The Art of Mending Memories

The Art of Mending Memories 17

The Art of Mending Memories

Chapter 17

Aaron sprinted through the trees, the feeling of freedom racing through his system. His wolf understood; his wolf knew she would be his. It was his human counterpart that held doubts.

He slowed as he ran up a hill, stopping in a clearing at the crest. He howled, feeling like the true werewolf he was.

A howl rang through the woods, answering his call. He recognized it as one of his close hunters, Jeff. Aaron waited on the hill as his best friend bounded up the hill, his brown wolf form contradicting with the twilight sky.

The brown wolf bowed his head slightly before changing into his human skin. As it was two days before the full moon, this was not too difficult for the werewolf.

There was one night of true full moon, during which it was impossible for a shifter to remain human, except for circumstances of life-and-death, and even then, some were unable to maintain human skin for any amount of time. The night before and the night after the true full moon were nights that shifters were forced to change, but a determined shifter could change to human form.

There was also a concoction that witches produced so a shifter wouldn't change at all, but it was very painful.

Aaron shifted to his human form and the two men stood naked, facing each other. They were, of course, used to each other's naked forms, having grown up seeing each other naked before they mastered partial changes.

"How you doing?" Jeff asked in a soft voice.

Aaron sighed and looked at his friend. He gave a soft snort and looked away to the woods. "I feel like shit."

Jeff said nothing, but Aaron caught the angered expression on his face.

"How is she?" Aaron asked him.

"Why do you care?" Jeff snarled. "She doesn't care about you. She can't see anything past your wolf exterior, and she never will. You deserve so much more than that bitch, Aaron."

Aaron growled in fury. He had known Jeff disliked Kaelyn, that much was plain to his eyes, but he would never stand him insulting her like that. He would never stand for anyone insulting her.

Aaron threw out his arm at Jeff, his nails sharpening to wolfish ones. Aaron's nails scraped across Jeff's face. Aaron's nails sliced the skin on the other wolf's face, but only enough to sting; no intense pain. Jeff crumbled to the ground and turned to look at Aaron's feet, accepting submission to the higher werewolf.

Aaron growled again and bent down. Grabbing a hold of Jeff's brown hair, he pulled his hand back, forcing Jeff to look at Aaron's face.

"Never. Insult. Kaelyn. Again."

Jeff spit blood out of his mouth. "I won't," he growled through clenched teeth. Blood poured down the scrapes on Jeff's cheek.

Aaron back up, allowing his friend to get up. Jeff got to his feet. Aaron knew he would feel bad about his attack on his best friend later, but at the moment, his blood was pumping with pent up rage and emotion.

"She will care," Aaron said, determination pushing through his voice. "One day she will." Aaron wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more; Jeff or himself.

"I saw it," Aaron continued. "I saw how she will."

Aaron had a gift, not at all unusual for a shifter in his position. He got it from his mother. He could see relationships between people. Not always, but with some people. People whom he was close with, usually. Kaelyn was the first stranger he had ever seen a relationship with, and it was different from all the others. It was hazy, as if it didn't really exist.