I stood up from the stool and started to make my way out of the kitchen. Grandma had a panicked expression on her face and she rushed to catch up with me by the door where I was pulling on my jacket.
“Where are you going?” she asked but I stayed silent and focused on pulling up the zip of my jacket. “Leindra, what are you doing? Don’t make any rash decisions that you will regret.”
“I am going to find answers,” I said simply. “Since you won’t give them to me, I will find them myself.”
She called out to me and tried to stop me but I brushed past her and walked out of the house. The chilly air hit me square in the face and I had to brace myself for a second before I started moving forward. I remembered the direction that I had seen Darius going so I got into my car and started to drive that way.
I knew it was fantastical to think that he would still be on the road but my need for answers was greater than my self-preservation or common sense so I kept driving. I drove straight in that direction until I came to a bend. I did not know what direction he could have taken and I began to wonder whether leaving the house was a good idea in the first place.
While I was thinking, I subconsciously turned to face the forest and I remembered what Darius said about going to patrol in the forest. A part of me felt that was where he had gone and I knew if I went in too, I would find him. I didn’t think about my next course of action, I just grabbed my phone and made my way out of the car.
I hesitated at the entrance to the forest. What if there were wolves inside? The logical part of my brain was screaming at me to turn back but instead of heeding the advice, I walked straight in. I turned on the flashlight of my phone and started to move deeper. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing and after a few minutes, I realized how crazy my idea was but it was too late to turn back.
I noticed some manmade paths and I decided to stay on it. I walked so deep into the forest that the trees began to blur together and I could not see far ahead of me. The breeze was chilly and the air was eerie. I could not help but feel like I was being watched. I had made up my mind to turn back when I heard a twig snap. Instantly, my mind took me back to the wolf attack but instead of running away from the sound like I should have, I found myself walking towards it.
“You’re going to get yourself killed one day, Leindra,” I murmured to myself but I did not stop moving.
I followed the sound into the trees and towards a clearing. To my shock, Darius was standing right there. I quickly turned off the flashlight on my phone so he wouldn’t see me. He was talking and it took me a second to realize that he was on the phone. I decided to wait for him to finish partly out of respect but mainly because I wanted to overhear what he was saying.
“She will be mine in a matter of time,” he said to the person on the other end of the phone and I knew he was talking about me. “I don’t know how she’s taking the news but we can worry about that later. I have to go.”
He hung up the call and I was about to make my way out of my hiding spot but something kept me immobile. He looked around to be sure no one was watching him and as for what happened next, I could not explain it. One second Darius was standing there under the moonlight in all his glory and the next, the horrible sound of bones cracking filled the air, fur began to sprout from his skin, his hands elongated and a wolf was standing in his place. Not just any wolf- the black wolf from a few days ago.
I stumbled back and fell on my ass. Darius turned his head to the source of the sound and I all but pressed myself into the tree hoping he wouldn’t see me. The air was silent between us and I prayed that he would not notice me. He started to move closer to me but a loud howl cut through the air effectively drawing his attention away from me. He howled back in response and then ran in the direction of the sound.
I sat there for what felt like hours after that staring at the empty spot in the clearing. Darius was a wolf. He was a man who could turn into a wolf- a werewolf. I couldn’t believe it. if anyone else had told me, I would have called them liars and asked that they be admitted into a psych ward because werewolves did not exist yet here I was- I had seen one in real life. Was that why everyone feared and respected him? Did everyone know he was a wolf? How many other wolves were there in town? Had there always been wolves in town? Why didn't I remember if there were?
Most of my past regarding the town was a blur. I could remember the major things but nothing else. I was certain that if there were wolves then I would remember. I had never cursed my bad memory more than I had at this moment. I knew I could not tell anyone about my questions because no one knew I could not remember.
My mind was moving a mile a minute and it felt like the more I tried to get a grip on my thoughts, the more hectic it became. My mouth fell open and closed repeatedly and my legs felt like jelly, I could not lift them. I had to brace myself using a tree to get to my feet. I picked up my phone from where it had fallen in my panic and noticed that my screen had broken when I fell. I couldn’t even be bothered about the screen because I just wanted to get the hell out of the forest.
I listened to be sure there was no one else around and I took off as fast as my feet could take me. I didn’t remember the exact route I took into the forest but I didn’t care, I just kept moving forward. Thankfully, I was able to get out exactly where I had dropped my car. I didn’t hesitate before jumping into the driver’s side and speeding back to my house. The porch light was still on and Grandma was sitting on the porch chair.
When she saw me, she stood to her feet and rushed over to me. Her eyes ran over me and I was sure I looked like I had just seen a ghost. She stayed silent and analyzed me. I tried to force the words out of my throat but it was like my vocal chords had been cut. No sounds could leave me because I couldn’t even believe what I had just seen. If I didn’t believe it, how did I expect someone else to?
“Leindra, what happened? Did you see something?” She sounded genuinely worried but her choice of words struck me.
She didn’t ask if someone hurt me or if I got hurt, she asked if I had seen something. It was like a blanket of calmness rushed over me and I took a step back and took in my Grandmother for the very first time. The night of the full moon, she was very adamant that I get home early as if she knew something bad could happen. After I came back and told Chris about what I saw, she had an expression on her face that I couldn’t decipher.
A part of me was positive that she knew but another part of me was hesitant to tell her. What if I was wrong? What if she did not know about the wolves? Would I be condemning Darius’ life by telling her?
“Tell me Leindra, what happened to you?” she asked again and I shook my head. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying; I’m just pissed off about the marriage. I am not marrying Darius Lunar.”
“This isn’t a conversation to be had outside.”
She pulled me by my elbow into the house and bolted all the locks into place. She looked out the window to ensure that I had not been followed and she turned back to me.
“Leindra, I know you’re upset but-”
“I don’t want to have this conversation,” I said with a tone of finality. “Goodnight, Grandma.”
I turned on my heels and walked into my room despite hearing her calling out to me. As soon as I locked the door behind me, I fell to the ground.
I couldn’t fall asleep all night. I did not have nightmares; it was just my mind that would not turn off. I delved into full-length research on werewolves. There were a lot of conflicting stories on the internet but what most of them could agree on was that werewolves were men who could turn into wolves, they worshipped the moon goddess and silver had the power to incapacitate them.
That night, I made sure to line my windowsill with everything silver I had in my room. I even took out my old silver jewelry that I hadn’t worn in a while and I placed it on my vanity. I was going to start wearing them so I could tell the people who werewolves. I didn’t even realize it was morning until there was a knock on my door. I realized I had not slept and I still had work.
Throughout my night of research, I had not once thought about how I was going to go on with my day. Everyone was a potential suspect in my head. Were Ian and Darius’ other friends wolves? Did they also know about his secret? Was he the only wolf in town? There were so many questions and so little answers. The only person who could give me answers was Darius and I couldn’t ask him.
“Leindra,” I heard Chris say from the other side of my door. “Grandma needs you to help her with something.”
I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed and forced myself to take a shower. Once I was done, I put on silver hoops, a silver bracelet and a silver necklace. I knew it wasn’t enough but I figured it would be a start for my protection. I made a mental note to go to the store and get some more silver jewelry.
When I stepped out of the room, Grandma raised a brow at me in a silent question but I simply shrugged and pretended like nothing had happened. If she noticed the bags under my eyes, she didn’t say a word. Instead, she handed Chris some money and asked both of us to go to the store. I leaped up at the opportunity because I felt it would be a good chance to get Darius and his wolf nature off my mind.
Even Chris was shocked at how I all but ran out of the house and situated myself in the car. He asked not less than three times if I was okay and each time I responded with a very cheerful yes and a nod that was not believable at all but he stayed silent and chose not to push.
When we got to the store, I practically rushed out but my feet halted of their own accord. I had hoped that going to the store would have been enough to take my mind off Darius but I had not accounted for the possibility that Darius would be at the store and there he was. He was standing a few feet from me and his eyes were trained directly on me.