Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Aaron stood there, horror-stricken by the sight of Alice in a werewolf form. A form he exactly looked like now.

He shifts back slowly but he couldn’t turn around and run away. He was stunned and frightened at the same time that it made it difficult for him to process everything at once.

First Dominic shows up out of nowhere, second, he was spilling secrets and now Alice was standing in four feet that he never in his wildest dreams thought she could do that.

How could she stand on four feet? He could only push his claws out and grow some hair out and get a slight change on his face. But here she was changing into a complete wolf.

His chest was heaving up and down—he wanted to run as far away as he could. It wasn’t because he was afraid of her… everything was too much for him to process at the moment.

Before he could blink, she had returned to her normal form and walked over to him. “Aaron,” she called out softly, trying to calm his panic. He shook his head briskly as he moved back.

“Don’t come near me,” he warned her. His eyes glittering with distress and anger. She could sense the fear more. This was what she was afraid of—how he’d react when he finds out.

“No, please… I can… I can explain. Please don’t run away from me,” she sobbed hysterically.

Dominic grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. “What the fuck do you see in this pathetic, feeble boy, Alice? Do you see how he’s blaming you for everything when he’s been lying too? He’s pinning every blame you,” He clamored, his eyes darkening with fury.

“Leave me alone!” She thundered, trying to free herself from his hold but he wouldn’t budge.

“He doesn’t fucking stand a chance with you! He’s only going to hurt you, Alice.”

Aaron stared at the both of them exchanging words. He wanted to be far away from here but something was stopping him from running off. He wanted to listen to Alice and hear her reasons for not telling him about her identity.

Was she the one that bit him? Or was it Dominic? Or she knew someone who did it?

“Stay away from her. You only cause nothing but trouble to her,” Dominic yelled, sending a death dagger Aaron’s way. Aaron didn’t bother to budge—it was as if he was glued to his root. As if threatened if he moved, they’d come after him and kill him.

“Don’t listen to him, Aaron, he can’t do anything. I won’t let that happen,” she murmured, grabbing both his hands that were now furry with sharped claws. He immediately shifted back, not knowing he wasn’t himself.

She didn’t care whatever he was. She had fallen for him so deeply that she’d be with him whether he was human or werewolf or vampire. She had fallen for him even before he touched her.

She gently squeezed his hands, looking down at them. She hates the pain she was feeling because everything was too much for her. She didn’t plan for it to happen this way. She didn’t plan for Aaron to find out the truth this way. Now once again Dominic came into the picture and plainly ruined everything for the both of them within splitting seconds.

She looked up at Aaron—he wasn’t smiling. He also wasn’t looking upset. He held a stoic look, just staring at her without moving or saying anything. She wanted him to say something, yell at her or say whatever he had buckled up in his mind.

“I’m not leaving here without you, Alice. Your father would be here any moment so it’s up to you…”

Aaron gently freed his hands and moved back. He heard the faint voice from afar again. It was his sister calling him. He wouldn’t want Lily to find them here and things would be a lot messier.

Dominic might also tell his fifteen-year-old sister he was a werewolf or he could nonsensically attack her. He wouldn’t want anything to happen to Lily. The only way to save them both from more stress was leaving. Possibly never returning. Because the way he felt for Alice had marginally altered and he scrupulously doesn’t know if he’d look at her the same way even if he came back.

Alice shook her head as she walked towards him. He turned around and bolted. “Aaron…” her voice faltered. Her heart was beating so hard that she could feel the pain. Her vision blurred with tears as her head felt light.

This is what it feels like when you lose a loved one? Why does it hurt so bad? Why can’t she breathe? Why does it have to end this way?

The unanswered question wandered in her head while she stood there, staring at the path Aaron ran towards. She felt the urge to go after him but she knew he wouldn’t want that. She knew he wanted to be far away from her and she was going to respect his decision and give him space until he was ready to listen to her. She didn’t want to do that, but there wasn’t any other way out of the agony. The tunnel just keeps going without a way out of it.

Dominic belligerently grasped her by the arms and carted her towards their pack. She yelled at the top of her voice and screech her claws in his cheek. He groaned in pain, letting go of her.

“Fuck,” He grunted, holding the cheek she just scratched off.

“You’re such an asshole, Dominic! I have never hated someone in my life like I hate you. You’re so full of yourself and greedy. You don’t even care about other people’s choice or opinion. You only care about your stupid self. I will never in my wildest dream choose you as a mate, you murderer!”

Dominic mounted in front of her, staring and unable to move and say anything after what she had said. Deep inside of him, he was infuriated and his mind kept telling him to attack, destroy. But whenever he looks at Alice, his hearts becomes soft and he’s unable to do much. He hated that he was obsessed with her and couldn’t control it. If he could let go of her, he would’ve done that a long time ago. He wasn’t good at tolerating impudence especially from a girl but Alice has become his weakness and he couldn’t do anything about it. She was the only one that could tell him crap like that and get away with it.

He had his hand curled up in a fist—his claws cutting deep into his palm, he didn’t care that he was hurting himself. He’d heal within a blink of an eye. And the pain he felt when Alice spatted those words to him were more hurtful that what he felt in his palms.

“If you love me like you claim you do then let go of me! Leave me alone… I’m not the best for you—I will never be. Because I don’t love you, Dominic. You know that yet you keep pushing it. You’re just making me hate you more. And I’ve never for once felt a spark between us…”

She sucked in a huge breath, shocked at herself. The anger just came like a wave. She swipes at her tears and spin around, unable to look at him.

The air was thick, sending chills down her spine. Soon, she didn’t feel the strong gaze of Dominic behind her anymore. She turned around just to find out she was alone.

For some reasons, it made her feel much more worse than she was already feeling. He just walked away when she needed someone to comfort her. Despite how she hated him and didn’t want anything that has to do with him, she actually assumed he’d feel rueful after what she had said and try to apologize—she was wrong, Dominic would never change from being persistent and arrogant. It was in him and he couldn’t control it. He’s an Alpha after all, she shouldn’t expect much from him.

She felt more wet hot tears fill up her eyes—she had wiped her eyes so much that they were red and swollen. They were tears of pain and she was in extreme agony—it was unmanageable to stop them from gushing out from her eyes.

**

Alice found herself by the waterfall, alone. Everyone was busy enjoying the event and she couldn’t care less. Miley and Daniel asked her to join them but she reluctantly rejected. She hasn’t been fair to them—Miley had told her that. She knew it. And now she may have lost her best friend also.

She has grown so fond of being around Aaron that she has neglected the two people that mattered to her life. She hugged her knees and buried her face in them. She felt ashamed of herself that now when Aaron has left, she needed them.

She felt so guilty, pain—anything but good. Tears welled from deep inside and coursed down her cheeks. Her eyes bled with pain and her body looked calm compared to how tangled her mind was.

“You honestly can’t keep hiding from the real world.”

She knew the owner of the voice before she even turned. She raised her head and looked ahead. Despite how dim it was, the water glowed, lightening the cave.

She smiled through her tears and looked over her shoulder. He smiled at her from a distance and despite how dim the place was, she could see his fine face.

He walked over to her and perched beside her. She closed her eyes, sucking in a huge breath—his scent was so soothing and welcoming. It made her stomach to churn but in a good way. She slightly felt less anxious about her whole situation.

“You always seem to find me no matter how deep I hide,” she began, staring ahead.

Another smile flickers at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve always had this believe that our hearts are connected and it just leads me to you. And I knew you’d be here if you weren’t by the oak tree or the tree house.”

She stared at Ryan for few seconds, his side burn was well sculptured. He kept his beard so neat, as neat as the rest of his hair, and to be honest, it’s hard to imagine him any other way. He had a face of a goddess.

“Have you ever been in love?” She asked. He peered at her and she could see the shock on his face. He wasn’t expecting her to ask him that. He didn’t want to answer the question but knowing how plaguing Alice could be, he tried to be honest with her.

“I’ve dated a couple of times… it didn’t work out. They always seem to get tired and leave.”

“Why?” She asked, hugging her knees again. He could sense how interested she was to know everything. He heaved a sigh and looked away from her before she could see his expression.

“I work a lot and I seem to choose that over anyone. I occupy myself with work even if I don’t have to. Is it cruel if I say that I did it on purpose just so they get tired and end the relationship first? I don’t want to be the bad guy, you know?”

Alice smiled genuinely for the first time that night. “Why did you get into a relationship with them at the first place?”

He shoulder-shrugged and answered plainly. “Just to while away time.”

Alice stared at him for several seconds. She knew he didn’t want to talk about it anymore but she still went ahead and nagged him with her questions. “Are they beautiful?”

He gazed at her, giving her a quizzical look. “Why do you want to know?”

She shrugged, averting her gaze away from him. She dropped down her legs and dipped them into the cool water. It didn’t go all the way down because of how short her legs were. She didn’t care that half her feet were handing above the water.

“They’re all beautiful, especially Erica—she was my favorite. She’s so sweet and kind. I knew that she loved me and she wanted things to work. I actually felt bad seeing how upset she looked after finding out that I wasn’t into her anymore,” he said and exhaled. “She used to cook for me and I almost told her that I was a werewolf…”

Alice laughed, a very tempting, purely feminine sound—it echoed through the cave. “How good was her cooking?”

“You know how I love when your mom makes potato soup, right?”

She nods her head, “You must love her cooking so much.”

She remembered how Ryan used to spend the whole day at her place when her mom was making soup. He’d stay with her in the kitchen, trying to learn how she makes the soup but doesn’t entirely get it right like she does.

“How about you? How many guys were lucky enough to stare at your stunning eyes and touch your gorgeous, soft hair?” He said, wiping away locks of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

She looks away, chuckling. Her heart warming up when Ryan uttered that to her. She cleared her throat nervously. She didn’t exactly know how to tell him that she had never actually liked someone until she met Aaron.

It was safe to say that he was her first love and she would never regret loving him even if they somehow end up not being together. “I’ve never been with anyone but Aaron,” she mouthed, somehow disconcerted to tell him.

He sensed how uncomfortable she was. “Lucky you.”

“Lucky me?” She said, sounding more like it was a question.

“He’s your first love and it’s genuine, I know that. Being with too many people would just make you seem like a player or a bad person, or even cheap.”

She doesn’t speak but her expression told him that she wasn’t convinced with his answer. He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. “Have you guys… done it yet?” he asked.

“Done what?” She asked, giving him a quizzical look. He raised a brow and it immediately hit her. Her eyes widened as her brows shoots to the top. She could swear her jaw dropped to the floor. “You are so gross, Ryan…” she laughed, hitting him playful on the shoulder.

“What? I want to know…” he laughed out.

She cleared her throat, her head ducked. She looked at any other thing but Ryan. How was she possibly going to tell him that she was still a virgin and yet to mate with anybody?

“We haven’t… done it yet,” she murmured but he heard what she said.

Smiling with relief, he takes a moment to take in her sight for the first time. How didn’t he notice how beautiful she looked above the glowing lights of the clear water? Her ocean blue eyes sparkled, making her face to light up.

She looked back as he gently cupped the sides of her face in his hands. She looked up at him, his eyes already glued to hers. She wasn’t sure of what was going to happen but she knew if she didn’t move back, she was going to regret it for the rest of her life.

“I know you’re in love with him and you wouldn’t want anything that has to with anyone but him…”

He saw the relief in her eyes as she breaths out. He smiled, letting go of her face and getting to his feet.

“Come on, lets head home. Your parents are worried,” he said, stretching his hand out. She took it and he helped her up.

If they stayed another minute longer, he wouldn’t hesitate to crush their lips together. But he knew that would be the end of their friendship if he made the mistake of kissing her when he was sure of how much she loves Aaron.

They left the cave and headed home. With each step, her heart pounded against her chest. She knew what was waiting for her back home. She wasn’t ready for the chaos but she had to face it sooner or later. It appears that she has to deal with it sooner than she expected.