I gingerly stepped off the bed, wincing in pain as I did so. My ribs hurt a lot but my foot hurt even more. As soon as I stood up, all the blood rushing to it through the pull of gravity and the sudden increased pressure made my ankle feel like it was going to explode.
Like a true gentleman, Aiden held out his arm. I placed a hand on his forearm and leaned my weight against it. He propped me up with ease. His arm was strong and I could feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt.
"Thanks," I said. Then using him as a human walking stick, we slowly moved towards the door.
I was quite glad he didn't try to carry me again. It wasn't that I despised his touch, it was just a bit embarrassing. He kept a respectable distance from me, it was enough to be close by but still managed to give me plenty of personal space.
"How did you find me?" I asked curiously, half expecting him to say that he happened to be passing by or was in the vicinity and heard me screaming like a banshee.
"I smelled your scent." He answered without looking at me.
"What did I smell like?" I asked. Then before he had the chance to answer, I said, "like a wet dog?" Half joking and half-serious.
In all fairness, I had been sweating like crazy from all the running around and the fighting.
"You smell like dandelions." He answered. His voice was gentle but firm. It was filled with affirmation, raising no question of doubt that was exactly what I must've smelled like.
But did dandelions even have a scent? I frowned. I have certainly never tried to sniff at one before. It had always been its pretty bright yellow colour that drew me in.
"What do dandelions even smell like?" I asked, hopping along next to him.
He paused for a moment as if reminiscing its scent.
"It smells like the sun." He said.
I raised an eyebrow at him, questioning. Was he telling me porkies?
"Sunflowers smells like the sun." I said as a matter-of-factly. Honestly, who was he trying to kid? I know what the sun smelled like. I used to roam around under it all the time.
A small corner of his mouth started to turn upwards and he smiled.
The moonlight lit the profile of his face and he looked painstakingly beautiful. I felt my heart skipping a beat. He was easily the best-looking person I have ever seen, even amongst all these young werewolves in the school, he still stood out above the rest.
"Thank you for saving me." He said.
It was the first time he had acknowledged it. I swallowed hard, remembering the hurt I felt when Darcey asked him if he knew me, and he said 'no'.
"What for?" Pretending not to care, I asked. "I thought you didn't know me?"
He turned to face me, an amused look in his eyes.
I lifted my head and held his gaze bravely. I could see my own reflection in his beautiful grey eyes, I could even see the determination and challenge in my eyes.
Sure, he might have just saved my life and I was grateful. But I certainly wasn't going to let him think that it was ok to act like he didn't know me whilst his friends or girlfriend were around.
Aiden sighed briefly before asking, "Why did you think Kendra and her cronies attacked you tonight?"
I thought carefully for a moment whilst biting the inside of my cheek.
"She did say she was going to get me tonight," I answered.
"Yes, but why?" He pressed as if trying to get to a point.
"Why? Who knows why? Maybe it's because she's a psychopath?" I rolled my eyes.
"That could be partly true. But did you think maybe it was because of Theo?" He asked.
My face dropped. That made a lot of sense. Why didn't I think of it? Theo must've instructed her to attack me because I got him into trouble!
"Female werewolves are immensely jealous creatures. Did you want Darcey to come after you tonight as well?" He looked at me steadily.
And have all of them ambush me? No thanks! I immediately shook my head.
We walked along the derelict corridor in silence.
I pondered over his question. What did I ever do to Darcey? I've never even spoken to the girl. Then again I've never spoken to Kendra before either. Was I going to have to try and stay out of her way as well from now on? My head was starting to hurt from all the questions.
The door to my room was wide open. As expected, Kendra had already escaped.
Aiden checked the room thoroughly, even opening and closing the closet door to ensure she wasn't hidden inside. But I could tell he only did it for my sake, to reassure me that she was no longer in the room and that I was safe. He could easily tell whether or not she was here by picking up her scent.
I sat on the bed, feeling all the energy drain from my body. Everywhere I looked around the room were scenes of her attacking me, tossing me across the floor then biting me, pinning me down. Who knew what could've happened? We had all signed a waiver form, the school held no responsibility for what happened during the full moon. I shuddered involuntarily.
"She's long gone," Aiden said.
"Thank you for saving me," I whispered the exact same words that came out of his mouth not that long ago. They seemed like five of the simplest words in the world and yet they carried so much weight. Hearing the words out loud, I realised how sincere they were and how truly humbled I was by them.
"Get some rest." He said.
I hesitated. I didn't want to be alone, but there was no way I could bring myself to ask him to stay.
Then as if reading my mind he said, "I'll be outside. See you in the morning."
Before I had the chance to 'thank' him, he closed the door behind him.
My eyes teared up. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes.
A little tear droplet slid out of the corner of my eye, like a small diamond it glistened under the moonlight before disappearing into the pillow without a trace.