Old ways

The sun was just rising. Karma was already awake, she hated the thought of going back. She knew it was painful. But now, instead of hurting just her, it hurt Asher too.

Asher opened his eyes, Karma was laying on her back looking at the moon disappearing as more light came from the sun. Asher smiled, and kissed her cheek. "You don't want to go back."

Karma looked at him. She shook her head. "I do, but I don't like the idea of the pain."

Asher nodded and lay down beside her.

"Why don't you stay here then?"

"Because, they know me. Not you."

Asher didn't say anything. He just looked at her. She turned her head to look at him too. They starred at each other, before the urge became so strong that their lips were touching. Asher put his hand on her neck. Karma's hand found the back of his head and her fingers gripped at his hair.

Asher stopped, "We need to get going so we can be back."

She knew he was right, but was disappointed that he stopped. "Then let's go."

He chuckled. Before getting up and helping her up. They morphed and set off. Dodging, jumping, and ducking when it was called for, they had a fast pace. 'What time should we arrive?' Asher asked.

'We should be there by dawn tomorrow, if we don't stop.'

Asher nodded and continued forward. She knew she had to push Cayden out of her mind or the pain would be too hard to control. So, she didn't think about him the entire time, and when she did, it was a brief moment before she focused back on running next to her mate. Her mate! It was still so surreal to her. He was her's, and only her's. No one else's.

It didn't matter that they were going back to her childhood place, what mattered was that she was next to her mate. She let her mind think on that and think about the forest's noises. Before long, she had realized it was midnight and they were almost there.

She smelled the air, but could only smell smoke. She smelled it from the direction of the orphanage. She let her feet make longer, faster strides. She hadn't realized how important the orphanage was to her, there was no way she was letting it burn down. But, what was she to do when she got there? She was bare, she couldn't go in there as her wolf, but she couldn't just let it burn.

'You're not going in there!' Asher yelled from behind her.

She looked back at him and growled. 'And I'm not just going to let it burn either!' She growled.

'Then I'm going with you!' Asher sped up his pace, before long they were morphing into their human forms and running into the flames.

The smoke was so bad they couldn't see. Karma's wolf wouldn't fit in here, she morphed her eyes, ears, and nose so she could see, hear, and smell better. Burning flesh was the first thing she smelled. She followed it. "Hailey!"

Hailey coughed, "Karma," she gaged on smoke, "what are you doing here? You have to get out!"

"Not without you!" Karma grabbed her and threw her over her shoulder. Karma raced to the front of the orphanage and sat her outside, "is anyone else in there?"

"Lorella is somewhere in there."

"Lorella?! What is she doing here?!"

"She owns it."

'She what?!' Karma thought to herself, before taking off back in there. She didn't smell anymore burning flesh, but she did smell burning fur. "Asher?!"

"What?" His voice came from behind her, he was still in human form.

But where could it be coming from? She followed it, but she kept being brought into empty rooms. "Lorella?!"

'In here child!' Her voice came in Karma's head.

'You're like me?!'

'No child you are far different from me.'

Karma reached Lorella, she was a wolf still, so Karma just showed her to the back door.

"Asher, go tell them no one else is here. That everyone is out safely. He nodded and headed around. "You're a werewolf?!"

"Yes child, that is why I took you in. I could sense that, while you were stronger than normal, you too, where a wolf."

Karma looked at her. "Do you know why," she emphasized the why, "I'm stronger?" She asked of pure curiosity.

"Yes." She looked back at Karma. "But, I will only tell you if you stay the night again." She smiled, causing her eyes to become wrinkly.