The Beau & the Beast

32 - Hello?

I was on my way to Conor's apartment to pick up some clothes I had left there, and maybe return what I borrowed, pulling the collar of his big sweater up to my nose and inhaling with a smile on my lips. It still smelled like him.

But the real reason was to see if he was home. I was worried.
Days had passed without an answer, and I told myself that it was because they couldn't answer the  phone in wolf form, but something about that didn't feel right.

I picked up my mobile and saw a long message from Marianne. A shopping list. Damn, how could such a tiny girl eat so damn much, I thought and laughed to myself.
It was great to have her close to me again.  My sweet Marianne who made the days feel shorter, happier and ... sweeter.

Her penchant for sweets was striking, but vampire teeth apparently didn't damage and she didn't seem to suffer from the extreme consumption in any way.  But I wondered if that was one of the reasons for her extreme restlessness.

I put down my phone to pull up the keys before I stopped to look up at his apartment window, it was pitch black in there and my heart suddenly felt heavy.

"He's not there," a voice stated a distance from me and I immediately felt the presence of a wolf.

"I know," I answered nonchalantly as I watched the guy step into the light.

"Then, do you know where he is?"  He countered while I suddenly recognised him from that night in the car.  He's the wolf who tried to calm Conor down.  Wait. Did his voice sound hopeful?

"I thought he was with you?"  I said with a shrug, "he said he needed to stretch his wolf legs, thought you guys did that together, like a pack thing?" I replied a little more careful not to step on anyone's toes and seem disrespectful.

Suddenly I see a hint of worry in his face, even though he was doing his best to hide it, his eyes were slightly widened and he changed his weight from one foot to the other.

"Did he say where he was going?" He asked quickly but I shook my head and he continued the hearing, "So you haven't heard from him at all?"

"N-no," I stammered and felt how his anxiety spread to me and I couldn't help but think of the invisible mark that haunted Conor, what if they got hold of him! "So eeeh..?"

"Cian," he introduced himself.

"So, Cian, why are you here?"  I asked in a trembling voice.

He looked as hesitant as I felt, but in the end he seemed to make the decision that it was just as good to lay the cards on the table. "We've been trying to get hold of him for days, it's not uncommon for him to ignore Alfa's calls and stay away for a while. But Ruadh's patience is running low so I thought I'd advise him to answer next time."  He glanced at the key in my hand, "do you live here?"

"Sometimes," I answered hesitantly and wondered how much he knew and how much Conor wanted me to share.

"I've heard rumors," he began and I immediately thought about what kind of rumors he meant, that we were often seen together and that he took my side in the countless alley fights.  Or the fact that I suddenly appeared in their territory with him?

I ran my fingers through my hair with a bothered sigh, "they are probably a little exaggerated."

The wolf laughed, "they usually are."

But I remained serious and felt I needed to tell him a little more, if Conor was in trouble out there, maybe this guy could help. "But there's a risk something's happened to him."

The smile disappeared immediately and he took a step closer, the light-hearted attitude vanished and he immediately felt threatening.

"Take it easy," I mumbled quickly and put my hands in the air, "I think I know where he is."