Chapter 25: He's Back.

HELENA.

The week was surprisingly calm. I didn't see Caleb after that day, and I wondered what had happened to him. Oh well. It's probably for the best.

Tomorrow, Veronica would have her first physiotherapy session. She was already able to get up a bit, but it hurt her greatly. I was really eager to see what they would do with her stiff legs.

I walked home from work, a little too lost in my thoughts to take a cab. The evening breeze fanned my face, calming my nerves a bit. These past few days have been total hell at work. My new position gave room for more clients, and more clients meant more work. The only thing that keeps me sane is Georgina's hot chocolate mugs in the morning. I'm slowly getting addicted to those. Sigh.

I turned to the district leading to the farmhouse, and heard a faint music coming from inside.That's weird. I moved a little faster.

I swiveled the front door open, my heart skipping a few beats.

What the….

Luna and Veronica lay sprawled on the floor, with art supplies everywhere. There were canvases, different shades of paint smeared everywhere, brushes, water bowls, everything. It looked like a four year old playing with poster colors. Loud music was blaring from the speakers on the other side of the living room. It was a total mess.

"What the hell is going on here?" I asked, a bit furious. I cleaned this entire house before they even woke up. Now, it looks like it's gonna take another 3 hours to clean up. They froze at my voice, and Veronica was visibly struggling to get up. Luna hurriedly took out the art stuff, her movements nothing more than a blur. She helped Vee sit on the couch.

"Calm down Lenny, you'll see what in a bit." Her voice echoed. I rubbed my temples. "Where's Aaron?"

"Your prince charming isn't at home." Vee said breathlessly. I glanced at the wall clock on the far end. 7:03pm. Maybe he went hunting? That's unlikely. Maybe he wanted to take a stroll? Hm. She gave a satisfied look.

"Where did he go?" I asked.

"We don't know. He came up around 5pm, and muttered something about needing a break. We haven't heard from him since then." I glanced at Luna. Maybe Veronica wouldn't know, but she would. She avoided my gaze.

So, she did know something. I'd worry about that later. "What were you guys doing with all that paint? And where did you even get it from?" I said, walking towards the kitchen. There was a freshly made pot of tomato stew, and the rice was still steaming from the strainer.

"It better be worth it." I muttered.

"Why are you so worked up?" Vee said, wheeling into the kitchen. Her face was laced with concern. I probably shouldn't have been so harsh. "Argh."

"Talk to me, Lenny."

I've been so stressed out. My heart has been in a constant battle. The last three months have been exciting, too exciting. And now, I have to deal with Caleb's return too. I've been seeing some weird things around the house, a cobweb here, and spoon left on the window there, some inexplicable occurrences. I blamed it on the stress, but it was something more than that. I knew.

I wasn't ready to burden Vee with all that, so I simply said, "There's nothing. I'm fine. You should get ready, first session is tomorrow." smiling a bit, and walked to my room.

AARON.

"Why can't you leave me alone??" I roared furiously at Thane. The fucker showed up outside Helena's house last night, and I made it a vendetta to get him out of here. He was bloodthirsty, anrgy and irrational. Luna must have sensed his presence too, because the moment I stepped out, she sent me a message. "Don't look him in the eye."

And so I didn't. I was much more furious, more stronger, more driven by emotions, unlike the last time we met. He was shocked at my sudden agility, and smiled devilishly. There was something strangely off about

"Your little wife isn't out here with you. I'm gonna rip your heart out, and feed it to the crows. You thought I was gonna let you be? My people are furious. Ryker was the best and your brought him to his early demise. Count your days idiot." He lunged at me, clawing at my shoulder.

I howled loudly, returning the attack. I pushed him up against a tree, my claws digging into his forearm.

" For the last time I didn't fucking kill your brother! Find the entity that did. This vendetta will put you in his position faster than you can imagine."

I saw a faint shadow in the darkness, distracting me for a second.

His bright red eyes got darker, and he grabbed my throat with his jaws. I pierced my claws into his stomach, and he bit into my throat.

Shit.

I struggled against him, punching, clawing, ripping flesh, but his bite was as strong as ever. What did this guy eat? I lifted my foot and jammed it into his groin, only then did he release my throat. He licked his lips, satisfaction evident in his eyes and he swallowed my blood. He charged at me again, and I sunk my claws into him, ripping out his organs. He paused, looking down at his stomach. He chuckled darkly.

"You've gotten stronger. That's impressive."

I watched in horror as his stomach knotted back together, the organs taking back their positions. Even the gashes I created on his chests were nothing but little pink tender scars. He was using dark magic to heal himself. No wonder Luna said not to look into his eyes.

Werewolves and magic do not mix. It's like trying make oil and water miscible. Our essence makes it hard to control it, and only very few werewolves, like Luna, can contain the power. Luna used normal magic, hers was pure, and more powerful. But Thane was using dark magic, probably gotten from a shaman. It seems like Thane acquired it in a hurry, and it was taking control of him. He didn't learn the ropes, even the safety words used whenever it becomes too much.

I grabbed my throat in frustration. I was bleeding badly from his bite. He rushed at me again, spearing into my side. I groaned, pushing him off and landing a punch on his lower jaw. There was a brief crack, before he dug his claws into my side. I kicked him off, and ran further into the woods. I can't keep this up much longer.

"You weakling!" He yelled behind me. "Running like the weak idiot you are. Ah! This will be such a good story for the boys." He was laughing maniacally, and it sent shivers down my spine. I kept running…..running…..regardless of where I went. I just needed to get away.

I thought about Helena. She would be home by now, probably worried sick where I was. Again.

"Aaron…." I could hear her voice, whispering softly.

"Aaron…. What are you doing? Get up."

Huh?

"Come on, we're all waiting for you."

Her voice was everywhere, reverberating through my ears. My adrenaline spiked further, and I turned my head back. Thane was hot on my tail, his mouth foaming with crazed madness written on his face. His arms were pulsing, and his veins had turned black.

I ran and ran and ran.

"Aaron!" Helena's voice was sharper.

"Over here!"

I looked around. What the actual fuck? Was Thane doing that?

I saw another faint shadow, and stopped in my tracks. Not again. Please no.

"Tired of running eh?" Thane appeared beside me, running his claw down my badly gashed throat. The blood had stopped, but there was a gaping hole. I was finding it hard to breathe, but I couldn't stop now. I just couldn't.

I nudged him slightly, and he wrapped his hands around my throat. He wasn't even as breathless or as tired as I was. I could smell the faint scent of sulfur….and sulfur meant….He squeezed.

"I want to kill you slowly, savoring every look of pain contorted on your ugly face. I will make you go through wicked torture, so bad that when you die, you'd still beg me to stop." He grabbed my jaw and made me face him, but my eyes would look anywhere but his. I was weak, I was tired, and I was drained. I wanted all of this to end. Sometimes I wished I wasn't even a werewolf. I was constantly subjected to encounters like him, but this…this was too much. I didn't kill Ryker. But whatever it was that did, was still out there.

It was probably even here right now. A dark, odourless smoke rose from behind Thane, and the shadows became more defined. A faint purple light shone from within the smoke, and I could see a small slender like hand waving slightly. This was beyond both of us combined, and I wasn't gonna be a part of it.