What Was Wolf Thinking? Scarlet and Wolf
Chapter 25: You Can't Come With Me
by Down Iris
%
I do not have any rights to nor make any money from the characters in this story.
%
Wolf led Scarlet through the streets of Paris toward the opera house. As he walked, he couldn't stop worrying about her. He knew what could happen to her if he wasn't successful. He might be leading her to her death right now. But he could think of no other option that had a hope of succeeding.
He knew he had to be careful now. He could smell several pack members nearby. No matter what, they couldn't suspect that he liked Scarlet.
He had just quickened his pace when she reached forward and grasped his wrist. He turned to face her, uneasy.
"I can't let you do this," she said angrily. "Just tell me where it is and I'll go on by myself. Just tell me what to do. Give me some indication of what I'm dealing with and I'll figure something out, but I can't let you go with me."
Wolf looked at her, trying to keep his expression blank, thinking how best to answer. He knew he was on display, and her concern was almost embarrassing. He decided to let her know about some of the danger she was already in. He pried his arm away.
"Do you see the man sitting in front of the closed café on the other side of the street?"
Scarlet looked over to see Dudsen sitting at a table.
"Pack member. We passed another at the maglev station two blocks back. And…If the stench is any indication, we're about to cross paths with another when we turn this next corner."
She looked surprised. "How did they know we were here?"
"I suspect they've been waiting for us. They've probably been tracking your ID."
"Or yours. If they do have access to an ID tracker, then maybe they've been following you."
"Maybe," he said casually. No use trying to hide it. "We might as well go find out what they want." He started walking away.
"But there's only three of them. You can fight three of them, can't you? You said you could take—" She hesitated. He kept walking. "You could still get away. There's still a chance."
He was starting to get irritated with her futile attempts to save him, while loving her all the more for it. He tried to remind himself that soon she would hate him, would regret ever knowing him, would probably wish for his death. And hard as that would be to accept, it would be worth it if he could just keep her safe.
"I said I would protect you and that's what I'm going to do. It's pointless to discuss this any further."
"I don't need your protection." She said it so easily, still not realizing the danger she was in.
"Yes," he said as forcefully as he could. "Yes, you do." Without his protection, she would never leave the opera house alive.
Scarlet darted in front of him, planting her feet. Wolf stopped just shy of plowing into her.
"No. What I need is to know that I'm not responsible for whatever they'll do to you. You need to stop being stupid and get out of here. At least give yourself a chance!"
He looked over her head to avoid her eyes, so full of stubbornness and concern, and tried to think of some way to persuade her that wouldn't make Dudsen suspicious.
"What's stupid is not that I'm going to try and protect you. What's stupid is that I almost believe it will make a difference." That was true enough. He stepped around her, shrugging off the hand that reached out to stop him, and walked away.
That finally seemed to be enough to persuade her. Scarlet followed him in silence. Wolf hoped she would stay that way, because keeping up his act for the other pack members was draining, especially since he would like nothing better than to kiss her again. But he knew that would never happen. Soon she would hate him, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. All he could hope for was to keep her safe.
%
The next chapter is the scene on the Rampion where Wolf implies that he loves Scarlet.