The Great Wolf: A Legacy of Kilkenny Novel Book Three (The Legacy of Kilkenny Saga) (2 page)

“You have wolf hearing too, why don’t you check?  I know,
you like to give them privacy, but you have no problem if I eavesdrop.  Anyway,
she’s just making sure he remembers he’s assigned to you for the duration of
our stay here and he has to stay sober and alert.  We all know it would take a
lot of alcohol to get any of us that drunk, we’d heal from the alcohol before
it got to that point.  You were really good at talking to everyone, those classes
you took helped.  I could eat these tables, they better finish so we can go
find someplace to eat.”  Pru abruptly leaves and walks over to her mom. 

I stand there alone, eating cheese and drinking water, the
life of the Great Wolf. 

“It will only take a minute, you guys look great but I look
like a boy,” Pru says.  She had her hair cut short a couple of weeks ago.  Now
she resembles Ashley Greene with red hair.  Typically, she’s modest with her
clothes, but recently she started wearing short sleeved black sweaters with
plunging necklines, proving she’s all girl.  Oakley doesn’t seem to mind, but I
think it has to do with her thinking she looks like a boy. 

Oakley twirls around in a circle and mocks Pru by asking if
he looks like a boy.  Pru reaches over and smacks his arm.  The average person
could break their hand trying to smack Oakley in the arm.  He’s bulked up so
much during our training, he’s had to buy a whole new wardrobe.  Tonight he’s
wearing a white long sleeved button down Ralph Lauren Polo and I’m wearing a
red one just like it.  Good thing guys can wear basically the same clothes and
none of us wig out about it.

“Prudence, there is nothing on your perfect body that looks
like a boy.  You’re 100% woman.” Oakley kisses her on top of her head and smiles
at me.

“You always say that, but I’m going to go change anyway, I’ll
be right back.”

Oakley grins and shakes his head at her.  “Go on, but I’m starving,
so please hurry.”

“When did she get so girly?” I ask.

“The minute someone cut a foot of hair off her head.”

****************

The pub is filled with humans and werewolves from our hotel
and others I’ve seen in the Olympic tryout tapes.  By the amount of noise it
sounds like the party has already started.  A girl with big brown eyes and a
smile plastered across her face comes over to seat us at a table.  I glance at
the bar and the first thing I notice is the plethora of Irish whiskey with taps
on them like beer has in the United States.  My wolf hearing is trying to
understand what everyone is saying, but it’s hard since half the voices have an
Irish accent.  Some are speaking in Gaelic, but most are speaking English.  I
think I even heard someone talking Spanish, they’re probably someone from a
Texas pack.  Sensory overload is running through my brain, especially since my
body believes it’s an alpha. 

Dolly talked to me about changes a body goes through as it
becomes an alpha.  The first thing is the ability to hone into pack members.   It
makes me uncomfortable to invade into their private conversations and thoughts.

The hostess is crossing the restaurant with two girls close
behind her.  The moment she walked by, the air filled with fruity lotion and a
sweet lingering scent that put my senses on high alert.  Her chestnut colored
hair fell over her shoulders in big waves.  For a split second, she and I
glance at each other and for the first time in my life, my heart quivers in my
chest.

“You okay Abe?”  Pru asks.

“He’s fine, he’s admiring the view.” Oakley and Pru exchange
a look, the kind couples do when they’re willing the other to read their mind.

“Do you know who she is?” My wolf is pushing for me to go
over and introduce myself to her.  My logical self says to keep my butt in my
chair.

Pru is grinning and shaking her head back and forth.  “I
don’t
know
her, but she’s a member of the Dublin Pack.  If you’d studied
the packs better, you’d know who she is.  She’s Brianna Coghlan, the sister of
Denny and Marc Coghlan.”

 “I did study the packs, she didn’t look like
that
in
the pictures. She had to have been twelve when they took the pic, she doesn’t
look twelve now.” 

The waitress comes over and sets a pint of beer in front of
Oakley and I.  Pru is our DD although she isn’t driving.  “No mind your money,
we’re jammy to have the Great Wolf in da bar.  Would you like some shorts of
whiskey?  No worries, we won’t get you too bollixed.  Da chef made a beautiful
Sheppard’s Pie for all da wolves, would you like a green to go wid it?”

Hopefully, Pru will have a clue what the waitress is
saying.  I glance over at Brianna and catch her looking at me.  She giggles and
shifts her eyes back to her friend.  I turn my attention to Pru and the
waitress as they discuss our evening dinner.  The waitress smiles at Oakley and
I as she walks off with her tray.

“What was she saying?  I figured a short of whiskey is a
shot, but what about jammy and bollixed?”

“I think she was saying they’re lucky to have us here and
they aren’t planning on getting us drunk.  You’ll get used to it.  Remember
they think we say funny things too.  I’m going to run over to say hi to that
table over there,” Pru points to a small table across the room.  I recognize
the guy as one I’m going to compete against in the agility contest.

Oakley and I people watch for a while, not really talking
about anything.  My wolf zeros in on Brianna, and now I know the sound of her
voice.  Her accent is Irish, but it doesn’t sound like everyone else.  Every
time I feel her looking my way, my head turns her direction.  She’ll bashfully
smile and turn back towards her friend.

“Something is strange; I can’t quit checking out that
Brianna girl.  Do you think she’d be upset if I go introduce myself to her?” 
Going out with girls has been awkward since Chrissy left.  We still talk, but
we’ve decided to date other people.  My wolf  has been restless, but it’s hard
to meet people when you don’t go out very often.

Oakley looks at me as though I’ve grown a third eye on my
forehead.  “Every girl in this room is batshit crazy to meet you.  Brianna
isn’t any different.  The way she keeps stealing looks at you, I’m sure she’s
going to be thrilled to meet you.  Go get ‘em tiger,” Oakley chuckles.

The waitress shows up at that very moment with our food.  My
stomach is growling so loud I postpone introducing myself to her.  Pru rushes back
and the three of us practically inhale our dinner.  I was too hungry to wait,
so I burned the roof of my mouth with my first bite.  My healing ability is
faster than most wolves and it heals instantly, letting me eat it straight from
the oven.  Another round of beers arrives as well as two ‘shorts’ which are
shots whiskey. 

We hold up our shots and shouted ‘Cheers’ before tilting our
heads back and downing the drink. 

Someone says my name and I turn around, it’s Brianna.

“Are you Abel Casey?”  Brianna asks.

Overwhelming waves of heat spread through my body,
undeniably a reaction to her being so close.  “I am.  You’re Brianna right?”

Pru and Oakley suddenly found themselves in an intense
conversation about salting before doing a shot of tequila. 
Thanks for
abandoning me, you losers.

I pull the empty chair closer to me and ask her to take a
seat.  No matter how loud it is inside, I can hear every breath she takes. 

“You’re competing against Pru aren’t you?”  I signal for
another beer for the table.  No matter how much I drink, my body absorbs it and
heals.  I’d have to drink a lot in a short amount of time to get a buzz.  By
the noise in the room, it isn’t the case for all the wolves.

I study her face, every small detail is etching in my
memory.  The way her eyebrow raises when she’s talking, to the flush of her
cheeks when I’m talking to her.  Her eyes are gold with flecks of amber in them
and her skin is porcelain white.   

“I am competing against her, if I make weight,” she admits.

To me she’s perfect and curvy in the right places.  “I think
you look perfect, aren’t you two competing in woman’s capoeira?”

“Yeah, but there are weight restrictions in the women’s
class.   I’m 5’3” and 130 lbs, she’s 5’8” and whatever weight she is. 
Obviously, she’s thinner than I am, but our bodies have to bend the same way in
the same amount of time to be equivalent to each other.  If I do a backbend, it
has to look exactly how her backbend looks.  When we qualify, we’ll go through
a long drawn out sequence of exercises.  We’ll do handless cartwheels but
they’ll need to be timed and executed exactly the same…..I’m probably boring
you to tears.”

No, I hang from every word she speaks.  Her voice sounds
lyrical as she tells me about qualifying.  I wasn’t aware the girls had to be
so precise.  Bryon is competing in the male version of capoeira and he hasn’t
said anything about weight.  He’s one of our wolves who gets a little pudgy
during the winter.  He doesn’t like running in the cold weather, and lately
it’s been freezing in Oklahoma.

“No tears, I swear,” I promise.

Without warning, the entire bar goes quiet.  In walks two
men, they both look to be in their late twenties, which in werewolf standards
they could actually be in their mid thirties.

“Who’s that?”  I whisper to Brianna.  Oakley and Pru have
stopped talking and both are sitting straight up, ready to pounce if needed. 

“Me brothers Denny and Marc,” Brianna’s friend is motioning
for her to come over there, but Brianna stays at my table.

Denny and Marc both glance around the room until they come
upon our table.  Neither smile at their sister, instead they head our
direction.

“Why do they look so mad?” I ask.

She gives me a half smile, half apologetic look, “they’re
perpetually in a bad mood.  They dink they have to know where I am 24/7, I’m
over it.  They’re throwing shapes to show how dey can intimidate everyone.  
Don’t let ‘em worry you, dey won’t do anything with the games next week.”

Her Irish accent is coming out more pronounced with the
arrival of her menacing brothers.  “What’s
throwing shapes?
”

“Ah, day’er showing off.”

“Oh, gotcha.”  Both brothers are huge, their arms are bigger
than my thighs and their necks blend into their shoulders. 

Oakley stands up and I follow.  I’m not sure why everyone is
scared of them, the bigger they are, the worse they fight.  If they boxed me in
the head I’d probably hit the floor, but I’m faster and leaner, I’ll outrun
them. 

“This can’t be good,” Oakley says to me.  I’m not sure if he
said it out loud or communicated in my head.  Lately, the three of us are able
to talk inside our heads like we do when we’re a wolf.  They can only talk to
me when I’m open for them to be inside my head.  If I put up a mental block,
neither can talk to me.  All part of being
great.

“Yeah, my thoughts too,” I whisper. 

They finally make it over to our table, stopping in front of
us.  One of them has a scar across his eye and along his cheek, the other has
pit marks in his skin from acne. 

“Are you the guy everyone’s making such a fuss over?”
Scar-face asks.

“I guess so,” I reply in my deepest voice I can muster.

“You’re the wolf who will combine the packs?  You’re what
our ancestors of Kilkenny have waited for?   It doesn’t matter if you’re God,
you screw wid my sister, consider yourself dead.”  Scar-face turns his
attention to his sister.  “You said you’re going out with Jules and I find you
here with Americans.  What’s dis about?”

Brianna stands up, her cheeks matching the color of my shirt,
and I literally hear her heart pounding in her chest.  “Go away Marc, you’re
making an arse of yousef.  Dis is the Great Wolf Abel, and father would kill
you hisself if he were ‘ere.  Go away.”

“You leavin’ wid us,” Marc demands.

“This is all a huge misunderstanding.  We’re here to have
some dinner and go back to our hotel.  I’ll make sure Brianna gets home safe. 
She’s welcome to sit with us, I enjoy her company,” I boldly say.

Both brothers look at me, and I’m certain I’m about to be
punched in the face when Denny starts laughing.  Marc joins in and the room
collectively exhales the breath they’ve been holding.  “Drinks for da house,”
Marc yells to the bartender.  “Good to see you’re not a pansy boy.  If you
touch her, I will kill you….even if you are who everyone believes you are.”

 “Understood,” I reply.  Brianna’s brothers walk away, not
before whispering something to her.  It was said in Gaelic so I’m not sure what
it was, but I’m certain it had something to do with me.

The time difference is getting to me, and I call out to our
Pack that it’s time to go back to the hotel.  Oakley, Pru and I decide to grab
a taxi back so we can give Brianna a ride to her hotel.

We step out into the cool night air, the temperatures have
dropped since we arrived.  I’d been hopeful it’d be warmer than Oklahoma, but
it isn’t.  Dolly says it’s better to compete in the winter months, wolves are
at peak performance in the cooler weather. 

Brianna’s hotel is a 100 year old house that’s been turned
into a bed and breakfast.

Stepping out of the SUV, I take Brianna’s hand, helping her
out of the car.   

“It was nice meeting you, Brianna.  Tomorrow, we’re working
out, but then we’re going out sightseeing.   Would you like to go to dinner
with me tomorrow night?”  I’m nervous her brothers will hunt and kill me for
going out with their sister.  It’s a risk I’m willing to take.

She smiles sweetly at me, “I’d love to have dinner with you
tomorrow night.”

My wolf rumbles in my chest in approval.  “Good night,
Brianna.”

“Good night, Abel.”

 ****************

A few members of the pack stop in the hotel bar for a drink
and powwow before bed.  Oakley and I walk past the bar and head to our room. 
We both are ready to sit and veg-out for a little while.