Just like every other day that week, Sol had felt uncomfortable leaving her alone, even if it was just for a few hours. But it was what she wanted and he knew by now that he couldn't say no to her, especially not to something that would greatly benefit her in the long run.

He was just thankful it was Friday. He wouldn't have to let her go again until Monday.

Monday seemed far away but he was sure that the weekend would pass quickly and she would be off again.

Sol sighed and spared Artemis a sideways glance as he pulled up to a red light.

It had been a few weeks since Sol had taken Artemis to visit the doctor. She had given him the cold shoulder the next day but by the second, she was back to her happy and chirpy self. Artemis hadn't said anything further to him regarding the matter so he was under the impression that she had forgiven him, even though he had gone behind her back.

Looking back at it now, Sol did regret how bashful he had been with her, but there was also the weighty other hand where he knew that if he hadn't dragged her to the doctors where she was asked several questions that both confused her and made her squirm, they would still be living in their peaceful bubble with so many unanswered questions.

Though it seemed that something had sparked in Artemis since that day.

She had asked Solomon if he could help with her speech and pronunciation and as much as Sol thought that was a great idea, he knew that it would be far more beneficial if he got her some professional help. Sure, he could speak English but he had never tutored anyone before, and he wanted only the best for Artemis.

He never wanted her to be at any disadvantage, especially not if he could do something about it.

And so, he had searched online and found her an English tutor. It eased his mind a little to know that she would be tutored in the library in town, but he was still very sceptical at first. But after he had picked her up after their first session, Artemis was glowing with happiness, speaking non-stop that whole day of everything that she had learnt.

Sol couldn't take this away from her just because he was unnecessarily paranoid.

Sol's eyebrows knitted together as he spared Artemis one more lingering glance before turned back to the lights, changing gears as he picked up speed.

Artemis was being unusually quiet today. Every other day that week she had talked his ear off with everything that she had learnt and the things that her tutor, a Mr White had said or done but today, it seemed that she was content with being quiet.

Something wasn't quite right, but he knew not to pry.

Artemis would come to him if she wanted to.

Another twenty or so minutes passed before Sol rolled the vehicle into the driveway of his secluded cabin in the woods. Artemis flung open the door and was out of the car before Sol even had the chance to switch off the engine.

She waited impatiently at the front door while he locked up the car and followed her, baffled at her behaviour.

"What was that about?" He asked, jerking his thumb to the car behind him as he walked up the path to the front door, standing behind her.

She barely spared him a glance over her shoulder. "I need to pee really bad."

Sol smiled and shook his head before he unlocked the door and allowed her in. He watched as she sprinted into the house and up the stairs, headed to what he presumed was the bathroom.

Maybe everything was fine after all.

-

Sol had spoken too soon.

Everything was not fine, in fact, nothing was fine.

Staring at the small scrap of paper in his hands, Sol tried his best not to explode. One, that would be very messy and a pain to clean and two, he didn't want to scare Artemis away.

Looking up from the paper, he made eye contact with Artemis whom was sat casually on the sofa, her focus on the TV. "Who did you get this from?" He asked even though he already knew the answer.

She didn't react at first so he had assumed that she hadn't heard him, but before his anger could spike any further, she teared her attention away from the screen and turned her head to look at him as he sat next to her. A small smile graced her face. "Brain gave it to me."

A puzzled expression must have clouded his features because Artemis giggled at the look on his face before turning back to focus on what was blaring on the television.

"Who's Brian?" He asked, puzzled.

"My tutor."

Sol paused briefly. "You mean Mr White?"

Artemis merely nodded, not really focusing on the conversation.

"Why do you call him Brian?"

"He told me to." She stated simply.

"And he gave you this as well?"

Artemis merely hummed in response.

Sol looked down at the paper in his hands again.

Meet me tonight at the library

10 pm

XXX

Sol looked at his wrist watch, it was currently eight minutes past ten so he was glad that she had decided not to go meet Brian.

Sol was not on board with not, not even in the slightest. He was sure that this late-night meet-up did not include any studying or any traditional forms of learning.

He pursed his lips. He wasn't even sure if Artemis even understood what Mr White had implied with wanting to meet up outside of their usual study sessions. He didn't want to assume the worst of the human, but he was nearly one hundred percent sure that the tutor had no innocent intentions planned for the night.

As if Sol would allow that to happen.

"Do you want to go?"

"To meet Brian?" She asked.

"Yeah." He hesitated, almost worried about what her answer would be. He didn't know what he would do if she wanted to go meet him. He could try stopping her but he doubted that, that would work. Going with her would probably be the best option.

Artemis didn't even hesitate before she voiced her answer, dragging him away from his thoughts. "I don't want to, and I told him earlier though."

"And he didn't take no for an answer?" He asked, his jaw clenching in anger, not happy with how the she-wolf was being treated.

Mr White had seemed like a great candidate to help Artemis with her speech and English, but now he was regretting the decision. He should have just grabbed some books and helped her out himself.

She shook her head. "He was sure that I would change my mind but I don't really want to go out right now."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"What do you mean by that?"

Sol was sure that an argument was brewing but he just couldn't stop himself. He was unbelievably frustrated, not at her, but frustrated nonetheless. If only he could get his hands on that human, he would think twice before trying to sleep with one of his students.

He was sure that this was not the first time, nor the last, he dare say.

"He's trying to sleep with you!" Now, Sol was sure that there were far more subtle ways he could have told her of Brian's true intentions, but it seemed that the words had just blurted out before he could even give it a second thought.

That definitely got Artemis' attention as her whole body shifted in his direction, no longer paying attention to the television.

"How is he trying to sleep with me?" Her voice was quiet and gentle, but Sol knew there was a storm brewing behind those pearly grey eyes that were getting darker by the second.

Sol threw his hands up in frustration, shoving the scrap of paper into her hands.

"This means nothing!" She shook her head. "He just wanted to meet up tonight."

"Of course, this means something. Why would he want to meet up outside of your regular time?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"It's because he's trying to get into your pants."

Her eyes shot daggers at him now, and if looks could kill, he would be dead three times over. "He's not trying to sleep with me. He just wants to hang out, what's so wrong with that?"

"Everything! He's your tutor! Him wanting to meet up with you outside of your designated tutoring hours is unprofessional."

Artemis went quiet at that, finally understanding what the problem was but Sol could still see the uncertainty in her eyes, not wanting to believe that sleeping with her was actually her tutor's intentions.

Sol still wasn't satisfied though.

Reaching into his pocket to grab his phone, he searched through his contacts before he came upon Brian's phone number. Pressing dial and placing the phone on speakerphone, Sol held up the phone so it was between them as they waited for the man to pick up.

After ringing for three times, a voice sounded from the phone. "Hello?" The words were slurred and not very audible over the loud music in the background.

Sol cocked an eyebrow at Artemis, in an almost 'I-told-you-so' manner with how clear it was with the level of intoxicated that the man was in. Artemis merely pursed her lips and looked back at the phone as Brian carried on speaking.

"Mr Westbrook?" Brian called again, the background noise no longer a nuisance. He must have moved to where it was quieter.

"Yes, I'm actually-" before Sol could even finish his sentence and berate the man for being inappropriate on so many levels, he got cut off.

"Where's Artemis?"

Sol was perplexed, temporarily startled. "Excuse me?"

The disgust and anger were clear in his voice, but Brian didn't pick up on it, rather choosing to press the matter further. "Where's Artemis? We were supposed to meet up today." They could practically hear the perverted smile in his voice.

Artemis frowned.

Sol's eyes fleeted towards the she-wolf next to him briefly before he addressed the eager human on the line. "I wasn't aware that you two had plans tonight?"

"Oh yeah, we're going clubbing tonight."

Artemis didn't dare look up at Sol, now knowing that he was right all along.

Mr White had pressed her to join in out tonight, that they would grab some food with a few friends and then perhaps watch a late movie, but she hadn't wanted to. Clubbing and getting drunk off his mind weren't part of the plan; she might be a werewolf but she sure wasn't a mind reader.

"Artemis doesn't like clubbing." Sol stated, his voice gruff and his words tight-lipped, but the other man didn't pick up on that. He didn't need to glance over at Artemis to know that he was correct in his assumption.

Artemis wasn't good in large crowds, and to subject her being around sweaty, loud people in a club would just be cruel.

"Maybe not with you, but she was all up for it when I told her about it today, man." Brian paused briefly between speaking where both Artemis and Sol heard him gulping down what they assumed to be some more liquor, as if he wasn't drunk already. Clearly this human wasn't thought him to be above alcohol poisoning. "Between you and me man, I was going to tap that tonight." The pervert had the audacity to laugh, almost as if it was just some joke amongst some lads; as if Artemis was just a piece of ass.

"No, you weren't."

"I know she's your friend but trust me, she was all over me today."

Sol had no doubt that Artemis was most definitely not all over him. In fact, he was sure that it was the opposite.

"Listen here you scumbag-" Once again, Sol was cut off, but this time it was because Artemis had taken the phone out of his hand and ended the call. He watched in silence as she preceded to delete his number from his phone before handing the device back to him.

Artemis didn't make eye contact with him. She was too embarrassed.

Rubbing his hand over his face, he reached over and placed his left hand over her right, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry." He apologised.

Looking up, she stared at him, not tearing her eyes away from his. Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Why are you so sorry?"

He offered her a small smile. "I could have handled that situation so much better." He admitted sheepishly.

"You think?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, her own smile gracing her lips. "But I am grateful you told me the truth." Artemis admitted honestly, applying light pressure to his hand that she was holding, not wanting to let go of just yet. "I feel so stupid for not realising it sooner. I genuinely thought he just wanted to hang out outside of the tutoring sessions."

Sol just nodded but didn't comment, he sensed that she needed to rant for a little bit.

"But it really does suck because he was good at his job. I really feel like I'm speaking more articulately recently." She frowned. "I think it's safe to say that I don't want to continue seeing him."

He offered her a lopsided grin. "I've already found you a new tutor."

Her eyes rose to meet his. "You have?" She asked, surprised with how instantly this new tutor seemed to have arrived.

He nodded.

"Who is it?"

"Me." He grinned boyishly. "We'll watch some crime drama, some movies from the nineties and we should have you back on track in no time."

Artemis chuckled softly. Reaching over, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, enjoying the warmth that he provided. "Thank you for being such a good friend." She mumbled into his chest.

"Anytime." He mumbled, wrapping his own arms around her, his nose grazing the top of her head, allowing him to enjoy her sweet scent.

They sat and spoke quietly amongst themselves for a little white before Artemis yawned and announced that she was heading up to bed.

Sol allowed himself to hold her hand for a second longer before he stood up and followed.

-

15.08.18  

Layla Knight