CHAPTER 1: Coming Home.

 HELENA.

A soft sigh escaped my lips as I stared at the large mahogany doors that guarded the building I called home. The house was a lot older now, worn with age. I could still hear the loud noises of the lawnmower and the faint curses my mom would make in the kitchen while preparing breakfast. A weird wave of nostalgia washed over me, I rubbed my palm over the thin layer of satin that covered my arms.

I grunted with effort as I pushed open the doors. That, needs to be checked. I shut my eyes and took a whiff of the air. Home. That's what it smelt like. Other than a tinge of dampness, the smell of old rugs and dust, and a little something I could swear was a dead rat in the kitchen, it smelled awful. I walked around the sitting room, the floor making a creaking noise with each step. I spotted the old lamp my father used to read with. Old newspapers talking about the latest sports stars or what was in vogue that year. A small smile touched the tip of my mouth. Father, mother. I could picture them there, mother at the edge of the sofa, father in his rocking chair, with a newspaper covering his small eyes with even smaller glasses, squabbling over the most ridiculous things. They were things I missed. Home.

I yanked myself out of my reverie and dragged my suitcase upstairs. I had come here for a reason, to start over, not throw a pity party. The stairs were even more creaky than the floorboards. I wonder why such high defini-

Shit.

I groaned as loud as I could. You have got to be kidding me. I stared my suitcase which now stood at level with my eyes. Yep, I fell into the freaking floorboard.

What a nice way to start the day.

I managed to prop myself up and out of the massive hole I'd just created, then carefully stepped my way up the last remaining steps till I came face to face with my used-to-be room door. I slowly pushed the door open. A very loud shriek emanated from its rusted hinges.

I looked around

Hm.

Everything was exactly how I left it. The pink sheets, the brown duvet, the lip liner I left on my dresser, even the halfway but not so half opened can of nuts I sprawled on the floor the last time I was here. The wave hit me again.

I slowly stride along the plush red carpet, the feeling all too familiar. I sunk onto the mattress, relishing its softness. It was my favorite place in the house. Just me, my books, my favorite milkshake, and a good book to pass the time. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as my mind wandered to everything that led to this point. I had come to Hulvey to start over, to get rid of the past and move forward. And this place was perfect. Especially after….

No, don't think about him. He's not worth it.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed in frustration. I'd been so used to him that now, I felt like I was truly alone. I still couldn't understand why, despite all my efforts to keep us strong. He chose her over me. Me.

A familiar sting crept behind my eyes. No no, don't cry….don't cry.

I got off the bed and started unpacking my things. I needed a distraction from my thoughts. I had to clean, but I just wanted to lay there, hoping that I could probably drift off and forget about my problems. I took out one of my dresses, and was just about to hang it in my closet when my phone rang. I froze.

Why is he calling me?

I made a customized ringtone for my ex-boyfriend, Caleb, and the sweet and subtle ringtone sounded so eerie in my ears.

Why haven't I blocked him?

I stared at the device on my bed as it vibrated. Sure enough, he was the one calling. But I couldn't move any further. Eventually, the ring stopped, but the feelings it left me with choked me in the throat. The sting came again, and this time, I didn't resist. I crouched over, shaking violently as my sobs washed over me. I hadn't cried when I saw him cheating, I didn't cry after he chased me out of his house, I didn't even cry when he called me a pawn that I used to satisfy my needs. Why was I crying now?

Was it the renewed pain? The hurt? The shattering sound my heart made every time I thought of him? Or the fact that he had the nerve to try and talk to me after all he did? He should shove a ten foot pole up his ass for all I cared. I sucked in a breath. I cared. I really did. And he took advantage of that.

My sobs got lighter, as numbness set in. All that pent up emotion did me no good.

Slowly, my eyes fluttered shut as I embraced the fatigue.

AARON.

I ran, as fast as I could. He was right behind me. Growling. His mouth foamed with rage. Why did I do this? We were in the middle of the forest, far far away from our home. I crashed my back leg on a tree trunk as I sped past. Shit! That was definitely broken. But I had to keep going. My pulse drummed in my ears. Tension held my chest tight. I was getting weaker. Werewolves can only run for so long. But him? I glanced back. He was still hot on my tail, looking at bloodthirsty as ever. Doesn't this guy burn out? I cursed myself inwardly and kept going. I sped through a large valley of bushes when something caught my eye. A small dark shadow. I recognized it all too well. My foot lost balance as I crashed into a tree. Never get distracted while you're being chased by your killer. Noted.

I looked behind me, wary. There he was. His jaw stretched into a thin smile. Dangerous, menacing. Like he was giving me a final moment of preparation before he tore me to shreds. I cursed under my breath. This was it. Killed by a fellow wolf. How ironic. I used to think the humans would be my end, even though I was at least 10 times stronger. Alot of of werewolves were going missing everyday, and we knew the reason all too well. Humans were capturing us and studying our biology. They wanted to know why we were the way we were.

Our genetic makeup, and probably how they could become one of us, or subject us to their bidding. I wonder-

There it is again. The dark shadow I saw earlier. Wtf?

Ryker grabbed me by the throat, lifting my limp body into the air. He roared loudly. I was way too fazed to care. I'm gonna die anyway. I didn't need his gloating. A faint discoloration materialized behind him. Huh?

I narrowed my eyes.

Shit.

I had only seen three of demons in my life. And they were far beyond deadly.

The demon walked towards Ryker, slowly, carefully. Ryker was too busy thinking of where to start with me that he didn't notice the presence. Soon however, he would. His teeth dug into my shoulder, sharp and fast. He dug another teeth, severing the tendons in my chest. I howled loudly, trying to wriggle away. He was too strong. My eyes began closing slowly. I was loosing blood, fast. Ryker was about to dig his teeth into my neck, and suddenly, he stopped. His eyes narrowed. Here we go.

He pushed me onto the floor and sniffed. He turned around. A small yelp escaped his throat as he came face to face with the demon. I smirked. The demon might kill me too, but I wanted to see Ryker die first.

The demon looked as it felt. Tall, huge build, bright red skin, dark piercing eyes, long brown hair and an arrow shaped tail. I shuddered. I felt a sharp pang in my chest. Right. I was still loosing blood, and I needed help, quickly.

Ryker knew he was no match for the demon, but of course, his ego was much more important.

He tried to get a hold of it's neck, but it jammed his arms halfway and snapped on of them in half, all in a single swift movement. Wow.

Ryker howled, loudly. He tried to run, but he was overcome by fear. Even the aldrenaline wasn't helping. The demon smirked, or what I thought was a smirk, and took slow, conscise strides towards Ryker's scrambling form on the ground.

It picked him up, stared at him for about 10 seconds, and bit into his neck. As if he was slowly sucking the life out of him.

Ryker writhed and wriggled. It was useless, but still.

I suddenly remembered I was dying. How nice.

I placed a hand on my chest, where blood was still gushing out of. I tried to focus. If I could stop my heart from pumping what was left of my blood to that wound, I could try searching for help.

The demon was still tearing off chunks of Ryker, savoring each bite as Ryker screamed. My gut twisted. I had hated him, but damn, what a way to die.

I slowly got up, and the demon shifted his gaze to me. Fuck.