Bitten

Chapter 5

Ash's point of view

I love Aria. It's a fact of my life. I am in a permanent friend zone. I've loved her since I first met her. She was the first person to stand up to Darren and a prime example of how Werewolves who are bitten are equal to Purebred's. Darren mocked her for studying so hard but she left school with straight A's and Darren had straight C's. She was the only one to beat Bruce in a fight, a fact that stunned everyone and a fact that Bruce was mocked for until he left. However she wanted to be friends but I don't blame her. She was only 12 when we met so she wasn't that interested in a relationship. However, by the time she was I had moved into the friend zone. Only people who have been in the friend zone know what it's like. In the movies the boy confesses his love and the girl, after some emotional drama, says she loves him, cut, end of movie, everyone goes home. This isn't a movie. If I did confess my love, not only could I lose her forever but I will have Nate trying to hunt me down and kill me. Being a werewolf isn't easy. Werewolf mates are not like the ones in Twilight. We do not imprint, we fall in love. Our main problem is that once we fall in love it's hard to fall out again. The fact that Aria is the definition of the perfect girl didn't help matters. She's smart, funny, beautiful, sassy, independent, and completely crazy. In a good way.

I have all ways wanted to go hunting with the other men but until it's announced what pack I'm going to be in I can't go. They go chasing after Vampires and Ghosts or anyone else who has strayed on to our territory. The report's of attacks are getting more and more frequent now. I'm starting to think Aria is right, that demons are behind this. The most resent report was a Werewolf Pack being wiped out by Fire Spirits and Angels but Fire Spirits hate Angels because their wind can snuff out their flames. Everyone's really tense and suspicious now. There are muttering's about how the child of legend has to come soon or we're going to be wiped out. I.can't shake of the feeling that they have already arrived but how could I prove it? Rumour's about Mermaids with Angels wings or Fire Spirits with wolf head's are coming into the pack. Shanen is dodging political bullets from other Mythicals about supposed attacks by Werewolves so our Pack is undefended from these attacks. Araguard and I are helping any way we can. If she's not trawling through endless books about demons then Aria and I are setting up supplies or building up the outer defence's.

Shanen called us to his office today. As we sit nervously outside I can't help notice the way Aria's hair falls past her waist like a waterfall or the way she bites her lip when she's nervous. God, she's beautiful. She catches my eye and gives me a small smile.

"Araguard Wildness and Ash Faerwen," a voice intoned. We both jumped.

"Where does that voice come from?" said Aria looking around. I shrugged. We entered the room. Shanen sat a at desk looking exhausted.

"Good your here. Listen I need to talk to you. First you're both in Head Pack," he said handing us the white fang pendants.

"Thank you," Aria gasped putting the leather string around her neck. I mumbled my thanks and put mine on.

"Don't mention it. Now listen. What do you two know about demons?"

Araguard's face froze."Why?" she asked cautiously.

"I have received a letter from my friend Enzan saying that you know that demons are behind the attacks and how to stop them. I believe you saw him when Araguard first arrived here," Shanen explained.

Oh. Him. I saw him that day. I'd seen him around afterwards too. He belonged to this Pack and seemed to have a little too much interest in Aria. Often when she was in the training centre, our equivalent of school, he was watching her practicing her fighting or learning earth magic. Whenever she was successful in something then he smiled, whenever she failed he shook his head. He seemed almost impatient. He also seemed protective. When he saw her being beaten up by Bruce, he would stand there, as if fighting the urge to jump between them, like she was his to protect.

"I've seen him around," she said. "Why he think I would know anything about demons?"

"I don't know. It just says you know how to stop them." He leaned forward, trying to measure her response.

"Well I've been reading up about them. I know how to fight them but, from what I've gathered, the only who can stop them permanently is the child of legend," she explained.

"Well that's something. More than I know now. Tell me," he pleaded. Shanen was pleading. God I wished I had my camera.

"Their main weakness is light. You will never see them in direct sunlight. That why the child of legend is supposed to have powers over light. They can easily be fought using any of the Mythical powers though," she told him. Shanen was taking notes. I'm not even joking, he really was.

"The best method for that would be to create weapons of some description infused with powers of earth," she went on. "The heart and head are normally their weak spots but if you see one with some Vampire part of their body, turn around and run into direct sunlight. They are tougher than your average demon..."

I had to sit there for half an hour listening to Aria recite everything she had read up on demons and Shanen taking notes and hanging on her every word, the two of them ignoring me completely.

This was a perfect example of something else I love about Aria, the fact that everyone respects her. She had shown up here, a newly shifted pup, and taken everything in her stride. She had only been here three years but by far the most promising out of all the pups to graduate from the training centre. For starters she was one of the few people who could swim (Werewolves don't tend to go swimming a lot due to their fear of being bitten by a Mermaid so they did teach their pups how) and she could understand maths and science. Most pups didn't take those subjects mainly because according to mortals who worshipped science, they didn't exist. Having spent more time mortal than wolf Aria tended to appreciate things most wolves didn't. The different elements for example. You wouldn't see a Purebred openly admit that they liked the feel of the wind in their fur. Araguard has said to me on more than one occasion that her favourite things are: the feel of wind in her hair, grass under her feet, the warmth of the sun, water on her skin, being able to feel emotions and being able to use her mind.

When we finally left I headed home. My brother Cameron was visiting from Fur Pack. I was going to get hell when he found out about me being in Head Pack. I opened the door and went in.

"Hey it's little bro! What did Shanen want?" Cameron asked as soon as I walked in.

"He wanted to tell me what Pack I'm in," I said casually.

"And?" he said gesturing for me to continue.

I sighed and pulled out the white fang pendant. His jaw dropped.

"What! I get sent off to Fur Pack and you get to join Head Pack?! That not fair, it should be mine!" he yelled.

"Look it's the Alpha's decision, not mine. If you think there's been a mistake you can take it up with him." I knew I'd won with that argument. Cameron would rather sleep with a demon than talk to another Alpha that wasn't his own. People round here were actually realising that demons were behind the attacks but it was slower in other tribes. Cameron looked furious, he stormed out of the room. I was going to pay for that.