I stepped back when the wolf looked at me and this dread feeling punched me hard in the stomach. I held tighter onto the flashlight that my fingers turned white.
The wolf raised its head and next thing I know, it did something I never expected. I heard whooshing sound—the same noise I heard a moment ago when Scott was behind the tree and next thing I know, Scott was bending down on his knees with his hands on the ground. Stark naked.
He looked up at me and I could hear my own heart beat pounding in my ears. I felt kind of light headed and dizzy. My breathing was becoming hard and I think I was actually starting to hyperventilate.
He got up from the ground, my eyes following his top half. He held his hands up. “Okay, Abigail, relax—no, wait!” he yelled when I turned to run away, but he was quicker and grabbed a hold of me. “I know it’s a surprise and shocking, but this is who is I am.”
I tried to get out of his hold. “Scott, you’re a—a—a monster!” I yelled trying harder. Oh my god, he’s a freaking werewolf! How in hell could this be possible!?
“No I’m not, Abigail.” he said, turning me around in his arm. “Look, I’m sorry—ahh!” he yelled when I slapped him across the face. When he didn’t let go of me, I slapped him again, but harder. His arms slipped off from around me and I turned, running like my life depending on it!
I need to get away from him before next thing I know he hurts me! I pushed branches from tress and jumped over logs. I needed to get back to the house…
Wait, is Scott’s whole family like he is?
I heard a growl from behind me and next thing I know, something knocked me over. I cried out and hit the snow ground. I heard the whooshing sound again and Scott spoke, “Abigail, I get that your scared and I probably should have told you in another way, but I didn’t know how. I have thought many times about how I could tell you this, but I thought this would be quicker.”
“Get off me!” I yelled. “What the hell are you? Oh my god, Scott, please don’t kill me!”
“Kill you? Are you crazy?” he asked. “Where would you get that idea at?”
“You’re a werewolf for Christ sakes!” I said in a very duh way.
“Yes, I am a werewolf, but I’m not dangerous.” he said. “You watch too many movies, we’re harmless, I promise.”
“What do you mean you're harmless? You turn into a giant dog with big scary fangs!!”
“Abigail, can you please stop yelling? I have good hearing and it’s kind of hurting my ears.” he said.
“Get off me then!” I yelled.
“Promise you won’t run again?” he asked.
I hesitated, thinking about it. I don’t think I have much of a choice since he probably catch me again. “I promise.”
He hesitated, but sat down next to me. I got up in a sitting position and brought my hands up to my mouth, breathing hot breath on them to warm them up. I keep my eyes on my hands and not a naked Scott.
“I know I should have told you sooner, but I was worried.” he said.
“Worried of what?” I asked.
“Well, you were already cold towards me, I didn’t give you want another reason to.” he said. “I didn’t want to give you another reason to make you want to hate me.”
“I didn’t hate you.” I mumbled. “I just…had trust issues.”
“Abigail, will you please look at me.” he said. “You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
I shook my head and brought my knees up to my chest, trying to keep myself warm. I don’t know how I can look at him anymore. He pretty much lied to me this whole time.
He’s one of the wolves that scared me two days ago.
I heard him move closer to me and when he put an arm around me, I cringed and moved away. “Don’t touch me.” I said.
“Please don’t be angry with me.” he said. “I get it, you’re scared and shocked.” When I didn’t say anything, he sighed. “Abigail, this is who I am and I can’t change it. Yes, I’m a werewolf, but I’m not dangerous. It’s a part of my family, everyone in my family are wolves but my mom.”
“Well why isn’t she a wolf?” I asked.
“Well first, it would be really weird to marry a family member.” he said and I rolled my eyes, smacking my teeth. “No, the real reason is because she’s my dad mate. Do you know what that is, Abigail?”
“Mate? Like wolf mates?” I asked, finally looking up at him. He nodded. “Like, when two wolves are supposed to be together forever. Their joined together.”
“Right, it goes with my dad and mom. They’re supposed to be together. Wolves in our family, male or female, are mated with humans. We don’t know why, but it just happens.” he said. “Skyler and Haley, they're mates. Tristan and Colleen, they're mates. And Shay and Victoria, they're mates. They all found their mates when they were young, which usually happens. We’re mates, Abigail, your mine and I’m yours.”
My mouth opened a little in shock and I felt like I stopped breathing. This couldn’t be happening. No. I have to be dreaming. I pinched myself and I winced. Crap, I’m awake.
“You have to be joking.” I said.
“I wouldn’t joke about something like this.” he said. “It’s true, Abigail. We’re meant to be together. I don’t know who sets this mating up, but I’m glad whoever set me up with you did. You’re an amazing person, Abigail.”
I snorted, “I’m not amazing, there's nothing special about me.”
“I don’t see it that way.” he said. “If you only saw what I do. Someone strong and beautiful. How you grew up, most would have given up and ran away, but you stuck through for Tyler. You’re more special then you think.”
“You’re probably wouldn’t even take a second look at me if whoever made you be with me.” I said.
“You don’t know that.” he said. “Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. But who cares, I did notice you. I love you.”
I looked him in the eyes and his brown golden eyes were soft and had this effect on me to believe him. Holding myself as I moved back over to his side and his arms went around me, quickly getting me warmed up.
“How is this possible?” I asked. “How are you...a…what does your family call yourselves? Werewolves or just wolves?”
He chuckled, “Wolves, Abby. And all this was possible because a witch cast it on my family.”
“Witches are real to?” I asked.
“Yes, but you don’t have to worry about them, they stick to themselves.” he said, chuckling. “But it all started in 1692, at the Salem witch trials.”
“Really?” I asked.
He nodded, “Yeah, half the witches they burned were fakes, but the other half were real witches. Lets just say my ancestor, Juan Russo, went a little too far on the beating three women name Margret Flowers, Elizabeth Daniels, and Maria Cruz.” he said, pausing as he looked down and looked sorta ashamed of his ancestor past.”
He continued, “The night before they were all to hanged, they cast a spell on my family together strong enough to curse him forever. The day the hanging was happening, Margret looked in the eyes on Juan and grinned, crying out ‘On the next full moon, you will change into what the monster you are. The children who bear the last name Russo will be cursed forever when they turn fourteen!’ Apparently she would have went on, but they dropped the floor below her and she died, the other two joining to. The story has been passed down through our family, there’s allot of us there”
I didn’t know really want to ask other than, “So how does this ‘mate’ thing come in from?” I asked.
He shrugged, “We don’t know, it just does.”
“Do you hate being like this?” I asked.
“Nope.” he said, popping the 'P'. “I love it, it’s one of the best feelings on earth. I feel…free. I don’t consider this a curse, but a gift. I’m different from most boys, I like being different.” He put his hand on his cheek and rubbed it. “Damn Abigail, you have a heck of a hand. I can still feel your hand against my cheek.”
My cheeks flamed up, “Sorry, but I was freaking out.”
“Well no wonder you broke Mina’s nose so easily.” he said.
“Well I wasn’t trying to break her nose, but hopefully it’ll finally put an imperfection on that face of hers.” I said without thinking.
“Ouch,” he said, chuckling down at me. I looked up at him and he smiled, “Now all the secrets are out.”
“Really? You got nothing else to tell me?” I sarcastically asked. I was hoping not or next thing you know, I’ll find out he can fly.
He looked like he went off into thought. “No, I don’t think there nothing else.”
“Well that’s good.” I said. I looked away awkwardly then and cleared my throat, “Scott,”
“Hmm?”
“You do realize you’re still naked?” I asked.
His chuckled, “In this family, it’s not really shameful to be seen naked. We never saw showing our bodies as taboo. We’re not nudist, but after we turn fourteen we have more problems than having someone seeing us butt naked.”
Awkwardly scratching the back of my neck, I cleared my throat and looked the other way, “It’s getting late, and shouldn’t we be getting back?”
“Nah, I like it out here when it’s almost full moon time.” he said and I felt him shift. I looked at him and saw he laid back on the cold snow ground. “There’s this strong pull to us when the moon full or almost.”
“How aren’t you cold?” I asked.
“Body heart reaches up over a hundred, babe.” he said. “Now you know why I’m always so warm.”
I turned to look at his face, “Lucky, I feel like my fingers turning to ice bits.”
He sat up and took my hands in his big warm ones, “I’m sorry I scared you Friday.” he said, frowning. “I didn’t know you were out here or we would have never went that way. We Russo are competitive and were racing, I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. I hated myself for scaring you like that.”
“It’s okay.” I said. “Just as long as you guys never surprise me like that. I mean, a normal wolf would have killed me.”
“No, not unless you provoke it. We have come across real wolves and we like to wrestle them because they know we aren’t normal.” he said.
Realizing something, “Wait, did you say when a Russo child turns fourteen, they shift into a wolf?” I asked.
He nodded, giving me a confused look, “Yeah, what about it?”
“Isn’t Jaime turning fourteen next weekend?” I asked, remember how much bragging Jaime did this whole week and now I understand why. And how desperate he was to go to the mall today. Sophia was surprising the why he described her. She was kind of nerdy, but had the prettiness about her. Brown long hair, black frame glass, smooth light tan skin with some freckles, and stood three inches smaller than Jaime.
And Jaime's tall, about five-nine. Actually, all the Russo boys are pretty tall.
He nodded, “Yeah, his first. He has been talking about it none stop, but we all did that. Becoming what we are is actually pretty exciting, though it sucks we can’t tell anyone about it. Russo secret.”
“So one day when your kids are fourteen, they’ll also be wolves?” I asked and he nodded.
He slipped his hands in my one hand, “Our kids, Abby.”
My cheeks heated up, “Right.” I said a little awkwardly. He smiled and leaned over, kissing me. He pulled back a second later and I raised an eyebrow since he was just staring at me, “What are you doing?”
“I have to make sure you won’t be scared anymore.” he said and before I knew it, he knelt down on his knees and turned back quickly into a brown wolf.
Even though I knew it was Scott, I couldn’t help but jerk a little. He came up to my face and before I knew it, he licked my cheek. My nose scrunched up at the feeling of his sloppy tongue.
I pushed him away by his nose and he breathed out his nose heavily. He bit down on his jacket sleeve I was wearing and lifted my hand up. My eyebrows came together, but I began to scratch behind his ear.
He laid down on and placed his head on my lap. I couldn’t help but smile and lead down on him a little.
Today has been filled with so many surprises.
*
After a couple of moments of being in the woods, Scott finally got dress again and we walked back to his house. Our arms were lacked together and I placed my free hand on his arm, pressing myself close to him to keep myself warm.
Scott had no problem with it parentally.
When we were a couple of a feet away from the house, he stopped and sniffed the air. I stared up at him confused, “What is it?”
He slipped his arm out and put his hand on mine. “He couldn’t be.” he said to himself as we continued to the house and up the stairs. He opened the doors and we went in.
We stopped dead in our tracks to see a guy around our age with short spiky dark hair that looked like he could Spanish also. He had on a white t-shirt and dark wash out jeans with a leather black jacket.
He grinned at Scott, “Hey cousin.”
Scott smiled, then grinned. “Gabe!” he said as they walked up to each other and hugged each other.