Chapter 14: Hi, I'm Rune
Tori’s POV
\-Next Day-
When waking up the next day, something automatically felt different about me. As if whatever was about to happen to me, would either be good or bad depending on how things progressed throughout the day.
Still laying within my bed does my mind begin to drift. Thoughts of seeing Jake along with Zak and Alex now making my chest tighten. Jake. The last and final time I ever saw either of them again was just after Jake’s rejection to Lilyanna.
Having watched each of them from a safe distance, I couldn’t help but feel slightly sorry for her. Jake’s flat out refusal was both harsh yet satisfying, especially knowing that neither of them wanted anything to do with her.
Smiling to myself, I allow myself a few more minutes of silent reprieve, before moving to roll myself out of bed. Now officially 18, I couldn’t help but notice that my body looked slightly more toned than before. A faint outline of sleek muscles now making themselves known.
A soft chuckle rising from deep within me as I think, If only they were here to see me now.
Sighing, I move to head for my small yet spacious bathroom. My room still basically the same in just about everything that I owned as a child except for a few minor changes. Like bedding. No longer sleeping in childlike bedding but in a more mature level of bedding.
Shaking my head, I move to shove all my unwanted thoughts away, now moving towards my bathroom shower where I soon begin setting the water’s temperature to my prefer setting. My hands making quick work of my light gray sweatpants and black muscle tank.
Once naked do I finally move to step into the warm hot shower, the water now hitting against my body as it does. My hands moving through the motion of grabbing my loofah and soap. My white strawberry and mint body wash more appealing to me than any of the men’s soaps that I’ve tried and hated.
Applying a generous amount of soap do I begin to create a nice lather along my body, content on cleaning every inch of me that I could while my mind wanders back to Jake and the others. My mind doing that a lot lately, in which I wasn’t overly concerned about because most of the time it normally involved Jake and I or Zak and Alex. Then there were other times when it involved all three of us at once. Groaning, I move to shove all those thoughts aside. At least for now.
Later, once my birthday party was over and done with, I mentally say to myself once I start rinsing my body and moving onto hair.
10 minutes later I finally feel myself moving to shut off the bathroom shower. My hands twisting the knobs before the water eventually shuts off. My hand now reaching for a towel as I move to wrap it around my body. Making sure I wouldn’t accidentally flash someone do I move to head for my closet. My mind now racing at what I was going to wear for my own big day, something I really should have thought about.
What to wear, what to wear, I muse, my eyes now scanning the contents of my closet. Soon realizing that I didn’t have much to pick from lately as Dylan and Sam liked to ruin all my good shirts whenever they could.
Soon spotting a black dress shirt do I move to pair it with a pair of light wash jeans and my black sneakers like always. A part of me wondering if I should start looking into more clothes including a few fancier ones for when I become Gamma and need to attend special events.
A snort now leaving my body as I move to shove it away. Nope, didn’t think so.
“That’s IF I become Gamma. Dad hasn’t really spoken to me about it in a while. Not since I was 14. But maybe now since I’m 18, maybe he’ll start training me to take over.”
Sighing, I move to get dress only to pause at hearing my mother through our family bond. ‘Tori dear, are you up yet? I have breakfast ready and waiting for you.’
‘Yes mom. I’m up. I’m just finishing on getting dressed, I’ll be down shortly’ I move to say back to her. Not wanting to worry her or give her a reason to come barging into my room even though my parents would never do that.
‘Okay dear’
Smiling at my mother, I couldn’t help but hope that my life would turn out to be like my parents. A mate, a family, to have someone who would love me for me. But knowing my luck it would never happen. At least not in my opinion as everyone basically hated me within this pack.
Now shoving another wave of stray thoughts from within my head, do I move to get dress, unaware of what was going on deep inside of me until I hear it, someone or something speaking up from within the recesses of my mind.
‘You really need to give yourself more credit where credit is due Tori’ replies a voice, the voice causing me to jump once I had finished getting dressed.
“Who said that?” I ask, trying not to panic at the strange mental voice I just heard.
‘I did silly’
“And whose I?”
‘Boy, you truly are dense then. I’m Rune, your wolf and I’ve been dying to meet you for a really, really long time’
“Rune?”
‘Yes Tori. I’m Rune and I’m also your wolf’
Pausing at my newfound information I can’t help but feel this new sense of excitement begin to rise. A part of me always wanting my wolf while another piece of me suddenly remembers Jake and his words, reminding me to be patient as my wolf would come to me.
Jake.
Smiling again I quickly dash for the mirror, curious to see if anything else changed about me or my body. Rune’s voice giggling as I do.
“What’s so funny?” I quickly ask, unsure of what Rune thought was so funny.
‘You silly. Your outer appearance won’t change by much other than your body beginning to heal from all of Lilyanna’s abuse. Including what her two friends did to you. The real change will be when you first shift into your wolf’ admits Rune.
“Shift?”
‘You’ll see. Later tonight when the moon is at its brightest.’
Trusting in Rune’s words do I move to pull away from the mirror, my body already feeling better then it had in years, while another part of me hoped that by having Rune that we’d finally be able to find our mate. A thought rising as I move to ask.
“Hey Rune?”
‘Ya, Tori’
“Why didn’t you come to me when I was 14? I really did feel like a complete loser. Everyone here made fun of me and all because I didn’t have you to show for it”
Hesitating slowly does Rune move to speak up. His voice gentle as if holding a touch of regret before speaking up. ‘I’m sorry Tori. I really am. You have no idea just how badly I wanted to that day, but Mother Moon said to me that we were still too weak. Plus, if people truly knew what kind of wolf we were then we would always be in danger.’
“Danger? How so?”
‘I’ll explain more to you later. Promise. But for now, let’s go eat. I’m starving and we have visitors coming to see us soon’ is all Rune says as he moves to prance gently around my mind as if excited by who could be coming to see us.
Fear now sitting at the back of my mind at what this danger could possibly be or worse, who was this danger and why hadn’t anyone bother to tell me about it until now. Shoving the thoughts away do I slowly move to find my parents. Excitement now flooding through me at the news of telling them about Rune. Rune now making my birthday special while another part me wished for Jake and his friends to join me as well, only then would my birthday be complete.