The Pixie's Warrior Wolf (Completed)

Forgiveness and Worry

“Do you want me to stop?” No.

“Do you want it like this?” Yes.

“Do you want me deeper?” f**k Yes.

Katherine sat up gasping as her alarm went off and she rolled over groaning. Staying in bed five more minutes, Katherine took a cool shower and put on shorts and a tank top. Black vans and her hair up in a bun, Katherine accepted the tea to go from her mama who asked, “Are you taking your bike?” Katherine giggled holding up the keys, “I borrowed the car from Camille. Bye mama, see you after work!”

Nodding happily as her daughter saw her daddy and waved, “Bye dad!” David waved back and Katherine was waving to Ms. Colson as well, Emma grinned as she held up her mug of tea as she kept reading her book. Driving a short ten minutes to work, Katherine climbed out the little yellow Volkswagen and crossed the street to Spellbound.

“Hey!”

Hannah looked up with Ambrose, “Hey kid! How are you?” Katherine couldn’t stop her grin, “Fine and glowing, yourself madam?” Hannah winked, “Always fine and glowing.” Nodding in agreement, both women giggled as Ambrose scoffed, “I’ve always been fine and glowing too thanks for asking.” Laughing, Katherine taunted, “Oh sure you have Ambrose.”

Crimson eyes bright and kind, Ambrose Raven grinned at Katherine kindly, “I saw your dad yesterday, he seems to be doing well.” Nodding, Katherine agreed as she gushed about his garden coming along. Calling out the store greeting together, both women grinned at the magic and turned to see a surprising someone standing awkwardly.

“Ugh…hi.”

Tommy waved oddly and Hannah looked between them as Katherine casually tipped her imaginary hat at him, Katherine greeted amused, “Tommy Carlin.” Making Tommy feel stupid at his awkwardness and as a laugh bubbled up suddenly at how weird he was being he stopped.

Greeting her back he teased, “Hey Kat. How you been pixie girl?” Shrugging, Katherine teased, “I don’t know wolf boy, I get cuter, but days get harder. It’s got to be everyone else right?”

The four of them laughing, he looked back at Hannah and Ambrose who were watching their friendly exchange surprised. Sure, the root of the rumor that caused her life to be hell would have left this interaction fraught with anger, Katherine instead seemed easy and Tommy seemed more nervous than scared.

So, Katherine gave them a grin and waved down Ambrose asking telepathically if she wanted him to body the wolf for her. Instead, she waved to the back, “Give us a second?” and Hannah and Ambrose went to the herb room leaving the two alone.

“So, what brings you by? For someone I had such a scandalous time with, I haven’t even seen you since being home.” Katherine watched Tommy maul over his words and took him in. Brown hair, cut shorter than when they were teens, the pumpkin orange eyes that were beautiful and magical. Full lips and a jaw line from the gods, the man in front of her was the older and more mature version than the one she remembered. He’d grown nice.

An appreciation Tommy could share as he sighed out, “Fine, first I don’t wanna feel weird around you. It’s nice to see you and I’m glad you’re okay. Genuinely.” Grinning, Katherine easily agreed, “I feel the same. You look well, and I’m happy you’re okay too.”

Tommy grinned a little, “Well now that the weirdness is out the way, I owe you an apology.” She started to wave the apology away, but Tommy insisted, “I do. Because what I let happen was f****d up. I should have taken care of the rumors and gossip, but I was in such a weird place with Josie. She was mad at me, and it didn’t seem like something to be mad at.” Until she was mad at him and by extension, Katherine.

“I should have taken care of my household matters and kept it from causing the harm it did.” And with that, Tommy softly admitted, “I’m truthfully sorry old friend.” Katherine grinned a little, “It’s okay.”

He looked at her in disbelief, “Really? Because to be honest darling I’ve been nervous as hell thinking of a Pixie Warrior Knight coming to my house wielding the blade of vengeance. Please tell me now if she might still make an appearance.”

She gave him a “ha ha ha, you so funny,” look but Tommy gave her one back, “Yeah I know that face can pack a punch Katherine. I’m not blind to how powerful you were then or now.” Which of course made sense to his nerves.

But Katherine couldn’t see herself actually hurting Tommy or even Josie. She’d thought about it though, plenty of times. And she was honest about that.

“You know I was so mad at you at first.” She peeked at him and looked away, “I mean, yeah we kissed but you were my friend, and it really hurt my feelings when I’d try to talk to you about it and you’d just brush it off.” Back then not wanting to be seen talking to her, Tommy had been quick to tell her to just drop it.

Leave them alone.

And hadn’t helped the narrative a bit that they maybe had crossed a line after he met Josie.

Making things even worse.

“Yeah, that was a shitty thing to do. I was so uncomfortable with the attention; I didn’t know how to tell people to piss of then.” Tommy confessed remembering being a wuss when it came down to defending her.

“I should have said loud we weren’t messing around, to leave you alone, and that this was some bullshit.” Tommy realized but Katherine reminded him why he hadn’t. “I wasn’t your mate to defend and in defending me it would have looked even worse with you going against what she so clearly felt.”

Tommy shook his head, “She was pregnant, young, and overwhelmed. She was scared, and I was working a new patrol shift that had me gone all hours of the day. She shouldn’t have attacked you nonetheless. It was wrong. She was.”

And even though he was her mate, he should have known he could tell her that then. Instead of walking in this plaster-like tar substance that had them struggling around each other in a way they hadn’t ever before.

It scared him.

“She apologized in the park? I heard her telling a few teenagers to not spread rumors about you because they weren’t true. She even talked to some of the older women who were in book clubs to just gossip. Telling them it was all her doing.”

Hearing the rounds of Josie taking back words she’d said in a time of her life where she was unhappy and lashing out at the “pretty, popular, and sweet” girl because it’d been easier than to confess, she was unhappy, scared, and ill-prepared? Was making things open up and come to light. Like bad behavior of adults.

Having gotten apologies and calls since her words made the neighborhoods and colonies, Katherine was still on edge with some of them.

On edge with something else though, Tommy asked softly, “Did you say something to Josie? Or did she seem off when she apologized?” Katherine struggled to answer that, “Sorry Tommy, I don’t really know her.” Other than being tied in this awful and tumultuous relationship of scandal, Katherine couldn’t pin down the woman as a person. But if she really sat on it?

“Her apology was genuine, but she did seem…lost.” Tommy looked at her confused, “Lost?” Katherine shrugged helplessly, “I don’t know, she just seemed upset, and I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she took off after she apologized.”

Tommy had noticed he wiped attitude, sad as something weighed on his mate’s mind, he’d been surprised when she’d admitted, “I have an appointment with Juile Morell today.” A therapist and empath, he’d been lost as his wife had never mentioned being in therapy before now.

“It’s my second session.” She admitted as she got dressed and then grabbed their son and daughter, “Have a nice patrol. Be safe.” Leaving before he could tell her he hadn’t had patrol and wanted to spend time with her, the distance had made him nearly cry.

Confused clearly, and scared, Katherine looked at him and then asked suddenly, “Josie didn’t grow up here…do you know where she came from?” Saying the area with vague knowledge Katherine hummed, “That’s an all-female colony of fairies only.”

Tommy had sort of known that. “Yeah, she grew up in a colony of pixies, elves, and gnomes when she was a kid. But something happened with her dad, I don’t know what her and her mom don’t talk about it, but it caused them to move. They were in that all female colony until she moved there, and her mom is still there.”

Katherine’s question making his left-brain work, Katherine surprised him again by saying, “I know the dynamics of a colony, sometimes they can get a little…toxic. I hate to throw out and try to assume anything. But maybe you should talk to her.”

Tommy nodded and just as she was about to ask just out of curiosity if she thought it could be a possibility, she was stopped by the door opening.

Henry came in and Tommy stiffened, nearly jumping to the other side of the store.