Chapter 3

ChapterThree

"I- What?"

The attractive man then sighed before jumping onto the white leather couch behind me. I licked my lips, confusion taking over me but something in my heart told me it was okay to let him in like that. Aunt Audra knew him well, right?

"What work could you possibly have with or for me?" I asked in a hesitant mutter, crossing my arms across my chest. A very sudden and unusual feeling of consciousness hit me when he continued to stare at me with eyes full of mirth.

"It’d be great if you could take a seat first." Jaw clenching when he chews down on the bubble gum in his mouth.

Rolling my eyes, I complied anyway and sat opposite him.

"What now?"

"My name is Asher Chester."

He sits upright. "The son of the Alpha of the Eclipse pack," Asher quirks his brow as if expecting me to fall to his feet at that.

I only frowned.

Alpha? Eclipse Pack? What exactly were these things?

"I’m sorry but what is that supposed to mean? Is this some sort of government here or what?" I ask, my curiosity reflecting back in his eyes. For a moment, Asher looked like he was about to laugh. I didn’t even crack a joke, though.

"Ah, Elaine, that’s hilarious." He chuckles huskily, and then shifted as if uncomfortable. "Wait! Are you serious? You really don’t know what that means?" I shake my head, at a total loss of words as his eyes widen and he leans forward on the coffee table in surprise.

"How do you even know my name?" I ask since that was the only thing I understood.

"Your Aunt told me, but that’s not the point," Asher exclaims loudly. "H-Have you never shifted before?" He asks, now hot on his heels to kneel beside me. I scowl at the sudden closeness, squirming when he continued to stare in wait of an answer.

"Listen, Asher, I really don’t know what you’re talking about." I laughed, half awkward and half nervous. "I can’t follow any of the things you’ve just said. Alpha, Pack, shifting I’m not aware of any of that." At this, the man releases an exasperated sigh and runs a hand through his hair.

It must be a nervous habit.

"You know what? I’ll tell you everything. Just don’t freak out," he warns, holding up a hand and sits a little further from me on the same side of the couch. My heart peaked its pace and he opened and closed his mouths multiple times before speaking. "Oh god, you’re already freaking out."

"I’m not! Just say whatever you want to," I assured, gulping around nothing.

"Okay, well first of all you’re a wolf shifter. I have no idea how you’re not aware of that yet."

"A WHAT SHIFTER?" I yell, jumping away from him. My back hits the arm of the couch. The pain was the least of my concerns.

"Yes, you heard me. A wolf shifter. I know it sounds crazy; humans are generally unaware of our existence. For some of you, we might even be considered ’mythical’ but we exist and you’re one of us. While I’m a full-born and bred Wolf, you’re a shifter," he says it all in one breath, bursting with energy and the need to tell me something.

My lips part but before I could say something, he starts speaking again. "Listen, you seem very brave for someone who has never heard of such things, which is very telling of your character and reality both, Elaine." Asher’s hand hesitantly settles on top of my knee but I pull myself away.

"Hey, I’m not here to hurt you." He sighs and I unknowingly reach out to stroke over the silver chain hanging from my neck, it warms over my skin. It’s a crescent-shaped pendant that my mom had locked away in her cabinet up until the last year they spent with me.

I grew up with the memories it stored of them and wore it every day.

"Just listen to what I have to say." And so he continued, "Werewolves have existed since the beginning of time. They had always been there. Perhaps the jealousy of the human race against beings that were superior to them caused us to go into hiding. For centuries, we were all protected, but when witches were exposed by humans, they felt the need of safety and protection more than ever."

I stared at him; mouth left open ajar. How was he even coming up with all of this?

It couldn’t actually be true.

"That’s how Vampires came into existence. An experiment conducted on humans by the witches turned out to be successful. These creatures were anything but faithful or concerned. They never obeyed the witches’ commands and ended up living separately; creating a race of their own." Asher stopped to take in a long breath.

"Now, about our town. There is only one pack here, the Eclipse pack. The pack is like a family, sometimes more than that, to the members. In our pack, there are twenty wolves and all of us care deeply about each other. Its blood for blood. From the outside, we seem like mere humans. To keep our identity safe, the pack lives away from the others in a hideout."

"W-where’s the hideout?" I asked, hesitance clear in my voice but curiosity winning.

Asher smiled, close-lipped, and gave me a look as if to say ’I knew you’d ask.’

"You know the woods you see from any of the windows here? Behind the woods is the edge of the town where the hideout mansion is. You can’t cross the woods without one of us or else the pack would definitely be alarmed. So yeah, it’s safe from the other humans living here."

My posture relaxes with every second as Asher continues talking and telling me about the ’pack’ and the other ’wolves’. I press my lips in a thin line, brows automatically furrowing, and quietly listen to his ramble. All the while, I wished Aunt Audra to come back home silently.

"The leading family is my family, we were the original inhabitants of the land of Millerville. Since the leadership of packs is transferred from the father to the son, after my father I will be the head of the pack. The Alpha of the pack," Asher finishes with satisfaction dripping in his tone. My mouth pops open. So, that’s what Alpha means!

"Yeah. Oh, and we turn into our wolf forms under the full moon. It’s really worrying me why you haven’t ever shifted. As the forthcoming Alpha, I could tell by one sniff that you are a wolf, too, and since you’re already living with Audra, I thought you—"

"I wasn’t," I tell him softly and the boy nods.

"You’re coming with me," Asher announces, patting his thigh once before he stands up and extends his arm out to me. I tilt my head to the side in question and stare in disbelief.

"Where? I’m not going anywhere with a man I barely know," I scoff, arms once again crossed defensively. Asher stands his ground with a stoic expression. The look on his face told me that there was no way he was backing down.

"Elaine, I get your concern. I really do but you will know for yourself once you meet the other pack members, something is wrong. It’s stopping you from shifting and I don’t have enough knowledge to know what exactly it is," he explains, voice soft and low at first, but then it grows determined. "I’m not taking any suggestions; you can ask around about me, but I’m taking you along. The Alpha would know what to do for sure. If things work out, you might even become a part of our pack."

"No," I tell him loud and clear. "This- Whatever you just said, it has to be a misunderstanding. You have the wrong person, I’m sure you do. There’s no chance I’m one of the wolf shifters or whatever. I should- I would know, wouldn’t I?"

"Exactly!" Asher interrupts sharply. "You should know, but you didn’t and that’s what’s bugging me. You need to come with me, it’s not even safe for you to go on so long without knowing!"

Panic floods me at his strong voice, booming through the empty house and the realization that this might be a completely unsafe situation I had just put myself in, makes me shiver slightly. His personality screamed of control and a soft feeling of safety came along with it. Gut feelings could be wrong, right?

He could have been a dangerous person for all I knew!

"You need to leave, Asher," my cold tone makes the boy’s head jerk back in surprise.

"I’m not lying or trying to hurt you, Elaine!"

"Why must I trust you? I didn’t even know your name a few minutes back!" I yelled, backing him towards the door. He tries to resist but doesn’t do too much, still mannerly and at an arm’s distance from me.

"Audra knows me well, she’s a friend! I wouldn’t do anything."

"Boy, this is a misunderstanding for sure," I cut in with a handheld up. "The door is right behind you, leave or I’ll—"

"Elaine—"

"LEAVE!"

Asher flinches and gulps softly before turning away with a nod. "I’ll be back and you’ll know I was right," he assures, a shining glint of determination in his eyes. I shiver at the sight.

The atmosphere grows cold and clammy the moment I shut the door on his handsome face. My ears ring sharply and effectively drown the horrible beating of my chest.

Once again, without context, my hand reached out to rub over the crescent pendant as if it had come alive after years. I gasp at the splitting headache it gives me. Almost on cue, my eyes screwed shut, and the blurry dark memories of the murders that happened during the supposedly brightest years of my childhood flash beneath my eyelids.

Blood. Dark Streets. Police sirens. The screams of a child. Pain. Anguish. Hurt.

Yeah, something was definitely wrong with my family, too.