Chapter 7: Devil's Déjà vu

When I got out of school, I received a text from my mother,

'Meeting with some pack member, both of us will be back late'

I shrugged and continued on my way home.

Well, that was my intention until, suddenly, my feet began to pilot itself and I walked straight past my house. Once again, I felt like I was in the passenger seat of my own body but, this time, I was still in human form.

Realization dawned on me, and for the first time in years, I attempted to talk to my wolf,

'Reyes,' I called in my mind

No reply

'Reyes, I know you can hear me!'

But to no avail

Irritation now started to lace in my voice, 'Reyes, if you can't talk to me, then you don't have the right to be in control of my body!'

'Actually, I do have the right to taking control, you should be thanking me for letting to take the wheel for so many years, ungrateful child,' I heard my wolf snap back haughtily.

It had been a long time since I'd heard her voice and I was happy that she hadn't changed one bit. She was in a petty mood but I knew better than to go against her.

She always had more power over this body than I did since I was born in wolf form. This meant that she could take control of my body anytime she felt like it and I would be powerless against it. Thus she was Reyes and I was Regina.

Reyes prioritized dignity, her pride, and the need to protect me, and that was the only reason why she endured the years of silence and dormancy; in order to protect my life by keeping herself a secret from the world.

'Oh-so-great Reyes,' I try to muffle my sarcasm, 'what made you take over my body?'

'Well, although I'm loving the purposely pathetic pace you call running, that you did in PE,' she didn't even try to tone down on her sarcasm,

'It's what humans regard as an 'average' pace' I quickly interject.

'Call it what you want,' she dismissed my explanation and continued, 'I need an actual exercise, I've been cramped in this human form for years!'

'That makes sense but where are we going now?'

'I saw the message from your mother. It means barely anyone would be in the forest, so I'm going now while I have the chance,' She said with a hint of finality

'I understand but at least let me bandage my heel, and then we can find a safe and less obvious way of getting there, especially because it's not nighttime, people could be anywhere; more importantly, Werebeasts can be anywhere' I managed to reason with her,

'Fine' Reyes relinquished control.

But by the time I regained power in all my limbs, I was greeted, once again, with the sight of Marcus, a few steps away, with his back to me, facing the woods.

'2 times in 1 day, who would have thought you'd be in this situation again?' Reyes says in my mind,

'I'm starting to think Déjà vu is the Devils work' I replied.

I tried to retreat or find somewhere to hide but when I made a move, he spoke,

"You're the one from-"

"This afternoon, yes, I fell, your friend helped me, It's embarrassing so please forget about it,' please forget about me is what I wanted to say.

He bared his teeth, something that could have passed for a smile if his canines had become so sharp. In my haste, I had accidentally cut him off, " I was going to say from yesterday lunch, you were hiding behind the bushes, I'm guessing you were there to give your friend moral support or something,"

I paused, did he think the human girl he'd rejected was my friend? It would make sense since I was pretending to be human myself.

But how had he seen me? Definitely not by scent, I was sure of that? Wait, like right now, could he sense movement? Was this some unique apex predator sense? I shuddered at the thought of how he could have acquired such a skill.

When I hadn't replied, Marcus turned, fully now, but still kept the distance between us.

"Yeah, that's right," I tried to keep the fear from my voice,

His head tilted to the side slightly, "You go to our school, yet I hadn't once recognized you until now," 'until now' those words taunted me, "hell, I don't think I'd ever seen you before in my life,"

I silently praised myself for officially getting an A* for acting invisibly.

I wanted to say 'that's the point', but I kept that reply in my head

"What's your name?" He seemed like he was asking out of courtesy in opposed to actually caring,

I really didn't want to tell him but it would be suspicious if I refused. I wish I could give him another girl's name but I didn't have friends that would cover for me like that; Hell, part of this invisibility thing was that I didn't have friends, period.

"Regina."

"Regina..." He pushed almost irritated at the effort of having to speak for so long,

"Elita, Regina Elita,"

His eyebrows furrowed slightly at something, then it returned to his normal stone-cold, expressionless face.

"I'll remember that," He said in a tone that came out plain but sent ice chills down my spine,

"Oh I'd rather you didn't," the words that were reserved for my thoughts escaped my mouth. My eyes widened as his stone-cold face slightly shifted into a frown. I quickly added, "-force yourself,"

He nodded.

But there was no mistaking the biting chill in his next words, "What are you doing so close to the woods?"

"I –I was on my way home and thought I should take a long way round, for some fresh air,"

"It's late, the dangerous is dangerous for humans, I'm sure your mother has told you the story, sang you the song, so why don't you run home," He offered a smile, all canine-like teeth, that induced raw fear through my body.

I couldn't trust my voice to not quake so I nodded instead and fast-walked home.

I didn't need anybody to tell me twice and definitely not him, the Nightmare Shadow pack's future Alpha, the person they called 'the one above all' and 'the Arctics-Bane'.