Chapter 37: Chapter 37

No matter how much I wanted to deny the truth, it was right in front of me. I couldn’t help but do a mental check on my own body. I didn’t feel different. Aside from Gea’s intrusive voice, I felt almost the same as always. That explained why my face had healed so quickly. Maybe you would think I would be excited, but I wasn’t. Becoming one of these creatures was the last thing I wanted. I wanted… needed normality. Of course, a small part of my mind wondered if I could use this against Chloe. As much as I wanted to feel guilty about it, I couldn’t. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the ringing of a cellphone. The cellphone in my hand was buzzing, an image of Aly illuminating the screen.

“I’ll call you in ten.” I replied, ending the phone call without another word. My eyes remained fixed on the giant wolf, on Axel.

Axel approached a cluster of trees nestled in his backyard. I silently watched as Axel returned to his human form. A pair of sweatpants hung at the bottom of his body. His suit had been torn apart during his… transformation. “I don’t want this.” Those were the first words that came out of my mouth. “You don’t even know if I can… can turn into a wolf. I’ve never turned into one before.”

Instead of Axel’s face contorting in anger as I suspected, his eyes showed sympathy.

“I don’t need to see you change to know what you are, Sussan,” Axel murmured, leading both of us back inside. My body was on autopilot. Half of me wanted to run, get away from Axel and his strange family as soon as possible. The other side of me was smart, knowing that if I ran now, I would only be caught.

“I can feel your wolf,” Axel sighed, “She’s inside you, she’ll help you change when the time comes.”

“I tried to tell you, Sussan.” Gea frowned, “We still can’t change, but when we do, we’ll need Liam and Ethan.”

“What’s so important about Liam and Ethan?” I grimaced, my heart pounding at the mention of their names.

“They are our mates, Sussan,” Gea hurriedly spoke the words with an exasperated huff.

“What’s a mate?” I spoke before thinking, gaining Axel’s full attention.

“What makes you ask…?” Axel’s lips tightened; his eyes intense as he looked at me.

“My… wolf mentioned the term.” I shifted uncomfortably. The truth along with Axel’s questioning gaze made me want to flee.

“Their soulmates.” Axel spoke slowly, his own eyes clouded as he thought of his wife.

“And, Annabeth, is she your mate?” I paused, discomfort and fear swirling in my gut.

“She is.” Axel nodded, clearly reading the discomfort in my eyes.

“Axel had a daughter with another woman, one who wasn’t his partner.” Gea recoiled at the idea, showing her clear disgust.

“I see,” my voice sounded weak, my head was swirling with the overwhelming amount of information I was being forced to process.

“That changes nothing, Sussan,” Axel grimaced, “You’re my firstborn, which means my pack will someday belong to you.”

I wanted to scream, to yell at Axel until my face turned blue. I didn’t want a pack, a wolf, mates, or anything else that came with it. I wanted a normal life with people who wouldn’t hurt me, threaten me, or leave me in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety. Some people spend their whole lives waiting for something like this to happen. Some strange and magical calling that takes them out of their mundane world. I wasn’t one of those people. I wanted a normal life and everything that entailed.

“I…” I paused. What would I do? Deny it all? Axel would keep pressing, forcing me to accept the planned future he had for me. “I need some time.” I swallowed, my eyes glanced towards the staircase.

“I understand, Sussan.” Axel furrowed his brow, his eyes softened. “I was raised knowing what we are, you weren’t. I’ll give you the time you need, but please think about what I’ve said.”

“I will.” I nodded, effortlessly uttering the lie. I retreated to my room with trembling legs, trying to close the door behind me. I slipped out of my clothes. I put on a long-sleeved shirt, followed by my heaviest jacket and a pair of dark jeans.

Lia and Dub wouldn’t be able to identify me by the clothes I wore. Lia never paid enough attention, and Dub was always too drunk to notice. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and placed the phone to my ear. It rang twice before Aly answered.

“What happened?” Aly asked, “You sounded a little nervous.”

“Nothing important.” I shook my head, “Axel wanted to talk to me.”

“Ah, I see,” Aly said. She knew how I felt about Axel. It was one of the few things I could openly tell her.

“Yes.” I cleared my throat. My heart pounded in my chest, anxiety shaking through my entire body. I was growing restless, wanting to leave as soon as I could. I would have to wait another hour, making sure Axel had left the lower part of the house. I hoped he didn’t have some kind of super hearing, but it was too late to change my plan.

“Now, about that explanation.” Aly paused, clearly dealing with her own uneasiness. “What the hell happened to your face?”

For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to say. Did I really want to do this? I couldn’t see how it would hurt me since I would be gone before morning. Whatever happened to Chloe after I left wasn’t my fault, but didn’t Aly deserve a warning about Chloe’s threat?

I cleared my throat, fighting back the tears of frustration welling up behind my eyes.

“She didn’t like that I was talking to Liam and Ethan, so she asked for help from Vera and her other friend.”

“Oh my God, Sussan.” Aly’s voice was a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, disbelief, shock, sympathy, and hatred. “I knew someone hurt you, but I never thought Chloe would go this far.”

“Aly, do me a favor.” I closed my eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of my nose. I knew she would react this way. All I had to do was delay her for a few hours. I could tell anyone in the morning.

“What?” I could hear the frown on Aly’s face. “You better not ask me to keep this a secret. She hurt you badly, Sussan. She can’t just get away with it.”

“I know.” I choked, wishing I could tell her the rest. I wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears if I told her more. They would overwhelm me, reducing me to a pile of mush. “Just wait until morning to tell anyone, please, for me.”

Aly let out a long sigh, and I could almost see the expression of frustration on her face. “Fine, I’ll wait until morning.”

“Thank you.” I breathed, remembering that I had something else to say. “There’s something else. She threatened you too. She said she’d come after you if I told anyone.”

“She threatened me?” Aly scoffed, her voice filled with warmth.

“I just wanted to warn you.” I furrowed my brow. “Just be careful with her, I think she’s going crazy.”

Aly laughed dryly.

“Don’t worry, Sussan. Chloe won’t lay a finger on me.”

After ending the phone call with Aly, I had an hour to reflect on everything. It was an hour I didn’t want to wait for, but I had no other choice. It gave me time to think about everything. I didn’t want to think about what Axel had said. I wanted to push it all down and never let it see the light of day.

What Gea had said about the mate touched a sensitive chord within me. Liam and Ethan were our mates.

“Usually, wolves only have one mate.” Gea’s voice was soft. “We have two.” I didn’t want one in the first place. I fought against the stabbing pain in my chest.

An hour passed, and I stood silently at the door of my room. My hand was just inches from the handle. Once I opened this door, there would be no turning back. I would change my own life, finally living it the way I chose. The door to my room opened, and I stepped out into the hallway.

My heart dropped to the ground when I met Stacy’s clear eyes. Her eyes narrowed, looking at me suspiciously. Whatever she was going to say got stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened as she looked at the bag on my shoulder and the clothes I was wearing. Her eyes scanned the hallway and returned to me.

“He’s in his office,” Stacy murmured. “You have fifteen minutes before my mom comes back downstairs.”

Without saying anything else, Stacy retreated to her room. I stood there, gaping, at the door of her room, repeating the words she had told me. She was helping me. Of course, it was for her own selfish reasons, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Her tone had been gentle, even kind. I wanted to dryly laugh at the number of people who wanted me gone. It seemed like the number kept growing.

I went downstairs and left the house easily. I planned to call a taxi with my old flip phone. I planned to walk to the small corner store, the one I had visited when I moved. I would call a taxi to pick me up at the store and take me to the nearest bus stop.

Fear does things to a person’s mind. It dulls all thoughts of reason, dulls everything good and compassionate. Fear consumes and burns until there is nothing left. Fear had formed in me the night Chloe attacked, and it had been simmering and oozing ever since. Fear puts you in a constant state of fight or flight, pushing everything else to the back of your mind.

I wasn’t thinking about Aly, Liam, Ethan, or anyone else. I was thinking about myself, about escaping the fear that was burning me from within. Even as I got out of the taxi and walked through the bus terminal doors, I was only thinking about myself.