
hold it against me.
I was still baffled at his decision to stay with Mavis but I respected him enough to not argue on that
particr point. Regardless of my skepticism when it came to Mavis, hel clearly did love her deeply.
Deeply enough to defy his natural instincts and true destiny in order to stay by her side. An act I hoped
she was grateful for. It was an admirable trait – his loyalty andpassion – but I wondered how long
he would be able to keep it up.
Already his aggression was getting out of hand and it had only been one day. Johan had to sever the
bond between him and Dorothy sooner rather thanter, or things would only get ugly.
I sighed, I could hear his retreating footsteps on the other side of the door. Turning, I made my way
over to Dorothy and moved a few books to sit down on the nightstand. next to the bed. I sat gazing at
her for a while in silence.
I pondered on the creepiness of that and eventually chose to stare out of the window. instead. Dorothy
grumbled in her sleep about shadows and… pine cones? I couldn’t quite catch her words and I
wondered what made her dreams frightening enough to toss and turn while unconscious.
The all-epassing urge to protect her had not faded in the slightest. I knew I didn’t have to be
sitting there, waiting for her to wake but Tor- my inner-wolf- was determined to stay by her side and I
was happy toply with that decision.
She had said my name in her sleep earlier. It had caught me by surprise, and, thinking about it now, it
was the first time I had heard her say my name. I liked the sound of it in her mouth, even when spoken
whilst half asleep. It felt right.
I wondered if she might think the same someday. Although considering how much she had frowned,
pouted, and groaned at me in the short time we had been acquainted I couldn’t know for sure.
I smiled at the thought of her stubborn attitude towards being carried and gently ced a hand on her
resting head. Her hair was soft and smooth.
Dorothy swatted at my hand and mumbled again and I quickly pulled away and stood up to leave – I
wasn’t making for a very good host if I was going to be bothering my grouchy guest.
But I felt a hand grabbing onto mine as I was leaving and looked down to see Dorothy staring at me
with those bright eyes and clutching my hand tightly.
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–
“Don’t go,” she muttered indignantly, frowning at me soically upset at my departure that I had to
stifle augh.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said, sitting down again. She refused to let go of my hand and rolled onto her back,
swaying our sped hands back and forth like there was music only she could hear.
She was silent for a moment and I thought she’d drifted back to sleep before I heard, “Ig-nayyytius?”
she cooed with her eyes still closed.
“Yes, Dorothy?”
“Thank you for… being nice to me.”
She seemed to struggle with finding the words, and her brow furrowed as she concentrated.
“Some people aren’t very nice to me. But you’re nice.”
I squeezed her hand tightly. “You’re very wee Dorothy. I think you deserve a little kindness in my
opinion.”
She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “Dunno about that. But thank you anyway.”
I wondered just how clouded her head was for her to say something so vulnerable in the first ce. I
thought I too could do with some magic stick powder if it could make this rxed and content.
you
I wanted to tell Dorothy that I would always be “nice” to her. That I would always protect her and
shower her with kindness because regardless of what she thought, she deserved the world. This
seemed to please Tor as much as it pleased me. I felt the draw to her like an invisible string tying us
together.
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“You’ve got me now,” I whispered to her as her eyes fluttered closed again. “You’ve got me now
Dorothy. And, in fact, I think you’re stuck with me.”
“Mkay,” she whispered back, already the tendrils of sleep were enveloping her once again, and she
was only half-listening at that point, “Sounds good.”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
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