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THE bedroom door opens, and Dakota walks in with a tray of delicious smelling food. I refused the food Dakota delivered before. I left the tray by the door in the hallway.
Maybe that’s why Dakota is hand-delivering it.
And I haven’t left the room either. I’m too scared to run into Duey or Cooper in case I freak out and hurt them.
If Dakota thinks I’m going to eat this, then he has another thing coming. He places the tray on the bed, climbs on and sits with his legs crossed.
I climb off the bed, fold my arms, walk to the huge window and look out at the trees. I could jump out of the window and land on a branch. Though I don’t think I’m capable of doing just that. I’d most probably fall to my death since the house is about three storeys high.
The smell hits my nose, and my body betrays me by allowing my stomach to growl.
‘You need to eat. It will keep you strong.’ Dakota voice is firm.
If I ignore him, then maybe he will go away.
His woodsy smell fills the room, and it takes all my strength not to inhale all of it.
‘You’re not going to talk?’ he asks. ‘Good,’ he mocks.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dakota take something off the tray. He sniffs at it and then takes a bite.
His moan, makes my stomach grumble.
It’s been a while since I have eaten. Even Dakota has lost weight too. Maybe I was right that he hasn’t eaten.
‘The last time I saw you, I did something I’m not proud of, something I’m ashamed of,’ he says.
I unfold my arms and stare at him. He smiles, but it’s not his real full-on all dimples smile.
‘I gave you something, and I can’t take it back.’ He swallows.
I frown at him. What did he do? My heart races with panic.
‘You need to understand I never meant for this to happen so soon. And for that I’m sorry.’
‘What are you talking about, Dakota?’ I ask as I make my way back to the bed.
What the hell did he give me?
Why can’t I remember? Oh, maybe it was because you were drunk the last time you saw him.
‘How long do you think you’ve been in and out of consciousness, Ava?’ He lifts his eyebrow that has been pierced with the metal bar.
My hand goes to my chest because it hurts that he called me Ava, not Angel.
‘Um ... I don’t know. A day maybe.’ I shrug.
Dakota shakes his head.
‘Try a week.’
‘What?’ I hold my head in my hands. A whole week— as in seven days. He can’t be serious! I look up and run a hand through my hair. ‘How sick am I? What caused this illness?’
‘You’re not sick, love.’ The softness in his voice reminds me of better times before all of this happened. His shoulders lift as he releases a sigh from his chest. ‘It’s all a part of the change. You’re only in the first stages, so a lot of sleep is common.’
‘Wait, hold up! What changes? What are you talking about?’ I ask.
‘What am I?’ he whispers.
I frown. ‘You’re—’ I wrap my fingers around my necklace.
Dakota narrows his eyes.
No! I can’t. Not yet. My brain scrambles.
I’m supposed to die to become a werewolf. Did I die?
Am I dead?
In one swift movement, I’m off the bed. The air swirls in the room.
Not thinking I run through the sliding window. It shatters into a million pieces. The glass scratches my arms and legs, but doesn’t break the skin. It feels as though someone is scratching your back. I suppose that’s the new superhuman me.
I leap to the ground and land on my legs nimbly. I look back up at the window I just ran through. Dakota is watching with a pained look on his face. I turn and run away.
My arms and legs sting as I push further into the forest.
My heartbeat is almost exploding as the panic has taken over, and the need to fight or flight instincts kicks in.
The sound of a tree crashing and crunching echoes through the woods.
My feet run towards to noise. It’s calling me.
I find myself in the boy’s gym in the clearing. The wind flows around me towards the boys. They stop midway through their routine. One of the boys falls out of a tree and lands heavily on the ground.
Dash and Archer stand in ranks as Duey and Cooper fall into rank behind them.
A growl sounds throughout the area. All four boys crouch down. I mirror the image. I crouch and crawl carefully as I approach them.
They give me a wide berth as I make my way to the other side. They say nothing and watch my every move.
Am I now the enemy?
I spy the break in the trees and then look back at the boys.
My eyes get blurry. My legs and body feel weak. My hand reaches out for the closest branch but doesn’t make it. I fall into a lump on the ground.
I hear feet running towards me. They have a hint of the woods in their smell, only it’s not as strong or appealing as Dakota’s.
Dakota! My mind calls out for him in a panic. My heart is beating in my ears, and my body starts to feel heavy.
Oh, no! Not again! My eyelids close.
* * *
THE BED FEELS HOT. My skin is boiling. I flick the blankets off.
Blankets?
‘Ugh’ I groan into the darkness. I’m back in the room.
Rolling out of bed, I stagger to my feet.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Dakota demands in his sleepy voice.
I stop walking.
‘Shower,’ I scoff.
‘Humph.’ He snorts.
I lock the door behind me. I know Dakota won’t do anything stupid, but you can’t be too cautious. I lean against the door.
‘Are you going to keep guarding me?’ I ask. I look up at the ceiling. My hand reaches back and unlocks the door. Because in spite of what’s happened, Dakota still makes me feel safe.
Stupid—stupid me.
‘Yes,’ he simply replies, and it sounds as though he is standing on the other side.
I can feel the cords that bind us together through the wall. They have been getting stronger with my change, though it hasn’t changed my heart.
‘Why?’ I mutter.
‘Because you are young,’ Dakota says softly.
‘Because I’m young,’ I mutter. ‘Can’t you come up with something better?’ I bitch.
‘You’re changing and new at this.’ His voice is soft as if he is whispering. ‘I have never seen a human change before, so I can only tell you the werewolf parts. And when you do finally shift, I will be there guiding you. I have never been too far away from you, Angel. You will always be at the forefront of my mind,’ Dakota confesses.
I can feel his love in the confession, but I can’t handle this change anymore. I open the door with force; it hits the wall. Dakota is standing not too far away from me. My fists are clenched at my sides when I stalk towards Dakota.
‘You were never there for me.’ My finger stabs into his chest. ‘You cut me off. Out of your life. Never once did you talk about this other girl, Katzé, or about me turning into a werewolf. You never asked if I wanted this life. Yeah, we bonded, but we talked about everything but me becoming a werewolf.’ I want to die just to get away from this uncertainty. I’m not sure what I’ve turned into. What am I, Dakota?
Dakota’s mouth falls open and his eyes widen.
I turn around and walk back into the bathroom.
I sigh, and walk over to turn the cold tap on and jump under with my clothes still on. The water pummels my skin, and my clothes feel heavy as my body cools down.
Dread is the first thing that pops into my mind. What am I going to become? How can I be around Em and my friends anymore without snapping at them? What if I bite them and turn the people I love into werewolves?
Tears flow down my cheek and my eyes get watery.
How can I go on?
I flex my fingers in the water as I push the anger down. I am angry for what I am becoming. I am angry I didn’t get a choice in the matter. I let out a whimper; I’m hurt that Dakota did this even after he told me he loved me. He cut me deep when he shut me out that day all those months ago. I close my eyes. I regret that our bond wasn’t strong enough for him to face his demons. Maybe it was me; I’m not strong enough for Dakota. I regret that I never told him how I felt. Maybe that would’ve confirmed things for him, and we could’ve faced Katzé together. A feeling of warmth spread through my body when he finally told me about her. He should’ve done that months ago when he told me about his family history, and she was a big part of it. Is it bad that I like that he chose me over her? Even before all of this? I had a feeling that he loved me from the very first day we met on the beach. He confirmed it only last night. And I accepted him for who he was, not what he is.
Yeah, he has this werewolf thing, but I wouldn’t change Dakota for the world. My chest feels lighter. I take a deep breath, savouring the moment. And I know that I love Dakota and cannot be without him. He once told me the same thing. I don’t want to live without you. I smile at the tiles on the wall. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as my heart hammers against my chest.
Dakota wraps his arms around me as he steps in the shower. I feel weak in the knees as I look up at his beautiful face and into those eyes that have captured me from the very first moment we met. We stand under the water fully clothed. I cry hard against his chest. I feel safe and warm in his arms.
‘We will get through this together.’ His voice is thick as he whispers against my hair. This makes me realise that my pain is his pain.
We are bound together for eternity. And eternity is such a long time.
Dakota lifts my chin up with his finger.
‘Angel, everything I did was because of my love for you. I love you like I have never loved anyone before, and that scared me a little because the thought of losing you is just too much to bear.’
I stare into the green eyes I met at Donny’s Rock almost a year ago. I need him to know that I accept his apology. My hands grab into the lapels of his wet shirt, and I pull his face down to mine and kiss him, crushing his lips to mine. He kisses me with just as much fervour. A bright yellow glow lights up the room around us. Our bond snaps together and becomes stronger than before. A new colourful mist comes to life as silver swirls around his red and black colours and spreads through our bodies, tying us together with every fibre in our being.
Dakota growls, and I moan.
He places his hand over my beating heart and stops kissing me abruptly. His forehead leans on mine as he steadies his breathing.
‘I’m sorry.’ He exhales and walks out of the bathroom without looking back.
I lean on the tiled wall behind me, look up and watch the water fall from the shower head.
My heart has a sluggish beat to it. I bite the inside of my cheek.
Confusion and dread cloud my head.
Did I do something wrong?