Losing reality: 6

~Ok... some how the one school I decide to go to is run by a cult... a fucking cult...~. Since leaving Kate's room this was the thought that kept sounding in her head. Kate had tried to back pedal and explain herself but Claire knew everyone here must be nuts. ~Werewolves... they believe in werewolves...~. She just sat at her desk in disbelief. She couldn't drop out or transfer schools, she had put all her eggs in this basket. ~You can't start drinking the koolaid either Claire~. The breeze from the window caught just right and wafted in cool night air. Hours must have passed just sitting here and now it was night time. Her room was dark with minimal lighting from her roommates desk lamp that she must have left on earlier. The glow from the moon though, illuminated everything on her desk.

She'd always needed to be able to see out to the night sky from her bed. The idea of moving to a city had terrified her that she wouldn't be able to see trees, grass, and the woods. Something about the out doors and night sky comforted her, even in the worst of foster situations she'd lived through. It was an odd coincidence her fascination with the moon and the woods with finding a werewolves believing cult. "Haha I must be fucking losing it..." but as she checked her phone to re-read the messages from Kate she knew this wasn't some twisted day dream.

"Claire, look I know how I broke the news to you wasn't right. Unfortunately, I can't change that now. Let me lay the facts out. Dominick saw you and recognized you. This is unique to our kind and it means you are in fact one of us. You didn't grow up knowing this, no one told you until now, so I know it seems like a fairytale... but it's not Claire. Werewolves are real. You are a werewolf. You need to come to terms with that reality because there is so much more I need to tell you but unless you believe me, it's not going to matter".

She'd left that text on read for a long time. How was she supposed to respond to that. ~You're crazy. No. You're nuts. No. I won't join your cult you crazy... no. This is too weird. I need to go to bed and when I wake up deal with this craziness~. As she was closing her phone a text message came through from an unknown number.

"You've been different your entire life, don't you want to find out why"?

"Who is this and how did you get this number!"? Anger and curiosity did not make a good pair.

"You've been alone all this time, are you not tired of being lonely"?

"Who is this or I'm blocking you!"?

"I have many names, but you can call me Mylain". She tested the name out on her tongue a few times and realized she rather liked the way it sounded.

"Ok Mylain... what do you want"?

"The same thing your heart desires".

"How would you know what I desire"?

"You should get some rest. Classes start soon. Goodnight Claire". Frustrated she closed her phone, then more annoyed opened it back up to set her alarm and then shut it again. Just as she finished changing for bed Brooke opened the door.

"Ah, what do you know, you literally do dress in rags". Her outfit was old and baggy, cloths kept for comfort not style. Not wanting to deal with anymore today she climbed into bed and closed her eyes. ~Let me wake up from this nightmare~. "And don't touch my stuff again or so help me!" She closed her eyes too drained to care.

His fingers strummed along the top of his desk while staring down at the dimming phone after she did not reply to his goodnight wishes. He was fighting the urge to go to her dorm and steal her away into his bedroom but he knew that would only push her away more. He'd have to make due with the remnants of her kiss. He could almost feel her underneath his fingers when he held her at the park. Being the alpha came with a lot of perks, but it also has its downsides. Being alpha he was able to sense his mate before her first season. Most werewolves this wouldn't affect as they grew up with the pack. Claire was a completely different challenge, she had no idea what she was or what it meant.

He made a fist so tight he was nearly shaking. "Soon enough Mylain... soon enough...".

She hadn't heard her alarm go off, the afternoon summer heat waking her from her dreams. She was thankful, she dreamt she was being chased by this monstrous animal. She'd had this dream before many times. There was something always hauntingly familiar about the beast but she never allowed it close enough to discover its truth. She decided to shower to get the sweat off and then made a break for the common campus lounge. She'd wanted to go exploring again but was off put by the idea of running into Dominick again. She was tempted to stay in the dorms to just relax and hide away from him but then she might have to deal with Kate wanting to talk about her cult more. ~Definitely wasn't a dream~. She knew after waking up to a text asking her to come talk about it. This common lounge was just that, a place for students to rest, study, eat, etc. Just as she finished off a small snack Ben sat down next to her. "Hey Claire, what you up to today? Last day at freedom before classes start". He looked bummed at the prospect.

"I don't know. I wanted to explore the town but that's a no go right now. Guess just relax and enjoy the weather. But what about you? Don't RAs stay in their building"? He shrugged and took a sip of some weird green looking drink.

"I'm off right now, this is when I'd be in class anyway".

"Oh I don't know why I didn't realize your a student too. What year and major are you"?

"Haha... I'm what you call a super senior" smiling while patting himself on the shoulder, "this time around I'm working on my business and finance degree. Before you ask, I'm a life long learner just enjoy it ya know". Ben seemed like a free spirit happy guy. They continued to chat for a nearly an hour about his classes and hers.

"Welp, almost back on the clock so I gotta head in. It's good talking to ya. Glad you're joining us, new comers especially ones as unique as you are refreshing". Before she could ask, he waved good bye and headed off to the dorm. ~That doesn't automatically mean he's part of the cult girl, chill your paranoia... not being paranoid is what gets the idiots killed early on in the horror movies though...~.

The remainder of the day was uneventful and boring to her. She quickly stopped at the cafeteria for dinner, not wanting to bump into anyone and headed back to her door. The sun had gone down and her dorm had a nice sitting area out back tucked away unless you were wondering around aimlessly like her. She laid down in the grass, put her head phone in, and stared up at the sky while listening to her music. For once she felt free.

She'd learned her lesson about completely zoning out in unfamiliar territory so her music wasn't loud enough to mask the sound of the approaching footsteps. She sat up just in time to see the giant black haired wolf approaching her. Her heart leapt into her throat but she didn't move. She'd never get away in time, best she could do was to try not to provoke it. She tried to form a clear thought but nothing was coming, she was frozen in between fight and flight. The wolf came closer and closer, his snout at her foot. The wolf closed their eyes and smelled her. Her heart was thundering in her chest, but she wasn't scared. ~Heavens Claire are you excited?!~. The wolf lifted his snout, she somehow now knew it was a male wolf. The wolf careful as if purposely walked around her to be next to her where she sat. Again, he leaned down and sniffed her. Up close like this Claire realized this was no ordinary wolf, not that she'd ever encountered a wolf before, but he was massive. Easily weighting 300+ pounds and nearly 4ft tall standing. But that wasn't all. His body had streaks of missing fur across his front and back legs and one long line down his back. Clearly he'd been in some fights. She didn't even realize she'd reached out before her hand connected with the soft black hair on his head. His eyes flared open and green emeralds bore into her soul. As if snapped out of a trance the wolf darted away as if familiar with the secret path to the location.

"Dom... Dominick..."?