The Queen of Canya

**Felicia POV

"No! Are you leaving already ? Stay a little longer"

"Come on Jade! I can't be late for my first day, baby You know this internship is important to me" I said as I put on my blouse.

"But I was just starting to have fun. Youre not going to tell me you don't want a second round. Your body is a dream" Jade said, kissing me on the shoulder.

"Hmmm, its very tempting but... no. I have to go, my love" I said as I got up from the bed.

"Okay, as you wish. Pizza tonight ?" Jade asked

"Don't forget the bottle of wine! Okay, Im going to take a bath. You can join me, I might need you to scrub my back" I added playfully, heading towards the shower.

"With pleasure" Jade said, rushing towards me.

My name is Felicia Springs. This year i'm turning 23 and my favorite color is red. Nothing too extraordinary, just like my life. I'm a beautiful, curvy brunette who's a little clumsy and hides her shyness behind her glasses.

I had to leave my family and the countryside after turning 18 to move to Newcastle to study psychology. Because, yes, people interest me. Their behaviors, their desires, and the ideas that can cross their minds.

I was starting my first day of internship at Mrs. Greys psychology practice. A woman I greatly respect for her work ethic. But sometimes I find her so hard on herself that I think a good night of sex would do her good.

"But for Gods sake, look where youre walking!" a passerby shouted at me after I bumped into him.

"Oops, sorry" I said as I continued running towards the building where I work.

I quickly took the elevator and a few minutes later, I entered my boss's office on tiptoe! Unfortunately, my bracelets made a noise that did not hesitate to betray my presence. Her tone, both calm and harsh, made me tremble as I tried to close the entrance door without being noticed.

"You're late for your first day, Miss Springs" Mrs. Grey said.

"I know. I-"

"Theres no excuse" she interrupted.

"I still want to apologize, Mrs. Grey" I insisted

"That better not happen again, okay? Its important that your patients find you ready and willing to take care of them. You need to be impeccable. And being on time is the least you can do" she said, smiling to reassure me.

She said it, but it sounded in my head like I was part of an escort group.

Being ready and impeccable to take care of them...

"I'll make it up, Mrs. Grey." I said

Mrs Grey complimented my intelligence and warned me not to disappoint her. I timidly accepted her invitation to sit at her desk, where a file awaited me.

She instructed me to open it, revealing that it contained information on Nathaniel Sullivan.

A 24-year-old ex-convict trying to turn his life around. Mrs Grey tasked me with assisting her during their meeting and providing my impressions afterward. Despite my nerves, Nathaniel was aware of my presence and had agreed to the arrangement.

Mrs Grey complimented my outfit before leading me to a mint-scented room with two white leather chairs and a small table. I sat behind Mrs Grey, and Nathaniel entered, greeting her before noticing me. We shared a long moment of silence, during which I felt drawn to Nathaniel's mysterious eyes.

Despite feeling anxious, I sensed that I was approaching something exciting.

We continued to stare at each other as if hypnotized, until the repeated calls from Mrs. Grey pulled us out of our immersion.

"Nate? Nate! Are you okay? If you want, I can ask Miss Springs to leave us" She proposed

"Um no. Well, she's bound by confidentiality, right"

"Yes, you don't have to worry about that. Besides, I chose you because you have made enormous progress since then" She said to reassure him

I snapped out of my dream and looked down at the floor to gather my thoughts.

What just happened?

"Miss Felicia? We're going to start now" Mrs Grey said

"Yes, maam." I replied, swallowing hard

I picked up my pen and kept my eyes fixed on the horizontal lines of my notebook. I could'nt look into his eyes again, for fear of getting lost in them.

Focus, Felicia, it's not the time to hallucinate

"So, Nate, how are you doing?"

" Fine" He said, his voice heavy.

"Are you sure ? I don't get that impression seeing your dark circles. You know you can tell me anything, Im here to help"

"Actually, I... I recently started working nights and it often prevents me from resting" He answered

I looked down at his polished black shoes, and as I slowly moved up to his torso, I saw his hands rubbing against each other. He looked nervous, and my intuition told me he was lying.

"Do you want something to drink? Maybe some coffee?" She said, turning her head towards me.

I understood her gesture and left the room to prepare her coffee. Standing in front of the coffee maker, I wondered about this strange man, and I relived that moment of eye contact. I lost myself in my thoughts again until the hot coffee overflowed and burned my skin.

"Are you okay, Felicia?" The secretary asked

"Shit! Yeah, I'm fine, its okay!" I said leacking my finger

Suddenly, I heard Nate shouting in the room and hitting the table. I realized that Mrs. Grey's coffee request was a way for her to stay alone with Nate and make him say what he couldnt say in my presence.

Maybe I was just in the way after all... The secretary's remark brought me out of my reflection, and I narrowly avoided burning myself again on the coffee maker.

"It's strange, usually he's very calm."

"Tell me, Suzy. You, who are used to seeing him. Don't you feel that he emanates something... strange?" I asked

"No, well, he's just someone very calm"

"Hmm, okay so"

I headed back to the consultation room, and as I reached for the handle, the door opened on me and I collided with Nate, who was rushing out.

My coffee cup spilled on him. I took a few steps back to regain my balance on my heels, but it was no use. I was going to fall.That's when I saw him rushing to catch me, his hands behind my back, just before I fell.I hadn't dreamed it. He had moved with great speed and dexterity.

I had created enough distance, though. He couldnt catch me that easily.

No, maybe he just has good reflexes...

His dark gaze locked onto my light brown pupils again, and in that short moment, I felt as if I belonged only to him.

"Are you okay, Miss..."

"Felicia... Um... Im fine, thank you."

I put my hands on his chest and let his strong arms pull me back up. He must do a lot of sports.Once in front of him, he removed his gaze from mine, and I felt a void left behind.

"The stain on your..."

He ignored me and left without saying goodbye or closing the door behind him.

"... T-shirt..." I said, my voice troubled

I then looked down at the floor and saw that I had dirtied it.

"Let me clean that up." Suzy said to me

I joined Mrs. Grey who was packing her things and taking a breath of fresh air.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"I dont know. But I hope he hasnt started dealing drugs again. He claims that a strange animal bit him and that hes having hallucinations. Besides drugs, what other explanation do you see for that?"

"An animal? Like... a dog?"

"A wolf!" Mrs Grey corrected.

"But that's impossible. The police would have surely sounded the alarm" I said.

Leaning against the armchair, she raised her eyebrows to confirm my remark as she stared into space.

"What did you think of him?" Mrs. Grey asked.

"I... I barely spoke to him" I replied.

"Yes, but you have impressions, remarks. Tell me what you think."

"Well, I think there are things that make him anxious. The fear of facing reality. It's common among patients who want to change their lives, but very often the past ends up catching up with us and we refuse to face it"

"And so we hide behind our vices and fall back into the same old patterns" Mrs. Grey added.

"Yes" I said, putting my documents in my handbag.

"Well work on it together" Mrs. Grey said.

I spent the whole morning working alongside Mrs. Grey until I noticed the time.

"Its almost time, madam. If you'll allow me" I said gently.

"Very well! Try to be on time next time" Mrs. Grey replied

"Understood. Goodbye, Suzy" I said as I left.

What a busy life I led. I had to go back to Jades place to change into something more casual before heading to the university.

"No! Alicia, I'll be there, don't worry. Oh no, I already have plans with Jade tonight, sorry... I completely forgot" I said on the phone.

I rushed into the apartment and threw my bag on the bed.

"Yes, I'm coming, dont worry"

Hop! I undressed and got into the shower.

***

Thirty minutes later, I was in class and the calm atmosphere of the room made me feel evasive. I couldnt get Nate out of my mind. As I thought about his deep gaze, the noises around me became muted and disappeared.

I sat in my usual spot near the window that overlooked the university courtyard. Suddenly, the sound of a particular voice caught my attention and I looked around. The voice seemed almost faint, but I could hear what it was saying.

"Felicia.."

Someone was calling me, but I didnt know where it was coming from. I continued to look around until the loud thud of my professors book hit my desk and snapped me out of my daze.

"You scared me, professor" I said

"You seem distracted. Maybe the class is boring you!?" the professor said, causing the class to laugh.

"No, sir, sorry" I replied.

As he walked away, Alicia pinched me in the back.

"She's already thinking about Jade, the little minx" she whispered.

"Leave me alone" I said, smiling as I tried to focus on the class.

I heard a whisper in my ear that made me look beyond the window. My eyes scanned the courtyard and my heart skipped a beat when I saw him.

Is this a joke? What's he doing here?

I didn't remember seeing in his report that he was taking classes at a university, unless it was recent.

"Something's wrong ?" Alicia asked.

"Oh, no don't bother" I said, remembering that I was under professional secrecy.

"Hmm, Felicia? Are you hiding something from me?" She asked.

The professor announced the end of the session and gave some recommendations. I got up and left the class while Alicia followed me, taking my hand so that I would finally listen to her.

"Felicia! Whats wrong with you today? You seem... elsewhere! Are you sure youre okay?" She exclaimed.

I sighed and then smiled to reassure her. "Im sorry"

"Yeah, youve been apologizing since earlier... Maybe you..."

I didnt let her finish and hugged her tightly with love.

"Ah, you wont get me with that... no, no!" she said, laughing when she felt my hands tickling her back.

"I'm a bit distracted, but its nothing serious, I promise" I said.

"You would have told me if it was something serious, right?"

"Of course!" I replied.

"And what about the bowling with the others tonight?" Alicia asked.

I made a face at her proposition and she understood immediately.

"Yeah, it's okay, you have to see Jade, your handsome stallion. But you better not bail on my birthday" she said.

"Don't worry, I wont. Thank you for being so understanding" I said, giving her a goodbye kiss.

Fortunately, the apartment wasn't far from the university. I decided to walk there, and it was a good thing because I needed to walk a bit after this strange day.

The cool night air always left me with a pleasant feeling of freedom. I easily got lost in my thoughts until I arrived in front of Jades apartment building.

***

"Hey?" I said as I entered.

"I was about to call you. I thought you forgot about our pizza night and were still out with your friends" Jade replied.

"And how could I forget a pizza night with you?" I said, kissing her lips.

"How was your day?" Jade asked.

"Not great. Oh, by the way, you did remember the wine, right?" I asked.

"French wine, just the way you like it" Jade replied.

"Bordeaux?!" I exclaimed.

He smiled and kissed me again."Go take a shower" he said, tapping my ass.

***

We had an excellent evening watching a werewolf movie that reminded me of my mysterious encounter.

"Do you think a wolf could walk around the city streets without being noticed?" I asked, intrigued.

"The movie seems to be pleasing you, which is rare. No, its impossible. Wolves always travel in packs. The police in Newcastle would quickly put the city on lockdown. Besides, there are no wolves in the surrounding woods" Jade explained with a little smile

"Yeah, you're right" I said.

"Unless its a werewolf" he insinuated.

I immediately felt chills down my spine and sat up to look at him, worried.

"Are you kidding?" I asked.

"Of course! Don't tell me you believed me?" he said, laughing.

I grabbed the pillow next to me and tried to smother him with it.

***

After having some fun, we made love in the living room, and I eventually fell asleep in his arms.

In my sleep, I had a strange dream where I was being chased in the woods by something.It was dark, and I couldn't see anything except the full moon in the sky.

My heart was racing, and I ran without knowing where I was going. I eventually stumbled on a rock and fell to the ground. I tried to get up, but my leg was injured. I heard noises around me. A few meters behind the bushes, I saw an animal with eyes that were a deep black that turned to gold.

The moonlight then shone on it, and I saw it's jaw open on its long, sharp canines.

"Help! Help!" I cried, trembling.I tried to get up in vain.

I heard a wolf howl, and a few seconds later, I saw it leap towards me to devour me. I abruptly woke up from my dream, taking deep breaths.

A few seconds later, the sound of plates in the kitchen made me jump, and that's when I saw Jade appear.

"You had a bad dream, it seems. Relax, my love" he said, taking me in his arms.

The eyes I had seen in my dream resembled those of Mrs. Greys patient. But why did he intrigue me so much?

I snuggled back into Jades arms to fall asleep, unaware that my encounter this morning with Nate Sullivan had forever altered the course of my destiny.

All of this was not a coincidence. I was not ready

Not at all...

To be continued...