Chapter Four

Erin choked me. I never thought something like that would happen to me, but the burning sensations on my skin were all the confirmation I needed. Hopefully, John kept his promise, because if my mom were to find out, she will probably kill him and end up in jail.

''Honey, are you still listening?'' my mother asked, chewing her bottom lip.

''Yes,'' I answered. I was too caught up in what happened these last couple of months to pay attention. My life seemed to all but my own.

"Are you sure? Because you zoned out the minute you touched your stomach," she said slightly concerned.

"Mom, I'm sure."

Silence followed. I was not really listening since she only wanted to talk about my kidnapping in the first place. She could not understand that I had no memory of the events that went down.

"John, come here. It's time," she yelled, looking at my open bedroom door.

Johns footsteps echoed down the hall before I saw his shadow in my doorway, "Good morning, Arabella," he said, entering my bedroom.

"Morning," I murmured, looking at him.

"Arabella, are you ready to hear the story?" John asked when he suddenly sat down beside me.

I covered my tummy with the soft blankets and nodded my head for John to continue. He took a deep breath before he looked at my mom, probably seeking approval.

"Do you remember this book?" he asked, holding a brown book in his hands. The book was covered in old leather and had handcrafted patterns on it. The patterns strongly reminded me of a spellbook, like one of those you would see in a supernatural movie. That is what caught my attention the first time I saw it in my moms' small library in her office.

"Yes, it's my favorite book out of Mom's collection," I responded, attempting to take the book from his hands, but he pulled it away before I could reach it.

He hesitated for a few seconds before he handed me the book, "What's the books name?"

"You're asking a lot of questions for somebody who wanted to tell a story."

"Just answer the question, Ara," my mom whispered like she feared somebody was listening to our conversation.

A frown etched its way onto my forehead, but I answered anyway, "The Amarok."

"Do you know what the Amarok is?"

" Just tell me the story already," I pleaded, looking at my mom, "please."

"Arabella!" my mom scolded, giving me a slight pinch on my shoulder, "Cooperate."

John stared at the cloudy sky outside before he got papers out of his back pocket, unfolding them one by one. He looked down at the papers, creating tension in the room. Every now and then he would pull weird faces like he was contemplating whether he should tell me. When he finally looked at me, he sighed.

"A blood moon comes once every million years. It is said that during this night she will give birth not just to anyone but to the Amarok, the protector of mankind."

"Wait, she? As in the moon?" I questioned, suddenly really confused. The moon did not even need oxygen to survive so it could not give birth to a living creature.

The only confirmation I got was a slight nod from Lisa.

"We presume you summoned him and that's why he came. Amarok's do not have mates, that is not exactly how they work. They choose a woman to carry their pups, to keep their bloodline flowing."

I stared at John, not sure if he was trying to fool me with this information. My mom looked calm, so I guessed she already knew what he was talking about because she could not pull off a prank. I have lived with her for nearly nineteen years and never, not even once, did she try to prank me before.

''Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy?" John asked, waving the papers in front of my face.

My eyes flashed to his, "Because you sound crazy?" I wanted to say but it sounded more like a question anyway.

"Arabella, you can't say that. You can't remember what happened," my mom said, slightly touching my arm.

"It doesn't mean mystical creatures are suddenly real and this story that he is telling me is a prophecy from a clan who lived thousands of years ago. I doubt that something that unrealistic would happen and to me of all people"

"Wil you just listen to what we have to tell you without complaining?" John questioned, stomping his foot on the floor. His outburst caught me off guard and I started fidgeting with the blanket that covered my tummy.

''John!" my mother yelled but made no attempt to consult him any further. John mumbled something under his breath, completely ignoring my mom. He got up and started marching up and down in front of the bed.

"We are a part of a clan, The Folk. Many centuries ago, our people believed in a prophecy, the prophecy of the blood moon as our ancestors called it, and this prophecy states that the Amarok will find a woman to mark. Not just any woman but a Folk woman, meaning one of our own," John stopped walking, looking over at my mom for confirmation. When she nodded her head, he started walking again.

"When your mother found out she was pregnant, she did everything in her power to protect you. She was scared it could be you."

I looked over at my mother for answers and saw her fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, teary-eyed. This probably brought back millions of bad memories for her, so it was understandable.

"At first your mother was in denial after you disappeared but the fresh claw marks on your waist just confirm it," John said, putting both of his hands on my mothers' shoulders, offering her some comfort.

A loose tear fell down her cheek when she nodded, "I tried everything, Ara. I'm sorry."

"Hold up. Do you mean to tell me that you are a part of the clan? The one who died out?"

"Yes," John nodded his head twice, "we never died out. It was just a story our clan told to steer people in a different direction after they got suspicious."

"You want me to believe all that?" I questioned, looking at the two people in the room. It was something out of this world. How on earth can I get myself to believe something so impossible?

"I am so sorry Ara. This is something I should have told you sooner, but I was scared. It feels like I have failed you," Lisa cried.

''Come here," I stated and when she finally sat down beside me, I hugged her, "Mom, you did not fail me. Don't even think that for a second," I wailed, grabbing onto her shirt. I felt bad for her. To see her so emotional was tearing my heart apart.

John silently walked out of the room, giving us some privacy. My mother was a strong woman so for her to have a breakdown was very uncommon. Even though I did not believe a word they told me, I was not going to say anything. I wanted them to believe that I believed it, for their sake.

''Honey, get dressed and cleaned up. We have a surprise for you waiting downstairs," she said, wiping the tears away on her cheeks.

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute."

"Why do you have bruises on your neck?" she asked when I started to get up, making me freeze in my spot. She stared me down, raising one eyebrow in question.

"No reason," I whispered. I felt guilty withholding the truth from her, but I was afraid of her reaction. She would probably do something crazy.

She stood with her hands on her hips, giving me her signature deadly stare. That stare was the only reason I could not lie to her. It was like her stare crept into my soul and pulled on all my good strings.

"So out of curiosity, it had nothing to do with Erin storming out of this house yesterday?"

"Nothing to do with that," I said, grazing on my teeth to keep the truth from spiraling out of my mouth.

"I'm dropping it, but only because you need to hurry downstairs," she mumbled, turning around to leave but stopped just before she turned into the hallway, "When you lie to me again, please make sure the evidence is gone," she said, pointing to the dried bloodstain on the ground.

A groan escaped my lips before I grabbed my towel and hurried to the bathroom. The marks on my neck were an ugly green color, just looking at them almost made me barf. I winced when I touched the biggest one across my jaw where his thumb made an imprint on my skin.

I did not feel like explaining the ugly marks to someone, so I covered them with a bit of concealer. When they were just slightly visible, I made my way downstairs, entering an incredibly quiet living room.

"Mom?" When I got no reply, I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I was looking for something to eat because ever since I found out about the baby, I have been having an awful lot of cravings. Who am I kidding, I have been having cravings ever since I was born.

"John?" I wondered and when there was no answer for the second time, I stuffed my face with chocolates. It was the best comfort food out there. When you are feeling a tad bit salty, eat a bar of delicious chocolate. There is chocolate for every mood out there.

"Surprise!"

I halted in my tracks with my hand in front of my mouth. My family, every one of them was in the living room with a bunch of presents and balloons in their hands. My mouth hung open, my chocolate covered teeth were on display and a single tear escaped my eyelid.

"Honey, come and give us a hug," my mother yelled, sitting on the couch between a bunch of her cousins. When I greeted everyone and sat down beside my mom, they all greeted me with hugs. I got a lot of compliments about my health and the baby, but that happiness faded after a while.

It has been 45 minutes and here I was, sitting alone on the couch, looking at my family having a blast. None of them kept me company for long. I had a feeling that they were not all too happy about the baby but pretended to be for my sake. Not that it bothered me too much, I would rather be by myself anyway.

"So, the slut is still keeping the baby."

I looked up to find the person I never wanted to see again; the person who wanted me dead. He looked me up and down, undressing me with his eyes and making me feel disgusted.

"What are you doing here, Erin?" I questioned with disgrace on my face. He snickered and looked over my shoulder.

"Well, well. If it is not the slut who broke my son's heart," a sickening voice said from behind me. Bethany, I thought as I turned my head to look at the she-devil herself.

"You had the audacity to cheat on my son? I will teach you a lesson, very soon bitch. If I were you, I would watch my back," she provoked.

I was so over being quiet all the time that the following words left my mouth without a second thought.

"I was kidnapped, thank you for asking. The fact that I can't remember who I slept with doesn't really matter because I'm sure I enjoyed every second of it," I spat and got up. They stood staring at each other while I laughed on the inside. I could not believe I loved Erin once. He was a total douche. Yes, that statement might have been bold, but I was not sorry for calling them on their shit.

"Now, if you'd please excuse me," I said and turned around to leave. Bethany raised her finger for me to stop but I just ignored it, walking up the stairs to my bedroom. A little peace and quiet could only do me good after a long day of drama. The stash of chocolates came in handy when I made myself comfortable on my bed. ' FRIENDS it will be' I thought as I switched on the TV.

Even as FRIENDS played on the TV screen, the only thought I had was that I would eventually have to go down to that party again.