A Twisted Anthology: A Twisted Design Book

The Rogue’s Initiation Part 16

When I went in the bedroom with the tray, Sunny was curled up under the blankets and sleeping. I must have taken longer than I planned. That was fine. It would give me time to get the roast started in the oven. It needed several hours to cook at a low temperature to the nice rareness I liked in my meat. It had been marinating in my special marinade for a couple days.

Before I started cooking, I ate the food I prepared for Sunny’s lunch. There was no reason to let it go to waste. I’d make her a snack to hold her over until dinner once she was awake.

I worked on getting the oven preheated and preparing the pan. The meat was already at room temperature, since I pulled it out this morning. I was going to take care of my Sunny. She’d be happy and have a full stomach.

Once the meat was in the oven, I grabbed my phone and went to sit on the couch. There were a couple messages from Bellamy. She was just going over a plan she wanted for the book and sent a picture of the fonts she was thinking for the cover. I told her I would pass on the art information to Sunny.

Today, we wouldn’t get much work done, but the next few weeks would be hours every day, together, concentrating on it. Outside of that, I would be focused on showing Sunny how much she meant to me and how I was going to cherish her.

She wanted me. She felt drawn to me. Something was still holding her back and I didn’t think it really had anything to do with my love for her or her desire for me. It was something connected to why she didn’t date rogue born werewolves. Something I needed to dig in to.

I went to my office and started writing again. All my work for Bellamy’s project was done. Now, I could get back to my own projects. Back to the world I was creating that would showcase the real world from the perspective of a real werewolf. None of the fake stuff humans put out based on their superstitions, old myths, and salacious fantasies.

With my fingers on the keyboard, the rest of the world fell away. There was no office, there were no walls. Just the story, the words, and the people who lived in each letter and space. All crafted as a home for them and a place where they could experience a life of their own.

Full immersion was my writing style. My earbuds blocked out any sound, while fast tempo music urged my fingers to fly faster on the keyboard. I wasn’t seeing words, I was seeing worlds. And it had been that way since I met Sunny. Before, I’d had to focus, had to schedule, had to take breaks and wander around. Sunny changed that.

A hand on my shoulder jolted me from my work. I pulled out my earbuds and turned away from my screen. Sunny put her hands behind her back and leaned over me. When I turned, her face ended up right in front of mine.

“You never came to give me that massage.” She said.

“I did, but you were sleeping. I figured I should only assault you in your sleep once every twenty-four hours.” I chuckled.

“I’m not supposed to say thank you, right?” Sunny whispered.

Before I could answer, her arms wrapped around my neck and she started kissing me. I put my hands on her waist and pulled her into my lap. Our kiss developed a desperate edge to it. I practically growled when Sunny pulled away first.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this.” She giggled.

“Maybe a few more kisses, just to be sure.” I replied.

“I slept straight through lunch. It’s almost six. I’m hungry.” Sunny told me, as she got up. “You really need to wear a shirt.”

“Why? Because my bare chest gives you urges?”

“Because you’re going to burn yourself or something if you insist on only being half dressed while you’re cooking.”

“Battle wounds are honorable wounds. In the war between me and our food, I am the victor and my injuries only make it that much sweeter.” I stated proudly as I stood and assumed a superhero pose.

Sunny snickered and shook her head, then turned toward the door. She was more herself. The shock must have worn off as she got more comfortable here. I was glad for it.

We went into the kitchen and I made her a little snack. It was still a couple hours until the roast was ready. Not trying to entice her into my bed would be difficult. I needed something to distract us.

“Want to go for a run? I need to mark my territory again and the snow stopped. It’s been cold, and should be hard enough we can go out on it. Mira might like to get some exercise.” I said.

“Is this because you want to really go for a run with me, or are you just trying to find an excuse to flash your d**k at me again.” She replied in an annoyed tone while she ate the fruit, cheese, and nuts I put out for her.

“What have I ever done to make you mistrust me so much?” I gasped, pretending to be offended. “After I’ve tried to show you I’m a good guy. I’m hurt.”

“What did you do with my phone after you stole it and read my messages without my permission?” Sunny deadpanned.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She shook her head and finished her snack in silence. I pulled out the little crockpot from the cupboard and started preparing hot chocolate in it. She’d want some after the run. I knew she was going to say yes.

When she was done, I took her plate from her and put it in the sink. I’d wash it later. Sunny started taking her clothes off. It was my new favorite thing, watching Sunny undress.

“Are you going to take off your pants, or do you just shred your clothes every time you shift?” She asked while standing in front of me in only her underwear.

“I’m only wearing sweatpants. I’ll take them off after I open the door.” I told her.

Sunny took off her bra and panties, then quickly shifted into her wolf. Mira was a beautiful wolf. Most wolves had fur that was similar to our hair colors, Ezra was chocolate brown like my hair, but some were different. Mira was gray and white with a V-shape on her chest.

I led the way to the back door and opened it. She walked past me. The back patio had a small awning, so I wouldn’t have to deal with snow falling in my door on days like this. It only covered a few feet out from the door, but it did its job.

After taking off my pants and setting them on the chair next to the exit, I stepped outside and closed the door before quickly shifting into my wolf. Ezra and Mira took a few minutes to say hello. She didn’t have any of the inhibitions Sunny did. I could tell she was excited to see Ezra for the first time since they started talking.

It was obvious Mira loved the snow with how she leapt off the porch and rolled around in it. Ezra and I let her. If she seemed stuck, I’d shift back and save her. She made her way out of the snow and we headed out.

We started our run. Being careful was important, because the snow was deep and it was hard to get out of, no matter what species you were. It took a while to go to all the places I marked to keep creatures from town, plus hitting the places Deputy Rice told me about last night.

Goddess, that felt like years ago. Back when I was a different man and didn’t have my Sunny with me.

Deputy Rice lived in a cabin outside of town, like I did. He would usually be stuck, unless he took his snowmobile out. It was one of the properties I marked, so I decided I’d go show off my mate. Everyone else would have to wait.

We made our way to his property, stopping to mark as I went. When we reached the little cabin I stopped. Something was strange. There was no smoke coming from his chimney and the lights weren’t on. He left the bar before I did last night.

Ezra started sniffing around. The tang of blood was in the air. It wasn’t old enough to be from last night. I tracked it and found Deputy Rice hidden in the shed on his property. He was unconscious.

I shifted back into my human form and went to check on him. He was definitely alive. He didn’t have a jacket on and was starting to look pretty pale. What was up with people letting themselves freeze this week? There was a bullet wound in his arm. I shook him a little and tapped his face.

“Deputy. What happened? Wake up. Ed, open your damned eyes.” I said.

“Vaughn? What are you doing here?” He replied weakly.

“Let’s get you in the house. It’s too cold for you to be out here.” I told him and pulled him up, hooking his unharmed arm over my neck.

“Are you naked?” He asked.

“If you want to freeze I can go home and wait for the roads to clear so I can come back with clothes on.” I grumbled.

The ground was cold and nearly three feet of icy snow wasn’t exactly doing wonderful things for my lower bits. I was focused on getting him to his house and warmed up.

“Dear Goddess, Vaughn. What’s going on?” Sunny asked.

“Go get the door, Sunny. We need to take care of the deputy before he bleeds out more.”

“Got it.” She said and ran up to the porch.

“Is there a naked girl? I’m hallucinating….”

“That’s my naked girl. Keep your eyes to yourself, Ed.” I whispered.

“Sounds like you had a better night than I did.” He chuckled dryly.

I got him in his house. Sunny was in front of the fireplace getting it prepped for a fire. I started working on getting Deputy Rice’s clothes off. He kept telling me not to, but he was too weak to fight back.

His pants were soaked with melted snow and blood, so was his shirt. I got him stripped down and covered his lap with a towel Sunny handed me. She didn’t really need instructions, she just seemed to be there with whatever was needed.

The wound on his arm only had one hole. The bullet was still in there. I never wrote about removing a bullet without a doctor, so I had no idea what to do. Sunny appeared with a wash cloth and a basin of hot water. She started cleaning around the wound.

It had pretty much stopped bleeding. I was worried the warmth would make it start up again. I looked through the first aid kit she’d brought me for tweezers or something.

“Your hand is shaking, Vaughn. You’re not thinking of going all wolfy and eating me, right?” Deputy Rice joked.

“I told you, humans taste bad, Ed. I haven’t done this before, okay?”

“I have.” Sunny said. “Let me take over. I haven’t done it in a year or so, but humans don’t heal as fast as werewolves, so I’m not having to fight the healing factor this time.”

Standing, I let her have my spot on the couch. Ezra and I were having issues with her being naked next to a man who was also naked, but this was our friend and we were trying to help him. Sunny examined the bullet wound, making Ed whimper a little. She was not gentle.

“Go get his belt.” She told me, then turned back to him. “This is going to hurt a lot more coming out than it did going in. Bear with me. You can look at my boobs all you want while I’m pulling it out.”

He chuckled. “I think Vaughn will kill me if I do that.”

“He can look at them any time he wants. This is the only time you’ll get the chance.” Sunny replied.

I handed her his belt. She smiled. I don’t think she realized she just implied I had free reign to look at her chest whenever I wanted, but I was going to use every single inch she gave me.

“Thanks, Vaughn.”

She wrapped the belt around his arm, above the wound and cinched it as tight as it would go. She had me take the end of the belt and told me to hold it tight. Ed was grunting and hissing as she worked.

Her face was entirely serious while she focused on fishing out the bullet. When she got it, she dropped it into the first aid kit, then worked on cleaning the wound and bandaging it. Goddess, she was gorgeous.

“Let go of the belt, Vaughn.” Sunny ordered.

I did and she loosened it, then took it off him. A red spot grew on the bandage, but it didn’t get very big. It must not have hit anything too important.

“Are you stuck here for two days, like at Vaughn’s house?” She asked him.

“Not really. I have a snowmobile for getting to work. I went to town this morning to help with clearing snow. I don’t work today, so it was only volunteering. I left for home around three, so there’d be time to warm it up before the sun set. Someone shot me while I was riding back. They went after me when I fell off. I used my coat to make it look like I was hiding in one place and went the other way. I don’t know when I got home, but there was someone in my cabin. I went to the shed to hide until they left, but I passed out. I guess I am stuck. My snowmobile is out there somewhere. Maybe the person took it.” He told us.

Sunny petted him with a sad expression on her face. I sniffed around. It was Lex, but I didn’t think he had it in him to actually shoot someone. I didn’t smell the scent of a recently used gun. I picked up the bullet. It wasn’t silver. If Lex had shot him, it would’ve been a silver bullet.

“You need to call someone, Vaughn. He’s human. I did what I used to for werewolves who’d been shot. It’d be healed within an hour for one of us.”

“I’ll call the sheriff and they can get out here with a medic and a snow plow. Sunny, either shift back into your wolf, or cover yourself. He’s had enough of a look at you.” I growled.

“Sorry, male werewolves get like that. It was nice meeting you. I’ll have clothes on next time.” Sunny told him as I went to pick up the house phone.

She got up and shifted into Mira. Ed’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. It was probably the first time he’d ever seen that. I dialed the sheriff’s office while I went into Ed’s bedroom and grabbed a blanket.

The line picked up just after I got him all wrapped up in the blanket. Mira was sitting nearby, letting him pet her. It was relaxing him, so I wouldn’t say anything about it, even though I didn’t like him petting her.

“Sheriff’s office, Dane speaking.”

“Dane, is Sheriff Daniels available?” I asked.

“He’s getting a plow out to Deputy Rice’s place. Red Miller called and told us he accidentally shot the deputy on his way home. I guess he’d been out messing with his new gun and missed the tree he was shooting at. The bullet went wild and hit the deputy as he was riding past. Red tried to find him, but all he found was his jacket. We’ve got a search party. They plowed up to the area and dropped the first team. The second team is going to Ed’s house. Can you do anything as a wolf?” Dane asked.

“It was an accident?” I laughed in relief.

“Um, yeah.”

“I’m calling from Ed’s house. I found him shot and half frozen in his shed. We got the bullet out of his arm and got him out of the wet clothes and we’re working on warming him up right now. He needs medical attention. We’re not professionals in this stuff.” I told him.

“You found him? Thank God. Okay, I’ll let the sheriff know and we’ll get out there as fast as we can. Will you be able to stay with him until we can get there?” He asked.

“I have to get home. Sorry. I only expected to do my patrol and mark around town to keep predators away. I left dinner cooking.” I replied.

“Oh. I thought you just ate raw meat and stuff when you didn’t have to pretend to be human.”

“That’s a harmful stereotype, Dane. You don’t hear me saying things like ‘I thought you did something that humans do…’ umm…. I actually don’t know what stereotypical human things would offend you. That’s not important. He’s safe, he’s warm, and he’s not bleeding anymore.” I said.

He laughed. “We’re on the way. Let him know it could be an hour.”

“Got it. See you in a couple days.”

I hung up the phone and went back to check on Ed. He was looking a lot better. Not so pale. Mira was laying down on his lap as he stroked her fur. She was helping warm him up.

“They’re on the way. It could be an hour. Are you okay here alone, or did you need us to stay until we hear them turning up this way?” I asked.

“Can you stay? I heard you say it was an accident. I’m not afraid of the person coming to finish the job anymore, but… I thought I was going to die, Vaughn. If you hadn’t come along….” Ed got a distant look in his eyes.

“You had more of a chance of dying of hypothermia. If you hadn’t freaked out when you were shot, Red Miller would’ve found you and taken you to his place to get patched up. He was messing with his new gun and missed his target.” I told him as I sat in the chair.

“You owe me a new chair. I’m never going to forget that naked werewolf balls were on that one.” He joked.

“Your sense of humor survived, at least. Mira, are you okay with staying on him to warm him up?” I asked.

She huffed and nodded. We could wait a little longer. We’d take the shortcut home to get there before the roast was overcooked. It was the best plan for now. Even I couldn’t abandon a scared, injured, person.

I chatted with Ed while we waited and Mira helped him warm up. He’d become the target of one of the matchmakers in town. She was constantly trying to introduce him to girls who were barely out of high school.

It was a good thing I found Sunny just before catching Karen’s attention as a single man. She’d back off before I had to deal with the awkward stuff.

Just under an hour later, I heard a large vehicle coming closer. Mira picked up her head and perked her ears. Ed sighed.

“Sounds like the cavalry is here. Time for you two to go. Turn into a wolf and you can run out when they come in.” He said.

“Good. Mira, stay close to Ezra when we go out. We’re taking a shortcut and I don’t want you to get lost. We’ll head straight for the house.” I told her.

She climbed off the couch and stood ready. I shifted into my wolf and went to stand with her. She tucked her head under mine and let out a low woof. Mira loved us. That was good. It meant she was working on our side.

The door opened and we rushed out. I briefly saw the sheriff as we bounded off the porch and into the cold darkness. We were pretty close to home, so it wasn’t long before I could see it in the distance.

Mira kept pace with me as we went through the snowy forest. I was glad we saved Ed. He was right. If we hadn’t shown up when we did, he would’ve died of hypothermia.

Even though they knew he was the one injured, an hour in those conditions would’ve killed a human. It was one of the many reasons I was happy Sunny was a werewolf. We were sturdier.

When we got to the back porch, we climbed up and I shifted once we got to the covered area. I opened the door and let her go in before I did. I grabbed the sweatpants and put them on after I closed the door.

The house was nice and warm. It smelled like hot chocolate and roast. My stomach growled.

“Vaughn, I’m tired from all of that. Let’s just have dinner and go to bed. We can do brownies tomorrow.” Sunny said, wrapping her arms around my waist and hugging me from behind.

I could feel her bare breasts pressing against my back. I couldn’t stop my body from reacting to her. I wanted to take her to bed more than she knew.

“Let’s eat, then we’ll sleep. I don’t want all my hard work on dinner to go to waste.” I told her.

“Can I help or am I still not permitted?”

“Go sit and I’ll get you some hot chocolate. Put your clothes on.” I said.

She let me go and I went to put dinner together after getting her some hot chocolate with whipped cream. We needed more whipped cream soon. I pulled the roast out to rest while I pan fried some broccoli and warmed a couple rolls. I figured half a roast, two rolls, and a bowl of broccoli would be more than enough for us.

I served dinner and Sunny happily ate, raving about the marinade. The meat was overcooked. It was on the medium side of medium rare. She was just trying to be nice.

When the meal was done, I sent her off to bed while I cleaned up. I was glad that worked out and it hadn’t been Lex trying to kill the person he thought was a werewolf. I needed to let someone know Lex was the person in Ed’s house. I was betting Lex was looking for proof Ed was a werewolf.

We needed to work something out to deal with Lex. The teasing wasn’t making him drop it. If he got more agitated, he might decide to hunt the wolf he saw. If nothing else, Deputy Rice getting shot should prove he isn’t a werewolf. He’ll heal as slowly as a human.

After the dishes were washed, I went to the living room and pulled out the foldable bed from inside the couch. Then I grabbed my blankets and curled up in them. I was ready for the next day to come.