When Wolves Love Read online

  “Let me carry you. We’ll call an ambulance. It shouldn’t take long,” Noah then said, albeit a little forcefully, as he turned his head to give Adam the go-signal to call for help.

  “”I…said…no!”

  At that moment, three things happened simultaneously. The girl’s eyes turned all-black. With all her strength, she pushed Noah and sent him flying across the pavement; and Adam bent on all fours, ready to shift, as his eyes turned to match the darkness in the girl’s.

  She was a shifter too.

  Chapter 5

  “So…” she started. Sophie, Sophie Lawrie – that was her name. “Where’s your pack?”

  They were in Adam’s house, the guest bedroom to be more specific. After realizing they were all shifters, Sophie went with Adam and Noah willingly. There in the bedroom they cleaned her wounds and bandaged her up. They had finally stopped the bleeding, and being a shifter, it wouldn’t take long, a couple hours at most, for her to heal completely – one perk of being a shifter.

  Sophie tried to focus on anything else – anything else but the two guys on either side of her – but her efforts proved to be useless. They were both so distracting but in such different ways.

  Adam was taller and wider – the typical alpha male. His broad shoulders and muscular torso weren’t only for aesthetics. Shifter or not, Sophie knew Adam could put up and win a fight. As for Noah, he was lean, seemingly fluid even. He wasn’t scrawny, yet he wasn’t bulging either. Looking at the two men on either side of her, Sophie kept her thoughts to herself. It was obvious Adam and Noah were together; she could see it in the way they looked at one another.

  “Our pack?” Adam then asked, widening his eyes as confusion laced his voice. “What do you mean?”

  “Or clan? Pride…?” Sophie asked with a raised up eyebrow. When they still looked confused, she said instead, “The others. Where are the other shifters? Your group in this town?”

  Adam and Noah looked at one another before they turned back to face Sophie. It was Noah who said, “It’s just us…as far as we know…”

  It was Sophie’s turn to look confused. “Y-you mean…” she stuttered. “You’re living without a pack? How about your parents?”

  “We didn’t tell them…” said Adam this time. “We didn’t want to risk anyone finding out about-”

  “You better tell them,” interrupted Sophie, looking away for a moment to check on her bandaged wounds. When she deemed they were alright, she started to stand up and walk around the room. She was okay, and with that, sighed out of relief. “One of them is probably a shifter. That’s how you got it…it’s genetic…”

  There was no missing the way Adam and Noah’s mouths opened to form a small ‘o’. They seemed to have a silent conversation between the two of them before they turned back to face Sophie.

  “Why do you know so much…?” Adam then asked, walking across the room to take a seat on the chair by the desk. Noah took the space on the foot of the bed instead. “Do you…have a pack?”

  Sophie nodded her head and bit her bottom lip. “I did…but I ran away…and so they tried to kill me.” A short pause, and then, “That’s why you found me behind a dumpster.”

  Alarm spread across Adam’s face, and when he looked at Noah, he saw that he was as shocked as well.

  “B-but why…?”

  “Because my pack betrothed me to marry our Alpha – that’s our leader,” Sophie then said, winding her arms around her chest to hug herself. Thoughts flooded her mind. Everything – from the escape to the attack in the alleyway – happened so fast. She could see Damien’s face clearly in her mind, and the thought scared her. Her betrothed never liked to be bested, and Sophie knew it was only a matter of time until Damien found her. “I didn’t want to marry Damien, not when I’m eighteen, twenty-five, or thirty. Never. He found out I ran away and chased me here. He thought he killed me, so he left me bleeding, and that’s when you two found me…”

  Adam ran a hand through his hair while Noah heaved a deep sigh. That was a jam-packed story in such a short paragraph, and they were thankful they didn’t have to live by those kinds of rules.

  “So what’s your plan now?” asked Noah. “You can’t go back to your old pack, not after what they did to you…”

  “I know,” Sophie began, sliding her hands down her face. “I still have to think about my next step…I never really thought about what I was going to do once I ran away. I was just so focused on escaping...”

  “You can stay…here,” Adam then said, after a minute or two of thinking. “You can stay in my place. My parents won’t mind.” Even more importantly, “And Noah and I still have a lot of questions to ask, and you can help us. You’re the first shifter we’ve met.” When Sophie looked hesitant, Adam then pressed, “At least stay until your wounds heal…”

  When Sophie saw the determination in Adam’s eyes, she knew there was no way he was going to let her leave just like that. Sophie then turned to look at Noah; he was on the same page as Adam, and so, she let out a sigh and nodded her head. This city was going to be her home for a short while.

  Chapter 6

  Noah watched as Adam and Sophie walked to the centermost tables in the cafeteria. He watched as Adam introduced his ‘childhood friend’ to his clique of jocks and cheerleaders. It had been three days since Sophie entered their town and into their lives, and in that span of time, she taught them more than they could ever learn about shifters than if they searched through the internet.

  First of which, was the need to tell their parents, and Sophie helped them figure out who among their parents were shifters. It was both their fathers. It had been a breath of fresh air for Adam to tell his father, who was quite happy he had another thing in common with his son aside from their love of sports. Adam still needed to tell his Pop though about his relationship with Noah, but maybe in ten years. One secret was enough for this year and the next nine. As for Noah, he told his father when he caught him leaving the house at midnight. He knew there was no way his father was cheating on his mother in the middle of the night, and so Noah told his father the truth, and after that, they had a father-and-son run in the nearest hill.

  Sophie also taught them how to fight, how to defend themselves both in human and wolf forms. She told them that they were given these gifts for a reason.

  “The shifter world is a dangerous place,” Sophie had told them. “It’s always best to be prepared.”

  When they weren’t fighting or running or talking about the supernatural, Adam, Noah, and Sophie were just regular teenagers. They went to school, listened in class, and hung out within their respective cliques, and for Sophie, she had no problem fitting in with the athletes what with her shifter stamina and her long, slender body. Now that she wasn’t bleeding all over, Noah could see how beautiful Sophie was. Her chocolate brown hair hung in loose waves past her shoulders while her emerald eyes sparkled from meters away. She fit in so easily with Adam’s crowd, and Noah didn’t like the envious feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach. Adam and he still ate lunch separately, and that was only because half of the school still didn’t accept their relationship, and they didn’t want to lose their cliques completely.

  “So who’s the new girl your boyfriend’s with?” Marianna then asked. She had borrowed Thomas’ drumsticks and was tapping them against the table. Truth be told, the beat she came up with actually sounded good.

  Noah shrugged his shoulders and said automatically, “Childhood friend.” Before any of them could ask more, he quickly added, “So where are we practicing tonight? Any volunteers?”

  “Mom’s hosting a dinner party.” That was Thomas. “So my house is a no-go.”

  “We can do it in mine,” said Callum, Marianna’s boyfriend. “Do you have your drum set in your car?” he then asked Thomas, who nodded in return. “Great. That’s settled then.”

  And with that, their group ventured into talking about a semi-famous rock band that was coming to town to play. They promised one an
other they were going to watch together whatever the cost and before they knew it, bell rang and signaled the end of their lunch break. Everyone in the cafeteria stood up and rushed out of the room to head back to class, and when Noah started walking in the direction of the gym for his Physical Education class, he felt someone from behind intertwine their fingers together.

  “Hey you,” came the familiar voice of Adam.

  When Noah turned to look at him, the first thing he said was, “Where’s Sophie?”

  Adam didn’t miss a beat and put on a smile. “She’s with Mel.” Noah knew he was pertaining to Mel from the soccer team. “Mel’s kind enough to let Sophie play with them later during practice.”

  “Oh, alright,” then said Noah, saying nothing more.

  “Come on,” Adam tugged his hand as he pulled them in the direction of the gym. “You’re going to be late for class.”

  At that, Noah shook his head and let out a laugh. What the hell was he thinking getting jealous? Adam had been nothing but sweet and thoughtful, and Sophie never overstepped on their relationship so far. Noah blew out a sigh; he knew it was his insecurities getting the best of him, and he needed to shut them down.

  Chapter 7

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Adam asked, rushing up to block Sophie’s way. Just another step forward and she was out of his house. Good thing he was fast enough to run past her, and when he turned to meet her face, Adam saw that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and her lids puffy. Her cheeks were a little bit dried up from earlier tears. “What happened?” he then asked, his tone of voice shifting from shock to concern. “You’re just leaving without saying ‘goodbye’?”

  It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Noah was going to be here any minute now. They both promised Sophie they’d show her around the city. They planned to go first to the park before they grabbed a bite to eat at a well-known deep-dish pizza place. Apparently, Sophie had other plans. She had a paper bag in her hands, and she looked like she was running away.

  “I can’t start here any longer,” she said, tone laced with fear. “Have I told you that pack members can read one another’s thoughts?” When Adam shook his head, Sophie then continued, “They know I’m here. Damien knows I’m here.” Nervous and restless, she ran a hand through her loose, wavy hair. “How could I be so stupid? I have to leave Adam, or your life and Noah’s will be at risk.”

  When Sophie made a move to turn around and walk away, Adam closed his fingers around her wrist to stop her. Then, he tugged her arm lightly. Don’t fight. He was trying to tell her.

  “We can handle Damien and your pack,” Adam then said. “Noah and I will protect you.”

  Sophie shook her head. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “You can’t fight Damien,” she reasoned out with him. “He’s more powerful than you and Noah. Everything I learned, I learned from my mentors who all learned from Damien.” Panic settling into her eyes, she then said, “I have to leave, Adam. You and Noah…both of you have been nothing but great, but I can’t let you fight my battles.”

  She tried to fight him once more, but he wouldn’t budge, and when Adam tugged Sophie forward and pulled her against his chest, Sophie widened her eyes as her cheek pressed against Adam’s chest.

  “You have no choice,” Adam then said, resting his chin atop her mop of hair. “You can’t run away forever, so we’ll help you put a stop to your problems. Teach Noah and me how to fight. We’ll be ready when Damien comes.”

  Knowing that disagreeing was futile, Sophie let out a sigh of defeat and stepped away from Adam. When she looked up to meet Adam’s eyes to thank him, he saw fear and sadness cross his face.

  Nervous at who or what stood behind her, Sophie slowly turned around until she saw Noah standing on the other side of the road. There was a pained look on his face as his eyes moved to look from Adam and then to her repeatedly.

  Then, Noah turned around and ran away, and in a fleeting second, Adam let go of Sophie and crossed the road to catch up to Noah.

  Chapter 8

  “Noah, wait up!” Adam shouted, picking up his speed. It was times like these he was thankful Noah and he were from different cliques. It wasn’t that Noah was out of shape; Adam was just more in shape. “Stop running!...Hey!”

  Adam closed his fingers tightly around Noah’s arms and tugged. This caused Noah to recoil and then slam against Adam’s chest. To steady him, Adam rested his hands on both sides of his waist. Shocked and grateful, Adam widened his eyes when Noah didn’t try to fight back.

  “What’s wrong?” he then asked, slowly releasing Noah from his hold. The musician stayed in place and instead focused on kicking the cement underneath him. “Do you want Sophie to leave?”

  Finally, and after what felt like forever, Noah finally looked up to meet Adam’s eyes, Noah’s blue meeting Adam’s gray. Noah inhaled deeply, taking in a large breath of air before he released it and slumped his shoulders. Adam waited; he knew Noah didn’t like being rushed; he knew Noah didn’t like words or reason being forced out of him. It was after a minute or two that his internal debate finished and he opened his mouth to ask.

  “Do you want Sophie to leave?” he asked, using Adam’s earlier question on the man himself.

  Adam raised a confused eyebrow up. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Before Noah could responds, Adam then said, “Can we talk about this upstairs in my room? Please?”

  “Why?” Noah then said, staying put. “So none of your neighbors can see us and report back to your parents? You’re ashamed of me, aren’t you? Y-”

  “W-what? Why? No!” Adam abruptly cut in. “Of course I’m not ashamed. I’m just not ready to tell my parents yet. Please, Noah. Can you come inside?”

  Noah let out a heavy sigh. He knew he could never really say ‘no’ to Adam. “Fine,” was all he said, before he followed Adam into his house and up to the second floor. Sophie followed behind them but stayed in the living room at the first floor. They didn’t need her at this time. When Adam opened the door to his bedroom, Noah stepped in first and walked to one side of the room. He leaned his back against the surface. He wasn’t going anywhere near the bed.

  “Why would you ever think that I’m ashamed of you?” Adam asked, his voice slightly pained.

  When Noah heard his tone of voice, hurt and dejected, he felt a tight grip around his heart. He didn’t like hurting Adam, and here he was doing exactly that.

  “I don’t know…the others-”

  At that, Adam furrowed his eyebrows together into a glare. “Others? What do you mean?”

  For the nth time, Noah released a heavy breath. “In school, there’s a new rumor going around that you and Sophie are-”

  In a flash, Adam rushed up to stand in front Noah and cupped his face. “That Sophie and I are together? And you believe their bullshit?”

  “N-no,” Noah stuttered, faltering. “But...”

  “You believe them,” Adam then said, lips turning down into a scowl. “You believe them more than me…”

  “I saw you and Sophie earlier.” Noah pushed Adam’s hands away from his face. He couldn’t focus when Adam was touching him and pushing all the right buttons in his body. “What was that about?” It was Noah’s turn to feel angry. “I saw you hugging her and-”

  “Because she wanted to run away!” Adam then cut off before Noah could make any more assumptions. “She said Damien’s coming for us, and she wanted to protect us! I hugged her because she wanted to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders…”

  Adam ran a hand through his blond hair. This was the most serious fight they had ever had so far, and he didn’t like it. It was taking a toll on his emotions, Noah’s as well.

  “I hugged her to stop her from running away. I hugged her because she needed someone at that moment, and I told her that the both of us would help her. That she doesn’t have to fight Damien alone…” Adam them said, out of breath by the end. Then, he tried again. He stepped forward and gathered Noah’s hands
in his. “You know I’d do the same if you were in Sophie’s place…” To prove a point, Adam met Noah’s eyes, and he heard Noah hitch his breath. “I’d do everything and more…”

  “Adam…”

  “Because…I-”

  “Adam,” Noah said again, losing the rhythm of his breathing for a moment. He could feel like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

  “I love you…” Adam then said. “I should’ve told you before, but I thought you knew…”

  Noah lost it. He gathered a fistful of Adam’s shirt and pulled him towards his bed. Then, Noah let himself fall back down with Adam landing above him before Noah raised his head to crash his lips against Adam’s.

  Chapter 9

  The kiss – it was rough and passionate and raw. Noah groaned when he felt Adam pull away to land a trail of kisses from his jaw to his neck. Noah moved his head to the side to expose more of his neck. He loved it when Adam kissed and bit him there, and Adam was hungry. It was as if he’d been bottling his emotions the past days. With Sophie in tow, the two of them didn’t really have as much time alone together. That was it. They missed each other, and all their pent-up feelings were coming out right here, right now.

  When Noah felt Adam swipe his tongue across the curve his neck, he gathered the ends of his shirt and pulled the material over his head. He roamed his hands along Adam’s skin, sun-kissed by playing under the sun everyday. His fingers pressed against muscles, hard and toned, and Noah felt a jerking motion in his groin area. Every part of Adam, whether he touched or merely saw, awakened him. He still couldn’t believe Adam was all his. He lost his train of thought when Adam started pulling his own shirt over his head, and now, their shirts were a crumpled bundle on the floor.