Episode 40: Little Wild One

Genre: Horror

Characters: Kaya, Rafe, Caleb, Charlie, Lillie

Word Count: 3,239

Rating: R

Type: Series

Summary: Rafe discusses the day he was found in the woods. Another flash from the past with Charlie and Caleb reveals a little more of Caleb's intentions. Rafe undergoes an interesting change and decides it's time to really get some answers.

Warnings: Language, suggestive material, violence, adult content, adult situations, nudity

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Willow Reed – Saturday, August 20, 1785

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“Find her?” Charlie asked finding Caleb near the stables. He took a deep breath and his eyes landed on the small teddy bear near the man’s foot. “Her bear?”

“She’s cunning,” he smirked and knelt beside the small stuffed animal. “I found a shoe near the back wall and another on the other side of the field. She’s trying to throw me off her scent.”

“Are you serious? How old is this girl?”

“Five.”

Charlie found himself also grinning at the child’s ingenuity and moved closer as he stifled his laughter. “It seems to be working for the most part. It’s what brought me out here and I can only assume you’ve been running around looking for her as well.” 

“Yeah. I know where she is now though, she sneezed. I want to get her before she catches a cold.”

“Then go after her.”

Caleb turned to look at the man and ran his hand over his neck. “She’s going to grow to hate me.”

“Well I mean you did just massacre her family.”

“Thanks for the update. This is a serious problem!”

“You came here ‘guns blazing’ so to speak Caleb you couldn’t have expected this would go well.”

“We came in here ‘guns blazing’ because Angie said the Alpha was moving her soon. I couldn’t afford to let that happen.”

“And now I scared her and now she’s hiding from me. She’s hiding because she’s a fucking kid Charlie! What the hell am I supposed to do about that?” Caleb huffed and kicked at the canisters against the wall. “Goddammit that cunt really screwed us! I wish that little bitch was still alive so that I could rip her fucking throat out myself!” 

“And what good would that do? Kaya would still be a kid; it’s not like Angie could help her grow any faster.”

“No but it would have been nice to know. I could have better prepared for what we’d find here! How the hell do you tell a little girl that you’re killing her family and taking her from the only home she’s ever known?”

“You just have to think like her. Try and figure out some way to relate.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that? Do you forget what we are?” Caleb glanced down at the bear again and shook his head in anger. “She saw what I did to her mother; she has no reason to trust that I won’t do the same to her.”

A blonde wolf started towards them and he motioned towards the animal. “Find the Alpha and keep him busy. I have to find Kaya and hope she’s not too afraid of me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We came here with a purpose we’ll see it through. Kaya and I will be made whole. Now go join the others. Let’s end this!”

Sauntering slowly Caleb dropped to eye level with the crack in the stall door and used Beary Bear as his puppet to try calming the girl to convince her to come out of the space. “Aww did he scare you Kaya?”

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Willow Reed – Present Day

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“You have a really crappy selection of music,” Kaya sighed as she rummaged through Rafe’s countless CDs. “You know I could probably tell you what was going on in your life just by looking at these band names.”

He grinned as he listened to his mate complain about his taste in music. Watching her make herself at home had an unexpected sensation of completion for him. But she was stepping over the line dissing his music! “I’ll have you know a lot of those bands got me through some really tough times. It’s mood music sure but the lyrics would have you in tears.”

“Oh yeah? Well I think I’ll pass thank you.”

“It’s not so much about what your interests are really Kaya. But the bands there have a great melody behind amazing lyrics. They are telling a story that you find yourself easily relating to and it’s like someone else understands you.”

“That’s very poetic Hemi but I like my music to wake me up, not put me to sleep. I like what you said though. I actually hope that someone out there maybe thinks the same thing about my music as well; I want to inspire! Ohh Phase 2,” she paused and threw a grin over her shoulder at him before sliding the CD into the player. “Would it offend you if I told you that I’ve never heard your band play before? Honestly I’d never even heard of them.”

“No; then again I never listened to Night Shift either.” He chuckled at the small pout on her face and continued. “Phase 2 was a local thing though so it doesn’t shock me that a big time band never heard of us. Plus we did mostly underground stuff and hit the small club scene. I think we could have been bigger but like I told you before a lot of the guys had crazy personal shit. It was one reason I thought Willow Reed would make a nice escape but that didn’t really work out as intended.”

“And I never listened to Night Shift because to be honest I was trying to escape the glow of all that ‘Hollywood Glam’ BS. I devoted myself to the ‘crappy’ music as you call it. The little guys who play in their garages or on the corner of liquor stores trying to make a buck. They are the ones that haven’t been tainted by record companies or mainstream idealism.”

“Are you saying Night Shift is tainted?”

“I’m saying your idea of music is if you believe ‘The Hot Shots’, ‘Hobo Jack’ and ‘Tailored to Fit’ are crappy bands. But I admit I enjoy the same music as some others. Like your collection of Evanescence for example.”

Kaya sighed as she caught a glimpse of him against the couch and her eyes moved over his torso. “Have you had any dreams Rafe?”

“Dreams? Yeah I dream all the time Kaya.”

“No I mean dreams about things you aren’t quite sure are real. Like the ones we had about being together again.” He cocked his head to the side like a dog listening intently and tried to figure out where she was going. “I’ve dreamt of this man, he calls himself Caleb and I know this is going to sound like some Freddy Krueger Nightmare on Elm Street thing but he scares me and he haunts my dreams. But what’s scariest of all is he’s you. Maybe not you, you, but you from some magic that happened centuries ago. I think what Luther was saying about you releasing your inner wild wolf may have involved this man and it scares me to think that you are becoming him again.”

“No that’s not it. I mean I’ve been having some bad days but…” He slid off the couch and moved towards her. Pulling her into his lap Rafe kissed her gently and rested his forehead on hers. “Kaya listen to me, there have been things happening to me that I can’t explain or fully understand. And I know that my temper even before we mated was…questionable. But I promise you I am not trying to hurt you and I will do whatever it takes to work through this. You have no idea how much it means to have you with me and help me. I know you’re scared, hell I’m scared too but I am doing my best to keep things controlled.”

Kaya chewed her lower lip and nodded her understanding. Sinking deeper into his arms she sighed and closed her eyes tight. “So you mentioned Willow Reed was an escape for you. What do you remember about that night?”

“That night,” he sighed heavy and closed his eyes. “That night I met the most beautiful woman I’d ever known in both spirit and looks oh and I met you too,” he teased and kissed her quickly.

“Hardy-har!” 

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Willow Reed – Monday, October 31, 2011

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“Rafe Hemming,” a seductive voice chimed behind him. He turned in the direction and smiled as a redhead started towards him with a drink in her hand and a smile on her face. “As I live and breathe! You really are him!”

“Uh…”

“Lillie! Lillie Schumacher we met outside of your Dallas show three years ago and then again outside of Vegas the year following; I’m your biggest fan!”

“Well sit, have a drink with me.” His ego wouldn’t let him hide his satisfaction of being recognized and a brilliant smile lit his face. Rafe motioned towards the bartender and ordered Lillie another glass of what she was having and three more shots for himself. He had been drowning his pain since he entered the little tavern in this seemingly shady neighborhood of Willow Reed.

Finally he was away from the hassles of his former life and in a place where he wouldn’t be so easily recognized…at least he thought. “So what brings you to Willow Reed?” Lillie asked enthusiastically. “Are you in town for a gig? Are you back with Phase 2 or have you started a new band?”

He motioned her to calm her excitement a little with a smile and wave of his hand. “Why don’t we move this to a more private setting?” He grabbed his drinks from the bar and escorted her towards a small booth in the back of the pub and slid into the corner. “Now then, where were we?” He gulped down another of his shots and began answering her questions somewhat vaguely. Whatever he was saying must have satisfied her enough since she didn’t ask for a heftier explanation and seemed really engrossed with his words.

A few hours had passed and he’d downed another four or five drinks and purchased three more for his fan. They were slowly getting to know one another. And although he couldn’t recall three interesting facts about his new friend he knew for certain that she could suck a golf ball through a water hose with the way she guzzled her drinks. And his mind had already formed interesting ways to test her gag reflex. “I can’t believe I’m sitting across from Rafe Hemming!” Lillie sighed dreamily. 

“Well you could always come and sit next to me or better still on my lap,” Rafe smirked and glanced up at the clock. It was just after midnight and the bartender had announced last call. Lillie frowned as Rafe slid from the table preparing to exit the bar.

“Hey! Uh I don’t normally do this and I know it’s such a fan girl thing to say but um…would you like to come back to my place?” She smiled sincerely, her eyes gazing at him expectantly. With a slight nod of his head her face lit up more and she grabbed her purse and eagerly led him towards the parking lot. 

“Wow,” Rafe sighed heavy and motioned up at the sky. “Full moon tonight.”

“Yes, and you know what they say about freaks,” Lillie giggled lightly and followed up with a hiccup. She placed a hand over her mouth and apologized. Rafe shook it off and walked behind her towards her car with his eyes affixed on the celestial body above.

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Willow Reed – Present Day

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“The next thing I remember is you knocking me out and waking up to the cold cell below Greymane,” Rafe sighed and reflexively rubbed his fingers over Kaya’s arm. He was lying against her in his living room recounting the night he first got back to Willow Reed and the girl they’d found in his company. “She said she was a huge fan of mine. And I remember thinking when I first bit into her that it was wrong because she liked my music; how sick is that? And the way her flesh tasted…and her heart; it was so…delicious!”

“The human heart is the tastiest part. Not only that, it gives you an unbelievable surge of power when fresh. I remember my first one,” she frowned but stopped herself before relating the memory. “Do you remember how you felt when you attacked her? Did you hear or see anything? Smell anything nearby or were you thinking of anything in particular?”

“Yeah, I was thinking about how good it would feel to rip her to shreds. I don’t understand what happened to me that night but everything just felt right like it was who I was and what I was meant to do. When you told me what I was and I called you a monster I was having a hard time coming to terms with what I did. When I closed my eyes I could see Lillie’s cold, dead eyes staring up at me and I knew I was the monster I had accused you of being. I think that scared me the most.” 

“Trust me Baby, I understand. It’s very hard taking a life like that and why we teach our pack how to wean off humans. The guilt is the hardest part.”

“You know what’s funny to me is I can’t remember my life much before I got back to Willow Reed. It’s like it was all some sort of two-way mirror that shattered when I stepped through and I could no longer see the other side. How did you come upon me in the woods? How did you know I could be trusted or even what I was?”

“Lexi had a vision that you were here and told us that we should get you before Gideon found you in those woods. What I think happened is this was the last place Caleb saw me, the last place he was a wolf. I think when you got back in town and so close to me again that connection reignited and your feral side took over. I mean there’s no other possible explanation is there? Once your soul felt mine again you became whole.”

“Yeah, that’s sort of like this recurring dream I have. I don’t know what it means but I keep seeing the same things: you as a child and this pack of wolves coming after you,” Rafe sighed and pulled Kaya closer against him. “I understand now why seeing other wolves near you drove me so crazy; it’s because you’re mine! We were always meant for one another.” She turned and smiled at him and he reached forward to stroke a hand through her hair. A gut busting scream filtered through the room and he pushed away. Kaya quickly backed away as Rafe grabbed his stomach and fell over. “Rafe? Baby what’s happening? Are you ok?”

“No, something’s not right.” She rushed forward reaching out for him and he turned with piercing yellow eyes and a howl. “Get away from me Ky!”

“Rafe…?”

“RUN!” he roared and she watched as his eyes flashed. His fangs began emerging through his gums as he fell to all fours. The clothing he wore ripped at the seams. Lifeless, tattered shreds of cloth dropped silently to the floor as the room filled with the sounds of breaking bones and blood curdling screams. 

He raised his head and howled as patches of fur began covering his torso. Breathing heavy and snorting, gusts of hot air puffed from his flared nostrils and he turned in her direction. His beady, yellow eyes pierced her soul causing a shiver to dance down her spine as she slowly backed towards the door.

Looking into them she no longer saw the man she had mated. Standing before her was a beast! A monstrous shell of intense rage with no shut off valve. Her hand slipped over the cool wooden surface of the wall and she pressed herself deeper into the corner, she was trapped! And being the only outlet within the tiny room, the massive atomic bomb in front of her was ticking and ready to explode! 

He took a menacing step forward, mimicking every move she made. Rumbling growls directed towards her made her jump and place a hand over her heart. Leaning forward, the hungry animal sniffed at her. His stiff tongue rolled up her cheek oozing saliva along her face and neck. The sticky drool dripped over her shoulder and he whipped his body quickly to the other side listening to her jagged breathing. He was taunting her and enjoying every second of it!

And just as quickly as it all began, the ripping and snapping started once more until he once again took up human form. Lying naked on the ground in front of her, Rafe reached for his stomach and held it as a jolt of pain rocked his spine. Kaya dropped onto the floor beside him and brushed the sweat dampened hair from his face as she looked at him. “Baby?” He ignored her as the pounding of his heart filled his ears. He slapped his hand against the floor feeling the jostling of his wolf once more. “What is that?”

“I don’t know but…I…” he pulled away and sank onto the couch dropping his head into his hands. “I almost hurt you Kaya! What if…?”

“But you didn’t, I’m fine!”

“BUT I WANTED TO! Do you get that? I wanted to rip into your flesh and taste your insides! I can’t do this!”

“What do you mean?”

“Until I figure this out Kaya I can’t be around you. I won’t risk hurting you like that. I have to know what I am. You have to stay away from me.”

“Rafe what are you saying? You can’t be serious! How am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know.” He jumped up from the couch and paced furiously in front of her. “You have to leave.”

“I’m not leaving you like this! I can’t! And I won’t let…”

His gaze immediately turned ice cold. His piercing yellow eyes found hers quieting her instantly. She flinched in fear and he backed away realizing what he was doing. “You’re scared of me Kaya! You shouldn’t have to be scared of me. I need to know what this is!” 

He made a move for the door grabbing a shirt and pair of pants as he prepared to leave her in his wake. Kaya grabbed his arm preventing him from walking out on her and leaving her without the strength and protection of her mate. He would not be able to put distance between them if he expected either of them to survive this bonding hell. She needed him close as much as he needed the same from her. Together they were stronger; apart it was anyone’s guess. “Please, think about this. We’re in the middle of something big. If you walk away now anything could happen to either of us!”

Snatching his arm away he peered somberly into her eyes. Pressing their foreheads together he gently grazed her lips with his own kissing her warmly while running his fingers over the soft flesh of her cheek. “I’m sorry Kaya. I have to.”

He made a dash towards the window and jumped from the fourth floor to the street below before she had a chance to react. “RAFE! COME BACK!” he ignored her pleas and the feeling of her heart wrenching within her chest as he disappeared into the night. “RAFE!”

**Author's note: Today marks the 1st anniversary of After Midnight. YAY! They are all officially 1 year old. I'd like to say thank you to all of my readers for the constant support and I as well as the cast are looking forward to many more!**

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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