Chapter 15: Chapter 15

He walks out, holding his head up as though he wasn’t scared to death whenever he entered this death zone place they call home. He looks around as they glared back at him—he gulped hard. He felt their hot dagger eating him up, like they could read his mind and they could see how afraid he was. He knew they could hear his heart beating hard and they could use that to take advantage of him. But they dared not to touch him, they dared not to have the thought of eating him for dinner as he’s their hope, their way to save their pack and finally have a better life.

Whenever he comes to Lumena pack, he wondered why he decided to help them. Why he was going against the werewolves he badly wanted to have their blessings from.

Sometimes, he felt mortified whenever he remembered her. Whenever he remembered her innocent eyes and how she had zero thoughts behind them—how she has no intention of hurting him… maybe. But like they’ve told him, he has to get to them before they destroy him and his family.  ‘Werewolves are never to be trusted.’ Alpha Vincent told him. Though he has so many questions about that quote, he lets it slide to save himself from the stress and wrath of the Alpha of Lumena.

He strolled into the woods as he turned back to look at the gates to the pack. They were still there, standing and looking at him as he wandered into the woods.

Aaron exhales out dramatically as he brought both hands to his knees to catch his breath. Whenever he visits the pack, they gave him the chills that made him forget how to breathe and even walk.

He restrained himself and began walking towards home. The night was silent with only the chirping sound of crickets and his footsteps against the leaves and dirt.

Aaron heaved a sigh of frustration upon realizing where he was—he was by the rock, where he and Alice hang out together. It’s been weeks now since he had last seen her. He missed her—a lot. But it seems like it was best he stayed away for a while to sort his mind out. It wasn’t like he was having doubts of being with her. He has promised that he’d be with her no matter what… he was going to and he promised to marry her…

He heard the sharp and loud footsteps of someone running toward him. He quickly hid in the tall trees and observed from a far. He watched as she halted to catch her breath. It was later when he realized it was Alice. His eyes gaped as he walked toward her, wondering what she was doing out her in the middle of the night and what she was running from.

He could see how pale her face turned and the horror sucked the breath out of her when she spotted him. She walked backwards in attempt to run off but he stopped her before she could.

“Hey, it’s okay… it’s me,” he assured her and instantly, he saw the relieve on her face.

“Aaron,” she calls out in awe yet softly. She almost looked relived to see him. “What are you doing out here by this time of the night, it’s not safe…” he pauses and looked around. From a distance, he heard the footsteps and chatter of men jogging toward them. He held her hand, “C’mon, we have to go,” he said as he led the way to the unfinished building they once entered when it was about to rain.

She didn’t hesitate, she followed him not actually knowing where he was taking her. She trusts him so much that she believes he wasn’t going to do anything harmful to her even after knowing the truth about her.

They sauntered into the building and he led them to a room and perched down on the cold floor. She clasped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from crying or breathing too loud.

She was in fear and it became a tangible, living force that crept over her like some hungry beast, immobilizing her, her brain, holding her captive.

She felt his arms loop around her trembling shoulder and drew her closer to him. Slowly, she lets out a breath of ease and relished to his hold. It calmed her, made her felt safe and nothing was going to happen to her as long as she was in his arms. She had missed these moments—being in his arms and feeling secured.

She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat steady, rhythming with hers. A smile formed on her mouth, seeing how compatible they were. She closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest, almost forgetting the situation she was in. The horrific position Dominic had put her in.

Reminiscing what had happened moments ago with Dominic made her feel sick all of a sudden. It made her feel the urge to scream out the pain he and her father had out her in for forcing her to do something she didn’t intend to… for putting her in a tight spot and a tunnel with no exit.

“They’re gone now,” he interrupted her miserable pool of thoughts. She opened her eyes, realizing how tight she was holding him. “Sorry,” she mouthed, loosening her grip on him. He chuckled softly, “It’s okay.”

She smiled back self-consciously. He was still holding her and he didn’t feel the need to let go… she didn’t argue either. She laid there on his chest and closed her eyes.

She didn’t say anything to him or ask what happened that evening and he didn’t bother to speak up—he’d wait until she was ready to talk about it. Or maybe he should be the one to bring up the talk.

They cuddled there in the empty room, in silence with none of them willing to talk. She wanted to—she wasn’t just going to be the first to speak up. He was the one that needed to explain. Though she had to explain her reasons for hiding that one vast truth about her but he had more to explain to her.

“I didn’t run away because I was afraid of you,” he began when the silence was getting rather too intense. One has to speak up to punch a hole for air before they both choke from not speaking up.

She didn’t say a word to him, instead, she freed herself from his hold and hugged her knees to her chest. A knot blocking the passage of air in her throat. She didn’t want to cry—she wasn’t going to let herself cry over this. She wasn’t going to let him get to her, not tonight. She has had enough for tonight.

“My love for you has not changed, Alice, I still love you whether you are human or not. I love you the way you are…”

“So, you’re saying being a werewolf is some kind of obligation or a swearword?” She cuts in… she didn’t know she was angry until he told her he loved her. No, he doesn’t love her, he doesn’t want anything that has to do with her—those are the words he’s supposed to say.

“You are not a liability for being a werewolf… you will never be. I understand why you didn’t tell me. You wanted to protect me, protect your family. I know… my kind aren’t you favorite—they tend to hunt you down and hurt you even when you didn’t cross their path. They are my kind but I’m also afraid of them. Heck, my parents have no idea that I’ve turned into a werewolf… they have no idea that I sneak out in the middle of the night just to walk in the woods to clear my mind.”

She had her head buried in her knees to avoid him from seeing her tears. She wanted not to cry but it was hard to stop the tears from falling. This wasn’t a situation that she needed to tear up for… but whenever Aaron comes into the picture, she becomes weak and tend to not know what to do. He’s her weakness and he know it. He knows her feeblest spot, he knows how telling her he loves her make her soften.

She got to her feet, dusting the dirt off her dress. “They’ve left… I need to head home,” she said and went for the doorless passage.

“No, please stay… we need to talk about this, please,” he pleaded, his eyes seemed as though he was going to tear up also.

“What’s there to talk about again?” She asked him, smiling through her tears. “You aren’t afraid of me. You love me the way I am. You understand that people like you hurt us…”

“I am not their kind anymore. I am not people like them,” he said firmly, grabbing her shoulders. “I am your kind now. It makes it so much easier for us to be together, Alice. Don’t you see it? This is faith. We were meant to be together. And I love you… so much. And if it wasn’t for my little sister who was about to show up in the scene that evening, I wouldn’t have left you there with that monster…”

“Why didn’t you fucking show up after that? Why didn’t you look for me after what happened?” She clamored, jabbing a finger through his hard chest.

He slowly trailed his hands down to her elbows, her wrists and finally joined their hands together. She looked down at their hands clasped together… despite how angry she was, she has missed these moments. Moments where they’d sometimes hold hands and stare at each other adoringly, moments he’d tell her how he feels about her, how she’s the only thing that matters to him.

“I was confused, afraid, upset. I was confused that I never thought you’d be a werewolf, afraid that you wouldn’t want me after finding out the truth about me also, upset that I neglected you for weeks without putting the effort to look for you and explain myself…”

She took her hands away from his hold as she shook her head adamantly. “No… no… you’re not confused or afraid or upset… you wouldn’t have left me that evening if you really loved me. Because you said… you told me you’d be by my side no matter what but you lied. You left me when I needed you. You fucking left me when I was at my fucking… you fucking left me at my fucking lowest and real fucking partners who fucking love you wouldn’t do some shit like that, Aaron. I thought you needed time to think but with every fucking day passing by I… I realized you were neglecting me.” She sniffled between words as she wiped her eyes but the tears came anyway.

They say sadness is behind anger, yet anger never comes unless in direct self-defense, and so perhaps she could credit this natural passivity with her willingness to cry and feel pain, let the sorrow teach her more about her true nature and how fragile she could be sometimes.

“No, no, don’t say that, please. I wasn’t snubbing you, Alice, you matter the most in my life. I’m sorry. I hurt you. I hurt myself by hurting you. I can’t change the past and what I have done. But all I can say is that I won’t do the same mistake of making you feel neglected no matter what comes between us. I know one mistake has changed everything. It has broken out relationship. Please don’t leave me, Alice. Don’t give me such a big punishment. I really love you. I can’t live without you. I will die! The moments we spend together gave me life and now that you don’t want anything that has to do with me, there is no reason for me to live. So please, even if you’re not going to forgive me now… I just want you to know that I’m sorry, I’m hurting and I feel every bit of guilt for letting you face that monster alone.”

She didn’t know how to react to what he had just said. Her heart and soul had routinely believed every word he said to her because she still trusts him and she believes he would never want to hurt her or see her hurting. And besides, everyone makes mistakes and he has admitted his mistakes and was willing to make things right between them. He’s willing to do whatever it takes for their relationship to work out. She wasn’t sure how their relationship was going to work out, but she was also willing to fight for their love.

She felt his warm palms against her wet and hot cheeks. She closed her eyes, melting into his touch like a blanket. He kissed her cheeks, her eyes, her nose and then pressed a soft kiss on her lips. “I hate seeing you in pain… it’s my most painful weakness,” he told her, looking down at her.

She opened her eyes, despite the dimness of the room, he could still see her ocean blue eyes glowing at him. She smiled for the first time since they met—it was contagious, he couldn’t help but smile also.

“What happened?” He asked her after knowing they were now in good terms.

Her smile faded instantly when she remembered what brought her out into the woods at the first place. She bites her down on her lip to stop herself from tearing up again. Having the thought of Dominic and whatever he intended to do to her made her feel like breaking down and losing hope of a happy ending.

“It was… Dominic. I… I don’t know what he had in mind when he forced me to join in his pack for dinner. I just…”

“Forced you? He forced you to go to his home? Did he do anything to you? Did he touch you?” He asked as he observed her body for any wound. “No… I’m fine. I used that pepper spray you gave me and sprayed it on him,” she said almost sounding proud of herself.

“Good girl. You did the right thing,” he said, looping his arms around her waist and closing the gap between them.

She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her hand through his curly, soft black hair.

She tip-toed and kissed both his cheeks. “I’ve missed your freckles,” she said joyfully. A smiled formed on his lips, his heart easing with pleasure. It felt so good be with her. It even made him feel doubtful about what he had gotten himself into.

“What else did you miss?” He asked, stroking her back up and down gently. His eyes never left hers and he never stopped smiling at her. She also didn’t stop smiling or looked away because whenever she looked into his eyes, she gets completely lost in them.

He was staring at her with a level of need that she didn’t know she was capable of producing in someone.

She felt her heart pounding as she cupped his face and captured his plump lips. Reality faded as his lips moved with hers. She has kissed him before but she never ceases to get lost in the feel of his lips for what seemed like the millionth time.

He trailed kisses down her neck, building her eagerness, making her heart rate go faster than she could ever imagine. She leaned in to enjoy the moment, her body filled with endless passion. “I could kiss you forever.” She heard the soft whisper of his breath as he exhaled.

She closed her eyes again and let his words seep over every doubtful thought she has ever had about him.

**

The sun burst through the window and danced along the room, illuminating everything it touched as if trying to say ‘good day’.

She grimaced, trying to avoid the bright sun from bringing her awake but failed. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Aaron had his arms around her like his life depended on her or she was going to escape from his hold.

She smiled as she brought her fingers to his face and caressed his freckles. He looked so peaceful sleeping while sitting on the hard floor. Her soft fingers, cold woke him up and his eyes slowly fluttered open. He proximately smiled the moment their eyes met. “How did we sleep in here?” He asked, getting to his feet.

The last thing he could remember was cuddling up into each other and saying nothing until they unintentionally dozed off.

He helped her up and they exited the building.

They began walking without even knowing exactly where they were heading. They both weren’t ready to say goodbye. It felt like if they part ways, it would the end and they were never going to see each other again.

“Can I take you home?” He asked, almost feeling too petrified to say it. He wasn’t sure if she was ready to show him where she lived. He was afraid she didn’t trust him enough to show him her home.

She smiled and nodded without hesitation. He smiled back and clasped their hands together.

She led the way until they arrived at the gates of Scuris pack. He could feel the uneasiness she was going through. Maybe she was afraid to be seen with him or afraid of what was waiting for her behind those gates.

He stroked her hand, assuring her everything was going to be okay. She looks at him and smiled, knowing what his gesture meant.

“This is my home, The Scuris Pack. It’s coordinated by my father, The Alpha,” she explained briefly.

“So, you’re like a princess?” He asked and she chuckled softly. “I guess so,” she said and shrugs it off. “I have to go now. I’m already late,” she told him as she faced him. He nods his head, not ready to say goodbye just yet but if he stayed another minute without returning home, it would cost him another five bucks he was going to give his sister for covering up for him.

He kissed her forehead and bid her goodbye. They didn’t promise to see each other the next day or the next week—their heart somehow connects and bring them together whether they planned it to happen or not.

She exhaled shakingly and strolled through the gates. She picked up her pace, her head ducked until she arrived home.

Ryan was pacing back and forth in front of their porch as he curled his fist into a ball.

She gapped her eyes, forgetting the promise she had made to return before sunrise. “Ryan,” she called out, approaching him. He snaps his head up and immediately breaths out air of relieve when saw her. “I would’ve been in front of his gates if it wasn’t for your parents,” he said enfolding her in a tight hug. “Don’t you freaking scare me like this again,” he added, breaking the hug.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t wake up early. I haven’t even showered as you can see. I knew you’d be worried,” she said as they headed inside. Her heart was hammering against her chest. It seemed like they don’t know what actually happened by the way Ryan spoke to her.

“Hey sweetie, your home. Breakfast?” Linda spoke cheerfully. Fredrick raised his head up from his plate and looked at her. “How was the dinner? Did you like his pack?” Her father asked but she shrugs it off. “It was whatever it was,” she mouthed and made her way to her room.

She closed the door and leaned against it. “Damnit,” she breathes out as she slides down to the wooden floor.

It appears that Dominic didn’t come looking for her here last night.