Chapter 18 18
Third Person POV
Hazel woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She stretched herself in an unnatural way before trying to stand up. She tripped on herself and fell to the ground.
Only then did she see that she didn't have hands but paws instead with long, sharp claws. She got up immediately shocked. She ran to look at the mirror to confirm that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
She looked at herself and was shocked. Her fur was just as white as it had always been, smooth and silky to touch. It had been so many years since she last saw her wolf form.
She opened her teeth, checking out all of her fangs, as sharp and white as they could be, and her wolf's eyes; they were so green and bright, they almost seemed luminous, as if they let out their own light.
She adored herself for a few more moments before deciding to change back to her human form. She began thinking of what trigger made her wolf want to come out, but she couldn't figure it out.
She contemplated telling Draven before she realized all that happened last night. Feeling anxious that something might have happened to him, she ran outside her door.
She wasn't sure how the house was built, and she wasn't one to go exploring in big places, but she ran regardless. She turned at the corner leading to a bunch of rooms and ran into something or someone.
Draven caught her with his right hand before she reached the floor. Exhausted from running in a hurry, she breathed in and out deeply. She looked at Draven, who gazed at her intently; she saw none of what scared her last night.
Right now, standing before her was Draven, the middle-aged mysterious man who wouldn't let her go. She smiled at the thought of it. Draven carried her up towards him, her hand still on the back of her lower waist.
She could feel his body through the shirt he wore; his hairy, firm hands held her in place, his eyes looking at hers, and her hand reached towards his neck as he pressed her even closer to himself.
"Where were you going?" He asked her; she was glad he never let go of her, although she had to stand on her toes before her head could reach his jaw.
"Looking for you," she replied. He immediately let her go and then held her arm, pushing her against the wall. She hadn't expected it, but she wouldn't reject it either.
He looked at her from above, making her seem even smaller than she already was. He placed her elbow slightly over her head for support.
"What happened last night?" He asked her calmly; he showed no emotion nor worry; he didn't behave like he almost killed her last night.
"I saw you last night..." She started; she wasn't sure if she should tell him everything, but she remembered the last time something like this happened.
"In the forest, you were... different from when you saved me back at the cliff," she replied. He said nothing and made no reaction, simply looking at her with passive eyes.
Then he bent even lower, so low and close that she could feel his hot breath on her neck; his right hand found itself at the base of her back as he slightly bent her head.
"I told you to listen to Noah." His voice was deep yet authoritative; her knees shook slightly as he spoke into her ears. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I was just bothered about you," she continued. His hand was gentle on her neck, not hard but not so soft either. His finger left her neck, following her jaw to her lips, then her chin.
He lifted her face up, their lips mere inches away from each other; if she stretched a bit further, she could kiss him; she knew this, and yet she hesitated; she wasn't even sure why, but she hated herself for not trying.
"From now on, Hazel, do the things I tell you to do, nothing else," he continued. She nodded her head slightly, her lips slightly parted as she felt an intense heat coming from within her; she wanted this moment to last a little longer, much longer than forever.
He let go of her chin and walked away from her. Without uttering a single word, Hazel took deep breaths as she rested her back on the wall. She hadn't felt such an intense moment for as long as she could remember.
She gradually stood up and walked back to her room. On her way there, she saw different faces of people; they were all werewolves, but they seemed to be workers.
A bunch of well-dressed ladies began cleaning the house while a few other men cleared the shattered window glasses, replacing them with new ones. She watched them for a bit longer before she walked back into her room.
She lay on her bed as thoughts ran through her mind—thoughts of Draven. Age tried to shake them away, but the thoughts still persisted. A knock came to her door. A few maidens opened the door and greeted Hazel.
She nodded at them and watched as they cleaned up her room and brought in new clothes to fill her wardrobe with. She sat there confused and baffled as this all happened.
"Your meal will be ready soon, Luna," one of the younger maids said to her. She wanted to correct her and tell her she wasn't their Luna yet, that she was scared and thrilled with Draven and what he truly was.
She wondered how it had all come to this. "Thank you," she said to the girl who nodded slightly and left.
She wondered how many workers were needed to take care of a mansion of this size, and while she was lost in thought, another maid came in with a towel, soap, and other things.
"Luna, the Alpha says to tell you that he's expecting you in half an hour; you both have somewhere to be," the maid said, then began preparing a bath for Hazel.
She gulped while she sat down; it was all too much for her. She, who had been accustomed to doing everything by herself, now had others taking care of her. She stood up and went into the bath.
For some reason, she also wanted to meet the witch and hear how she could help Draven. She decided she would do anything within her power to break his curse.
She took her bath with the least pleasant scent she had seen, and she dressed up. Her food was also delivered in her room, which she preferred; she would rather not have to deal with people watching her eat; it made her feel uncomfortable.
After eating, she found her way to Draven after getting lost a few times. As Luna couldn't ask for directions in her own house, it would have been ridiculous. Luckily, she found him and Noah discussing; they both stopped once they noticed her.
"Are you ready?" Draven asked her, and she shook her head truthfully. She imagined herself sitting with an old woman who stirred a cauldron and gave apples to beautiful girls.
"Good, let's go," he said before walking past her. Hazel looked at him a bit annoyed; she just wished he was emotionally available sometimes.
She followed behind him till they got outside and into the car; as usual, Noah didn't follow them again. She decided not to bother with him, in his own strange way, but he still had good intentions towards her.
Draven began driving, but to her surprise, he didn't leave the pack; instead, he drove inside to the point where buildings seemed less and the forests more.
He stopped the car in front of a bungalow; it looked like a regular house with walls and paint; nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She decided not to doubt what Draven was doing and followed him. He walked to the front door and knocked on it.
After a few moments, a certain middle-aged woman came out; she was dressed casually like any other person would.
Hazel was slightly disappointed; she expected something more from the stories she was told as a child, but standing right in front of them was the witch. She could feel an Erie energy from her.
The witch looked at Hazel, then at Draven; she smiled at him before looking at her once more; her eyes gave a blue hue.
"Welcome, Hazel"