“Pardon?”
“I know you aren’t human anymore.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, aghast. I was sure Riley had said I wasn’t a human. Was he mad? Or was I?
“You’re a Werewolf.” He smirked at me, and I stared with my mouth wide open in shock. I was about to laugh at him when he touched my arm. I recoiled quickly as memories flooded my mind.
Blank spots, confusion, and tiredness - all of it made sense now that I remembered. Was I really a Werewolf? Was it really only yesterday morning when I’d gone for a walk in the woods and then everything went wrong?
I was crazy, completely and utterly mental-institution crazy.
My mind was racing, flicking from thought to thought. The piercing headache I’d had, the clarity of my vision, and the voice. The voice that appeared in my mind that didn’t belong to me. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. I picked up my drink and drank it in one.
“That’s not water you know.” I glared at Sky. She’d ignored me for most of the evening, and it was typical that she chose to be interested in what I was doing now. I couldn’t win!
My temper flared like wildfire as she scowled at me, and my palms itched from the anger rising like flames, licking across my body. “Let’s take a walk.” Riley grabbed onto my arm and guided me out the door. I couldn’t see much beyond my fury.
“Deep breaths, Luna. It’ll fade soon, I promise.”
The chilled air cleared away my anger almost instantly. It was like a flickering candle nearing the end of its wax. I listened to Riley, and emptied the last of my anger into the air.
“Has that happened before?” he asked as he took a step forward. I couldn’t hide the feeling of déjà vu as we walked along the same street as the previous night.
“I’ve been close to boiling point a few times,” I admitted, remembering the crash I’d almost caused. “That was the worst though.”
I stopped walking, and stood in the middle of the bare street. “How is it even possible that I’m a Werewolf? How am I supposed to believe that?” I flapped my arms in the air. “This, Riley, is reality, and Werewolves do not exist here!”
“Luna,” he inched another step forward. “You’ve been bitten, and you’re going through the change now. I can smell it on you.” His eyes flared, illuminating the brightness of his green irises. “You can deny it all you want, but the truth remains. We do exist.”
My breath caught in my lungs, and the icy temperature of my own fears crept across my mind. I was scared of the truth that rang clear in Riley’s voice. Something deep inside of me wanted to agree with Riley, as though my very essence had already accepted it like a command. Nothing was ever as it seemed, even the world.
My mind and body felt disconnected, like I was becoming two people. My