Chapter 3

I woke up sweating, as usual. I noticed that everywhere had gotten a bit darker, and the only source of light was the bright, shining moon.

"Yes! The moon is out," I thought to myself, and hurried out of the car with my uncle's ash safe in my hands.

As I entered the woods, my mind went back to the dream I had. What exactly were they talking about? Me being a harm to humans? Did that confirm my suspicions? Many questions were running through my mind.

Today's dream was a bit different from the others I usually have. One time I dreamed I was a toddler sitting in a house that was on fire. I could hear howling and growling from different angles, nobody paying attention to me.

The place was in chaos as I saw huskies moving around. Thinking of it now, they were not Huskies; rather, they were wolves.

They were moving in different directions, some of them seriously bloodied. I was crying as I didn't understand what was happening.

I was swept off the ground by another Wolf. It held my cloth in its mouth, running through the woods.

Whenever I get to that point, I wake up. I asked my uncle what my dreams meant. He'd tell me that one day I would have a clearer explanation of who I am.

Now he's gone without giving a clearer explanation to me. I reached a part of the forest where there were no canopies, and I could see the moon shining brightly.

I brought out my uncle's ash and poured it on the ground. Immediately the ash touched the floor, the wind spread it in different directions, and I burst into tears. My uncle was finally gone. I was alone now.

In the distance, I could hear howling. The ones I hear in my dreams. I thought I was hallucinating, but the howling was soon followed by growling, and it was approaching where I was.

I contemplated running away, but I brushed it off, thinking I was hallucinating, that my head must be playing a trick on me.

I knelt down and drowned myself in the silence that followed. I closed my eyes and recounted the last memories I shared with my uncle. I held on to his face, not wanting to ever forget it.

When I was done, I stood up. I felt strange, feeling a deep connection to this place. I longed to enter the deepest part of this woods. Something, not someone, was calling out to me. The feeling was so strong that I started moving involuntarily.

I heard footsteps around me, and I turned; everywhere became quiet again. I continued moving toward the direction of the pull. The footsteps came again, and this time closer and faster, as if it was running

I halted, looking around, when I saw a massive white husky standing in front of me. It resembled the ones in my dreams, but it was more exquisite and seemed like a female wolf. Something about it exuded royalty. It began to sniff me. I felt a bit strange but didn't say anything.

The wolf circled me before stopping in front of me again. I took my time to observe its features. It had green eyes—emerald green! Its fur was pristine white, without a trace of black or any other color. It was simply breathtaking.

I waited for the wolf to transform, but instead, I heard a voice.

"Damien?" I heard the voice again. I turned, and it was Leo. What was he doing here?

I turned again, and the wolf was gone.

"What are you doing here, Damien? I saw Uncle's ash. So, what were you doing here?" Leo inquired.

"I was just strolling," I replied without looking at him. I didn't want him to catch me in my lie.

"Strolling inside Lakewood at this hour? Come on, man, let's leave. I'm scared," Leo said, turning his back and walking towards the entrance.

I glanced around once more, hoping to spot the wolf again, but I didn't. I must have been hallucinating, I told myself. Deep down, I knew I wasn't, but I wanted to dismiss that thought.

We reached the car, and I noticed that Leo hadn't come with his own vehicle.

"How did you get here, Leo? I thought I left you drunk," I asked while unlocking the car.

"I got a cab that agreed to bring me here, but he charged more than usual," Leo replied.

"What I don't understand is why you didn't come with your car. Instead, you took a cab?" I questioned, glancing at him, but he had closed his eyes.

We drove back to the city in silence. The image of that wolf kept replaying in my mind. This was the moment I needed a drink to numb my thoughts.

"Leo," I called his name without looking at him.

"Hmm?" he answered with his eyes still closed.

"Are there wolves that can shape-shift into human beings?" I asked, my focus still on the road.

Leo opened his eyes as soon as I finished that question. He didn't reply for a minute, and when he finally spoke, he burst into laughter. "You mean werewolves?" he asked, still chuckling.