That was right. The strange scar on my neck was a mark that the man might have given. However, how could it be there? Meanwhile, when I woke up, I was in my room and felt like it was an absolute dream.
No one from Uncle Ray, Mum, or Dad asked what had happened to me. They were silent and walked away when they saw I had woken up.
I felt like I wasn't a family member, and they avoided me.
What had happened exactly? Had those Hitz girls knocked me unconscious yesterday to dream something that felt so real? If that was the case, why were the mark and the bracelet around my wrist really there?
"Ioris, are you alright?" asked a voice. I could see his figure in the mirror facing the door. I was in front of it, checking the pain on the side of my neck, which I quickly hid when I realized it was Uncle Ray. "I was worried about you."
"I thought you didn't care," I said curtly.
"Ioris, please. I have a lot of things to clear up here." I turned around at his words. "We can't keep fighting like this. We are family."
I snorted. Family? Since when did Uncle Ray get so melancholy and say he and I were family?
"But you're avoiding me like a pest."
"That's not true, Ioris. We're worried about you and everything you've done so far."
"There you go again," I said, getting up and reaching for my sleeping robe, but Uncle Ray didn't let me go to bed. He tugged on my arm, so I suddenly turned and bumped into his chest.
He grabbed me so I wouldn't fall on the floor from the impact. And from this close distance, the strange scent that kept swirling stronger and stronger in my nostrils returned.
My breathing suddenly became ragged with a racing heartbeat. An uncomfortable feeling was currently creeping into my mind. It was all about Uncle Ray, of course. What about me and him made it so hard to fight an urge I couldn't describe.
I felt like I wanted him so badly.
"I'm sorry," he said, releasing the embrace. "I'll let you rest. We'll talk about it another time."
No, no! Just tell me now!
However, the words didn't leave my lips, and in the end, I let Uncle Ray leave me alone in the room and pensive.
These past few days, I was like a fool. What I wanted to do or say only stopped at the tip of my tongue and was not realized in real life. I'd remain silent and helpless every time it happened, only to end up disappointed with myself.
"Why am I so stupid?" I muttered, only to be interrupted by a voice I knew well.
"You're not stupid; they are. However, be patient; once we meet and unite, you will be safe."
I circled my eyes, searching for the creature's whereabouts, but I found nothing, not even the shape I was used to—a puff of pitch-black smoke.
"Where will we meet? Can't you take me away now?" I asked, but all I heard was a light laugh from him.
"I can't take you away, even if you want me to. You must come alone, as your heart and destiny lead you. Then that is where we will meet."
"Why? Even today, I will go there if you tell me where you are."
"Later, Little Wolf. Our destiny is not now. I must not cross the boundaries of destiny, or we can never be united. I can't ruin my endless waiting to meet you by being irresponsible. Be patient ..."
A shadow suddenly appeared before me for a few moments, only to caress my face, and then disappeared.
What was this mystery again?
***
Since that night, Uncle Ray had become increasingly overprotective of me for unknown reasons. He would follow me several times to pack school and watch from a distance.
I could feel his presence for some reason. It was as if he was another part of me far away.
It must have been at Mom and Dad's behest, and I didn't like it that way.
Why were they so suspicious of me? Did the nickname "witch" really deserve to be pinned on me? When clearly I didn't have the power they were accusing me of.
Despite being friends with someone or something that might be able to perform horrible magic, I didn't take advantage of the opportunity. In fact, I didn't summon him to harm those who had done me harm, did I?
"Why are you following me?" I asked in the forest, not far from the pack school, hoping that the man watching from a distance would boldly appear and say what he wanted to say and what I needed to hear. "Come out, don't be such a coward!"
The figure descended from one of the tall trees not far from where I was standing, approached, and looked at me with a gaze I couldn't translate.
"Why watch me like a criminal? You, Mum, Dad, and Isaiah—are supposed to protect me, not treat me like a criminal. They're the bullies, and I didn't do anything to them."
"Did nothing? Are you sure? One of them, again, died during the incident, Ioris. Didn't you hear?" said Uncle Ray, which, of course, took my breath away.
That can't be happening, can it?
"I didn't even touch them at all, Uncle. How can you accuse me of–"
"Someone saw a plume of black smoke billowing around you before one of them convulsed and died," Uncle Ray replied with a look of concern on his face. Was he worried about my condition, or was it someone else's? "Who can theoretically explain that, Ioris, other than accusing you of being the cause."
"I didn't do it, and I don't know anything because they are bullying me."
"Then tell me, who saved you so you could leave the classroom?"
"What?"
"Yes, we found you in the forest right after crossing the pack border, and it was quite a distance even from my pack. Can you explain that?" Uncle Ray looked impatient and pressed me further. "Tell me, who is that comrade who helped you. I want to meet him and explain his dangerous behavior."
"Friend? What friend?" Uncle Ray couldn't know anything about the man who was always hiding behind that form of black smoke. If that happened, then I would never meet him.
"Ioris, listen, some races are not allowed and even forbidden to get close to our race. Do you know that?" I shook my head. Never once had the school explained it. I even knew that this world was only inhabited by wolves like us. "There are humans who are not allowed to know our identity because they are the weakest race and have a single original form."
I didn't interrupt Uncle Ray's words because I also wanted to know what race precisely the man in the form of smoke belonged to.
"Secondly, there is the race of witches, and some of them, on average, are still friends with our race due to a symbiotic mutualism. We need knowledge from them, including medicine. Only their race has mastered many sciences." Uncle Ray continued.
"And ... the third?" I asked as I swallowed my saliva, unprepared for the revelation that was about to unfold.
"Vampires. We should stay far away from this race and not deal with them."
"Why?"
"Because they are manipulative creatures, mastering various sciences that our race cannot easily master, and they are the sworn enemies of the werewolf race since millions of years ago. That's why it would be a great disaster if we dealt with them, Ioris. And from what I've heard about what happened to you, the characteristics align with the latter race. Therefore, tell me, is this really the case?"