Chapter 17: A Second Time.

HELENA.

Aaron dropped to the ground, startling me and Luna. Luna bolted to his side, lifting him up with unnatural strength.

"We have to get him out of here." The urgency in her voice was needed. If the doctors came in and assessed him, we would be in a ton of trouble.

Veronica looked at me, a-what the heck is going on- expression plastered on her face. Luna hauled Aaron out of the ward, and said she'd be in the car. I nodded, and she left. This entire period was filled with enough strange activities.

It was just me and Veronica in the ward, so I decided to ask her the 'question.' again. She lay peacefully, the monitor measuring her heart rate beeping in the background.

"Vee…"

"I'll tell you Helena, just chill." She tried to sit up. I stopped her.

Over the last six years since I knew her, Veronica was not one to 'back off.' She had this strange strength inside her, and it took everyone off guard. It was this same strange strength I had seen in her eyes earlier that made me motionless for a few minutes.

"I accidentally discovered something last month. But I wasn't sure so I ran a few tests and…well, let's say I'm sure now. Last weekend, a group of men broke into my apartment and ransacked the place. I initially thought they were burglars, but the breaking and entry was done so neatly I began to question myself." Her heart rate increased, but she continued,

"They came back that night, men in suits and asked me to hand over my experiments. Those were my life. I possibly couldn't. They were everything I had worked for. And I could finally put my life's work to use. They weren't relenting. They threatened that they'd be back, and I had a week to hand over the experiments. They're gonna try to kill me Helena." Her voice broke, and I squeezed her palm.

"As my hands touch yours, they aren't going to leave. You're not gonna die Vee, I'm gonna make sure of that." She broke down in tiny sobs, and I cradled her.

"Those people weren't just normal crazy idiots looking to make cool money, they were more…sophisticated, well planned out. And it scares the hell out of me. What if I can't fight back? I'm not gonna surrender my results." She shook her head violently. I instantly felt her pain, from my gut straight to my heart like a sharp arrow.

"You will because I'm here. We all are. And we will stand by you no matter what." I said reassuringly. She laughed lightly, and I looked at her. Dark under circles, pale face and lips, eyes wide and painstakingly alert. This woman has been through some trauma. A part of me was too scared to admit it even.

"You haven't told me how you met your little friends." Veronica said, smirking at me. Even with bandages wrapped around her head, she was still mischievous.

"I don't know how I met them." If she was going to know, I might as well give her a bit of a challenge. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't even. Just tell me."

I exhaled and gave her a rundown of everything that happened in the last month. At the end of my little recap, Vee was wide eyed, heart rate alarmingly high, but it eventually calmed down.

"Wow…. I don't even know what to say anymore. No wonder that male was so strong." Her voice trailed off.

"Yeah, and you can't tell anyone. They'd lock them up. Or even worse. And you know what I mean."I warned. The thought of Aaron being taken into one of these movie examination rooms and then slowly dissected made me shudder. I hadn't seen Luna since she left with him, but I know he was safe.

Veronica nodded. "Yes ma'am."

After a brief moment of silence,

"What did you discover, Vee?" I needed to know what was so extraordinary that it'll take 'men in suits' to threaten her.

"I discovered the cure for cancer."

AARON.

Dark, warm, soft…..

These textures flooded my senses as I tried to make sense of my environment. I had lost use of my body, and I was furious. Luna laid me inside the truck, got in and said, "What the hell was that?" She looked pissed. I wanted to respond, wanted to get on her nerves a little more. But my mind went to Helena instead. Besides, I was numb. I couldn't move, but I was conscious. And she knew. Her small, pale face. Those huge innocent eyes, her smile, her long flowing hair that made me increasingly jealous. Why would one person's hair be so long?

"Aaron!" Luna called.

I strained my neck to look at her. I cannot move goddamnit! She leaned over and tapped my cheek, gasped and stepped back.

"You've been poisoned."

Like I didn't already know.

I could hear her rummaging for something in her bag. She produced a small magnifying glass, from what I could see, and examined me with it. Her eyes widened and she stepped back.

"Who the fuck…"

Who the fuck what? I think she knew what was wrong with me. I didn't. So I had to wait. My inner wolf growled aggressively. I was furious, but I couldn't do anything. That's how it was.

"Wolfsbane." She muttered. The heck?

"You've been poisoned with wolfsbane." She muttered again, a little louder so I could hear it.

Who could've done such? And why? No one knew me here, and…

Why did I suddenly think of Doctor Flora?

"I gotta get you something for this. Or else it'll just eat you alive." She started rummaging again. She cursed under her breath, came close and whispered, "I need to go talk to Helena, you….stay here and wait. I'm locking the doors. Blink twice if you heard." I did. She left the truck.

Then again, I'm being left with my thoughts. I tried wiggling my toes, to regain any sensation. Wolfsbane only works on wolves, but I began to wonder about its effect on humans too. My mind began to race with possibilities. Did the hospital not have enough security on their food? Someone could've easily skilled something into the orange juices. And I took half a sip. Luna finished hers…..

Oh God.

There was this gnawing feeling in my gut, and I only get that feeling when something exciting is about to happen. Luna returned almost immediately, and said, "I'm gonna run home and get some herbs." She scanned my body again, "Helena is inside with Luna." Then she sped off. I knew she'd run with werewolf speed, because the situation didn't need a truck on the road.

I glanced outside the window. I was laying flat on the back seat, so it was kind of a struggle. I gave up and looked towards the roof of the car instead. When we return from Hulvey, I would treat Helena somewhere. Maybe one of these nice restaurants in the south of Henley. She loved animals, so probably a zoo.

What are you doing Aaron?

I was thinking of how to make the woman I…..love happy. I've fallen for this human. Hard. And there was no turning back.

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to drown out the stinging sensation in my head. I hated wolfsbane. I had been poisoned with it once, and that was why I was conscious up until now. The first time, my mom made me drink some obnoxiously tasting drink and perform a ritual, and I hoped that wasn't what Luna was getting for me. I was passed out cold. I remember waking up to my mom and dad sober, probably assuming I was dead. After their joy that I was alive, they scolded me for wandering into 'forbidden places' and eating anything I saw.

Surprisingly, wolfsbane doesn't taste bad. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing. The taste is more of potatoes in its raw form. And I ate raw meat. Wasn't so bad. I wonder why I hadn't detected it earlier. What had I eaten?

Luna showed up a few seconds later, with a few bottles and leaves. She mixed a few together, her blue eyes turning obsidian again. Luna was much more than a werewolf, that I knew. She flicked her fingers over the mixture, the air between her fingers misting a faint blue light. My heart thudded. She looked at me and brought the mixture to my mouth.

"Don't look at me like that, drink it. You'll be better immediately." She turned away, packing the bottles into the bag. I could sense her aura. Luna had a tremendous amount of energy, and it scared me sometimes.

Regardless, I drank the potion. There was a blue mist on top of it, and it smelled like ginger roots. Hm, pleasant.

I caught a glimpse of Helena running towards the truck. She looked worried, concerned. She gazed at me from outside the truck, and my heart palpitations exceeded normal rate. I needed to get up. I needed to hug her. To whisper in her ears that I was fine. I wanted to know her deepest darkest desires. What she feared and things she had always wanted to do. I wanted to mark her, protect her from the evil in this cursed world.

I wanted to make her mine.