The Reincarnated (Book 2A of Wolfcreek Series)

Chapter 6

The sound of a large animal jumping into a bush filled my ears, and I skidded to a halt before I could cross in front of it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at attention when I felt the gaze of someone different, and I felt on guard.

With one hand, I wrenched my headphones out of my ears and pulled my knife out with the other. Flicking the knife open, I stood with my legs apart and ready to attack if needed. "Show yourself," I said authoritatively and bared my teeth like a wolf. "Now."

The animal in the bush didn't move, and it stared at me with this gaze that made me feel comforted and safe. The eyes were blue, and I had this feeling that I knew them, even though I didn't know how.

I narrowed my eyes and lifted the knife higher. "I will throw this at you," I warned. "I am known for my marksmanship and will bury this deep into your shoulder."

The animal made this huffing sound as if it were laughing at me, and I rolled my eyes. However, the animal did what I said to do and came out of the bush, towering over me before the animal sat down.

My breath caught in my throat while I stared at this creature, this wolf, before me, and a part of me knew that the wolf wasn't a real wolf but that of fantasies that I enjoyed reading as a kid, and according to my mom, I told her that was what I was going to be when I grew up.

Werewolf, I thought, and the urge to go towards this wolf was strong, as if there was a bond connecting us that I didn't understand but wanted to find out more. This is a Werewolf, but why is it here?

I shook my head and closed my eyes, grimacing while my head started to pound. My grip tightened on my knife, and an image of blue eyes filled my brain, the same eyes that stared right in front of me.

The wolf whined in worry but made no move toward me. Concern filled the wolf's blue eyes when I opened my eyes to stare at the creature.

"Sorry," I said before I grimaced and rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to rub the headache away. "I have a headache, and I don't know why."

The wolf whined again and stood up before taking a cautious step towards me. The wolf, a he from what I could tell, stood around 6'5 at his shoulders, and his head helped him be way over seven feet. His clear blue eyes were set into a pelt of black fur except for one part this cream-colored that looked awfully familiar.

Actually, his whole pelt looked familiar, especially the black fur around his blue eye, because it reminded me of the necklace that I never take off, even when I had to because it couldn't come off.

The wolf whined a third time and took another step forward. His ears were flat against his head, and I could tell that he was conflicted about what to do.

"It's ok, Boy," I soothed, earning an eye roll from the wolf. I lowered the arm that held the knife and held up my other hand, wanting to dig my fingers into his thick pelt. "Come here. I won't hurt you."

The wolf glanced at the knife and growled before he looked at me. He told me that he didn't trust me with the knife, and all I did was roll my eyes.

"I don't think I could hurt you even if it meant my safety on the line," I admitted with a small huff. "But for your sanity, I will close the knife toss it to you. I would toss it somewhere else, but I have to find it, or else my dad would get mad at me if I lost another knife in the span of six months. Ok?"

The wolf nodded, so I closed the knife and tossed it to him, making sure that it would land at his paws. He sniffed the knife before he gently took it in his mouth and tossed it into the woods, and my mouth just dropped in shock.

"Seriously?" I asked once I gained my voice back, and he nodded. I groaned and rubbed my face, feeling exhausted. "If my dad grounds me, I am gonna smack you. You better be able to find that knife back before I have to go home."

The wolf huffed as if he were chuckling and sat down. He cocked his head studied me, and I again felt that feeling as if I knew those eyes from somewhere long ago. There was this... human part to his eyes, and I had a feeling that the human side of him would have these blue eyes set on his face.

I huffed and rolled my eyes before I licked my lips. "Can... I pet you?" I asked hesitantly. I took another step forward and watched as the wolf jumped up and backed away from me. "It's ok," I soothed, ignoring the breaking in my heart. "I am not going to hurt you. I just want to pet you, is all. Please?"

The wolf growled a warning but didn't, and I rolled my eyes and looked away from him. He growled again because he didn't like that, and I scoffed.

"Well, make up your mind," I said. "You growled when I looked at you, and then you growled because I stopped looking at you. Which one is it?"

The wolf growled, and this one was softer than the last two.

"If I look at you, will you stop growling at me?" I asked. "It's annoying." I licked my lips and furrowed my brows because I had this strange sense of deja vu as if I had done this before. "And I think I had done this before, but I don't know when or how. This is the first time that I met you."

The wolf whined but didn't growl, so I looked at him. He stayed rooted in his spot and watched me walk forward. He didn't move a muscle until I was close to him, and he backed up.

Taking a deep breath, I angled my body away from him and looked down, closing my eyes. My heart pounded in my chest in excitement or fear, I could tell which, but I raised my hand waited for him to make the next move.

The wolf snapped at my fingers, but the only thing I felt was air and more deja vu. However, that thought went away when the wolf touched his nose to my hand, and this weight lifted itself off of my chest, and I felt relieved.

With my other hand, I stroked his cheek, and he leaned against it, so I opened my eyes and looked at the wolf with his eyes closed. "Good, Boy," I mumbled and caught his ears flickering in my direction. "Lie down for me. Please?"

The wolf laid down, and I walked closer to him. He didn't make a sound or move away from me, so I flung my arms around his hairy neck and buried my face into his neck before I started to cry for some reason.

He whined but didn't make a move out of my grasp. He leaned his head over my shoulder as if he was hugging and becoming my shoulder to cry on, and I felt one word while I stood in his warm embrace.

And that word was:

Safe.