Chapter 10

A/N: So much for putting out this chapter quickly…but on the upside, I'm up to ten chapters! YAYZ XD

To put it mildly, Maka had freaked.

At first, it had been a small bit of panic. She had watched Stein change—paws becoming hands and feet, fur and tail disappearing, muzzle shortening and ears shrinking—and her only reaction had been wide eyes and a barely audible gasp.

But that had only lasted a few moments. Then, the real reaction happened.

Maka couldn't remember the last time she'd been this scared or terrified. Actually, she couldn't remember any time when she'd been so scared that she had started to hyperventilate. She suddenly couldn't breathe, gasping for every lungful as she felt her world turned upside down.

Glancing at the grey haired doctor who was trying—in vain—to calm down the petite blonde, Maka couldn't help but wonder if there were more of his…kind. Did Marie know what he was? Or even more important, was Marie one of his kind? Or was Maka just crazy? Had the three wolves been part of a hallucination?

After a few more minutes of watching her go crazy, Stein shook his head and stood up before walking into the kitchen. He disappeared for only a few minutes and Maka could hear cabinets being opened and closed, the water running, before he finally appeared with a crystal clear glass filled to the brim. He offered it to her and she took it with very little reluctance.

She downed the entire glass in only a few gulps, hoping it would help. It did, slightly. She was able to breathe again and she concentrated as she tried to get her thoughts straight. Still a little confused, Maka looked up at Stein, feeling a little scared of her answer he'd give to her next question. "So…what are you?"

Sighing, Stein sat on the arm of Maka's sofa, crossing his arms as he looked down at her. "Well, you've probably noticed by now that I'm not exactly human, at least not all the time. I guess the best answer I can give is that I'm werewolf," He stated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Maka, meanwhile, was silent as she stared up at his crystal blue-grey eyes. The room was completely quiet, when, "I think I'm going to be sick."

*SOUL EATER*

It was less than forty-five minutes later when Soul arrived at Maka's apartment complex. He flew right up the stairs, changing mid stride when he got close. He got to her floor when he smelled the intruders, both who looked like they were contemplating knocking the door down or trying to knock like the others had.

They were swiftly dispatched, first the lanky one with greasy black hair, then the dark chestnut haired one who was only a little bigger than Soul. He didn't even bother hiding them, since they would wake in a few hours, when Soul and Maka would be—hopefully—long gone.

Knocking on the door, Soul's ears nearly perked up when he heard the sounds of retching. It was minutes later, only when Soul had started to get anxious, that Stein opened the door, fixing his tired gaze on the younger wolf. "Go check on her; she's having a hard time," He said, jerking his head in the direction of the bathroom, where Soul could traced the sounds of Maka's distress.

Soul slipped right past Stein without another word, barely remembering to mention that Blackstar would be arriving shortly before he disappeared down the hallway. When he finally reached the bathroom, he peered around the half open door to find Maka leaning over the toilet, losing her breakfast. But when he got there, she looked up, bright green eyes half-lidded with discomfort.

Remembering their last encounter, Soul approached slowly, only to be pleasantly surprised when Maka jumped off the ground and rushed towards him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his mid section as he staggered back, stunned, before returning her embrace. He nearly engulfed her in his arms, she was so tiny. But they fit together, he noticed as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the embrace he had been missing for the past few days. With her head resting against his chest and his chin on the top of her head as he absently ran his hand through her ashy blonde locks, Soul couldn't imagine anywhere else he'd rather be.

But then he remembered their situation and, reluctantly, pulled her arms length away, looking directly in her emerald gaze as she warily watched him. "Whatever you've seen, I promise I will explain. But right now, we need to get out of here. Pack only essentials. We're going to be leaving as soon as you can finish packing," He told her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "I promise, I'll explain everything as soon as I can."

Searching his red eyed gaze, Maka nodded when she found that he was telling the truth."O-okay. I'll…I'll go pack. I'll just be a minute."

Maka scurried off and grabbed the closest bag she could reach before randomly grabbing clothes out of her closet and drawers. She barley remembered her bathroom bag, which included her toothbrush, toothpaste, and everything else she needed in the morning. She didn't risk time checking what she had packed, instead heading straight to the living room when the bag was full.

In the living room she found Soul, tensed up, as he spoke with the otherwise calm Stein. They spoke in hushed tones that Maka could barely understand—which was probably the idea—and only paused when she walked through the doorway leading to the hall. When they looked up, she held up her bag, getting a swift nod from Soul before he walked towards her and promptly took it from her.

"So…what's the plan?" Maka asked, looking first to Soul, then to Stein when the white haired man wouldn't answer her.

"We're heading to the apartment in my car; Soul will be following, to ensure that any other wolves don't follow. Blackstar should be joining us soon, but there's no guarantee when; we haven't been able to get a hold of him since he left to check on Tsubaki," Stein informed her, and Maka gasped.

"Why would Tsubaki be in danger?" She quickly asked, looking for some kind of answer when Soul shook his head. "Why won't you tell me? Is it bad?"

Again, Soul just jerked his head from side to side, giving her this pained look—as if it pained him to keep things from her. "It's not my secret to tell you. If she wants to tell you about it, she'll do it herself. Now come on, before anymore wolves catch up to you. I'm surprised we haven't run into more than we have," He murmured as he checked outside the windows, only unlocking the door when he made sure there was no one else waiting to ambush them.

Soul turned back to Maka, planning to tell her and Stein to hurry for the car, when he suddenly whirled around and came face to face with a large, snarling wolf lunging towards him.

Before anyone could react, the wolf gave a high pitched yelp as it was thrown sideways in mid-lunge, attacked by a larger, blue grey wolf who had planted his jaws around its windpipe. Not far behind was a dark brown-black wolf with dark eyes who stopped near the door, looking serene as she watched the blue wolf dispatch the aggressive attacker.

Soul nearly growled in frustration before he turned to console Maka—who already looked like she was making a connection.

"Tsu-Tsubaki?" She whispered, looking utterly surprised while, at the same time, devastated. "How…how many do I know?" She asked Soul suddenly, flinching as she heard a yelp and growl from in front of her apartment. Soul pulled her back inside, shutting the door as he opened his mouth to explain.

"This isn't the place for this conversation," Stein suddenly interrupted, his eyes only flickering away to watch as Tsubaki appeared at the door, her long hair trailing in one straight, slightly wild wave down her back. She had scratches across the left arm that looked no younger than weeks old, but Soul knew had to have happened earlier in the day. "If we have time when we get to the house, someone can explain to her there. But for now, we need to head out if we will have any chance of getting past the hordes of wolves looking for her now."

"Don't you think it would be smart to fill her in on what's happening before she's pushed into the middle of this?" Surprisingly it wasn't Soul that stood up for the shell-shocked blonde; instead, the dark haired Tsubaki stood tall, looking powerful enough that Stein was surprised he wasn't looking up to her. If Soul didn't do something about the she-wolf, he'd have a run for his money when it came to his pack. "She has no idea what's going on and is in the middle of something she doesn't understand. Hell, I barely understand and Blackstar's been teaching me for months. She needs someone to help her get through this, now, before things go too far."

Silence reigned as everyone contemplated Tsubaki's words; Blackstar even picked up on the mood when he silently slunk inside. No one knew what to say, besides the obvious, we need to go.

"If Soul chooses, he can ride in the car and attempt to explain. But we need at least two people outside, following the car, at all times. Soul?" Stein murmured, carefully watching as the Alpha mulled it over in his head.

"We need protection more than an explanation," He finally decided, giving Maka a sorry expression that she returned with an understanding nod. "Tsubaki, Blackstar, you two will tail the car while I watch out for any incoming threats. If too many wolves get past us they can stop the car by sheer power. Since we're going to run into some that are disguised as friends, do not let anyone past. The only one who might follow would be Liz and it's still a slim chance that she decided to. She's worried about protecting the others right now," He explained as he felt the warm sensation of Maka's eyes watching him, over-thinking as she listened to him. "Right now, I'm only worried about getting Maka to Stein's, safely. Understand?"

Blackstar and Tsubaki both nodded before they both turned to look at Maka, giving her sorry glances before Blackstar shifting, sprinting for the door. "I'll explain later," Tsubaki mouthed, hesitating only to nod in her direction before she had shifted as well, turning into a dark brown wolf with fur that was much longer than her grey counterpart, Blackstar.

Stein took that as his cue to leave, leaving a tiny opening in the door to signal that they needed to hurry. But before Soul could say anything, Maka rushed Soul, wrapping her arms around his neck. Slightly stunned, Soul reacted suddenly, wrapping her tiny frame within his embrace. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck, her blonde locks like cold silk against his heated skin.

"I promise," Soul whispered in her ear, his voice rough and deep. "As soon as we get you somewhere safe, I'll explain everything. But for now, I need you to go with Stein. Do everything he tells you. Stay safe. We'll be right behind you and, I promise, I'll be there to explain everything. I won't let anything happen to you, not before…"

The words were heavy and Maka could hear the words left unspoken, hanging between them, heavy as lead. "I'll hold you to it," Maka replied, pulling away and looking up at him with gleaming emerald eyes. "Come back so you can keep your damn promises."

And finally, for the first time in too long, Maka pushed herself onto the tips of her toes and kissed him, allowing herself this one moment. It was almost better than she remembered, heat and want and need all wrapped up in a blissful, muscular package. It was only with great restraint that she finally pulled away, panting slightly.

Finally they both pulled away and Soul took a couple of steps back, trying to hold back the urges for a few more minutes. Maka could feel his muscles tense and ripple underneath his skin, fighting to break free. "Go out to the car after me. Go straight to the car. Don't stop for anything, okay?" Soul questioned her, red eyes blazing and burning right through her. It took some guts to meet his gaze, but Maka never looked away, emerald meeting ruby with a nod. "Good. Stein already took your stuff. Hurry."

Maka called out after him as he finally, completely pulled away but he was gone before she could even finish saying his name. Without anything else to do, Maka followed outside and hurried to the car. As she had suspected, he had disappeared completely, no trace of Soul to be seen.

Instead, watching from between Blackstar and Tsubaki was a white wolf. He was the tallest of the three, a few inches taller than Blackstar, and his pelt was snowy white. It was nearly perfect, besides the cross-shaped scar that marred his broad chest. He was big and muscular and his thick fur made him looked even bigger than her really was. But what really startled Maka wasn't its size or its color. It was his eyes.

They were blood red.

"I've seen that wolf before," Maka murmured quietly, her hand moving to cover her mouth in a silent gasp.

"Hmmm?" Stein inquired as he started the car. The car rumbled and tremors went up Maka's spine; she wasn't sure if they were from the car or chills.

"The day I finally moved into my apartment. Tsubaki dragged me to that club, Howl. We went through the back and she left me alone for two seconds and…and I saw what I thought was a huge dog. I forgot about it after a few drinks and the other things that happened but…I remember it. That's…that's him, right? Are a lot of them like that? Do they always look so alike?"

Stein shrugged as they pulled out. "A lot of them retain some of their human traits. Pelts usually resemble some variation of hair color along with builds and eyes resembling each other. But in the alpha family, it seems to be taken to the extreme. I've seen one wolf with a golden blonde pelt and sky blue eyes, tiny little thing—an exact copy of her human self," He told her, but his words faded in the background as Maka watched the wolves in the rearview mirror.

With a jerk of his head, the two smaller wolves slunk away, moving smooth like water. But they were nothing compared to the grace of the larger white wolf, who started in a lope before speeding up to a run that easily kept up with the black vehicle. When Maka turned her head to look out of either side window, she could see the pelts of her two other protectors.

With the rumbling of the engine, Maka watched as her apartment disappeared behind her. And without another word, she turned around in her seat and kept her eyes glued to the road ahead.

A/N: So, sorry this update is late. Junior year is kicking my butt and I'm just trying to get by as well as I can. So far I'm doing great, all A's and one B. I just hope I can keep it up.

Unfortunately, this next update probably won't be put up pretty soon because of approaching mid terms, fine arts projects, and pics that need to be done for an art competition for Beta club. But know that I try to write as much as possible and will be trying!

Send me a review and tell me about what you think of the entire story so far, now that we're at ten chapters. Do you think the story's going too fast? Is the plot or any character annoying you? I would really like to know!

Also, I might be looking for a beta reader for not only this story, but others that I might be working on, so either review or pm me if interested.