i

The streetlights appeared to be dimmed to a dark golden glow that kissed the sidewalk, casting larger shadows amongst the buildings and streets. This caught the attention of Blythe, the only one awake within the small building she inhabited, sipping on her now warm tea. Sighing into the cup she took a prolonged sip as she rubbed her eyes. Usually at this time she would be in bed resting, but for some odd reason she laid wide awake as the thoughts she normally pushed aside gradually consumed her.

Yet once on the balcony she was liberated from such thoughts, and instead was entranced by the quiet forest ahead of her.

Her eyes delicately tracing the outline of said forest, she hadn't noticed the subtle gust of wind that flowed through her hair; offering her scent to the tenebrous night. The depth of the forest seemed endless, running on for perhaps more than the several miles she originally assumed it to go.

She yearned to lose herself to it's mystery.

She craved the unpredictability.

With the rest of her life so certainly set in stone, she had absolutely no time to carry out her past ambitions as she had dreamed. Or was that just Dion's words clouding her own sense of judgement as they always had? As the 'perfect, intelligent, and bound to be successful man' he was said to be by all of her peers, she was advised that under his wings she would most definitely fly. That together, they could get through anything.

How routine she hadn't known this love was to be.

An abrupt movement sliced through the silence of the night; reiterating about twice before she could properly refocus her previously idle gaze toward the sound. Blythe had then scanned the area twice for anything that should raise alarm, and much to her dismay she had found nothing at all. Curious to what it could have been, she waited a few moments before she called out a soft, "Hello?" into the night.

No answer.

Once more a sound erupted from the forest ahead of her; the jostling movement of leaves now visible in her line of sight. Instead of being frightened as many others in her place would have been by now, Blythe was overwhelmed with a sudden urge to uncover the mystery of the sound.

"Is anyone there?" she called out, not one ounce of fear in her strong tone; the trees seemingly swaying as she waited for a reply of some sort.

What she hadn't expected however, was to be met with cavernous golden brown eyes piercing straight through her as they studiously observed her every breath and move. They glowed so beautifully she could not find herself able to look away from the source as it began to creep out of the trees. It was only then after had she noticed the faint silhouette of a wolf who had held them.

Frozen in place, she watched with shock as the murk figure began to slink in her direction with short, leisure strides. Beginning to stumble backward as the wolf advanced, she tripped over her misplaced footing and fell backwards onto the cold balcony floor. She let out a pained whimper, only for it to waver with fright as a rumbling growl shook the earth. Pushing herself to her hands and knees, she attempted to crawl back into her apartment building before she got the chance find out whatever the terror could be. Yet just as she reached the sliding door, she felt a presence behind her and turned.

A man towered over Blythe's slump figure, shadows casted over all of his features; effectively concealing his identity. He searched her face for distress or any telltale signs of serious harm or injury from her fall. She had misinterpreted this as a stern glare, and moved to stand but visually wobbled.

Not giving up she leaned against the sliding door as she met his gaze head on, returning to the fearless vixen he'd seen her to be several moments before, "Who are you?"

"Mate." he quipped with a deep, husk tone as he tilted his head from side to side; gauging her reaction. There wasn't much of one actually, besides the quick question she manage to scrape from her dried chords the following moments later.

She spoke sheepishly without eye contact, "W-What are you d-doing on my balcony?"

As her words settled into the cool air of the night, her scent trailed after them as a rush of wind elapsed through her messy locks of curls.

He watched the event occur beneath his hooded eyelashes, clenching his teeth as the scent wafted past his nose, "Why are you on the balcony in the first place? Isn't it a little late, love?"

His voice was as rough as nails, concealing the fond and affectionate tone he possessed. She shivered inwardly at the sound, locking her eyes with his own as he closed the space between the two.

Flinching a bit, she flattened her back against the glass sliding door as she squeezed her eyes shut. He could hear her rapid pulse as her breathing seemed to grow heavier. At this, a various amount of emotions ran through the mind of the man before her. First, regret. Second, pain.

"Are you afraid of me, little one?"

Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she took in her surroundings once more. The night sky was as dark as ever, and the moon seemed to glisten brightly at her attention. Then, leveling her breath she switched her gaze to the man in front of her, and responded rather thoughtfully, "Considerably, yes."

She then decided to take in his appearance, nearly gasping as she studied his chiseled features. His eyes were dancing with the moonlight, a dull glow enrapturing her heart; which now felt tight in her chest as she matched his intense gaze with one of her own. He looked like a statue carved by the Greeks themselves, almost like he jumped straight out of a mythology book and onto her balcony. His tousled hair, strong jawline, and plump lips only complimenting the already devilishly handsome man that stood before her. She could gauge just that, even with the night darkening his features.

Yet little did she know he was more than a man.

"How do I change that?" he offered seriously as his eyebrows pinched together, his neutral expression now an obvious frown. To her his obvious irritation with her fear was strange. He hadn't known her too long anyway, so why did it matter any to him? Dion himself, her boyfriend, wasn't even too keen on her feelings toward him.

Maybe he didn't even care?

Or if he did, he just didn't show it?

As she thought on the matter she bit her lip, gnawing on a small piece of the smooth flesh.

Hardly a second later, another low growl shook the ground and she collapsed weakly. Instead of greeting the cold balcony floor for a second time , she had been scooped into the arms of the stranger she had yet to put a name to. He hadn't answered any of her questions either.

Tough crowd.

"If you don't want me to fear you, don't growl anymore."

"You'll get used to it." he quietly muttered under his breath, placing his hand on the sliding the door to open it. In a louder octave than before he spoke carefully, "Allow me to bring you to bed, you must be exhausted."

From a sitting position on her beloved bedspread, she watched him with curious eyes as he stared out of the window. Dark shadows once again concealing his features, she could hardly make out anything but his light, caramel complexion. How badly she yearned to see how the odd man looked in the light was inhumane. She could hardly process the need she possessed to see his face, and began painting numerous pictures within her mind. Many of which, she imagined him incredibly handsome and breathtaking. It would suit his sweet-like-honey voice; along with the golden orbs he was blessed with.

"You still haven't answered my questions from before," Blythe suddenly remembered to request an answer or two of him, yet only after taking the time to admire the man.

She had deemed him kind and mysterious, surely an odd combination if you asked her.

"What is your name?"

"Call me Leo," he offered with a light tone, the name on his lips seemingly foreign, yet she disregarded this fact with empathy.

"A pleasure to meet you Leo, my name is Blythe," she let a small smile grace her lips as his orbs seemed to swirl with brilliant life. Had they done this before?

"Blythe is a lovely name." he complimented as he eyed her with a newfound admiration. A smile tugged at his lips as he noticed her own, and she giggled ever so sweetly at the sight. "As much as a pleasure it was to meet you, I must go."

"Duties to fulfill I am assuming?" she teased gently, hoping she didn't string the wrong chord of the melody the two seemed to play, "You look to be one of upmost importance."

He chuckled halfheartedly at this, "You could definitely say so," allowing his gaze to abruptly part from her own, "- my role isn't one just anyone could fulfill, it requires a generous amount of both dedication and commitment."

"Must be a burden then," she spoke in a lower octave than before as she looked down at her hands. Blythe felt the conversation take a much different path than she had hoped, and opted to cancel it right there before it could continue.

"Don't fret love, as burdensome as the task, I love my job with all of my heart," he cooed as to ease the distress that visibly hung over her features. Moving to come beside her on the bed, he placed his large hand over the two of hers that fidgeted with another, smiling. "Although it is very soon, you should come with me to work one day. I promise you'll fall in love too."

She thought of going to visit the man at work and a blush crept onto her face. The idea was certainly intimate for two acquaintances in her opinion, but she was sure Dion wouldn't mind.

And in that moment, realization she was in a relationship had washed over her like ice cold water. Now soaked in the fact, she looked to Leo with regret. She must have made it seem like she was available, when that indeed was not the case.

"I have forgotten to mention this to you, but I have a boyfriend." she spoke meeting his gaze, watching the once beautiful gold visibly burn into a now darkened honey. This surprised her greatly, and she watched as veins began to appear all over his soft skin.

He had appeared to be fighting something internally, and at the sight she almost wanted to excuse herself from her own home! The internal battle she watched occur was one she wouldn't possibly forget in a lifetime at that.

Leo gained control momentarily, and with this he stood and headed for the balcony in swift strides. Before he could exit the room however, Blythe was right on his tail with confusion and anxiety brewing at his actions.

As he was met with the railing of the balcony he acknowledged her presence, "It was a divine occurrence to meet you Blythe, but it is time for me to go."

She waited a few moments before speaking, hesitation sewn within her words, "Till we meet again then, Leo?" yet she knew this was what she wanted.

At this he and his wolf smiled in unison, great satisfaction in the mutual desire to see another again, "Till we meet again Blythe."

He disappeared into the night soundlessly, the only witness a distraught Blythe. Had he taken a piece of her heart with him?