I was staring into the eyes of the shadowed beast. It was just standing there, poised on all fours, not moving. It was large, and the shimmering of its form reassembled dark fur.
I couldn't hear anything, not even my own breath or my own heartbeat. It started to make its way to me, and I backed away hurriedly, not fully trusting it.
"Hunter?"
It stopped. It just stared at me with its unblinking eyes. The beast then lifted its head towards the sky and released a howl.
The sound was curdling, frightening me more than the things that were chasing me. I clamped a hand over my ears but it still pierced through. My head was wracked with pain as it felt like my eardrums were about to burst. My vision exploded with color, and then it went black.
...
I woke with a start. My eyes were open, but all I saw was darkness. My ears were still ringing, and I could still hear the distinctive sound of the wolf's howl.
I was breathing heavily. Something grabbed me from behind, and I would have bolted had its grip not have been so tight.
"Cass?"
I recognized the voice. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax.
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked softly.
"I'm fine," I replied, too quickly, too curt, showing that I was anything but okay.
But Hunter didn't pressure me any further. She said nothing, but she pulled me closer to her form, which was pleasantly warm.
All was silent. I would have freaked out, but I could feel Hunter's strong heartbeat pulsating in my own chest. My eyes grew heavy, but I knew that I couldn't go back to sleep. I was too shaky. I turned my head and noticed that the only light in my room was coming from the street lamp outside. I looked at the clock on my desk and saw that it was only four in the morning.
"I'm sorry," I said, "for waking you up so early."
"It's alright," Hunter grumbled against my skin, making me laugh at the vibrations it caused. She placed her head into the crook of my neck and exhaled. "My kind don't require that much sleep. Besides, I'm usually up and running with my friends around this time."
From the drowsiness in her voice, I could tell that it was her time to rest. I remembered her mentioning how she couldn't wait to see me, so I wondered how long she had been awaiting that moment, and just how long she had been waiting for me, up in that tree.
There was also the tender edge of pain and longing in her voice, and I could guess why.
"You miss them."
It was more of a statement, but Hunter still replied. "Of course. But the thought of being away from you is too much to bear."
Again with the chest clinches and fluttering tummies. Are all werewolves so suave and heart wrenching, even ones as innocent as Hunter? Alyson could do the same thing. Is she secretly a werewolf?
I have felt this way with only one person, but it still felt different. I knew in my heart that I was still in love with Alyson, but it just felt like that I have always loved Hunter.
Even when I was little, I was aware of an ache in my chest that not even Alyson could soothe, and ever since I laid my eyes on Hunter, I realized that she enacted those certain pesky feelings within me, even if we had met less than twenty-four hours ago.
I knew her for so long, even though I couldn't remember her.
"When we go to Moon Shadow," I said, "will they accept me?"
