Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 135: Bear Hug, Wolf Style

"Last minute partner swap," said Loveday to Baer and Brenner, who sat at a breakfast table with Wolf, Niko and Opal. "Baer, you’re with Opal now, and Brenner you’re with me. Generals’ orders."

Baer kept shovelling in his breakfast, his expression unchanging.

Brenner had a shiner, and kept his face turned to his food because every time he looked up someone laughed at him.

"Okay," he said impassively.

Opal looked over at Baer with interest. He definitely wasn’t Niko, but he was a big step up from being partnered with her own brother...

"Put it here partner," she called across the table to Baer, holding up her hand.

Baer looked up and her and returned the interested gaze for Loveday’s benefit. He gave Opal a firm high five.

"Good news," he smirked at Opal, "looks like I’ve levelled up".

She giggled, looking furtively at Loveday. "You’ve definitely dropped a level Baer, don’t be mean," she replied.

Without having to ask, Niko knew exactly what had happened. He wasn’t going to get involved in this little argument between his best friend and his sister; he didn’t want to be the meat in the sandwich... Hopefully it was a storm in a teacup, and it would all die down quickly.

Wolf looked concerned. He wasn’t stupid. He knew Araminta had disappeared with Baer last night. Now that Baer had fallen out with Loveday, where did that leave Araminta? Why hadn’t she been swapped to be Baer’s partner instead of Opal?

He stood up and headed over to Winter.

"Do you know where Araminta is?" he asked her.

"No," she said with surprise. "She should be here by now. She left the dorm at the same time I did. She just stopped off at the bathroom."

Wolf nodded and left the room, hunting for the little girl.

Before he arrived at the nearest bathroom, he saw some feet peeping out from beside the bubbler.

He walked up to the drinking fountain and peered over it.

Sure enough, she sat curled in a ball, her head on her arms, her eyes closed.

He walked over and slid down beside her, careful to give her an inch or two of space.

She turned her head and cracked open one eye to peep at him.

He waved awkwardly and she turned her head back towards her knees.

He felt well out of his depth here. He actually didn’t even know any women. He didn’t even have any sisters; they were all boys in his family, except for his mother, who had him at forty and always called him her ’twilight baby’.

He only knew the rough and tumble of male company, in the army and at home.

He felt like this delicate tiny creature was from another world.

He really couldn’t understand how Baer could even contemplate hurting her. It was like the idea of hurting a puppy or a kitten; totally incomprehensible.

If she was his, he would treat her like a princess, he thought. But it seemed like she was way out of his league.

Why she had settled for that thug, Baer, he would never understand.

"Araminta..." he tried ineptly. "Are you okay?"

She didn’t answer him.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

She shook her head miserably, it felt like waves of pain were washing over her, and she certainly couldn’t trust herself to talk, she would only cry.

He nodded. "I understand. Sometimes when I’m very sad I don’t want to talk either. My mother always used to try to make me talk, and I would get very angry. Oh, she would say, ’Wolfie, just tell me what’s wrong. You have to talk to me. It’s better to let it out’," he mimicked his mother’s cadences. "It drove me nuts. I ended up hiding in the garden in a tree when I was really upset so that she wouldn’t find me."

He realised he was rambling, trying to fill the silence.

Her shoulders gave a little shudder, and he saw that she was silently crying.

He decided that practical solutions were called for now. He grabbed her in his big arm and pulled her against him, wrapping her in a one-armed hug. His one arm covered her entirely, almost shielding her from view.

He hoped he didn’t smell bad to a girl. He had put on deodorant this morning...

It seemed like she had accepted the hug because she tucked her head into his shoulder, and he wrapped his other arm around her in a proper hug now, letting her cry softly into his shirt.

They sat silently like that for about ten minutes, Wolf gently stroking her back.

Feifei walked by and looked at Wolf, asking through gestures if he needed help. He waved her on.

She nodded and kept walking; he seemed to be doing a good job of comforting Arrie. It was good for Arrie to build trust with her mission partner. She wouldn’t have Winter or herself on the mission to confide in.

Now Baer rounded the corner and looked down at Wolf hugging his woman.

"What the fuck do you think you’re doing Wolf?" he growled at the man. "Get your hands off my girl."

"Baer, piss off," said Wolf. "She doesn’t want to speak to you or see you right now, do you Araminta?"

She kept her head down but shook it.

"Why the hell not? You don’t speak for her Wolf, let her tell me herself what’s going on." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Baer, I think you’re the only person who doesn’t have a clue what’s going on here. Just give Araminta some space. She’ll talk to you when she’s ready."

"Is that true, shortcake?" asked Baer. "You don’t want to talk to me, and you want to stay here cuddled up with this circus clown?" he flared.

"If my arms weren’t taken up hugging this woman that you’ve hurt, I would punch your face in Baer. Get lost!"

Baer was a bit shocked; it was most uncharacteristic for Wolf to lose his cool and threaten violence.

He would put up with all manner of crap before he rose to the bait. His overreaction reminded Baer of that first wrestling match and the boner the guy had while he was wrestling Arrie.

His eyes narrowed and he reached over and tried to prise Wolf’s arm off Arrie’s back.

"Let her go, man, I want to talk to her!"

She looked up at him with reddened eyes. "Baer, get lost. I don’t want you here."