Chapter 23

Louise finally hears those three special words from Mr. Black.

    I sat on the bed, cross legged, looking at Mr. Black. He stared back at me intently with his radiant off white eyes.

 

    Armand was asleep in his baby bed. I could hear him softly breathing.

 

    I was trying to avoid an uncomfortable conversation with Mr. Black but he seemed persistent.

 

    I sighed deeply when he asked me the question again. One he already knew the answer for but persistent in getting an answer from me anyway.

 

    “You did say you loved me awhile back, right Louise?”

 

    I looked away from him. “How many times are you going to ask me this question that you already know the answer for?”

 

    He grinned. I tried not to notice. “Until you answer it to my satisfaction.”

 

    “That’s just silly.”

 

    “Is it?” He asked with a soft growl.

 

    I felt our Wolf Baby in me stir at that moment. I smiled and put both hands on my lower abdomen. I was just starting to show.

 

    Mr. Black watched my movements then his off white eyes flashed back to my face.

 

   “That makes you happy? Having another Wolf Child on the way?”

 

    I just smiled at him, not wanting to answer that question of his either.

 

    “Answer me Louise.” His voice got a little harder.

 

    I decided to give in. I didn’t want to start anything with him now.

 

    “Yes, Mr. Black. I did say I loved you a while back and I don’t really know if I’m happy about having another Wolf Child so soon after Armand.”

 

    Mr. Black came away from the wall where he had been leaning and sat on the bed, not right next to me but where he could be directly across the bed from me.

 

    “It pleases me to hear you admit to loving me and it pleases me we will soon be having another son or daughter.”

 

    “I said loved, not love.” I said.

 

    Mr. Black growled. “Okay, then, my sweet, admit you love me right now!” He demanded.

 

    I wished I hadn’t said anything! But I still didn’t want to start something with him. What could it hurt if I told him what he wanted to hear? They were just words. They didn’t mean anything at all.

 

    “Okay. I love you right now!”

 

    Mr. Black growled a pleased and very satisfied growl. It was more like a soft rumble than a frightening sound.

 

    He was grinning with his triumph.

 

    I made a disgusted sound at seeing that.

 

    He just laughed.

 

    “Well!” I said, trying to act outraged at his laugh.

 

    “Well indeed, my sweet plaything. But I have to tell you what I’m sure you already know. The Big Hunt is shortly and you’ll not be on it. It’s too much of a risk to our unborn Wolf Child. Myself, Mr. Brown and Maple will be bringing in our supply of meat. That is, we’ll be combining our kills for a time.”

 

    “Oh. That’s nice of them.”

 

    “It is. Miss Snow, Pine and Mr. Stalker have offered to combine their kills with ours as well. I’ll be telling them yes.”

 

    “Oh.” I repeated, not able to think of anything else to say.

 

    I’d been here long enough in the Wolf People’s World to know joining food supplies like that was rare. Usually there was extra meat stored in the Cold House for anyone who didn’t have enough. The Wolf People took turns in hunting for this meat to make sure there was always extra for anyone who might need it for what ever reason.

 

    “We have good friends here Louise.” Mr. Black told me.

 

    Very good friends indeed, I thought, glad to notice Miss Rose’s name was not on the list of Wolf People combining meat supplies.

 

    “Yes, we do have good friends. I want to talk to you about something.” I was glad I got that out! I’d been wanting to talk about Miss Rose but had found it difficult to get started.

 

    “Okay.” Mr. Black said. He gave me his full attention.

 

    “It’s about Miss Rose.”

 

    “Ah. I thought as much. She’s been a nuisance lately. I take it it’s been worse than that, then?”

 

    “It has.” I felt nervous all of a sudden. “She’s been…gross toward me!” I blurted.

 

    “Gross?”

 

    I wasn’t sure if he knew the meaning of the word the way I meant it so I told him about that very embarrassing incident of a while back. Then I told him all the other things Miss Rose had said and done since then.

 

    When I finished Mr. Black’s eyes were smoldering red with anger. He made a deep and low growling sound.

 

    I could see his body was tense.

 

    I watched him stand up from the bed.

 

    “This is a lot worse than I had thought.” Mr. Black said.

 

    I looked up at him wondering what he was going to do.

 

    He looked down at me. “I will decide what to do about this.”

 

    “Kill her? Cut off her head?”

 

    “Sounds like an idea.” He went to the baby bed and gazed down at Armand sleeping. “I don’t want her around you anymore. She’s betrayed my trust and yours. You thought of Miss Rose as a friend.”

 

    “I did. I really liked her. It hurt a lot when she…changed.”

 

    Mr. Black glanced at me. He noticed the tears in my voice. He made an angry sound.

 

    “Perhaps I should behead her.” He came and sat beside me on the bed. With his finger he wiped a tear threatening to spill from my eye. “Torture would be better, I think, make her suffer.”

 

    I smiled. I was feeling a bit blood thirsty toward Miss Rose as I remembered what she’d done and the pain of that betrayal. “Why not torture her and then behead her?”

 

    Laughing, Mr. Black pulled me into his arms. “I love you too my sweet Louise!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Black Cat Fever]

Cut her head off, I like that. And Mr. Black reveals how he feels about Louise. I say its about time!

[Star Wolf]

Louise finally hears Mr. Black tell her he loves her! That's exciting!

[Theresa]

He finally told her he loved her now if she only meant it when she said it to him. Your story is so creative and it really is pulling me in as I learn more about the Wolf people and their world. Looking forward to see how the Mrs. Rose situation is handled.

[deeps]

OOO! Wow! This one pulled me in. I like this one alot, full of goings on and lively detail and imagery.