The White Wolf

Chapter 7

Aria's P.O.V

When I woke up, the crystal ceiling above me was already colored with the blush of rose, a reflection of the dawn above. I groaned and rolled over, not yet awake. THrough my sleepy ears, I heard a loud banging, vibrating through the bedroom door. I sat up groggily, blinking the sleep out of my eyes, and made my way to the door. I made it halfway across the room, but was stopped when the door flew open and two identical boys tackled me,  a whirling mass of dark lean bodies and chocolate hair, tickling me me to the ground. I shrieked, and James and Jake laughed, tickling me more. It went on for 10 minutes, and when they relented,   I was lying on the floor with Jake and James each holding an arm. James smiled rakishly at me, his hair disheveled from tickling me, and I smiled back, my heart fluttering as James drew closer. He pressed his lips against mine softly, and fireworks shot through each of our veins. It only lasted a moment, because immediately Jake let go of my arm and covered his eyes with his hands, screaming "MY EYES. MY POOR EYES! YOU’VE DESTROYED MY INNOCENCE!!!!!!"

James got off of me, his face a red blush. 

"Kaetlynn sent us to get you up for breakfast" Jake said, seeming to have recovered from his eye emergency.

I groaned. "Do you always wake up this early?"

James smiled. "You'll get used to it with us waking you up"

 "Well isn't that simply amazing" I said dryly, though I thought that if waking up each day earned me a kiss from my mate, it might be worth getting up early. James helped me up and they both left to let me change in privacy. That's one of the things I liked about James. He was kind and gentle, and doesn’t get mean and possessive like other males. I walked slowly to my wardrobe, taking in the abundance of clothes. I rummaged around the hues of clothing, settling on a pair of faded denim shorts, a white tank top and a pair of blue converses. As I put on the clothes, I marveled at how different my life was here than pack at Fire Thorn. I had everything I needed and wanted, caring people watching out for me, and now teaching me how to take care of myself. And I had a mate who cared for me and was gorgeous. I smiled at that last thought, and headed down to the kitchen, where the rest of the pack was. They were all circled around something on the floor, their tails waving happily. The largest of the wolves, whom I assumed was Kaetlynn, noticed me first and turned round, her muzzle stained crimson with blood. She shifted out of her wolf, walking towards me in black shorts and a lime green t-shirt, her mouth still covered in blood. She smiled, revealing bloodstained canines. 

"Do you want some food?" she asked

She pointed to the pack on the ground and I saw a half-eaten deer lying on the ground, its flesh torn apart by their teeth. My stomach turned and bile forced its way up my throat. Simon looked up at me, his mouth too, red from the blood.

'Aria, its not that bad. You just have to not think about it' Simon said in my mind

That's right Aria, I am dying to taste that deer Kaala said

But even with the encouragement from Simon and Kaala, I couldn't bring myself to take a step closer to the dead animal. I felt sick and dizzy. One of the wolfs looked up at me, his sandy fur shining like a lions pelt, it’s golden brown eyes glowing. He shifted, and James walked towards me, and put his hand in mine. 

"It’s okay Aria, you don’t have to try any. We can make you some cereal. But its natural to our wolves, and sustains us better than any human food. And with the shit Haven is going to put you through today, it would be good to have all of your strength” James whispered kindly in my ear. 

He pulled me into his arms and rubbed small circles into my back, soothing my shaking frame.

“Please Aria, for me will you try?” he whispered, gazing imploringly into my green eyes.