I walked toward Sam, the blazing midday sun casting long shadows across the park floor, the heat weighing down on my shoulders like a reminder of the weight I carried inside me. Miguel had just pulled away from her, the trace of his presence still hanging in the air like a cloud of tension I could feel even though I was so close. Sam looked up at me, a faint smile playing on his lips, but before I could sit down next to him, a sharp voice cut through the hubbub around me.
"Everyone needs to leave the park now," the security guard announced, his tone firm and authoritative, his sweaty uniform reflecting the effort to maintain order. "A fight broke out after a disturbance back there."
Sam turned to me, her face tinged with worry as she quickly stood up. "I'm going to get my brother…" she said, her eyes searching the crowd for Anthony, the urgency in her voice echoing the chaos that was beginning to form around us.
"Okay…" I replied, the word escaping with a weight I couldn't help but feel as we walked out together, the sound of distant shouts mixing with the rustling of leaves stirred by the warm wind. The park, which had been pulsing with life minutes before, now fell apart into fragments of disorder.
"Honey, I'm going to go with my friends," she said, pausing for a moment to look at me, her brown eyes shining with a mixture of apology and affection. She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss, her lips soft against mine for a moment that didn't last long enough, but that warmed the emptiness inside me. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay, babe," I reassured her, forcing a smile despite the emptiness growing in my chest, the wolf inside me growling low and restless. "You can go. I'm fine, I came by motorcycle…"
"You're the best… Bye…" she said, her smile a ray of light that faded too quickly as she walked away with her friends and brother, her footsteps echoing on the warm floor, taking away a piece of me that I didn't know how to hold on to.
I walked over to the bike, the asphalt burning beneath my feet, the roar of the engine promising an escape I desperately needed. Then I saw them—Tory and Roby, just a few feet away, locked in an argument that cut through the air like sharp knives. His voice was loud, thick with frustration, while she responded with firm gestures, her shoulders tense, her face flushed with anger or perhaps something deeper. He shook his head, turned away, and left her standing there, alone, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world had settled on them, a sight that made my heart race with a mixture of pity and desire.
"Want a ride, kitty?" I asked, my voice soft but full of intentions I couldn't hide, the wolf inside me roaring as the man tried only to offer help, a thread of hope dancing between us.
"Clark, I can't keep doing this, it's wrong…" she replied, her brown eyes meeting mine with a glint of anger and guilt, a storm I could feel even though I was so close, her heat enveloping me like a flame I couldn't extinguish. "I'm not that kind of girl…"
"What are you talking about?" I replied, frowning, trying to keep my tone light, even though the weight of her words cut through me. "I'm just offering you a ride…"
She hesitated, her eyes lowering for a moment as she thought, the silence between us thick with a tension I could almost touch, the warm wind blowing her blonde hair like a curtain that hid her thoughts. After a moment that felt like forever, she nodded, a heavy sigh escaping her as she climbed onto the bike behind me, the heat of her body against mine rekindling memories I'd tried to bury. I drove her to her house, the roar of the engine filling the void she'd left by staying silent the whole way, the warm wind dancing through her blonde hair that fluttered like a silent promise.
When we were near her house, she finally spoke, her voice cutting through the silence like a thin but trembling blade, carrying a weight I could feel in every syllable. "Clark, what happened between us was a mistake," she said, her tone firm but unsteady, as if each word hurt to come out, as if she was fighting herself to say them. "I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what came over me…"
"I know what happened, Tory…" I interrupted, my voice low and filled with a certainty that came from deep in my chest, my eyes fixed on the road as the wind carried my words to her, each one a thread I tried to use to pull her back. "It's passion. No one can contain what exists between us, this fire that ignites every time we see each other, every time our eyes meet. You can lie to yourself, to others, but you'll never be able to lie to me…"
She was silent, the shock of my words reflected in the way her body went rigid for a moment, the heat of her against my back trembling as if I had hit her with a truth she didn't want to face. She got off the bike without saying anything, her quick steps taking her to the front door, but before entering, she stopped for a second, her shoulder tense as if she wanted to look back—announcing a desire she couldn't admit. I smiled, a sad smile but full of a certainty she couldn't erase, and sped home, the roar of the bike echoing in the silent street like a goodbye I didn't want to say, but that resonated with the promise that this wasn't the end.
"I need to train…" I mumbled as I arrived, the emptiness of the house swallowing me like a shadow I couldn't shake. I changed my clothes, the light fabric hugging my sweaty skin, and went to the gym, the sound of the weights hitting the floor a rhythm that tried to drown out the chaos in my mind—the longing for Tory, the love for Sam, the wolf that growled for control. I trained for two hours, the sweat dripping like a release I desperately needed, each repetition an attempt to exorcise the thoughts that tormented me. I left, my body tired, but my mind still restless, the wolf and the man in me fighting for a space I no longer knew how to divide.
"My everyday life is so boring," I thought as I rode my bike back home, the cool night wind relieving the heat that still burned inside me, the dark streets reflecting the emptiness I felt. "But what do you think, wolf?" WHAT DO YOU MEAN? the voice in my head retorted, deep and savage, an echo I couldn't silence. "About Tory, you idiot. What happened between me and her in the park…" YOU WERE WEAK. YOU SHOULD HAVE FUCKED HER RIGHT THERE… "Are you an idiot, man? How would I have sex with a girl behind the bathroom, in an open space with a bunch of kids running around?" THEN CREATE ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. SHOW THAT BOY THAT SHE IS OURS, AND NOTHING WILL TAKE HER AWAY FROM US… "Hahaha, I forgot that I'm crazy, talking to my wolf part while riding my motorcycle…" he laughed out loud, the sound echoing in the night, a laugh that mixed madness and despair, the wind taking away the words, but not the weight they carried.
A few days had passed since that internal conversation, the echo of that voice still buzzing in my ears like an insect I couldn't shake, a presence that followed me like a shadow. "I've been working out a lot at home," I thought, looking at the equipment I was assembling in the backyard, the metal gleaming in the sun like a symbol of something I could control. "I'm building my own gym. It'll give me something to do, better than thinking about all this right now…"
Riiing, riiing, riiing.
"Sam?" I answered, the sound of her voice bringing a relief I didn't know I needed, a thread of light cutting through the darkness that surrounded me.
"Clark… I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch at my house today?" she asked, her voice light but full of anticipation that I could feel, as if she was holding her breath waiting for my answer. "You know, it's Sunday, my parents are here… It would be nice for you to meet them, don't you think?"
"Sure, I'll go now," I replied, my heart racing at the thought of taking a step forward with her, of building something solid amidst the chaos I was carrying. "Give me a little time, I was doing something here…"
"What were you doing?" she asked curiously, her playful tone pulling me out of the hole I was sinking into.
"I was building a gym for myself," I explained, pride mixed with an undisguised weariness, the sound of the tools still echoing in my ears.
"A gym?" she asked, her voice tinged with admiration. "Why don't you pay someone to do it for you?"
"My daily life is pretty boring," I admitted, chuckling softly, the husky sound escaping like a relief. "I need a hobby, so why not do this? Besides, I don't want to go to college, studying for more than four years isn't in my plans. I don't have to work or worry about money anymore, I can buy whatever I want… What's left for me if I don't do some things on my own, don't you think?"
"I see…" she said, surprise tingeing her voice, as if she saw something new in me, a side I rarely showed. "But you're coming, right?"
"Yes, I will," I confirmed, her relief echoing in my chest like a soft melody. "I'll take a shower and be right out."
"Great, love, I'll see you here then…" she said, hanging up with a sweetness that lingered in the air, an echo that gave me the strength to continue.
"It's been a while since I've smoked or drunk alcohol…" I thought as I got ready, the emptiness of my routine poking me like a sharp nail. "Maybe I should buy some cigarettes…" Minutes passed, I showered and got ready, the smell of soap mixed with the warmth of my skin, a freshness that tried to wash away the heaviness of the last few days. Before leaving, I stopped at a bakery and bought a strawberry cake, the sweet treat a gift to ease the heaviness I knew I might find, a simple offering for a day that promised to be anything but peaceful.
Riiing, riiing.
"I'll be right there…" Sam said as she opened the door, her brown eyes shining when she saw me, a smile lighting up her face like the sunshine I needed. "Love!" She hugged me tightly, her warmth against me like a balm for wounds I didn't show, and kissed me with a tenderness that made the world seem lighter, if only for a moment.
"Hey, beautiful, haha…" he laughed, the sound escaping like a relief, the weight of the day starting to dissipate beneath her touch.
"Come on… My parents are waiting for you," she said, pulling me by the hand to the table, where the smell of home-cooked food filled the air with promises of comfort. The dishes were already served, all just waiting for me, the weight of the moment falling over me like a curtain I didn't want to lift.
"Clark, so you came…" Daniel said, his face closed, his eyes assessing me as if I were an intruder, a stranger he didn't know if he could trust.
"So I finally meet you," Amanda said, her tone lighter but still filled with curiosity, her eyes studying me with a mixture of caution and interest. "Sit down, Clark… Let's go have lunch."
I thought, What a heavy atmosphere… The air felt thick, charged with something I couldn't name. "I brought a strawberry cake," I said, trying to break the ice, my voice firmer than I felt. "Please put it in the fridge so it'll chill."
"I will…" Sam said, feeling the tension in the air, her eyes searching mine for a moment like a silent plea for patience, a connecting thread that held me together.
"Clark, I'll get straight to the point," Daniel began, his voice sharp as a blade, his eyes blazing with a pent-up anger I could feel on my skin. "I heard from Miguel… you cheated on Samantha. Is that true? That's why my daughter went through so much pain. She forgives you, but that has nothing to do with me. I don't forgive you for that."
"It's true," I admitted, the guilt weighing like lead in my chest, the memory of that mistake burning like embers I couldn't extinguish. "He didn't lie. I was with another girl…"
"And let's not forget that the girl you ended up with was Tory," Amanda added, her tone firm, her eyes flashing with a mixture of maternal disapproval and protectiveness. "Practically my daughter's archenemy… How do you think she felt about that, Clark?"
"Dad, Mom, please stop this," Sam said, her voice shaking with emotion, her eyes shining with tears she fought back. "Clark already explained what happened to me, and I've already forgiven him. So please don't bring it up…"
"No," Daniel snapped, his tone rising, anger spilling over like a broken dam, the sound reverberating in the room. "I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS, SAMANTHA. YOU MAY THINK YOU UNDERSTAND, BUT YOU DON'T. THIS BOY IS JUST KIDDING WITH YOU, HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU…"
"Dad, please stop!" she cried, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice nearly breaking under the weight of the tears that threatened to fall. "I thought you called him to meet him, not to fight with him…"
"I was wrong about that, Daniel," I said, keeping my voice calm but firm, trying to calm the storm that was building, the wolf inside me growling but the man fighting for control. "But I like Sam. If everything goes well, you'll have a bunch of grandchildren running around in no time…" I smiled, trying to joke, to lighten the burden, but his gaze hardened even more, anger burning like fire in his eyes.
"YOU BOY!" He slammed his fist on the table, standing up, the chair squeaking against the floor in a muffled scream. "DO YOU THINK I'M KIDDING? I'VE SEEN MY DAUGHTER GROW UP SINCE SHE WAS A BABY, I'VE HELD HER IN MY ARMS, I'VE GAVE HER ALL THE AFFECTION I COULD, IT WASN'T FOR A BOY LIKE YOU TO DESTROY HER HEART LIKE SHE WAS NOTHING!"
"Dad…" Sam whispered, his voice breaking, the tears finally escaping, tracing bright lines down his face.
Amanda was silent, her eyes wide, shock and uncertainty dancing there as she watched the scene unfold.
"I'm going to play Xbox," Anthony said, getting up from the table and climbing the stairs, away from the heaviness that choked the air, his footsteps echoing like a distant drum.
"Come with me," I said, rising from the table, the decision beating through me like a war drum, a certainty I could no longer avoid. "Let's go to the backyard."
"Huh?" Daniel asked, confused, anger still tinged in his voice. "What for?"
"Then come with me," I insisted, my voice firm, my eyes meeting his with a determination I knew he would sense. "I want to show you something."
"Clark…!" Sam exclaimed, his tone thick with panic, his eyes wide as he tried to stop me. "Don't do this… You can't…"
"What are you talking about, daughter?" Amanda asked, frowning, confusion mixed with concern as she stared at me. "What can't he show us?"
"The only way this will work, Sam, is if I show them who I really am," I said, my eyes fixed on hers, trying to convey the certainty that burned inside me, even as her fear cut through me like a sharp knife.
"Huh? What nonsense is this, kid?" Daniel retorted, his tone thick with disbelief, his arms crossed like a barrier.
"Follow me," I said, leading them into the backyard, the afternoon sun beating down hard against my skin as I began to remove my clothes, piece by piece, the fabric falling to the floor with a muffled sound that echoed the weight of the moment.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BOY?" Amanda screamed, covering her eyes with her hands, shock tinging her voice like a high note.
"What exactly is this? Why are you taking your clothes off?" Daniel asked, confusion mixed with anger as he stared at me, eyes narrowed.
I stripped down to my underwear, the warm air against my bare skin like a caress I didn't want. Then I began to shift, my bones cracking like dry twigs breaking, my skin tearing with a sound that seemed to rip apart the silence itself, the roar of the wolf inside me bursting free. GRRRRRR, ARRRGF! I stood up, a full werewolf, my green eyes shining like beacons in the daylight, my dark fur glistening in the sun, a presence that dominated the yard like a living storm.
Daniel's eyes widened, taking a step back, fear crossing his face like a shadow he couldn't shake. "WHAT ARE YOU? WHAT IS ALL THIS? HOW IS THIS…" His voice cracked, panic swallowing his words.
"AHHH!" Amanda screamed, horror written all over her face, her mouth open as she recoiled, shock freezing her like a statue, her trembling hands covering her eyes.
"Dad, Mom," Sam said, his voice firm but shaky, cutting through the chaos like a ray of light in the darkness. "Clark… he's a werewolf."
"!!!!!" they both exclaimed in unison, the weight of the revelation bearing down on them like a storm, a thunder that shook everything they knew.
I detransformed, my body returning to normal in a slow and painful process, my bones realigning, my skin closing, but my underwear had ripped in the process, leaving me naked under the merciless sun. Amanda's eyes widened even more, covering them when she saw what was between my legs, a muffled scream escaping her as a reflex of pure shock.
"KEEP IT, BOY!" Daniel exclaimed, turning his face away with almost comical speed, his voice thick with discomfort as he tried to maintain his composure.
I quickly pulled on my clothes, the rough fabric brushing against my skin, still warm from the transformation, sweat dripping down my face as a reminder of what I'd just done. "I'm a werewolf," I began, my voice calm but firm, my eyes meeting theirs with an unwavering determination. "There are all kinds of supernatural beings out there—vampires, werewolves, witches, and other things. The world is much bigger than you think…"
"That's impossible…" Amanda muttered, still stunned, her eyes wide as she tried to process, her hands now hanging at her sides. "You mean all the fairy tales were true?"
"As far as I know, not everything," I replied, my tone thoughtful, my eyes fixed on the horizon for a moment before returning to them. "But all things derive from something real…"
Daniel was silent, his face serious as he digested each word, the weight of the truth sinking like a stone into a calm lake, creating ripples that I could see in his eyes.
"Let's go inside and eat again," I suggested, trying to break the tension that hung like a thick fog, my stomach growling despite myself. "I'm hungry…"
We went back inside, the sound of our footsteps echoing on the wooden floor, but they didn't touch the food, the plates untouched as I ate, the silence heavy as a curtain that no one knew how to lift.
"That still doesn't explain why you betrayed my daughter," Daniel said, his voice sharp and snapping, his eyes blazing with an anger that had yet to dissipate.
"Exactly, that still doesn't explain it," Amanda agreed, her eyes fixed on me, waiting for an answer that would justify the past, an explanation that could appease the fire that burned within them.
"For some werewolves, there's something called Imprinting," I explained, my voice low but heavy, each word chosen carefully, as if I were walking on glass. "It's when you find, like, your soulmate… You know, that person you know will always be in your heart, like your life depends on their existence." I paused, their gazes like knives, the wolf inside me growling silently. "I met Tory before Samantha, and I Imprinted on her. Even before I was with Sam, I had a thing for Tory, but things happened, I had to leave, and when I came back, I got with Samantha… But my wolf half yearns for Tory, and my human half—me—likes Sam. That's what happened. And there are other things I haven't even explained to Sam yet…" I hesitated, the air growing thicker, but I continued, the truth pouring out like a river I could no longer dam. "Every alpha of a pack has more than four women for himself. I am the last of my family, I need heirs, many heirs. I have already chosen your daughter as one of my women… and I will not give her up so easily."
"!!!" Sam exclaimed, his eyes wide, shock flashing across his face like lightning, his hands shaking as he stared at me. "You didn't tell me this before, Clark… Are you the last of your family?"
"Yes," I confirmed, the weight of those words crashing down on me like an avalanche, my voice heavy with a pain I rarely let out. "Parents murdered by a vampire, grandparents dead, uncles dead… My whole family is dead. I'm the only one left here…"
"Clark…" she murmured, her voice almost trailing off, her hands coming up to her face as she looked at me, as if she saw a piece of me I had never shown, a wound I had carried in silence.
Daniel was silent for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the floor, processing each word as if trying to find a way through the chaos. "Clark…" he began, his voice softer now, filled with a reluctant understanding I hadn't expected. "I'm sorry for treating you like that… and thank you for telling me everything."
"Yes, I apologize too, Clark," Amanda said, her tone gentler but still tinged with uncertainty, her eyes searching mine as if trying to understand what I was, what I meant to their daughter.
"It's okay," I said, relief mixed with a determination I couldn't hide, the wolf and the man in me finally in agreement for an instant. "What I mean is that I'm one of the strongest beings in this world. I won't let anything happen to Sam. I'll always protect her, because she's mine…" As I said that, my eyes glowed green, a reflection of the beast that I was, an oath I sealed with every fiber of my being, a promise that echoed in the air like silent thunder.
Amanda's eyes widened at the brightness, shock coming back like a wave she couldn't shake, her hands shaking slightly. Daniel saw it too, his face hardening for a moment before relaxing, a reluctant acceptance forming there.
"Very well," he said finally, his voice firm but resigned, his eyes meeting mine with a mixture of respect and caution. "I think you'd better keep that promise and protect my daughter. As for you having other women, I won't judge that. It's not up to me. Samantha is a woman now, she knows what's right and wrong and she'll know how to deal with all of this…"
"I say the same," Amanda agreed, her eyes still searching mine, looking for a sign of safety in the midst of the unknown that I represented.
"I need to think about all this, Clark," Sam said, his voice low, almost a whisper, his eyes filled with a confusion that I could feel as if it were my own. "I'm going upstairs…"
"Okay, Sam," I said, my heart heavy but knowing she needed space to process what I had thrown at her, the weight of my truth dropping like a stone into the still lake of her life. "I'm going to go now. If you need anything, get my number from Sam and call me."
They nodded, the silence between us filled with a fragile understanding, a bridge I hoped wouldn't crumble. I walked out, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the house as I left behind a family shaken but perhaps closer to the truth than ever before.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought…" I muttered, climbing onto the bike, the afternoon wind blowing against my face as the engine roared, taking away the weight of the day but leaving an echo of hope that I couldn't ignore, a flame that burned low but steady deep in my chest.