Distinctly Different

Chapter 25 ~ False Security

Chapter 25 ~ False Security

What a waste of time. Rowan’s father had made her go all the way to Ellegoria to give her mother a letter all because he didn’t know her mother actually was under his nose the whole time. So, to keep up appearances she had gone to there to make sure the amount of time she spent away would be the normal amount of time to not raise suspicions.

If things would have been different she would have taken the time alone to become a wolf. The only reason she hadn’t needed to change into a wolf was because the wolfsbane she had drunk had postponed it. She hadn’t even been sure at the time if she could change into a wolf to save Rowan if that was indeed what she wanted to do.

She sighed. The change had just taken hold of her when she saw Rowan was in trouble. Her self-control had been wiped away as the change overwhelmed her. She remembered the power she’d felt while killing the wolves and shivered. The blood lust she felt as a wolf scared her.

The last shift she had undergone was unlike the others. She knew what was going on even in wolf form; the rush it gave her was exhilarating. She hoped that next time she wouldn’t simply forget what came between the shift into a wolf and the shift back. Perhaps with practice she would even be able to have complete control of herself, although that was unheard of.

What had happened to her was not what the average young wolf went through. Up until she shifted to save Rowan’s life she was normal. What she went through every change was typical of her age. Only older, more experienced werewolves could see what was happening as a wolf and be able to control their wolf body.

She hadn’t had any control while fighting the other wolves, that was pure wolf instinct making her do that. Her wolf side was in sync with what she would do had she been human. At the time she and her wolf side wanted to eliminate the threat to Rowan’s life. That all changed when the wolf set its sights on Rowan and its instincts told it to attack.

Arabella couldn’t let that happen so she, with a lot of effort took a bit of control and calmed the wolf side down just as Rowan was stepping back. Luckily when she lost control Rowan was far enough away that the wolf wouldn’t attack. Rowan had come so close to dying and without her small, but crucial act to try and save him he would have been killed.

She thought back to the surprise she had felt when she walked over to where her horse was tied up and saw the Rowan’s horse was still there. For a second she worried that he had gotten lost, or worse, until she had caught sight of him. Then all she could think of was how she could get away.

She still didn’t understand why he had let her go. It didn’t make sense, he was a hunter but she trusted him when he said he wouldn’t tell anyone her secret. She just wished he hadn’t found out about her secret that way. If it was up to her, he probably would never have found out. It would have been better, for the both of them if he had been ignorant of what she was keeping from him.

She couldn’t stop thinking of the hurt she had seen in his eyes. It had been barely there but she had seen it despite his determination to hide it. He couldn’t believe she had managed to keep a big secret from him without him even suspecting a thing.

Everything had been just fine, until her mother had ruined it. Sure, with her mother’s plans foiled Rowan wasn’t in danger but how long would that last? How long until her mother devised another plan to kill Rowan? Her mother had gotten what she wanted. Her daughter and the hunter were no longer close. Arabella hadn’t even talked to him since the incident in the forest.

She would have to point that out to her mother and convince her not to try anything else. She still had to give her mother the letter from Rowan’s father. Arabella looked down at the thick parchment with the red wax seal. Pressed into the seal was the image of a bow and arrow. She ran her finger over the mold before slipping it back into her bag.