I clenched and unclenched my hands, turning this new piece of information over in my mind. I was good at detecting lies, an expert, and unless these people—things—whatever they were—were phenomenal Hollywood actors, I doubted they were making things up.
"And what, exactly," I said slowly, "Would that help entail?"
"They don't want anything in return," I answered, though I wasn't exactly sure myself. "Just your own effort. If you don't accept what you've become, it would be harder for you to survive. From what I've learned, you can't control your two forms, not at that level."
I found that ironic. Even I hadn't accepted who I had become. A werewolf, that's what I was, but I didn't want to accept it. Deep down, I still prayed that I was a human. That I would wake up and it would all be a bad dream, and my father would hug me like always and tell me I was safe. But that never happened, and I was stuck in this nightmare. But it seems I wasn't the only one, and knowing that… as selfish as it sounded, knowing that helped.
"You're not answering my question," I told her bluntly, my eyes flickering back and forth from her to the other two. "What would they do to help me?"
I opened my mouth to answer but closed it soon after. I didn't know it myself. After all, I had just met Rhys yesterday. The realization made me feel like a fool–trusting someone like this after knowing him for just one day.
I stayed silent, looking over at the werewolves, waiting for their answer to his question.
group
Sierra:
I felt my cheeks redden darkly at the conversation. What if we couldn't do it? What if we really couldn't help him? He'd be so ticked…
"We can show you how to be a wolf," Rhys said, calm as ever. He gave the girl a small smile before turning back to the other guy. "And help you with your heightened senses."
My lips twisted into a frown.
“Is there no way I can get rid of the wolf part entirely?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Kill it off?”
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"No," I answered quietly, letting him smell my dejection. Letting him know the truth hurt me just as much as it did him. "It's permanent."
group
Sierra:
The smell of the emotional pain in the room was overwhelming. I turned away from the others for a moment, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. The only one who didn't have the sad, fearful scent rolling off him was Rhys, but he's been born into this. He wasn't like the rest of us.
A hand rested on my shoulder, and I immediately recognized the touch of my old mentor. A glance over showed Rhys giving me a soft look. He knew what was going on… He always knew…
I clenched my teeth tightly.
“No. I refuse to believe that. There must be something—what if I went somewhere sunny? And warm?”
group
Rhys:
I turned from Sierra to fix my eyes on the other man. Raising an eyebrow, I sighed as I decided how to answer. "No. It wouldn't work. You would simply become hypersensitive to the cold."
I growled in frustration.
“And what if I died in my wolf form?”
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Rhys:
I felt Sierra stiffen behind me, and I cast a worried glance over my shoulder. She seemed extra sensitive today… It made me wonder if something was wrong.
"You would die. You would stay n your wolf form, but you would be dead in both worlds," I answered calmly.
I flinched, wrapping my arms tighter around myself. Dead as a wolf. If I died as a wolf… they wouldn't even be able to send my father my body. I hated this change more and more. Funny how Rhys made me like it one second, and then I'd go back to hating it the next.
I clenched my hand into a fist and drove it into the wall, anger rolling off of me in waves.
No. This wasn’t possible—This couldn’t be happening.
“How do I control it?”
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Rhys:
I raised an eyebrow at his reaction. This was a very violent man… Could it lead to bad things happening around the town? If it did, I knew there were ways to prevent it, but I hoped it wouldn't.
"Right now you can't. I can't even control it, and I was born a wolf," I answered with a long sigh. "Unless you're already in one form and want to stay in it. Then you have to concentrate on staying in that form. And it takes a lot of practice. Even then, the most skilled wolf can only hold it for about a day before he shifts."
I was breathing heavily by now, masking the overwhelming fear I felt with wave upon wave of anger, putting a violent façade in place in order to hide how terrified I really was.
"I'm going to go back to my hotel," I said abruptly, "To pick up my luggage. Then I'm coming back here."
group
Rhys:
I watched Sierra’s gaze shoot back to the man and then to me again. And unspoken question seemed to hang in her eyes, What if he doesn’t come back…?
“I can come with you. Just to make sure you don’t shift while you’re gone,” I offered, though it was less of an offer and more of a strong suggestion. Meaning, he would be in some trouble if he didn’t listen…
"No, thank you," I growled over my shoulder, already halfway out the door. "I can manage just fine on my own, thank you." In reality, I didn't want this stranger to see any of my personal possessions. My photographs, my weaponry. I didn't want him to have an advantage over me, and I definitely didn't want him to attack me while my back was turned/
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Rhys:
“I can either come with you or send Sierra. Your pick,” I said, my yes narrowing in is direction. “If you shift out there, with no one to help you, you don’t know what would happen.”
"I choose neither," I told him bluntly, "I'm going alone. Good day to you."
Before either of them could object, I was pushing the door shut behind me.
group
Rhys:
I sighed and tore a hand brought my hair as the other man walked out the door. I turned to Sierra and Zenith, looking at them tiredly. “Should I go after him?”
I chewed on my bottom lip, looking at Rhys.
“I—I think you should,” I said quietly. “But keep yourself hidden. If he finds out you’re after him, he might get angry. So just stick to the shadows. In case he shifts.”
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Rhys:
I nodded slowly and looked back at the door. Shifting my jacket around my shoulders, I started to walk out before stopping and turning around.
“Why don’t you two get to know each other? Sierra might be able to help you, Zenith.”
Sierra. That was her name. I merely smiled at Rhys, hoping it reached my eyes.
“Yeah, sounds good,” she said quietly. “Be careful, Rhys.”
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Sierra:
Rhys nodded and slipped out the door. Once he was gone, I turned to the other girl — Zenith, he’d called her — and gave her a tiny smile.
“Well… Zenith, right? And you know I’m Sierra, obviously,” I started with a shrug. “It’s nice to meet you. Though I do wish t could have been under better circumstances.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I murmured in reply, rubbing my hands on my arms. “You… you’ve also been bitten. You’re not a full blood.”
Then I realized what I said. How rude it might have been.
“I—I didn’t mean anything insulting by it!” I immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, I don’t have much of a filter on mg words…”
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Sierra:
I chuckled a little, shaking my head. “No worries. I know how it feels. And, yes, I was bitten. It’s been almost three years now, though. Next month, I think…”
“And you’ve known Rhys for that long?” I inquired, not knowing where this type of curiosity came from.
Which way is the town?
I realized suddenly that I had no idea where I was. I was lost, in a foreign environment after transforming from man to wolf and back again… and had no idea how to get back.
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Sierra:
I shrugged and glanced around the room, which had been practically torn apart by the wolf-man. I really should learn his name so that I don't have to keep calling him things like that…
"I mean, not the whole time, but close to it," I answered, bringing my gaze back to Zenith. "He helped me go through the changes sometimes."
Rhys:
I stalked the new wolf as he made his way around, careful to keep downwind so that my scent wasn't carried toward him. I had no idea where he was going to try to go or how he thought he would get there. This town is a secret for a reason: not many people get in or out without our permission.
