Chapter 70

My throat clenched at what I heard, and my spittle gew spikes that thrust deep into the words that I begged my spirit to unfold. I travelled miles from the city but hoped to get better relief. The pieces that I came to piece back together were shattered into smaller pieces. The old cranky woman left me with more questions than I had. I turned to Lana and watched her veins pop through her neck. Her rage was as sharp as an alpha's claw, and she was ready to tear down anything living in the slightest provocation. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. Torn to shreds by her herself. All this while, I thought it was about me. Ran all the way to Lana for help from Eric, only to find out she was the one that needed my help. The story needed to be added up. Why did Eric insist on what I saw? How did he learn to do what he did with his finger? I needed clarification.

"Your friend was a witch before he turned a werewolf". She said as she turned to me and looked me straight in the eye, "I trained him two centuries ago". The phrase' two centuries' took me aback. It didn't sit well with me. "Eric lived before the war," I nodded to the truth in shire grief. I could not bear the room's distress as I bolted out of the house and into the dead, dry field across the frail whitish-grey picket fence. "Eric was a witch and a werewolf." The sound of that statement struck my underbelly. Eric and I had a moment.

As I sat on the house's porch, surrounded by dead tires and rusted wheels, I closed my eyes and tried to delve deep into my memories. The rusty sounds and the wind's whistle created an eerie atmosphere that matched the turmoil within my mind.

The memories were scattered, fragmented, as if someone had shattered them like a mirror. But I refused to give up. I needed to piece them together, to understand what had transpired between us and why I was left with this hollow ache in my heart.

As I focused my thoughts, a flicker of recollection emerged, like a distant echo in the labyrinth of my mind. I saw a moonlit clearing bathed in an ethereal glow. A soft breeze whispered through the towering pines, and the scent of pine needles filled the air. Standing before me was a tall and robust figure, his eyes reflecting the moon's silvery light.

"Eric", I whispered, trying to recreate to savour every feeling that comes with his name. A werewolf cursed with the burden of his dual nature. Now more than daul. The first time I saw him turn was in those woods, er were again drawn together by an inexplicable connection. Our love defied reason and logic, a bright flame despite the darkness surrounding us.

I remembered the first time our hands touched, the electric shock between us. It was a fleeting moment but it left an indelible mark on my soul. From that instant, I knew my path was forever intertwined with his.

We spent stolen moments together, hidden from prying eyes, cherishing every second as if it were our last. I would watch him transform under the moon's watchful gaze, his body contorting, his features twisting until he became a magnificent creature, both terrifying and beautiful. Then, I saw the duality within him, the battle he fought between his humanity and the beast lurking within.

But our love was not without its challenges. Our world was ruthless, filled with prejudice and hatred toward those who were different. The witches and werewolves were sworn enemies, so the story was told. Their feud dates back centuries. Our love could be seen as an abomination, a betrayal of our respective kind. Now I know why.

As the memories unfolded, I recalled the day when we had a bonfire night. When the vampire forces that sought to tear us apart closed in on us. It was a night of blood and chaos as the witch hunters descended upon our sanctuary. Eric and I fought side by side, using our combined powers to fend off the attackers. The broken pieces of this memory tore my soul.

But amid the battle that night, I was struck down, my magic waning. I watched helplessly as Eric was overwhelmed, his form shifting back into that of a vulnerable human. They took him away from me, leaving me broken and alone. I had not seen Eric for a while from then until he reappeared. Broken.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I relived the pain of every good memory we shared. I remembered searching for him relentlessly, travelling to the darkest corners of the supernatural realm, and practising dangerous dark magic. But he had vanished without a trace. It seemed as though the world had swallowed him whole. My heart felt so hollow during the period he went missing.

Now, I clung to the remaining memories in the solitude of my hurting thoughts. I was determined to fight, to dig the truth and backstory of Eric, and defy the world that sought to tear Lana and me apart. For I knew deep within my heart that the love I once had for Eric was stolen by me, away from Lana, and it wasn't meant o be extinguished so quickly.

I opened my eyes, the determination shining through the tears that streaked my face. The path ahead was treacherous, filled with unknown dangers, but I would not waver. With renewed resolve, I gathered my strength, stroked my hair back, and turned towards the door to enter. Just before I could touch the doorknob, Lana opened the door and saw me right before it.

"let's leave," she said as I bolted the door behind her and walked past me.

The ride back home was quiet. The air in the car was clean. I leaned against the window as I watched them swing by one after the other. It was not only the weather that evening; I thoughts it was cold.

D#Soner than we had left for the day trip, we arrived almost half the time we spent on the road. When we got to the city, we made a turn at the restaurant to eat. Lana got out of the car before me, and I followed. We got some burgers and fries with a milkshake, and just about the time we had started to eat, James walked in through the door.