Wisteria POV
My eyes popped open the following day with an instant grin crossing my face after remembering we were supposed to kick off the anniversary weekend by going to the carnival. I reached over to roll on top of Milo, but he was gone with just a note on the pillow. I sat up, kicked my feet over the edge of the bed, and read his message. "Babe, I'm so sorry that I am not able to celebrate your first anniversary in new york. I had some business come up and will be gone until late. I left my ticket in the dress drawer so that you can take Sammi or Abby with you, perhaps. I Love you and will make it up to you tonight." I put the note down and looked in the drawer. Sure enough, the ticket was in the drawer, like he said. I thought about it and honestly did not feel too bad about Milo working. I also didn't feel like inviting my old coworkers either. Slipping into a turtle neck and jeans, I put on my chucks and got ready to celebrate in solitude. It's not to say I wouldn't have enjoyed their company, but it took a while to open up to people, so I celebrated my first year here alone; it only felt right that I go alone again, maybe I would make It a tradition. I figured going to the carnival early would be great because hardly anyone else would be there, and the lines would be short. Bouncing down the stairs, as I thought about what the first ride would be, my excitement inflated like a balloon. Tilt a whirl, the zipper, the Ferris oooh maybe id start with food. Drooling as images of the fried conventions danced in my head, I grabbed my purse on the way out and looked at the clock oop; it's noon, so I guess I won't be going all that early after all.
I bounced down the stairs and lost a little oomph in my step as I heard the steady tapping of toes before I reached the bottom stair. Tobias would be at the bottom of the stairs, and I would need to collect myself to face him. Something about Tobias always unsettled me; it's not that I didn't like him so much as I always felt like he didn't like me. Being of pretty average build, his black hair and dark brown eyes didn't stand out in a crowd. His eyes flicked up at me as I approached the bottom of the stairs to confirm my identity before he ducked out the door to the car. Sam would greet me, ask about my day and activities, and chit chats with me in the car; Tobias never did anything of the sort. It often seemed a hassle to drive me as if he was doing a friend a favor by giving me a ride instead of doing his job. With the vibe he gave off, I was glad not to speak with him yet. I opened the garage door to see the door already open, and the car started. I wondered for a second if I should just stay home, but then this dickhole would be controlling my day without knowing. Taking a deep breath, I hopped in the car.
"Is there any place that you would like to stop before we go to the fair?" Tobias asked Curtly
"Not thank you," I replied, looking out the back window.
Tobias wasted no time rolling up the partition leaving me to my thoughts. I wondered how long it would be before Milo found a different driver. I told him how Tobias made me feel and requested Sam when he was out. Thinking back to his response, I couldn't help but smile at Milo, letting me know that Sam was also a close friend and helped keep Milo calm before his big business meetings. Today must be essential for Milo because he did leave Sam to drive me around more often than not. I mused the big business slightly out loud, watching the branches dance past us. What is big business for Milo? If I'm honest with myself, I don't care what Milo doesn't for a living. He's good at it, and it more than pays the bills. Did it bother him that I've never asked, though? He would've said something or volunteered the info already if it did. As a devoted girlfriend, that is something that I should know, right? You know I'll bring it up tonight in bed. Milo has difficulty opening up, but it was always easier for him after s*x.
I need to take Milo off of the market, though truly. Sure, I'm his long-term girlfriend, but what is a girlfriend to a wife. Asking what he does for a living is a good start, but that will not make a man drop to one knee for you. I was hoping he would have done so at dinner, but all those jewels and none of them were a wedding ring. What has a girl got to do to stay in the lap of luxury?
I had to think about everything I knew about Milo and go over everything he might like about me. Before I could do any actual planning, the car came to a halt, with Tobias barely cracking the partition and letting me know that we had arrived at the fair. I grabbed my purse and hopped out of the car. Inhaling, I could smell good times in the air. I could already hear the joyous screams of children as they went on the rides. Wasting no time, I skipped my way into good times.
The lights weren't on since it was midday, but you could still feel the enchantment in the air. The fair was the perfect way to celebrate being among humans for so long. It was a freeing menagerie of humans in their most innocent and happy mood. There were costumes and warm treats to fill the belly. What to do first, though, I sat at a table by the hotdog stand, and just people watched for a moment. Excited little kids passed by, hanging on to their parents' hands, begging for this and for that. Cute couples were walking together, holding hands or warm drinks. It was just lovely to be out watching the people, scanning the grounds. Then, I saw the colorful sign for a seasonal wonderland ride. Getting up from the bench and moving closer to it, it boasted about being able to experience all four seasons in one ride while it extended the current season, which is fall. That sounded like the perfect place to think about snagging a ring from my man. Turning to get tickets and hot cocoa, I stopped as the hairs on the back of my neck raised. My head swiveled this way and that because it felt like someone was watching me. The people around kept going about their business as usual, and no one stood out to me. That's odd, I muse, and shaking away the feeling, I continued to the drink stand. Grabbing my large cocoa and enough tickets for a few rides, I again got the feeling of being watched. As I walk back to the ride, I decide that I'll go home after this first batch of tickets if I can't shake this weird feeling.
Handing the tickets to the ride attendant, he gave me an extra sweet smile and said, "I hope you have the ride of your life" This guy gave me the creeps, but I was already on edge, and that cheesy ass line is probably something that corporate makes them say.
"Trust your instincts."
"Oh, Elly, you speaking to me again?" I thought in shock to my wolf.
"I still don't agree with your decision to give up our home and mate, but our life is in danger, so I'm tabling that for now. Trust your instincts, and go home."
Every werewolf and their wolf counterpart were different, all our wolves can speak with us, but it's a pretty even split of talkative wolves. Even when transformed, most wolves let their human counterpart take the lead. Those born werewolves gain our wolf spirit at 16 but don't make their first transformation until the first full moon after their 18th birthday. Elly and I spoke quite a bit when I gained my spirit. She was witty and headstrong, and I liked that. My transformation party was great, and the first pack run was just so much fun. The bond you feel with everyone in the pack is warm and comforting. That soothing feeling mixed with the crisp night air is better than cookies straight from the oven, and I ALMOST stayed home. Almost. If I had stayed, Elly and I wouldn't be at odds the way we have been the last couple of years. Ever since deciding not to go back home, she has refused to speak with me. I don't want to get caught here in the human world, so it's great that she has not made me feel the urge to turn, but I'm broken hearted to be fighting with my wolf. What would the moon goddess say about this?
"It's been so long, and I want to show you that I'm not trying to hurt you, so I'll leave after this ride, Elly."
"You should leave now and not even do this ride."
Oh wow, something must be wrong, I thought to myself as I swiveled my head around. I was looking for the kid that strapped me in, but he was gone. Odd. My conversation with Kelly must have distracted me.
"Doesn't look like I can leave. The attendant is gone, and the doors to the entrance are closed already."
"I don't like this, but there doesn't seem to be much you can do without causing a significant scene."
I can feel the uneasiness stirring within me, but as she said, there was nothing to be done without looking like a crazy person, and this one ride is probably OK. I sit back in the train car and try to enjoy the ride. The lights dim, I take out my 3d glasses as instructed, and the vehicle starts to lurch forward. Serene music fills the tunnels, and fake flowers begin to spring up. An announcer comes over a speaker to narrate the ride. We were starting in the spring. The announcer explains how new life begins in spring and as he does, more flowers spring up, and their large petals and leaves overlap the train car so you can feel the felt of the fake plants on your skin.
Artificial bees on strings fell from the ceiling to pollinate the ride. There were beautiful displays of what springtime looked like in different areas worldwide as I continued forward. The light dimmed again to switch over to summer; as it did, I could have sworn I heard the scuffling of feet. The doors locked after getting in the ride; nothing seemed out of the ordinary when I smelled the air. Not being able to see much, I decided to shrug it off as the Carneys setting up the next scene for the ride. We breeze thru summer and roll into fall. Those felt trees and plants that rubbed against the face are now different shades of orange and brown. The air in the tunnel starts to get colder to simulate the weather as the announcer continues to go through videos and fall traditions worldwide. As the video plays, I feel hands wrap around my neck. Oh god, someone was after me, I think, before screaming and pulling at the hands. My attacker's firm grip turned to stone as I started crying. My heart would break through my chest bone, beating this hard what the f**k am I going to do.
''Break the belt!"
I stop clawing at the hands and rip the belt from the cart. I used my feet for momentum and thrust up and backward, so the back of my head connected with whoever was trying to choke me out.
"I'm going to f*****g kill you b***h"
I turned around to see a masked man hunched with a cloth in his hand, ready to pounce again.
"This guy is serious right now; I'm taking over."The sounds of cracking bones echoed through the season's chamber as Kelly revealed herself. We exposed our canines and let out a low, ominous growl. Our attacker leaned his head to the right, grabbing a walky-talky, and boomed confirmed use the wi-. We cut him off by sinking our teeth into his throat. We stood over our kill with our heads down, looking around for others. Who was he calling out to, how far were they from us? I was not able to see anyone, but I could smell someone. They had to be hiding behind one of the set pieces. There might be a trap set up, but I was not about to sit here and wait for them to make a move in case it was not. Slowly, I went deeper into the fake trees and flowers set, following the scent. As I was rounding the corner of an artificial oak tree, it felt like someone was driving a nail through my head. We let out a howl as our heads dropped to the ground. The dark-haired man I was about to murder ripped some fur from me and ran away. The pain worsened, and my vision got blurry as I fell to the ground. I felt a cloth around my snout before I completely lost conscience.