My Best Friend's Werewolf

42 Confessing

I wake up to Jasper's string of interesting curses. They must come from living with wolves. I sit up and see why he released those colorful words. Police cars surround my house. Oh. . . great. Police march up to the truck.

I open the door, raising my hands as I step down to the sidewalk. "I'm sorry. I ran away. He"—I motion with my head to Jasper—"convinced me to come back here."

My parents, Eliza's parents, and Eliza herself come running out of the house. My parents pull me into a hug while Eliza and her family stare at Jasper.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have ran away, but I just felt so suffocated." I look up into my mom's eyes, hating that I'm lying to her. "Can we clear things up with the police so we can talk about this in private?"

After the two hour long business of clarifying things up we're finally all in the living room. Jasper on the opposite end as all of us. I sit squished between my parents. Jasper nods at me to begin.

"I—" I shoot a helpless look at Jasper. I can't tell them. I can't tell them their little girl has turned into a monster.

Jasper claps his hands together. "Mr. and Mrs. Curry, your daughter Addison is a werewolf."

Maybe I expected a volcano to erupt or the third world war to start but I wasn't expecting silence. The calm before the storm.

"Mommy? Daddy?" I'm vulnerable. A four year old wanting her parents to forgive her for coloring on the wall. Though I'm seventeen and I'm a wolf. Not a wannabe artist. A killer. An almost cannibal.

"I'm—I'm not a werewolf," my mom stutters out. She looks to my dad who barely shakes his head.

I open my mouth.

"Your daughter was bitten and turned into one," Jasper explains. "I had to take her away yesterday to protect you when she turned."

My parents shift almost imperceptibly away from me.

"Why wouldn't you tell us about this?" my mom asks.

"Because of how you're reacting now."

On the other couch, Eliza sits as far as she can from her parents.

I wipe my hands on my legs. "Last night was the first night I shifted. I know you don't like Xavier—I understand—but as it is, in order to protect not just you but myself as well, I need to go over there every full moon."

My dad's face is skewed up. "How dangerous are you?"

Jasper answers for me, "Given the opportunity, she'd kill you."

I twist my hands. Too blunt. "Thanks, Jasper."

Picking at her nails, my mom leans forward toward Jasper. "Is there a cure?"

"No, ma'am."

"Who bit our daughter?" My dad digs his hands into the couch.

I tense. Will he confess? Confess and he blows our chance at protecting my family.

"A luprau, sir. A rogue werewolf is what you'd know it by."

I want desperately to grasp hold of my parents' hands but I don't. I know they're uncomfortable. "Please let me protect you. And besides, I'm a werewolf now, I can protect myself." Probably not, but they don't need to know that.

Squaring his shoulders, my dad looks at Jasper. "You'll protect our daughter?"

"Her safety is my priority."

An involuntary laugh bubbles up out of me, and I try to stifle it. Yes, because he would have changed me into a werewolf if my safety was his priority.

Jasper sends me an amused look, but I know it's a warning. He rises to his feet. "I must be leaving. It was a pleasure to properly meet all of you even under the circumstances. Your daughter will be in good hands."

With a raise of an eyebrow, my dad stands, crossing his arms. "As long as you keep your hands off of her."

After Jasper leaves, and I finally get a chance to go to my room, Eliza follows me, shutting the door behind us. I fall back on my bed, the springs squeaking, and wait for her interrogation to begin.

"What was it like?"

I deadpan at her. "I'm a monster."

She sits down at my feet. "Tell me."

"I—I killed a deer. And—and ate it too. There were humans and all I wanted to do was kill them. That's all I cared about. I. . ."

"What?"

I shake my head. "I wanted to taste them. I wanted their flesh between my teeth, and I wanted their blood on my snout. I don't know how you survived that full moon with all those wolves around you." I feel around for a pillow and grasp it to my chest. "And I don't even know what happened between me and Jasper. He had to undress me because I was in too much pain. I sniffed butts. Xavier—"

"What about Xavier?" She scoots closer.

I regret mentioning him. "You don't want to know."

"Tell me."

I carefully tug my shorts and underwear on the side down, baring the brand. "I'm a part of the pack."

Eliza covers her mouth. "He bit you?"

"Yeah, and because of it, I'll have nightmares about it for the rest of my life, if I ever get over the wanting to become a cannibal thing." I close my eyes, leaning my head on a pillow. It feels good. The weight shifts on my bed, and my door closes again.

A/N
I just wanted to let you know that Exported comes out May 26th!
Thanks for reading!