Chapter 8:Jared

Jared did not know what overcame him. Sitting alone with a girl, that too a beautiful one, must have turned him crazy. Mina was beautiful. Jared suspected that she did not know that she was beautiful. But none of it mattered to him, his soulmate, just like what Mina had said, was waiting for him somewhere. It is a coincidence, he thought, to be partners after just meeting the night before. It was his second encounter with her and in the first he had mistaken her to be his Alice.

They had been talking about her opinion about love and he had unconsciously leaned towards her. He was captured by the way she had thoughtfully talked about her feelings. Then somehow, both were now sitting very close to each other. His heart had begun beating so hard that it almost hurt. He saw her closing her eyes as he came closer to her. As they were about to kiss, Ashley had interrupted him. He was thankful to her, as she had prevented a big mistake form happening. He was sure that he had no place for anyone else other that Alice. So if they had kissed , it would have been a big mistake.

He had replied to Ashley that they were doing nothing. From the corner of his eye he saw Mina flinch as if she was struck. He had hurted her. Not knowing how, he had felt her pain.Then Mina had packed her things and had rushed out. He felt that it was because of him. He never wanted to hurt her.

He, then noticed that Mina had left her phone back. He took her phone and ran out of the library to return it to her. Partly it was to get away from Ashley. By the time he reached the library doors, Mina had already gone. Jared looked at the phone in his hand, I better give it back tomorrow, he thought. If he were to go to her home now, Mina would feel awkward. He took the phone with him, and decided to go home. He slowly walked towards Thomas's home. He couldn't shake off the day events from his mind. Mina leaning towards him, Mina closing her eyes... "What is wrong with me?" , he said aloud startling two passersby on the light lit street. Why couldn't he stop thinking about that girl?

Suddenly, like the last time, he felt a sudden tug in his gut. He held his stomach and exhaled slowly thinking that it would go. But it got more painful by each second. He slowly moved further, the tugging lessened. Then he stopped. Again the tugging began. Unlike the last time, he noticed that, it was as if the tugging was showing him the way to something. He felt as if he was pulled by somebody, with a string tied on his stomach. As he jogged forward, he felt that he was in a familiar place. After running some distance, the tugging abruptly stopped. He paused to looked at his surrounding. He was alone. Seeing the surroundings, it suddenly flashed to him that he was in Mina's area. Puzzled as to how he reached here, he suddenly clutched his arm, were he had his birthmark. It had burned painfully. He distinctly felt that something bad was going to happen. The birthmark had seared only once before in his life time. That time something bad had happened.

Suddenly he heard a voice, "Jared ,Help me". It was Mina's voice. Turning towards the voice, he ran into an alley. Before him was a chilling spectacle. An erew had Minas 's throat in it's hands. The erew was about to feed on her. Jared saw red. He felt a rage He had never felt before not even when his parents had died. He without second thought, jumped on the erew. The erew surprised at the interruption turned to look at the intruder and saw the same person who had interrupted his feast the other day. " How dare a human like you disrupt me! ", screeched the erew. Jared did not answer but instead he turned. He phased into a wolf. The moon at its brightest lend him her strength. The erew, looking at its natural sworn enemy, was even enraged. Jared pulled the unconscious Mina away from harm and launched at the erew with a inhuman speed. The erew, even though it was strong, it was no match for the strength of the young and enraged wolf. The wolf, very soon, overpowered the erew. Just before Jared was about to kill the erew, it sneered and said, "Do you think you can live peacefully with your soulmate, as you have found her already? Do you think that you can protect her everytime she in danger?" Jared suddenly froze. "What do you mean, where is Alice?" The erew only sneered. "Oh! The wolfling does not know anything. I am not going to satisfy you with any information." Jared , enraged sliced the head of the erew. It dispersed into ashes.

Jared froze when he heard his name being called. Mina had regained her consciousness. She was calling for him he realized. Slowly, still shaking with rage, he turned back into human. He walked slowly towards her and held head up. "Are you okay?" ,he asked tenderly. Mina cupped her throat and shivered. Jared slowly took her hand away from her neck and hugged her. He then removed his coat and covered her with it. Slowly he helped her up. She looked very pale. He knew that her parents would freak out of she came home like that. So after a brief debate, he considered taking her to his home. He took Minas phone and sent her parents as message saying that she would in a friend's home for the night.

He, then took her up in his arms and ran towards Thomas's house. She did not wei th a thing as he had the strength of a werewolf even in the human form . Thomas was not home, which was good as Thomas would freak out. He carried her carefully to his room and laid her on the bed. He then took many blankets and covered her. She was dreadfully pale and she was hypothermic. Slowly blood rushed to face and she was gaining temperature. He sat on an armchair and looked at her.

Jared sat a long time, looking at the sleeping figure.He thought about the words the erew said. The erews are said to gain a lot of wisdom during their death. He wondered if it were true. Then that meant that he had found his beloved, which in turn meant Mina was...? There was one time he would have said that he was sure that Mina was not Alice, but now he was not so sure. He did not know what to think anymore. He did not know what to tell to Mina when she got up... Everything had to wait until tomorrow.... thinking this, he slowly drifted to sleep in the armchair.

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