The Hunt

Chapter 1

In current usage, "Soulmate" usually refers to a romantic partner, with the implication of an exclusive lifelong bond. It commonly holds the connotation of being the strongest bond with another person that one can achieve. It is accepted that one will feel 'complete' once they have found their Soulmate, as it is partially in the perceived definition that two souls are meant to unite.
Soulmates, also known as mates, are decided through genetic makeup. In werewolf lore Soulmates are considered a blessing from their creator however from further testing we have determined that it is, indeed, a genetic match-up. Therefore there are no proven instances of werewolf/human matches.

Hunter's Codex, werewolf lifestyles pg. 455

    I was in the city with my friends when I first noticed him. We were walking through the door into a bookstore when I turned and saw him standing on the sidewalk a few stores down. He just stared, almost looked to be in shock. I reached up and brushed at my face, maybe I had food left on it from eating or something. I turned to look at the backs of my friends' heads and went inside the store, a little confused. Maybe he wasn’t looking at me? Or maybe he was on the phone with someone? I brushed it off and just shrugged a bit, oh well, I guess I won’t ever know what that was about. 
    “Hey, Michelle! Earth to Michelle!” I looked up startled at Cassy’s face directly in front of me. Her blonde curls lightly bouncing and her brown eyes staring deeply into mine. “What are you doing? You look like you're not even here right now.”
    I give a short laugh, more so to help me get out of my head. I was being stupid thinking anything was up with what just happened. “Nothing, I just saw some guy staring at me funny, I thought maybe I had food on my face or something.” I looked over Cassy’s shoulder to Chris, her brother. He looked at me concerned and I blushed slightly. 
    “Are you sure you’re okay? Do I need to go see if he’s still there?” Chris’s warm voice immediately eased my worries. He looked at me with the same brown eyes his sister has. I swear if they were the same age they could be twins. Chris stood a little taller than his sister and me. We both were about average height, me being slightly taller than Cassy. 
    I just smiled at him and shook my head, “I’ll be okay. For all I know he could’ve been looking at someone behind me.” Chris gave me a gentle smile back. 
    I shiver as the warm air of the store hits me and take in a deep breath of that papery book smell, nothing can beat the smell of books and coffee. “I swear I’ll never get used to the cold.” I’m from the south and ever since I moved north to the border along Canada life has been different. I’m having to adjust to the cold, I wear a light jacket well into spring and during the winter I just about don’t leave our apartment. I met Cassy in the dorms my freshman year, she was my roommate and we hit it off as though we were long lost sisters. Although that could never be the case, I had brown hair and hazel eyes and where Cassy could be considered cute with her round soft features, I would be considered more mature looking. My features weren’t bad looking by any means, in fact I can proudly say that I consider myself good looking. Maybe not the prettiest girl around, but a little better than average. At least, I liked to tell myself that. I had stronger features than Cassy though. A straighter nose compared to her button nose, more defined cheekbones and almond shaped eyes. I guess that’s all thanks to my Native American ancestry. 
    We continued walking around the bookstore getting supplies for the upcoming semester. Chris walked a little ways behind us with the basket as we filled it with books and notepads. Our college was a good ride out of the city so we all carpooled into town to save on time. This was one of those trips where we would get everything we needed so that we didn’t have to come back for some time.
    As we were getting ready to leave I had to brace myself before walking back out into the cold.“Oh come on Michelle, it’s not that bad, it’s only September.” Cassy scrunched her nose at me and took a step outside into the, not so sunny, sunlight. 
    I just sighed and followed after her. “You don’t understand, where I’m from it would be 80 something degrees right now, humid as all get out, and for the most part, there would be more sunlight.” I looked up at the sky that was full of clouds and I felt a little homesick. This 60 degree weather was too chilly, especially without the sunlight. 
    Chris followed behind me chuckling quietly to himself. “You’ll get used to it I’m sure.” He gently bumped me with his arm making me smile, a hint of lavender and woods drifted my way. 
    “I don’t think I ever will. You know, I had never seen as much snow in my life as I did last winter. It was insane.” I just shook my head as I followed them down the sidewalk to where we parked. 
    “That’s because you came from the desert.” Cassy decided to fall back and walk beside me, her curls bouncing and her boots quietly striking the sidewalk. 
    “I did not come from the desert, my home has more mountains and forests than y’all do here. It’s just that we don’t have blizzards.” I let out a breath, already missing the smell of the bookstore 
    Cassy and I continued to bicker back and forth about what constitutes a desert while Chris followed closely behind letting out a quiet laugh whenever one of us would get overly passionate. Our conversation died down as the car came in sight and Cassy took off to go put her bags in the trunk. Chris helped me get the rest of the bags in and I went to climb into the backseat. As I looked up I saw him. He was on the sidewalk where we just came from and he was staring, again. This time he didn’t look confused. 
    “Hey, can we hurry up and go?” I called from the back seat. Chris looked at me through the rearview mirror from the driver’s seat.
    “Yeah, you okay?”
    “I’m just tired is all.” I didn’t want to tell him that I saw the guy again. There’s no telling what he would do if he knew the man was just down the sidewalk and I didn’t feel like dealing with that confrontation right now.   
    We made it back to our apartment after a ride full of music and conversation. Our apartment was a cute little thing. Two bedrooms with each having their own attached bathroom and closet. The living room and kitchen shared the same space only separated by a bar with a couple stools pushed next to it. Even though there wasn’t  a lot of space, the rent was good for a couple college students.    
    Ever since the summer after our freshman year we decided to get an actual apartment together and split the rent. Her brother goes to the same college as us; he's just a couple years older and is in his senior year. He lives on campus though at one of the frat houses but comes to visit us often. I have to admit I find him attractive but our relationship is more of a friendship. I don’t think he sees me as more than just his little sister’s friend. 
   Chris helped me and Cassy bring in our  books. As he was getting ready to leave he turned back to look at me. “Are you sure you're okay? You still seem a little out of it.”
   I nodded and gave him a smile, “Yeah I’m just tired, it’s getting late.” He took that answer and said his goodbyes. We watched as he pulled out of the drive and left for campus. Cassy and I settled into a comfortable silence as we got our stuff ready for school, finishing any assignments we may have had that we couldn’t do until we got all our books and doing our chores after eating supper. 
   I made my way up the stairs to my room. While Cassy made her way to hers downstairs. After today a hot shower is just what I needed. A nice long one too, it was starting to get too cold outside without a jacket and I just knew the deeper into winter we went the harder it would be for me to stay warm. 
    As I showered and soaked up the heat I thought back to the guy who was staring at me. There had to be some explanation for what happened. Maybe I looked familiar and he was just making sure I wasn’t someone he knew. I slowly rinsed out the conditioner from my hair. He had beautiful eyes though. They were a deep green and they showed well against his olive skin and dark hair. I shook my head and got out of the shower. “Stop thinking about that Michelle. Who cares if he was a little hot, you don’t know him and he’s creepy.” That’s what I kept telling myself as I climbed into bed for the night. 

    I had just left my last class when I got a funny feeling, like I was being watched. Cassy was with me and we were walking back to our apartment since it was only a couple blocks away. “Hey Cass?”
    “Hmm?” She kept walking, almost skipping, down the sidewalk. She was always energetic and happy.
    “Do you feel like someone is watching us right now?” 
    She stopped and turned to look at me with a questioning look on her face. “I don’t think so.” She looked around us and just kinda shrugged while continuing to walk. “Maybe you're feeling a little paranoid after last weekend.” 
    “Maybe.” I decided to change the subject, “How’s your classes going?” 
    “Ugh!” She looked up and made a disgusted face. “It’s horrible. If my professors aren’t old and boring then they’re super strict and want us there everyday. I’m not going to be able to skip classes like I like to do.” 
    “That sounds horrible. Most of my teachers are pretty cool.” 
    “Well of course they are, you're in the music department. Try being a history major. I swear it's just a bunch of old dudes and prudish women.” 
    I kinda laughed a bit. “That’s your choice in major, don’t blame me.” She was right though. My professors were strict when it came to being punctual and attending practices, but for the most part they were understanding and chill. We had more of a personal relationship with our professors compared to the history department. 
   I didn’t hear what Cassy said next because I felt eyes boring into my back. I don’t know how I felt it, but I did. I quickly peaked over my shoulder just in time to see the back of a head as someone walked around the corner of a building we had just passed. The dark hair was all I needed to know who it was. I was being followed. 
   My heart started to race and my palms started to clam up. Maybe Cassy was right and I’m just being paranoid. Maybe he goes to school here and this is all a big coincidence. It didn’t feel like it but I kept telling myself that cause why would anyone follow me?  I’m just a simple girl from the south, I don’t even know anyone here other than Cassy and Chris. 
   As we walked up the steps to our apartment it hit me. He knows where I live now. I turned around and scanned the sidewalk and the edge of the woods. I didn’t see him anywhere so maybe he didn’t follow us this far. I sighed and walked inside. 
   “Hey Michelle, are you going hiking tomorrow?” Cassy put her bag down on the couch and turned to look at me.
   “I’m not sure if I should. I think I just saw that guy again a couple houses down.” I peeked out the window and still didn’t see anyone. “Then again it’s just the woods behind the apartment. Surely it would be fine.” I’ve been going hiking every Saturday since we moved into this apartment. 
   Cassy just stared at me for a minute. “How about this, keep it short, 30 minutes tops and I want you back by then or I’m coming out after you along with the entire police department. I know how much you love your hikes out into the woods. Why, I don’t know, but if we play it safe everything should be okay. Make sure to turn on your location on your phone so I can track you if you get stolen.” She started to take her books and notepads out of her backpack to get started on her weekly assignments. 
   She was right, I would hate to miss out on my time in the woods over a bit of paranoia. Being out in the woods made me feel at home. My hometown was small and nestled in between a couple mountains surrounded by forests. I grew up running through woods in my backyard barefoot and It made me feel free and relaxed to do so here as well. “That sounds good. I’ll make sure to do that.”
   Cassy looked at me again and with her best mother hen voice she said, “30 minutes tops there and back. Location on.” Even though we were both almost 20 she still plays the role of the mother in our relationship. 
   I gave her a big smile, “Yes mother.” I laughed as she let out a sigh and went to the bar to begin her homework. “I’m gonna go shower and get some sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday so I have time to do my work later.” 
   “This is why you always struggle last minute to get your work done.” She began to yell up the stairs at me. “Procrastination doesn’t look good on you Michelle!”
   I smiled to myself as I walked into my room and shut the door. Procrastinating was the best way to get anything done. Without it I wouldn’t have the motivation to finish my projects.