5. ARIA

Since I turned down Ethan"s advances on the rooftop after dinner, everything has felt different. It"s hard to believe it"s already been a week. He had shown up at the bookstore a few times surprising me with gifts and flowers. Time seemed to fly by, until the night on the bayou.

Elinor noticed that I hadn"t been myself and came up to my room.

"Hey, what"s with the long face?" she asked, strolling in with two steaming cups of coffee. She was always so thoughtful.

"I"m okay," I replied.

As I took a sip of the steaming coffee, the warmth spread through my body, easing some of the tension that had been building up inside me. But even the comforting embrace of the caffeine couldn"t dispel the trouble in my mind.

I poured my heart out to Elinor, expressing how quickly I found myself falling for Ethan, especially after the tender way he'd treated me during our lunches and dinner dates. What if Ethan was just toying with my emotions again?

Elinor"s interruption brought me back to reality. "Are you thinking about that summer?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

I nodded silently, knowing she could see right through me. We"d always been able to understand each other without saying a word.

"If only I had known Ethan"s intentions back then, I would have given you a heads up," Elinor admitted, her eyes reflecting her genuine regret.

"My brother has always been a jerk," she continued sadly. "And it seems he"s only gotten worse over the years."

"But there is this strong pull I felt towards him. It's always been there; it just feels stronger now that Ethan is back home and near each other," I admitted.

Elinor"s expression softened, her eyes reflecting understanding. "I get it, Aria. It"s like he has this hold over you, doesn"t he?"

I nodded, my wolf grumbling in agreement. "It"s like I"m drawn to him."

Elinor reached out to gently brush a strand of hair away from my face. "Hey, don"t be so hard on yourself. You"re only a wolf, after all. And besides, Ethan is not exactly easy to resist."

I let out a bitter growl. "Tell me about it. He"s a master manipulator, pulling all the right strings to keep me hooked."

"You"re stronger than that, Aria," Elinor insisted, her voice firm with conviction. "You"ve always been independent and resilient. Don"t let Ethan"s games break you."

"But I can"t help this feeling."

"Don't be a fool, Aria. You could get your heart broken, or worse" Elinor said,

I nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude for my sister's unwavering support. With Elinor by my side, I knew I could face what lay ahead, even if it came in the form of Ethan Grayson.

"Elinor, I have to tell you something else." I didn't want to tell anyone about that night on the bayou, but I had to confide in someone.

"You know you can tell me anything," she answered with an enthusiasm only she could give me.

"Well, it"s also about Ethan..." unsure of how to start another line of conversation that had been tugging at my mind for days.

"What about him?"

I hesitated as I put my conflicted feelings into words. "I know there"s a part of me that"s drawn to Ethan, despite everything. But then there"s another part that"s repulsed by him, especially after what I witnessed."

Elinor"s brow furrowed in confusion. "What did you see, Aria? Did Ethan do something?"

I took a deep breath, steeling myself to recount the events of the past few days. "I saw him... he was using his wolf to terrorize humans."

Elinor"s eyes widened in shock, mirroring my horror at the memory. "But why would he do that? It"s against our rules, against everything we stand for."

"I don"t know," I admitted, feeling a surge of anger and betrayal rise within me. "But it"s made me realize that Ethan is not the person I thought he was. He"s ruthless, Elinor, willing to do anything to get what he wants."

Elinor looked me in the eye as though a sudden realization had hit her.

"Aria, I have a feeling Ethan is being unnecessarily callous to get your attention."

Elinor"s words echoed in my mind, and suddenly, everything fell into place. Maybe Ethan"s recent behavior was just his way of trying to get me to notice. But could it be that simple?

How was using his wolf in front of humans a rational thing to do?

As I recounted the events to Elinor, the scene replayed vividly in my head.

The burden of the business was so overwhelming that I had to get out to clear my mind. So, I walked along the bayou to clear my mind. I couldn"t shake off the significant change that was about to happen with just a stroke of my pen.

Elinor was fixated on me as I relayed the incident. So, I continued.

I was trying to think of ways to clear the debt. How could I just transfer my land to some mysterious businessman whose identity still remained unknown to me?

I was lost in my thoughts that evening when a shrill cry pierced the air, drawing my attention to the bayou nearby.

I paused, and Elinor knew I had gotten to the crust of the story, so she sat upright.

The bayou was enveloped in an eerie silence, broken only by the distant chirping of crickets and the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. The moon cast a soft glow over the murky waters, illuminating the twisted roots of the cypress trees that lined the banks.

As the cry echoed through the stillness, the humans in the vicinity were thrown into a frenzy of fear and panic. Mothers clutched their children tightly, their eyes wide with terror, while men brandished whatever makeshift weapons they could find, ready to defend their loved ones from the threat that lurked in the darkness.

I could also sense something else: The distinct scent of a wolf hung in the air, mingling with the earthy aroma of the bayou. It was a scent both familiar and unsettling, stirring a primal instinct deep within me.

Without hesitation, I plunged into the bayou, my heart pounding in my chest. As I rounded a bend in the waterway, my worst fears were realized. Standing before me was a dark gray wolf, its fur bristling with menace, its amber eyes fixed on the cowering humans in the corner.

My blood ran cold as I recognized the wolf"s unmistakable form. It was Ethan. I was angry at first because wolves are not supposed to transform in front of humans, but then I started feeling this strong pull to him.

I stopped to catch my breath because everything was coming out in a rush. I looked at my friend and continued.

Instinctively, I moved to confront him, my muscles coiling with tension. But as I stood face-to-face with Ethan, a silent exchange passed between us. Though he couldn"t speak in his wolf form, I could feel that he would not be deterred that simply.

So, I darted into action and shifted. Retelling the story sent phantom pains through my body. Changing always felt as if every bone and muscle was torn apart from within. The sensation was excruciating, with each moment feeling like an eternity as I struggled to maintain control over the shifting process. My human form was engulfed in a blinding light as fur sprouted from my skin, tearing through my clothes. I could feel the bones in my body elongating, reshaping themselves into the form of a wolf.

I felt the tension grow in my body as I recalled the transformation.

"What happened after you transformed?" Elinor pressed eagerly.

"I emerged from the bush as a majestic creature," I said with a bit of a laugh. She always commented on how I was unlike anything she had ever seen; a large white wolf with a striking red stripe running from my shoulder to my tail.

My senses were heightened, every sound and scent were amplified as I locked eyes with Ethan, who stood frozen in shock.

"Oh, this is getting good. I wish I had popcorn." Elinor sat up in her seat, and I smiled at her.

I lunged at him, my claws extended, and my teeth bared in a silent snarl. Ethan recoiled, taken aback by the ferocity of my attack. I pushed him into the woods, away from the humans. Surprisingly, he didn't attack me. But once we were away from the prying eyes of the humans, he wrestled me to the ground and began licking me.

"Hahaha!" Elinor laughed with such gusto that I also chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. "What did you do after your bath?"

"I ran home, but I could feel him following me. I could feel the presence of his wolf in my head whining for more as I left."

"Wow! That was intense." Elinor said.

"That was not even the craziest part," I said, but I was rather hesitant to talk about it.

"I grabbed the first thing I could find at home and fastened it over myself before I found Ethan, presented before me." I licked my lips remembering the beauty of his toned body kissed with just the right amount of tan.

"You can't stop now, girl. Out with it." Elinor's voice took me out of my daydream.

"I was angry and I should have lashed out at him, but all my anger transformed into arousal", I said while averting my gaze from Elinor, who had been listening with rapt attention.

"Did you act upon it?"

"No!" I lied as a pink blush filled my face at the memory of Ethan's warm body pressed into mine, his tongue displaying its experience on my neck.

Her voice broke my revelry. "It's truly crazy, but it's not totally unusual where Ethan is concerned. Please be careful when dealing with him going forward."