AARON.
I had never been made to think about my past, present or even the future.
My life moved so quickly. There was never time to stop and think about certain things. But here I was, trying to put words together so that this little woman beside me would understand my story. She looked at me with anticipation and optimism. Those big brown eyes. They had a weird sense of depth and understanding I hadn't seen in a long time. She scooched a little closer. Her knuckles brushed the top of my arm. My breathe hitched. Jolts of electricity remained where her touch was. This was happening frequently, and I couldn't decipher what it meant.
"Aaron?" She said, startling me out of my thoughts.
"Give me a moment, Helena." My voice came out huskier than I intended. I took a deep breath.
"Take your time." Her eyes crinkled.
I took around five minutes, and began.
"Well…..
I was born in Georgetown around 25 years ago. As you know I'm a werewolf, and life hasn't been so easy since I discovered that. I had a normal childhood up until I was 12, which was when I first transformed. I was in my back yard, playing with my transformers action figure. It was a full moon. It was a little after 7pm, and my mom was making dinner. The night suddenly got very chilly. I looked up at the moon and that was it. My body morphed into a wereolve's. It was a little painful at first, and I screamed. I tried turning back, too shocked at what happened. I had seen werewolves in movies and comics, but it was nothing compared to me. I was finally able to do it and I saw my mom standing at the door leading to the yard. She told me to be calm and wait for my dad. I cried so hard that night. My dad came home that night and explained all I needed to know about being a werewolf. Especially why I mustn't tell anyone. I initially thought it was cool, but….That same night, I was….kidnapped." She gasped audibly. I continued.
"They came into my room, gagged me and warned me not to yell. I tried transforming to defend myself…. But I couldn't. They took me away to Lunaville, my supposed home. I didn't see my parents until I was 20. They returned one night like I wasn't gone for 8 years and told me I was supposed to become pack leader by the time I'm 27. I refused and told them I wasn't going to subject my life to this. They left me for so long and that was the best they could tell me. I was afraid I'd never be able to do the things I did when I was younger. I would never have the freedom again. And becoming pack leader was a huge responsibility. I was in a pack at the time, so I knew. I was far from ready to take all that on." My voice faltered, as memories of my time at the pack rushed in. I closed my eyes, trying to get rid of them. Helena was still watching, listening patiently.
"On the night we met, I wandered into an unknown part of Lunaville, and met Ryker. He was a stray, banished from the town. My stubbornness led me to the unknown parts, and I was angry at something one of my pack members said back then. Ryker was far stronger than I was, but I was too absorbed in myself that I didn't notice it until it was too late. I said something I shouldn't have and he…well, chased me here and gave me those grotesque gashes. I could have died, but I was saved by an entity, and I don't know what it was." It was a demon. But there was no way I was telling her. She seemed easily spooked, and there was a strange energy in her house already. It was dark, but not as dark as the demon's. Something told me we would find out soon enough. "Then, I found you."
"Wow." She said in a whisper. "You really went through a lot. Good thing I was there that day huh?" She smiled faintly. I smiled back and replied, "Yeah, good thing." She placed her palm over mine and the jolts returned. She looked at me with a reassuring look, her big brown eyes staring deep into my soul. God, this woman.
I slowly retracted my hands from hers.
"Enough about me, why don't you tell me about yourself? It seems like you haven't been here very long." I changed the subject quickly in an effort to calm my raging heart.
"Yeah…um, I-er…" she faltered. She took in a deep breath.
"I spent most of my childhood here." She bit her lip. Most of her childhood. Which means she left.
"Why did you leave?" I asked.
"My parents died when I was 12, I didn't have anyone. I hated the town for taking them away. I hated everyone who lived here. I ran away, to Hulvey, two towns over. There, I fended for myself. I begged on the streets, did menial jobs wherever I could. I was just a little girl trying to survive." She paused, and I could see a mist covering her eyes. "When I turned 17, I finally got a job as a waitress and was able to fend pretty well for myself. I even started going to college."
" I was walking back to my shed in an alley one night, and a group of men cornered me. They said all sorts of things but the memory is faded. I knew one thing, they were trouble. I tried to run, but they pinned me and tried to…." Her voice broke. There was a weird roaring in my heart. My rage was building slowly, but carefully.
"They tried to what?"
"They tried to assault me. One of them grabbed my arms, the other pinned my legs. They dragged me to a building and threatened me with a knife. I could only sob. I thought my life was over. One of them already got in position when he was knocked off by someone. It was my ex, Caleb and his friends. Turned out they had seen the men corner me before and followed them to where I was. They saved me that night." My pulse calmed.
"What happened afterwards?" I said after I let her calm down.
"Well, I fell in love with Caleb and we started dating. I moved out of the alley soon and got a house of my own. He helped me secure a good job at one of the famous restaurants in Hulvey, as a manger. My life couldn't be better. I thought I was finally getting some good things in life. I was a stupid, stupid teenager. I dated Caleb for two years up until a few months ago. I walked into his apartment, surprising him since it was his birthday. The house was dishevelled, there were clothes and drinks and food everywhere. I was confused, and scared. I walked into his room, and there he was, having a threesome with two other girls. I was shattered. The only person I could trust, aside from my best friend Veronica, was there, acting like he didn't do anything wrong." She stopped, and only then did I notice her tears had fallen in streaks on her face. She still looked beautiful. "Two years…" She said in a whisper, her eyes filled with pain.
"That's why you left the city?"
"Yes. I was already done with college, so I figured I needed to forget the town completely." She wiped her face with the back of her hands. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She looked away.
"Everyone has their down moments. You shouldn't be apologizing."
"Thank you, Aaron. I needed this." She faced me and smiled. I felt something warm in my stomach.
"Anytime, although I think you need to get some sleep now. It's been a long night." I glanced at the clock behind her. 11:15pm.
She let out a sigh."Yeah, I have a big day tomorrow."
She got up, told me goodnight, and shut the door. I was left again to my own musings. I thought about all she said. I wanted to know more about Caleb, but she was far too broken to say more. Tomorrow, or another time. I wasn't going anywhere.
Any man who would hurt her must be insane. She looked so innocent, so…pure. I had seen my fair share of beautiful women, but her? I just couldn't contain it.
She was passionate, enthusiastic. I had barely known her a month, but I could tell she was someone who tried to see the good in people. Why else did she let me stay at her house this long?
I stared outside my window. I couldn't sleep. The woods were calling out to me. A faint, soft voice. Aaron…..Aaron… It called, a little urgency in it. It wasn't a dark entity, and the energy wasn't strange. I could pinpoint where it was coming from, but I was still hesitant. Werewolves could talk to each other through telepathy. There were some occasions where it only existed between mates, but certain wolves with the right power could weild it and talk to any one they wanted. This didn't quite feel like a wolf though.
My inner wolf growled at me not to go, a clear sign of uncertainty or danger, but I was still so curious. It was past midnight. I groaned in frustration, put on a shirt, grabbed a jacket and left the house.
I walked straight towards the source, my senses alert. I was slightly getting annoyed, having walked so far yet found nothing. The voice stopped, but the energy was still there, resonating. Something sped past me. I paused, ready to transform. Then, I heard a loud voice.
"Aaron…"
The heck was going on?