Chapter 6 Looming Thoughts

Chapter Six:

Amelia's face blushed a deep red as she recalled everything they did, everything she allowed him to do to her. She was blushing so violently that she was starting to get dizzy.

What did I do!? What am I doing!?

Amelia tried to regain control over herself with a swift shake of her head then scrambled out from beneath the covers of the bed to search for her clothes. The only thing left of Sebastian was the faintest scent that belonged to him. Amelia gagged when she put her sweater back on, breathing in the pungent scent of alcohol that she had forgotten about.

How much did I even drink!?

She had come to get drunk to forget about her worries but instead, she just found herself in trouble. If it wasn't one thing, it was another for her.

After fixing up her hair and making sure she looked appropriate, Amelia hesitantly went downstairs to the inn's lounge. This time it was lit up brightly by the sun's rays. Thankfully, there were only a few humans in here eating breakfast. Amelia felt a little more comfortable being able to walk across the big room crowded with chairs and tables to make it out the door. The moment Amelia stepped outside, she had to shield her eyes from the sun with one of her hands. Her head began to pulse as soon as she was outside.

Before Amelia arrived back in her hometown, Nikki had offered to live with her at her house. Thankfully Nikki's house wasn't too far from the inn and it was a short walk to get there. Upon getting there, Amelia searched through her pockets to find the house keys. For a second she feared they had fallen when Sebastian took off her pants but fortunately, she found them. When she went inside Nikki's house, she looked both ways to see if her friend was anywhere in sight or if she was still sleeping in bed. Amelia hoped for the latter. Since Nikki was nowhere to be seen, she quickly made her way into the bathroom to take a shower.

Her nose wrinkled at the scent of her clothes when she took them off, breathing in the smell of alcohol and sex. And yet, the lingering scent of Sebastian made her heart flutter. Amelia gave another shake of her head to try to rid herself of these thoughts of him. Once unclothed, she walked towards the shower and glanced in the mirror along the way. But that single glance made her stop in her tracks and her mouth drop as she stared into the mirror with horror. On her neck was a giant purple mark with what looked like it had fangs bruising the edges. A hickey that looked like it won't be easy to hide.

Oh no...

There were similar marks on other parts of her body that she assumed were her bruises, and upon touch they were sensitive. The overwhelmed wolf rubbed her temples as her stress only added to her hangover's painful headaches. Thankfully the steamy water of a hot shower washed away her stress, worries, and sweat from last night. Whether werewolf or human, she was another female that loved hot showers.

The thought of the steam filling the room would sweep between the cracks of the door didn't even cross her mind until she was stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her petite body. The steam had alerted her friend who was now leaning against the wall with crossed arms and an unhappy face, making Amelia jump in surprise.

"You're home late! I was worried sick! Where were you? You," Nikki's eyes spotted the massive hickey on her neck and she made the same expression Amelia had made when she had looked into the mirror. Nikki gave a dramatic gasp before barking with disbelief, "Wh... no, no way. Who, no. Why? Ame!? Sebastian!?"

Amelia stared at Nikki wide-eyed for a few seconds before her brows furrowed and she squeaked, "...I was drunk."

Nikki slapped her palm to her forehead with a deep sigh. "Trent is gonna shit..." Her dramatic reaction ended when she came up to Amelia and gently placed her hands on her smaller friend's shoulders. "Are you alright? He didn't force you into anything, did he?"

Amelia didn't meet Nikki's gaze as she gave a small shake of her head. Nikki frowned with worry.

"Amelia... this is so unlike you. What's going on?" Nikki's tone held concern until she saw her fidget and blush awkwardly. Nikki's voice was quick to become serious. "Listen, Ame. I'm only telling you this because I'm trying to protect you. Stay away from Sebastian, he won't give you whatever you're looking for. Trent is right about him being a scoundrel. He's unfaithful and has one-night stands often. I shouldn't have left you there. It's my fault you got tempted by him."

Amelia finally made eye contact with her friend, her big blue eyes showing unhittable confusion and disappointment. "N- no, it's not like that! I'm... I'm not interested in him at all...!"

Nikki lifted one of her eyebrows with a "Yeah right" expression on her face. That look alone was enough to make Amelia pout and bow her head like a kicked puppy. Nikki sided and wrapped her arms around her short friend in a tight hug. "The pack is going out hunting today. You know how the boys like to compete. C'mon, wanna watch them?" This time Amelia looked up at Nikki with a small smile and a little nod.

Far outside of town and deep into the forest is where the werewolves would walk in their true forms, massive wolves with their fur and eye color the same as their human forms. That pack that was known for its freedom would occasionally play games or hold competitions hunting elk.

Amelia's fur was practically white, her frame small like in her human form. A slim body almost like a fox. Nikki walked beside her in her brown-furred wolf form. They could see the tan fur of Trent's wolf form amongst the other male wolves cornering a buck that was fiercely fighting back. Catching the elk wasn't the problem, what mattered in the competition is who got the kill.

The two females sat down near some other female wolves to observe. Amelia's ears perked when she caught something moving in the shadows in the corner of her eye, but when she looked there was no one there. It sent a chill down her spine but her focus was soon snatched back to the game in front of them as the competition got tense.

Nikki's tail lashed from where she stood beside Amelia and she eventually caved into an impatient bark. "Oh, my god, Trent, GET THE NECK! The fucking NECK!"

Trent stopped with his quick-footed pacing and he looked around with perked ears when he heard Nikki's voice yelling at him. Unfortunately, that split second of distraction was all it took for one of the other male wolves to completely run over him and leap at the elk, their fangs sinking into its neck. The elk gave a gurgled cry as blood gushed and squirted from the fatal wound, the prey meeting a quick death as it was slammed to the ground.

Nikki rolled her eyes with a groan. "Idiot..."

Amelia winced with a hiss as if she was the only one in pain. Trent getting barreled over looked very undesirable but watching the elk get taken down in such a brutal way always made her sick. The sight of blood as always made her uneasy.

Trent clumsily got back up with a shake of his pelt then snapped at the brown wolf. "Dammit, Nikki, you distracted me!"

"You distracted yourself!" Nikki retorted as she walked over to Trent to see if he was alright.

Amelia smiled warmly as she watched her friends. For some reason, seeing their silly quarrels always made her feel amused and happy. Another chill went down Amelia's spine again and she quickly looked around. Again, she sees movement in the corner of her eye in the shadows but when she looked, there was no one there. Or at least that's what she thought at first glance. Upon closer look, it looked like the shadows were moving. And then she saw two orbs that looked like the beginnings of a forest fire. She should've been afraid, her instincts were screaming "danger." But still, she stood up and walked over to investigate. The fire looked familiar. And a familiar scent became stronger the further she went into the shadows.

As soon as she was a little away from the pack and underneath trees packed with enough leaves to block out the sunlight, Amelia immediately lost sight of the specks of fire. Amelia's fur was quick to bristle as she rapidly looked around for what was giving her shivers. The "what" turned into "who" as a familiar, alluring voice came behind her.

"Amelia."