Chapter 14

I felt faint.

How could this be? It doesn't make any sense. This...This giant wolf couldn't possibly have been Paige!

But as the wolf stared at me, I noticed its purple eyes; eyes that looked exactly like the ones Paige had been hiding underneath her contacts. It advanced on me, the reddish brown color of its fur making the beast pop in comparison to the dark wood floors.

My back was touching the wall when it finally stopped, only a few feet away from me.

Soft growls that made me think of chuckling rumbled in its throat as it stared at me with a mocking look.

"Alright Paige, I think she's had enough," I heard Liam say over the blood pounding in my ears.

A second later, the wolf was gone, now replaced with a very naked Paige.

I gasped and looked in Liam's direction, only to find him starring at the wall to his right.

Paige nonchalantly walked back over to the clothes she had tossed onto the couch and picked them up. Then she headed to the door.

"Ok, you're good," she said as she slipped through.

Liam only moved once he heard the door shut. He walked over to where I was stuck, frozen to the wall, and looked me in the eye.

"Do you understand now?"

It was a moment before I could speak again.

"What-what was that?" I managed to whisper.

"The truth," he said simply.

He took my arm and gently lead me back to the couch.

"So, you're saying that I am..I'm that... an Astha-Atseriny thing?"

He nodded.

"But how could I not know? I'm pretty sure I'd know about something like this."

"And in most cases, you do. An Astherian child is either told of their abilities by an adult or parent. If not, then your body should start sending you signs that something is different about you, usually around the age of twelve."

"Signs?"

"Dreams, strange urges, or even memories that aren't yours. Does any of that sound familiar?"

I stilled. That dream, it couldn't...

"I guess? I have been having this weird dream for the past few nights, but that can't be it... right?"

"What do you mean? What was the dream about?"

"Well, it starts out with me running through a forest. I feel stronger and faster too. Eventually, I come across a stream and see my reflection... and it's a wolf... but it has my eyes."

"That must be a memory of a former life. It's pretty normal. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, actually, there is. After I see my reflection, I hear this noise and look up to find a man running towards me. But I can't run away."

Liam's eyes widen. "A man? What does he look like? Does he do anything to you?" he asks, a certain urgentness in his tone.

"He was wearing a black suit and was holding a bloody knife. The first time I had this dream, he reached me but I woke up before I could know what happened next... then...there was last night."

He must have noticed the fear in my eyes because he softened his voice.

"What happened last night?"

"This time... this time I saw what happened next. I saw him kill so many.... he was killing things–no– people that were like you and Paige...there was so many, I– I'm sorry."

Liam put his head in his hands and muttered something I couldn't hear. Then he looked back up.

"Thank you... for telling me."

I smiled grimly.

"But, wait a minute," I started again. "You said that a parent would tell their child. Why did my parents not tell me?"

Liam gave me a troubled look. "Uh, um, about that–"

Just then the door opened, derailing my train of thought. I watched as Paige walked back in, fully clothed.

It was in that moment, the thought struck me. Why did Paige take off her clothes before she shifted? What happened to her underwear when she turned back? I remember Liam mentioned something about wearing some kind of "suit"... does that mean? Wait, didn't they mention that I...

Nervously, I turned to Liam. "Did I... Did I transform last night?"

"Yes, you did."

I pieced the information together in my head. And then turned bright red. Liam noticed, and, a second later looked away from me.

"Don't worry," he said, quiet so that only I could hear. "It was dark."

Then he stood up and moved to the door.

"Come on, it's early now. We'll give you a ride home."

I glanced around for a clock and was surprised to see the time. 5:00 am. Oh god...

*******

We reached Alex's in no time. Apparently, we had been at Paige's house which was only a few blocks away. The sun was kissing the sky as we pulled to a stop in front of Alex's driveway. I pulled the sleeves of the sweatshirt down as Liam put the car in park. He had given me his sweatshirt when we left Paige's place, saying that I should cover up. It was huge on me, the bottom brushing my mid thigh.

Liam had gone ahead to start the car when Paige decided to tell me the reason that she didn't give me pants was because she didn't own any that would fit me. It made sense, considering she was tall and lean while I was short and more on the thicker side. She also said that it was also in part a convienient revenge for spilling coffee on her. The ride back to Alex's was short, but I didn't know what to say and was thinking of a way to break the silence when Liam handed me a piece of paper.

"Here. It has my number on it. We'll meet again tomorrow... there's more you need to know and I'm sure you have questions. For now, just get some rest and stay at home. Try not to go out either, but if you have to, try to remain unseen and be quick about it."

I nodded my head and took the paper.

"Thanks... see you later, I guess."

He just grunted in response. I opened the door and climbed out of the back seat.

"Wait," I heard Paige say as she rolled down the window. "Don't tell anyone about what happened last night, not even your little boyfriend."

She pointed behind me just as Alex walked out the door.

"He-He's not my boyfriend!" I whispered-shouted.

"Suuure...Well, buh-bye biyatch!" she blew a kiss and waggled her fingers at me as Liam pulled away from the curb.

I was still watching them as a hand fell on my shoulder forcing me to turn around. Alex wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Ren, what happened? Where did you go?" he asked as he pulled away and began to look me over for possible injuries.

"Why were you with Liam and Paige and..." his voice faltered as he noticed my bare legs. "

"And where are your pants?"