Carlisia stayed in her car shaken as she tried to control her breathing while looking at the envelope in her lap. She was tempted to open it but she would never. That was not her property, but then why would someone involve her in it.
Technically they could have given it to Gabriel themselves if it was that important.
Something was extremely wrong and Carlisia couldn’t help but wonder that everything was connected.
The secrets, the inhuman voices, the quietness, pale figures, inhuman strength, the attack yesterday. She had the answer. She knew what she thought these people were was right but not logical.
Ever since yesterday her mind hadn’t stopped thinking of the words that particular pale guy said before beating the crap out of her.
‘No one’s a human in this town’
The guy even admitted that he wasn’t a human and his appearance proved it to some extent than what was he? What were they?
Carlisia closed her eyes scared, not bothering to move even when the parking lot became somewhat filled but not like usual.
To think of it school was getting emptier day by day. Why was that?
It was the middle of semester, so why were people not coming to school?
Carlisia reached in the backseat and grabbed her bag when she saw the shopping bags containing the stuff she had gotten for Annabella.
Suddenly she hears screeching of tires coming near her and she turns her head to the black Lamborghini that was parking beside her.
Gabriel
Carlisia looked at the letter in her lap and got out of the car grabbing it along with the shopping bags in the back.
“Good morning.” Gabriel says coming to her smiling but she doesn’t replies her mind still on the envelope in her hand.
Gabriel noticed her distance but didn’t say anything.
“Are you alright?” He asks her and Carlisia comes out of her trance.
“Sorry Oh- Yeah. I’m fine. Me and Annabella got these and I forgot to give them to her.” Carlisia says and hands Gabriel the bags which Gabriel takes without comment still looking at her intently.
“Is there anything bothering you?” Gabriel asks and Carlisia stares at him for a moment before looking at the envelope and extending it to him.
“A guy came a few minutes ago. He told me to give this to you.” Carlisia says as Gabriel looks at the envelope his features getting hard as he took it from her.
“Did he tell you his name?” He asks as he opens the envelope.
“No. He said you will recognize him.” Carlisia says watching Gabriel’s eyes go dark as he scans the page before he looks back at her.
“Carly we need to leave.” Gabriel says as he rips the paper and lets it fall to the ground while Carlisia looks at him bewildered.
“Excuse me?” She says as Gabriel’s eyes dart around searching for the person who gave Carlisia this envelope.
He never expected this to happen. It was too soon. But they didn’t have time. If he let her in the dark any longer his pretty little mate would be used against him.
“Get in the car.” He says as he grabs her arm and Carlisia flinches.
“Let me go.” She says struggling but Gabriel drags her to his car and quickly pushes her in the passenger side, slamming the door shut before getting in the driver’s seat in super speed and starting the car.
“What are you doing?” Carlisia says and Gabriel looks at her.
She was crying but Gabriel doesn’t answer her as he takes out his cell phone, dialing his Beta’s number.
“Alpha.” Ruben says his voice tired from working all night.
“Ruben, get the school closed and send a team to check the peremeters of-
“Ruben help me!” Carlisia screams cutting him off .
“Is that Carly?” Ruben asks and Gabriel growls.
Gabriel glares at Carlisia as she continues to scream for help before he stops the car and slams his other hand on her mouth.
He was furious, but not at her. He could never be mad at his little angel.
“Yes. It is. Now as I was saying, get the parameters of the schools checked and rest of the town sealed. No one gets in and no one goes out. Put everything on high alert.” He says before ending the call not waiting for an answer.
“Now, why did you scream?” Gabriel says softly as he looks at the tear stained face of the girl beside him, removing his hand from her mouth.
He waits a few seconds but when she doesn’t reply he sighs.
“I know you’re scared and thats okay. But I will never hurt you. I know I am taking you by force but that is only so I can explain to you what’s going on. I know you want answers and I am willing to give them to you but you need to cooperate.” Gabriel says but Carlisia doesn’t reply as he starts the car and begins to drive.
Carlisia takes deep breaths giving fleeting looks to Gabriel every once in a while.
She didn’t know what was going on. She was scared.
Suddenly the car stops in the middle of a deserted road with forests on each side drawing Carlisia’s attention to Gabriel who was clenching and unclenching the steering wheel in nervousness.
“Come on.” He says gently before getting out of the car and Carlisia followed not wanting him to hurt her.
“Where are we going?” Carlisia asks him after a few seconds of following through the forest, not that she expected an answer. To her surprise he answered her,
“There’s a clearing in here. We need to go there.” He says and Carlisia’s curiosity rises but she doesn’t question as they shakily walk through the dense forest.
It was thick and the trees were more closely packed together with wild plants growing. This was nature in its rawest form.
After a few minutes the forest began to thin out and they stood in the middle of a gorgeous clearing with lush green grass and purple flowers covering it.
Gabriel stood with his back facing to Carlisia taking deep breaths.
This was it. Now or never.
“Do you believe in myths Carlisia?” He asks her and turns around to face her.
Carlisia’s face depicted confusion as her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Why would he ask her that? And why now of all places but she didn’t voice her concern as she thought of an answer.
“If by ‘myths’ you mean urban legends and stuff. Then I do not.” She replies and Gabriel chuckles at her and looks at the sky before shaking his head and looking at the ground. A smile still on his face.
“By ‘myths’ I mean only one fact in specific that there are other creatures which inhabit the world along with humans.” He says now circling her and Carlisia nods.
“Yes.”
“Why do you believe in it?” Gabriel asks her and she takes a deep breath.
“Why not? Us humans whether we are, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jewish or whatever. It doesn’t matter if we believe in God or not or if we share the same God or not. We do believe that something created us. I mean nothing can be made without anything. So if we can be created, and if we believe that we are created, then there is no lie in the fact that there are other creatures other than just ourselves which may be among us.” Carlisia says very carefully thinking of every sentence before saying it out loud but she knew where this was going.
She had gotten the idea.
“Then would you believe me if I told you I’m not a human?” He says now stopping in front of her. Both of them only inches apart.
Carlisia stops breathing and looks at him. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have an answer.
“W-what are you?” She says.
Animal! Animal!
Her instincts screamed at her but she wouldn’t word that out loud.
“I know you have a theory Carly. I want to hear it before I reveal you the secret that everyone has been keeping from you. Your family, your friends, this town its all bound to this one little piece of information.” Gabriel says and twirls a lock of her hair between his fingers.
She stood there like a statue not breathing, not saying a word.
“Come on Carly. It’s okay.” Gabriel says as his hands went down his side and he took a step back to give her some space as he urged her to tell him.
Carlisia took a shaky breath and looked behind him so she didn’t have to meet his intent gaze.
“When I moved here I thought this town was ordinary but then only a week after I started to notice strange things. Inhuman growls, extraordinary strength and speed along with uncomfortable looks at me as if I was out of the box. I heard these strange terms people called each other but what caught my attention was what you were addressed as. What was that word- Oh yes! ‘Alpha.’ I did a bit of research here and there and I got nothing but the facts that in a community of animals, mostly wolves, the individuals hunt and do tasks together in a pack with the leader called Alpha.” Carlisia stops and looks at Gabriel who was giving her a foreign look.
“You’re close. Continue.” He says and Carlisia looks at him dead in the eyes.
“I have seen everyone in this town work collectively, keeping to each other. I think that you and everyone in this town have wolf like instincts. Their strength, speed, agility.”
“And?” Gabriel questions,
“You are there leader.” Carlisia replies looking at his expression.
Both of them stay silent looking into each other’s eyes as Carlisia felt that her heart was going to jump out. Finally she closes her eyes and waves her hand in the air dismissively.
“That is just a stupid theory. Its nothing-”
“Carly-” Gabriel cuts her off but she doesn’t listen
“No it was just a stupid-” She continues to rant when Gabriel lets out a loud wolf like howl and Carlisia looks at him shocked.
His eyes were yellow and he was breathing heavily.
“Carly we don’t possess wolf instincts because we are them. We are werewolves.” Gabriel says but it wasn’t his voice.
The voice was deep and hissing. It was scary and low.
Carlisia began backing away as she looked at him with fear in her eyes. She wasn’t prepared for this. Was he going to eat her?
“Y-you’re n-not c-completely a w-wolf. I-I-I-I mean y-you are a b-bit human.” Carlisia says stumbling upon her words as she tried to buy herself sometime and find some sort of defense but there was none.
Giving into her instincts she turns around and tries to run away from him but he was in front of her in a second causing Carlisia to stumble in the opposite direction with him towering over her.
Gabriel’s intense gaze made shake as he chuckled humorlessly.
“I forgot to mention one teeny detail.” He says and backs only a feet away.
What was he doing?
On cue his back bone bents to a painful angle and she hears cracking of bones. Out of instinct her hands clamped on her mouth as she watched him grow out of his clothes, leaving them in shreds. Black fur grew on his skin and no later a very familiar, very big, and very black werewolf stood in front of her.
The same one which she sat with on a bench in the middle of the night. The same wolf which slept on, when she was alone in the forest after her fight with Zane.
This black werewolf was infact Gabriel?
The wolf’s gaze was intent as he watched her every move.
“N-No.” She says shaking her head as she staggered away from him cutting her palm on the sharp rock underneath her.
Gabriel walked near her and she let out a loud sob.
“S-Stay away from me!” She sobs not caring about her bloody and bruised hand, trying desperately to get up but failing miserably. The effect of the painkillers had worn off and now she was hurting. Finally she gives up and begins to cry on the ground looking at the dark wolf.
She was going to be dog food.
Gabriel ignores her and continues to come near hear and she sobs louder with each step.
“P-please don’t hurt me.” She says and tries to roll away but Gabriel puts his huge paw on her shoulder preventing her.
She looks into his eyes with nothing but fear and begins to thrash while Gabriel’s large wolf get on top of her trying to lick her face to calm her down but nothing worked.
Carlisia screamed from pain and Gabriel finally realized his mistake and got off nudging her side and she screamed again.
“G-get a-a-away!” She sobbed as she began hyperventilating.
Gabriel’s eyes filled with worry as Carlisia’s bloody hands went to her throat. She desperately tried to breathe, to get any source of oxygen into her aching lungs. Gabriel nudged her side and she tried to scream again but nothing came out of her mouth as her eyes rolled back in her head and her body relaxed.
