Christian's P.O.V.-
Now that I was sure, I couldn't look away. Without my ever trying, my eyes always drifted back to her. Anastasia…. Now what? Where I do go from here? What should I do? I'm gonna have to tell her eventually, but… will she understand? Only wolves can imprint on their mates; herbivores, on the other hand…. Would she even understand what's going on with me? And more importantly, would it freak her out? That's the last thing I want to do…. Ugh! This is horrible. Ok! I've got to tell her sooner or later, but I should get closer to her organically before then. Let her get used to me; let her get used to being around an apex predator.
"There! All done!" Leo proclaimed, relieved to be finally finished. All of us stood in front of the booth to admire our handy work. Paul sighed with his hands on his hips and Rob nodded his head. "Not bad; not bad if I do say so myself." "Alright, good work men! Let's head back," Paul instructed us. "Huh?! But it's only six!" Rob whined. "Coach only sighed our permission slips to be out until seven. You think he'd let us go to the festival if we broke curfew?" "Yeah, you're right," Rob's eyes rolled downward disappointed. "Coming, Christian?" I flinched when Paul grinned at me. Paul….
I didn't know how to feel about him these past couple of hours. On the one hand, he hasn't actually done anything wrong. He's been friends with Anastasia for a long time, and it's no surprise that he likes her now. As far as he knows, there's no problem with that. But on the other hand, it'll never happen between them so why let him get more attached? I can't tell him that obviously though. He's still my friend, after all…. I guess I'll have to be cordial and forgive me for a crime he didn't know he was committing. Paul would never intentionally hurt me either…
I smiled back at him and shook my head. "I'll head back soon. You guys go on without me." His eyebrow rose but he still nodded. "Alright, man. See you back on campus. Come on, guys; we need to go tell coach the booth is done." And I watched as the three of them left, waiting until they were gone before making my move.
Anastasia's P.O.V.-
I was busy gluing newspaper articles and photos on cardboard when a well-known voice caught my attention. I glanced over my shoulder behind me to see Paul standing at my booth; he flashed me a lovely smile. "Ready to go?" "Oh! No, I'm not done here yet; I told Jose I would finish up before I left."
His grin immediately began to fade. "Ana, you shouldn't be here after dark alone. I have to go back to campus to see coach soon, so I can't stay longer. Can't you do this at home?" "I'll be fine, Paul; really. It'd be too much of a hassle to pack everything up and bring it back tomorrow. Look, I'll go with the rest of the crowd; I won't go home alone, I promise." He hesitated. "Ana….." "Just go, Paul; I'll be alright. I'll text you when I'm home, ok?" "Well…. ok. But make sure you don't go back by yourself, you got that?" "I won't," I nodded confirmedly. Satisfied with that, Paul left while waving at me; I waved until he was out of sight. Then I turned back to my work for another half an hour. Honestly, I thought it would take longer but didn't.
Once everything was done, I set the collage away and stretched my arms out. A shadow overcame me by then and I looked up to see Christian there. Christian! My heart leapt up into my throat as I stood up out of my fold-up chair. "Anastasia." "Christian! Hi, it's nice to see you!" I think I said that a little too eagerly. He did give me the cold shoulder earlier. Hey, that's right- he did. So why is he here now? Not that I'm upset or anything! More so confused…
Christian's back arched, like he just remembered something or was caught off guard, but then his eyes quickly met mine. "Ah, um…. How are you?" "Oh, I'm good- just finished up here. Wait, you haven't left yet?" I thought he would have left with Paul and the other football players. "No…" His stare moved down; funny, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was being a bit shy around me. A wolf, shy around a lamb? Isn't it supposed to be the reverse? Then again, I wouldn't say I'm bashful around Christian- mostly. I just want to talk to him some more…
"Anastasia?" "Huh?" The world's fastest pause. "Let's head back together." Us… head back together? Am I dreaming or something? How are things going so well all of a sudden? I don't understand… "Sure but… why all of a sudden?" I heard myself ask out loud. No! Dumb brain. Do you want this or not? Why question a good thing?
Christian seemed to mull this over for a minute, keeping his eyes downward. He only glanced up once he had a response in mind. "B-because….. because it's uh… it's dangerous outside!" I uh… I don't think he said that like he wanted it to sound. Still, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and grinned after a moment. "Uh, sure. We can go back together." Cue waiting to the train station in silence for the next five minutes.
It wasn't an awkward quiet, mind you; more like we're both thinking about stuff. Christian walked beside me with his hands buried in his pant pockets. There were a ton of times I wanted to say or ask him something but refrained. What could he be thinking? Is he worried what it'll look like being out in public with a lamb? Is he regretting his decision to ask to go back with me? Ugh, why is it so hard just to open my mouth and talk to him?! He makes me feel so… so… No boy has ever made me feel this way before. And I wind up looking like a complete idiot who can't speak. Man!
By the time we reached the interior of the train station, the train was already there, and the doors were closing. I ran towards it, hoping to catch it before it took off. No such luck. Christian had joined my side by the time it began to speed away. "Sorry," he told me like this was somehow his fault. I grinned up at him kindly. "No worries! We'll grab the next one," I wanted to sound as positive as possible. We went up to the plastic, dark blue seats where we sat next to each other. Ok! I told myself while sitting beside him. You want to talk to him- here's your chance. Just say something; anything!
"Erm, you know, Christian…. on the day we met…. I had no idea what you were thinking." What?! What the hell am I saying?! You have the perfect chance to speak to him and you say that? What is wrong with me?! God, no wonder I've never had a boyfriend before. "Oh really?" He didn't sound surprised. Stupid; stupid! Fix this, Anastasia! My mouth opened again before I gave myself any time to formulate what I would say next, but to my surprise, it was Christian who broke the silence this time.
"It… sure was hot out today," his hands ran over the top of his pants. Huh? He's talking about the weather? Gasp! Maybe what I just said made him uncomfortable. Of course it made him uncomfortable! He already knows I'm not a mind-reader; course I'm not going to know what he's thinking. Great start to our second ever conversation. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I became.
"Tomorrow's supposed to be cooler, so it shou-…" Christian cut himself off all of a sudden. This made me blink up to him. I found him staring off into space, his jaw hanging open a bit. "The day we met….." He uttered this but I don't think he was speaking to me anymore. My back straightened up a little as his eyes shifted to stare into mine again. "You… really don't remember that day, do you?" "R-remember what day?" My hand rose up to my pounding chest. What is he talking about? Of course I remember that day; how could I forget it? That's the day I discovered…. that I could find wolves supremely attractive.
"Anastasia…." Oh, I get it! A wolf suddenly showing up to meet a lamb, and it happened so soon after Tom's death…. and literally the day after my attack, but he obviously wouldn't know about that. I grinned over at him, suddenly understanding where he's coming from. Poor guy…. he must feel a bit bad for just appearing without warning like that. But it's not his fault he's a wolf and coach picked him to come tell me about the article; I don't blame him for that at all.
"It's ok, Christian. I do remember that day, and… and to be honest, I was a little frightened when you unexpectedly showed up in the garden. But that has nothing to do with you! I… I don't have the best track record with larger carnivores," I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly as I said this. Gotta keep going, gotta keep going…. Don't give him the wrong idea now! "B-but I'm alright now! I know you'd never hurt me, so I'm ok. There's nothing to worry about."
I'll admit, my spirits did damper a little when he didn't automatically reply. Instead, he merely watched me with a forlorn expression for a moment, then glancing down to his broad hands. I noticed his eyes lower a bit. "I would…. never hurt you; you're right. I want you to feel safe and comfortable around me…." Christian… "I do!" I leaned in forward. Words cannot describe how happy I was to hear him say this. So he does care for me at least a little, after all…
"Heh, it's actually sorta funny. A lamb, friends with a wolf? I never thought in a million years… but I'm so happy we are. Now we can just look back and laugh at that first day," I smiled. Christian did not; it's as if what I said made him frown, for some odd reason. Wasn't he glad to hear this? Why does he look so…..? He sucked in a deep, deep breath.
"Meeting you, Anastasia, is something I cannot treat lightly. To me, it was a really big deal. So… I can't do anything but keep it inside of me, and I don't want to change that." My heart started to flutter as his head slowly spun towards me, with his eyes so tender and low. My hand literally rose up to my chest, which was pounding like crazy. I was afraid he might be able to hear it. "That's how much I want to keep those memories of you and me safe." "C-Christian?" Dear god, what is happening right now? Why would he tell me that? And why… why am I so immeasurably happy that he has?
While we were staring at one another, the next train came rushing into the underground station. Both of us wordlessly stood up and walked out onto the platform. For a wolf to tell a lamb such a thing…. it seems so unnatural. And it seems even more unnatural that I should want to hear it. A wolf and a lamb…. Can such a thing even be possible? I mean, we're from different worlds. The memory of that night I was almost killed appeared to me. The reality is that I might very well get eaten one day. This is a worry he'll never experience, and what's more… He's the type of predator I should be worried about. But I wasn't lying when I said I know Christian would never hurt me. He's not like that guy from that horrible night; the one who scratched my arm. Not all carnivores are like that monster…..
"Christian, the truth is…. I… I haven't told anyone yet, but I've been…." "Anastasia, wait. Before you say anything, there's something I've got to tell you." The train doors open before he could get more in. "You said you know I'd never hurt you," he finally continued as scores of people exited onto the platform, cautious to avoid bumping into us. I couldn't take my eyes off him. What is he trying to say? Is he going to confirm what I already know? I should just tell him about that night; it'll prove the contrast between him and a real killer. Maybe that will help set him at ease. But before that, I'll let him continue speaking to me.
"I-I've got to tell you something…. but promise me you won't run away." "W-wha-? W-why would I run from you?" My eyebrow raised up suspiciously. That's just silly; I want to get closer to you, not further away. But for some bizarre reason, Christian didn't look convinced. To my surprise- and shocking delight- he reached over to take hold of my hand. This was the first time… we've ever touched each other's hands before. The deep blush in my cheeks was inevitable. "C-Christian." "Anastasia, that day we met… I'm sorry if I scared, but I know why you were scared. You see, I….."
"Hey! What you do think you're doing?! Let her go!" We both immediately perked up and blinked to see a polar bear yelling at us. This unsurprisingly grabbed everyone's attention, with all eyes suddenly being on us. What was maybe more surprising was that Christian didn't let go of my hand, and I didn't pull mine away. Quite the opposite; we held onto each other's tighter. "Are you trying to abduct this lamb, wolf?!" The polar bear, who was also the security guard, stomped angrily over to his. He went from shooting Christian vicious glares to comforting faces directed at me. "Don't worry, dear. He won't take you anywhere," he sounded much nicer talking to me.
Oh god… oh god! It hit me like a building-full of bricks. We're holding hands in public… They think Christian is trying to kidnap me! "No! No, no; it's fine! It's ok, we're friends! We go to the same school!" Without thinking, I jumped in between them, desperate to protect Christian from any wrath he may face. "How dare you? She's an innocent lamb, and a minor! You're both minors!" Clearly, the polar bear wasn't listening to me. The bystanders were beginning to talk now too. "Oh my god, is he attacking her?!" "I think he's trying to drag her onto the train." "Someone, stop him!"
Oh, hell no. To hell with this. Christian glanced around totally terrified out of his mind, but I kept my head. I grabbed his shirt with my free hand, still refusing to let him go. "Run!" I commanded. It took him a second to glance down to me. By then I was pulling him frantically by the shirt, trying to get him to start moving. "Run! Let's get outta here!" I kept crying. "Hey! Stop right there!" The polar bear chased after us. Christian watched me in a panic as we kept racing forward. "Why are we running?! We're just making things worse!" "I'm not about to stand by and watch you get arrested! Keep going!" "Stop!" Thankfully, the polar bear's voice echoed from further in the distance.
"C-careful! I might kick you!" Christian was still panicking, however. "I don't care about that! I care about you!" My eyes winced shut; I think this is the most assertive I've ever been in my life. But nothing was going to happen to Christian- not on my account. Hey! I think my protective instinct just kicked in. After seventeen years…. Well, at least I know I have it now. "Just keep running! Hurry, or we'll get caught!" I ordered as loudly as I could. Christian didn't say anything for a moment, though I felt his hand grip mine harder. "Anastasia…"
Christian's eyes rapidly sharpened. He went from looking at me to watching forward where we were going. I suddenly felt my arm shift from behind to in front of me. While still holding my hand, Christian darted in front of me, effectively increasing our speed by double; he's so much stronger than me. And he glanced back to check on me…. Check on me, and smile.
Christian's P.O.V.-
I've never had anyone's protective instincts come out because of me, in order to protect me….. I know that's what happened to Anastasia because I could detect it in her smell. Her scent was still pink but a fiery pink now- like a neon, glowing pink. She was anxious in those few precious moments to save me… She wanted to shield me from all harm that might befall me. And being a lamb, her response to danger is flight; not fight. So she made me run away with her, as fast as we could. Flight is never my initial reaction to danger, but it is hers. My eyes intensified as I looked to the platform ahead of us. Fine- I have no problem with that. Let's do it her way.
Anastasia blinked as I proceeded to run out in front of her, utterly refusing to release her hand. Holding onto her hand, even at a time like this…. It's an indescribable experience. Like holding springtime; like holding a long-stemmed rose, or a diamond…. Look at her now, this protective yet weak creature. I want her to see a real wolf, an alpha wolf she can be proud of.
Ironically, while desiring that, I also felt proud to be a wolf for the first time in my life too. Right in front of the girl I've imprinted on… my one and only mate, I felt so proud. Proud and thankful. I don't know where we're going, but wherever it is, she'll be with me. Wolves mate for life. Who cares how others will see us? I'm not looking at them; I'm looking at her. And I will find a path for us. Still running, I glanced over my shoulder to check on her, to see if she was doing alright…. and smiled.
If she looks back at me and smiles on the next turn, she'll be my wife.