Soul Mates, Part 1 Ch 1:
Humpty Dumpty Sat On a Wall

"Come on, Sailor, leave that squirrel alone!"

The young woman strained on the leash of the Pitbull Mastiff, trying to pull his harness and redirect his attention away from the angrily chattering squirrel twenty feet above them. Despite her efforts, however, she was a mere nuisance to the dog, who had his front paws up on the tree trunk and was barking madly back at the squirrel. The woman might weigh more than the dog, at roughly 150 pounds, but Sailor weighed in at 120 pounds of sheer muscle. He was gonna get that squirrel, because it looked like a wonderful playmate!

The young woman sighed, resigning herself to watching as her walking companion barked incessantly at his prey above him. It wasn't the first time today Sailor had found something to chase. True to his breed, he loved being outside and walking around the neighborhood, taking in every sight and smell he could. She held firmly to his leash, leaning against the same tree Sailor was braced on, and breathed in the fresh spring air. Not that she disagreed with him, either. Spring was by far her favorite time of year. The smell of fresh cut grass from the surrounding houses filled her nose, promising a new year of growth and life. A neighbor poked her head out of her front door; the young woman shrugged apologetically at her. Sailor wasn't going to move until he was good and ready.

"We're gonna be late getting back to the shelter if you don't end this soon, Sailor," she said to no one in particular. "And you know who's gonna get in trouble? Not you, you sweet, loving, drooling angel. Got everyone at the shelter fooled, don'tcha? I know you're just a troublemaker in disguise." Sailor, of course, paid no attention to her, and was now sniffing around the base of the tree. Figuring he couldn't climb up the tree to get to the squirrel, he settled on stopping next to the tree. The young woman turned away as he peed on the tree, marking his territory. "I really didn't need to see that, thanks Sailor." He barked once more and walked over to her, placing his muzzle in her hand and licking her palm. "Come on, boy, let's get you home."

Back at the dog shelter, the young woman steered Sailor back into his massive crate and secured it behind him. She stared at it and the dog, imagining how easily she could fit into it herself. Not that she would ever want to; despite the thick beds in each crate, she knew the metal cage was extremely uncomfortable. But she wasn't a terribly tall woman either, so it wouldn't be hard to get into. Coming in at 4 feet 10 inches, she was technically a dwarf. She was curvy, and well endowed in the bust and the butt. Of course, coming in at 150 meant that she was endowed in other areas as well. She wasn't proud of the fact that she was overweight, but the long walks with the dogs of the shelter were just one of many steps she was taking to try and change that.

"Marnie, Sailor's back!" she called out as she turned away. She walked past the crates, most with a dog inside, and back towards the office where the shelter management was done.
"It's about fucking time, Ailia, geez!" whined a voice in return. "Now I can finally close up this flea-ridden place and go out with Jason!" Poking her head into the office, the young woman now known as Ailia was not surprised to see her counterpart Marnie leaning back in the office chair, looking at her phone and curling her long brunette hair in her fingers.
"Not my fault Sailor is chasing squirrels up trees. He hates being cooped up all the time."

"Well I'm sorry we're not a dog park! It's not my fault he wound up here-"
"It's not his fault either, remember?"
"-and it most certainly is not my fault that that monster cannot be controlled!"
Ailia pulled back, surprised, as Marnie got up and pulled her oversized Louis Vitton bag over her shoulder. "Monster? He's no more a monster than I am." She followed Marnie out of the building and stood behind her as the brunette pulled out a set of keys and locked the door. "You think a Chihuahua or a Poodle is better than Sailor?"
"As a matter of fact, I do, yes!" Marnie turned from the door and waved at the far side of the parking lot. Ailia turned to see a deep red Ford Mustang pull into the far side of the parking lot, parallel parking across three spaces, and stop. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go have a wonderful night with my dripping-hot boyfriend."

Ailia followed slowly behind Marnie as she sped towards the Mustang as fast as her four-inch heels would allow her to. She stopped a few paces away and watched Marnie slide into the passenger seat. The driver, a young man with jet-black, short-cropped spiky hair and jade eyes leaned forward around her.
"Thanks, Fugly, didn't want your grossness all over the car!"
"Nice to see you too, Jason." She gave a wave at him and smiled half-heartedly.
"What's the matter, no man to fuck you tonight either?"
"You know me, Jason, I just prefer being alone."
"That's bullshit, I bet you get that monster dog to fuck you when no one's looking!"
"Whatever floats your boat, Jason."
"Hey, if you come with us, I might let you touch my dick!"
"First of all, I don't want anything to do with you. You're a prick and a bully, and I'm not interested. Secondly, what do you care if I get laid or not? Just cuz Marnie fucks you doesn't mean every girl in town is drooling over your dick. Enjoy your 'date.'" She made sure to put the word in air quotes, and then turned away. She stepped up onto the parking lot curb and into the grass, where a trail led from the shelter back towards the street she lived on. She stopped short for a moment, blinking her eyes, as she thought a pair of yellow eyes stared back at her down the trail. Shaking her head and peering down the trail, however, there was nothing to be seen.

"Hey! Come back here, you bitch!" The car's tires spun as Jason gunned the engine, doing a burnout in place. "I'm not done with you! I'm gonna fuck you till you bleed!"

"Wooooo, scary!" Ailia replied, turning to face him as she walked backward. "We already do that once a month. And get this- for a week straight! I thought guys found our vaginal blood as too nasty." Her last words were nasal, mocking. She turned back around and continued walking.

"Fuck you, Ailia! I'm gonna make you my bitch and you'll be begging me to let you do anything!"

"Not interested, sorry," Ailia called back over her shoulder. She made a mental note to pull out her pocket knife and trail spray when she neared the treeline.

"I SAID COME BACK HERE!"

Ailia heard the sound of the Mustang's engine revving up, and turned in time to see Jason let off the brake. The car leapt forward, jumping off the curb onto the grass. Was he planning on running her over with his car? She wasn't dumb; she'd never outmaneuver a car trying to run away. She could try to juke the car, but small as she was that would have to be a perfectly timed movement. Her only real choices were over or under. She braced herself, hoping to impact the hood. This was gonna be a kicker.

Luke walked slowly, taking in the forest around him. He felt at home here among the trees. There was an air of danger, of mystery, and yet also of natural life. It was sunset, and the leaves both on the ground and in the trees were a beautiful spread of greens, reds, and golds. The temperature was cooling down, but he wasn't cold. If anything, a hot passion burned inside him, warming him both inside and out.

Beside him walked a wolf. His coat was an oak brown, flecked with patches of silver-white. The eyes were a yellow-green, and vibrant with intelligence. It matched his pace, nose turned up to the air.

They walked in silence, naturally picking out the easiest path through the trees. Luke moved with purpose, eager to lay eyes on the woman again. He had seen her for the first time a week before as she had been on a walk with a dog, and it was like a moth to flame. Where at first his trip to Connecticut had merely been to check in on his dog shelter, now it held a greater purpose. She was the one. He knew nothing about her except that she was the one chosen to be his mate. Surprisingly, this had brought butterflies to his stomach as he considered how to introduce himself to her. How to explain to her about him, his wolf, and magic. He couldn't just barge into her life and uproot it; that was more likely to result in her fleeing from him.

It was Gavin, his cousin next to him who had suggested earlier that he introduce himself at her workplace, somewhere she was familiar with that wouldn't be too awkward. They both already knew she worked at his dog shelter. Luke didn't believe that was just a coincidence either. It lined up too perfectly.

He looked down, running his right hand through the wolf's fur. "You didn't have to come all this way with me, Gavin. Not that I don't appreciate your company, but I do understand that this is my problem to solve." His voice had the slightest hint of an accent, the only thing that betrayed his Tennessee upbringing.

The wolf leaned into him, and then barked and bowed his front legs as if wanting to play. His tail wagged back and forth rapidly. Luke sighed with a smile. Gavin was there to support him, but also found Luke's predicament entertaining to watch. Gavin was the next in line to become the Alpha of their pack, and wanted to make sure that Luke saw this through. Gavin saw it as a part of his duty as a future leader and family.

They quickly reached the treeline, and stayed just inside it. They were in time to see the woman, Luke's mate, returning from yet another walk, this time with a large Pitbull Mastiff that was unusually well-behaved for a dog of his power and size. The dog could easily overpower the petite woman if he chose to. Instead he walked at a gentle pace beside her.

The wild pair watched as the two went into the dog shelter. Luke found himself restless, fidgeting. Once again, he was uncertain of what to do. Should he follow her in and introduce himself? Was it better to wait? What if, God forbid, she wanted nothing to do with him? She was his soul mate, but she had the right to say no to any relationship with him. Her word would be binding, and unless she said otherwise he would be forced to walk the world alone. And even if she said yes to a relationship, he would have to explain to her about magic, and the Canis Lupus, and pray to god she believed him without having a mental breakdown. What should I do?

Gavin's cold, wet nose touched his palm, making him jump. He looked down at the wolf. Gavin's head nodded toward the door facing them, where Luke's mate and one of her coworkers had just exited the building. Luke absentmindedly noticed that the last rays of the sun were barely poking through the trees, and he called on his wolf senses to help him see and hear better. His eyes turned a golden amber color.

"That's bullshit, I bet you get that monster dog to fuck you when no one's looking!"
"Whatever floats your boat, Jason."
"Hey, if you come with us, I might let you touch my dick!"

Ugh, what a gross excuse of a human. It was still weird to Luke, seeing how some of the human males treated the females around them. To him, and to most Canis Lupus, women were revered and treasured above all else. To see women degraded and treated like trash annoyed him. He was pleased to see that this upsetting manner didn't seem to get to his mate, however.

Gavin growled. Luke looked down at him in surprise. Gavin's lips were pulled back, showing his teeth, and his hackles were raised. The wolf was staring intently at the scene in front of them, eyes cold and menacing. "Gavin? What's up?" He reached down to touch his cousin, but Gavin sidestepped his hand. In a flash, the wolf was off, running towards his mate.

Time slowed. Luke watched as the Mustang jumped the curb. As Gavin streaked across the open field and down the trail towards his mate. As she braced for impact as best she could. He watched as the Mustang's tires kicked up grass and dirt, spinning for a moment before finding purchase in the soft ground. Everything collided in an instant.

As per usual, this story comes with the disclaimer that I do not own the Grey Wolves series nor any content that comes from it. The idea of this story has been stuck in my head for some time now, and will largely reflect my own views, thoughts, and ideas on the world(s) we live in. Reviews and thoughts are appreciated.