Page 10 of Protected By the Wolf

“Alright then. Mr. McCullough, let’s get some paperwork done.”

“Bruno, please.”

“Of course.” She smiled and then turned to me. “Millie, can you help close up the gallery? Then you can head on home.”

“I—”

“We’ll meet again, Millie,” Bruno said, smiling at me.

“Okay. I’ll just go . . .” I walked backward, not able to take my eyes off him. Lillian must think I’m crazy right now. Bumping into the wall, I finally turned and walked out of Lillian’s office. Only when I was out of sight did I lean against the wall and try to catch my breath. What in the world had just happened? The boy from my vision had literally walked into my life, and all I wanted to do was stay glued to his side. It’s like I’d known him before. I felt so comfortable with him, and I didn’t even know him! I took another deep breath and shook my head. My life was getting to be more and more confusing.

When I got home, Millie was winding down for the day, lounging on the sofa as if the world hadn’t turned upside down this afternoon. I sat down at the kitchen table, not able to focus on her. At one point, a root beer appeared in front of me. Millie kept asking me questions, and after telling her that the paintings all sold, I got irritated. Couldn’t she see I was discombobulated? That the guy I met today was the guy in my vision? That I felt a tugging toward him like I had never felt toward anyone or anything before? Why was she so fixated on selling Dad’s paintings? They weren’t important! I shook my head. But of course, she didn’t know all this!

I stormed off to her bedroom and slammed the door, sliding my back down it to the floor. What was I going to do? Would he call me? But I’d given him Millie’s number. I clenched my fists, knowing that if he called now, Millie might not talk to me after the way I acted. Not being able to think of a way to go back out and face her with dignity, I decided the next best thing was to take a shower. Maybe the water would wash away all these sudden unbalanced feelings I was having.

Bruno

“How was your visit? Did you get the painting?” Jacob asked as soon as I walked in the door.

I stared at him for a bit before responding with a yes. That was about the extent of my vocabulary right now. But Jacob wouldn’t leave me alone. I wasn’t even sure why I was at his place. Force of habit, I supposed. But now things would be awkward after what I had learned. Millie was my mate. My wolf had howled at me the entire time I was in the gallery, especially when she had her hand on my arm and we were walking around like we were on a date. She was mine.

“Come help me unload the car. I bought your painting,” I said to Jacob in an effort to distract him from his questions.

He paused and stared at me. “What do you mean you bought it?”

“I gave her money, and she gave me the painting,” I explained slowly. “You know, like normal people do. I have a city scene and a beach scene too.”

He seemed excited about the beach painting I’d picked out for Luc; said something about a memory of a holiday we’d had there. I was only partly paying attention. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could get Millie to myself. She was my mate, yet Jacob said he had connected with her as well.

We dropped off the first painting and were walking back to the car together when Jacob suddenly slapped me on my arm. This startled my wolf. I turned and snarled at him, but when I saw Jacob’s face, I realized I couldn’t hurt my brother. Shocked, I turned and ran, heading into the woods. There was too much to think about, and I was confused.

Lira

Millie and I passed silently by each other when I eventually came out of her room. She then made a snide comment about me making myself comfortable, but I ignored her as I set up my bed on her couch.

On waking up the next morning, though, I was a mess. I was so stressed out about Bruno. Thinking back on the boys I'd dated before, there was no one that exuded that aura of confidence that Bruno did.

What if he called? What would Millie think when she got a call from him? Would Millie continue the facade, or would she tell Bruno the truth that I wasn’t Millie? Would that mean I’d never see him again? But I had to see him. He made me feel special and wanted, which meant I had to keep her in sight.

“Lira! Are you even listening to me?” Millie asked.

“All I’ve been doing is listening to you.” At least half of me was listening to her, or trying to. “I’m sorry, Millie. You should have told me—not Lillian—how important that painting was to you. I thought you were just holding it for someone else. Why would Dad paint your dream anyways? It scared you.” And now that I thought about it, did Millie have powers too? Was her dream a vision?

“How should I know? I didn’t even know Dad painted it until I saw it hanging in the gallery. And what’s the difference between me telling you or Lillian telling you?”

I gave her an exasperated look. “You’re my sister. Your weight carries more than anybody else’s. You know I would have taken it down and put it in the back if you’d told me. I don’t know why you didn’t do the same, seeing how you were running the show.”

“Why couldn’t you have done the same?” Millie asked. “Lillian said you were insistent that we weren’t allowed to hold paintings. You even called Mom. Sure didn’t sound like you made much effort to save the painting for me.”

“I . . . ” I walked toward the window, unable to say what was in my head. I met a guy who I think I might be in love with, though that’s not possible as I just met him. I’m super confused about my own life right now and don’t know how to process anything that’s going on around me. I could really use your help, Millie, but I’m too scared to ask you.

Wait . . . was I really too scared to ask Millie? I looked back at my sister, who had a frustrated look on her face that she only reserved for me, and nodded to myself. Yup, I was too scared to ask Millie for help. Might as well stick with the only lame excuse I could think of. I delivered the lie as easily as all the others that came before it. “The buyer really wanted it, and he paid cash.”

Millie sighed as she always did when she realized I wasn’t going to budge. “It doesn’t matter anymore. The fact is the painting has been sold, and I just need to get it back. The question is, are you going to help me or not?”

“Of course, I am. I just have to think about how we’re going to go about it.”

“You sure I can’t just call the buyer myself?”

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