Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous part.
This story has two parts.
Pragya stood by the window with the phone clutched to her ears as she listened to the ringtone. She knew he wouldn't answer; he never did because he didn't need her. For him, she wasn't his wife just a charity case he had to take upon himself. She knew what she was getting into, she knew he didn't love her then why is she still clinging on the hope that one day he is going to turn around and look at her and say 'I love you' or say that he wanted their marriage to last for a life time and not just a year?
Pragya throws the phone on the bed as she turned to look at the bright full moon. She was like that moon, all alone in the big sky like she is all alone in this big house. Pragya looks at the moon as she leaned her head on the windowsill remembering those teenage moments with Abhi, when they used to sneak out at night to gaze at the moon. Abhi had a certain fondness for the moon while she had always felt the sun was more beautiful, but she used to accompany him every time to gaze at the moon. While he gazed at the moon, she gazed at him. As long as she could remember, she had loved him and thought even he did but he didn't. She thought of calling him again but changed her mind. She wondered if he was looking at the moon now, if he was then was he with someone? He had told her that he can never be with a single girl and girls entered and exited his life day in and day out. But he was kind enough to keep it all private and away from their house.
Pragya wipes away her tears as she walked towards their bed. She settles on the bed as she tried to sleep knowing full well that she won't sleep till she sees her Abhi stumble back into their bedroom in the wee hours of the morning.
************
Pragya was cutting the vegetables when the white blade brushes through her skin and cut her deeply. Pragya flinches as she gripped her finger and ran to the tap to keep it in cold water. She had started cooking only after her marriage, four months ago and she was still learning the ways of cooking. Abhi's household had only ceramic knives which were too sharp for her liking or comfort. When she had requested him whether she could buy normal knives he had casually informed her that she should not forget that she is here for just a year and not to try changing things in his house to her comfort. So she had to make herself acquainted with all the fancy chinaware and expensive crystals of his house for day to day use. Being from a middle class background she really couldn't appreciate the overindulgence of the rich people in these things.
"Did you cut your hand again?" Abhishek asks her warily as he walked into the kitchen.
Pragya nods as she tried to stop the bleeding. Abhishek walks to the fridge and grabs an ice and walks towards her and keep the ice on her wound and hold it tight.
"If you don't know to cook then get a cook." Abhishek tells her.
"No, I'll cook."
"It's not like you are a good cook." Abhishek mutters as he with his other hand pulled open the drawer and took out the bandage from the first aid box. Pragya looks away hurt hearing his callous comment.
"I am trying." Pragya whispers, she didn't know cooking when they got married but she herself had felt that she was improving tremendously.
"You don't have to try, Pragya. You are not going to be here for more than 8 months now."
Pragya looks away upset that he was counting down the days for her to leave.
"Or is it practice for the man you marry after our divorce?"
Pragya snatches her hand from his and walks to the counter. "Breakfast would be ready in a few minutes."
"I'll have from out." Abhishek tells her. "I am meeting someone for breakfast."
"Who?" Pragya asks before she could stop herself.
Abhishek turns to Pragya and asks her, "Are you forgetting your place, Pragya? Please don't tell me you are taking this farce marriage as a serious thing. Don't forget you begged me to marry you so your mother agrees for her operation and on 9th march, we will be filing for our divorce."
"Sorry." Pragya looks away.
Sighing Abhishek turns to walk off and then turning to her he asks her curiously, "Why were you calling me last night? Didn't I tell you that I won't be coming home?"
"I forgot." Pragya mumbles as she looked away.
"Stop worrying about me. You are my wife for just namesake."
"We are friends." Pragya reminds him.
"Yes but friends stay in their limit." Abhishek tells her and walks off.
Tired, Pragya walks into their bedroom skipping breakfast once again. She sits on the bed as she took out the photo she had kept under her pillow. It was a photo of them when they were in their teens. They had been inseparable and there wasn't any limit to their friendship then. If he took a breath then she would know about that, they were that close. And she had assumed their closeness to be love while he had simply considered it friendship.
Pragya thinks back to the night she had turned 18 years old; he was 22 years old then. They had met secretly so he could be the first one to wish her on her birthday. There he had wished her and had tenderly kissed her on her lips for the first time. Pragya thought with tears filling her eyes. That was the last good memory she had of his. they had been so happy that day, she had thought she had found love while he had just been practicing for the big thing, he told her years later. She had been so blissfully in love that she had ventured out and she hadn't realized that she had stepped into the road till she heard a blaring horn. She had stood there in the middle of the road staring at the car heading her way paralyzed when Abhi had jumped in and pushed her away but before he could get away the car hit him and ran over both his legs, crushing his bones completely.
That night itself, Daddyji had him taken to US for treatment while she had remained in Mumbai. Abhi didn't return for 7 years to Mumbai while she waited for him, holding on to his memories and of that night, his kiss and his sacrifice to save her life. He neither contacted her nor replied to her emails. Then 7 years later, when he had come back turning from the scrawny boyish man to the well-toned man, along with his appearance even he had changed. He wasn't interested in meeting her or talking to her then. Every time, she tried to meet him he would act busy to avoid her. Finally, she managed to get him alone and when she questioned him about his behavior and why he was treating her like this and whether he didn't love her anymore. He had been so shocked. He had informed her that she was his best friend but not anymore as he has changed and he liked to keep people of his same stature as his friends and not a middle class behenji like her. He had broken her heart then.
She had avoided him after that till her mother needed a heart surgery and she refused to have her operation till her daughter was married. Daddyji had promised her mother that Abhi would marry her but when Abhi had found out about it, he had refused it till she had begged him to save her mother's life. Finally, Abhi gave in but on several conditions.
1. The marriage would be for a year.
2. Before the marriage itself she would sign on the divorce petition.
3. She would stay away from him and will not try to interfere with his life.
4. He would have affairs, but she shouldn't as long as she is a Mehra bahu.
5. She would stay back in Mumbai while he would go back to US.
She had agreed to all his conditions with a heavy heart but after their marriage his and her parents had forced him to take her with him. Finally having no other go, he agreed to take her with him but to her surprise he had brought her to Motihari instead. He said he didn't want people to see the lowlife he had married. He had managed to break her already broken heart yet again.
Pragya sighs as she gently caressed their photo. The problem with loving someone for all of her existence was that it was impossible to hate them when the need arises. Pragya wish she could hate him and go away from his life, but her love made her desperate and cling to him in the hope that one day he would reciprocate her feelings.
**********
Pragya was wiping her hair in front of the mirror when she hears him waking up. she looks at him through the mirror and sees him stretching sleepily. He looked so adorable in that sleepyhead look, Pragya thought with a smile. Abhishek turns to look at her and she quickly looks away.
Feeling his gaze on her, Pragya curiously looks at him through the mirror and sees his staring at her passionately. Pragya gulps seeing the raw passion for her in his eyes. It was intense. As she stared at his eyes, he slowly got up from the bed and started walking towards her while Pragya kept staring at him immobilized by the passionate gaze. He stops behind her and keeps staring at her. She could see him breathing hard now and without even realizing her breathing pattern starts matching his. she feels his hand at her waist snaking through her saree and wrapping it around her stomach. Pragya closes her eyes shyly feeling his touching. His touch was so sensuous. Then she feels his lips on her nape and she sighs softly with her eyes closed. He turns her around in a swift motion and starts kissing her on her neck hungrily. Pragya hugs him happily and stops nervously feeling his erection. He was starting to feel for her. Maybe things were going to change. Pragya thought happily as she hugged him. "Abhi."
Breaking out of his haze, Abhishek pushes her away as he turned around agitatedly running his hands through his hair.
"Abhi?" Pragya calls his name unable to keep the hurt away from her voice.
"Is this your new trick? Trying to seduce me?" Abhishek asks her furiously as he turned to face her. "Let me tell you, even if I bed you I will divorce you after a year because I can't be humiliated in front of my friends for marrying a lowlife."
Tears brimming her eyes, Pragya watches Abhishek walk off, feeling humiliated and beaten.
**********
After that day, Abhi rarely came home because according to him Pragya was out to seduce him into getting a child in order to always remain as Mrs. Abhishek Prem Mehra. Even though Pragya was hurt by the accusations and obvious disgust towards her, she couldn't bring herself to feel humiliated enough to walk out of this marriage. The truth is that somewhere in her, she still harbored the love she had seen in Abhi's eyes for her on her birthday. He had risked his life to save her, for her there was no greater testament to his love for her than that. Maybe he didn't realize that he loved her, and one day he will and that day he would come to her and she would take him with open arms.
Pragya was at her masochistic best when she stood by the window and watched the full moon remembering her time with Abhi. Normally, he would come home most of the nights but ever since that morning incident few weeks back he rarely came home, just a few minutes here and there during the day time. Sighing she looks out at the forest attached to their house when she notices a movement there. She frowns alert as she scrutinized. No one went there at any point of the day as it was said to be filled with wolves. She has heard howling most of the nights. Even Abhi never went that side and she was also forbidden to go there. Wondering if it was some wolf she looks again when she sees a blue color. It was someone's shirt. There was a man outside her house.
Pragya panics as she grabbed her mobile to call Abhi and inform him of the intruder but as usual, he doesn't answer her call. She wondered what to do about the intruder when she hears a wolf howling. Fearing for the man's life, Pragya grabs Abhi's revolver from the cupboard for her protection and grabbing a torch she runs out to warn the man of the dangers in the forest.
Pragya runs out of the house towards the forest and stops near the entrance of the forest and turns on the flashlight looking for the man. She worriedly starts stepping into the dark forest ready to bolt any second. Few steps into the forest and she sees the man.
"STOP THERE!" Pragya shouts as she with shaky hands points the revolver at the man.
She sees the man stop.
"I have a gun. I will shoot. Leave the property. There are wolves in there." Pragya shouts and was about to turn to run back into her house when the man turns around and Pragya sees his face.
His eyes were glowing yellow. He had his ears pointed outward like a wolf. His nose and forehead were almost forged together. He didn't have nails, but claws. Then he roars at her showing her his fangs. Pragya screams out in fear dropping her flashlight and gun. Pragya turns to run back into her house when she hears loud footsteps and a second later, she was surrounded by similar looking monsters.
Pragya gulps in fear as she shivered from head to toe, as death stared back at her. They in unison roar at her scaring her further then one of them starts running towards her roaring loudly when she hears a piercing roar from behind her deafening her. That roar was louder than all of them put together and then in a flash someone jumped over her head and landed gracefully on his feet as he pushed her behind him.
Seeing the very familiar shirt and pants he was wearing, Pragya whispers in shock, "Abhi?"
Abhishek turns to look at her and Pragya stumbles back in shock. His eyes were red. His ears were more pointed and sharper than the rest. His nose was bulged, even his forehead were bulged. His fangs and claws were longer and sharper looking. He was fiercer looking than the rest, more monstrous.
Pragya looks at him in shock and fear and sees his face turn hurt. He didn't want her to see him like this.
"Abhi."
"Get back inside." Abhishek orders.
"Abhi..."
Pragya hears a roar and turns to look at one of them running towards her roaring. Abhishek turns to him and furiously roars at him with so much force that Pragya stumbled back. The man stops hearing the roar and walks back fearfully as he kept his eyes on Abhi.
Abhishek turns back to Pragya. "NOW!" Abhishek roars and Pragya runs back inside the house. Just as she closed the door, she saw Abhishek run like the wind with the rest of them deeper into the forest.
Pragya cowers in her room as she cried remembering the scene she witnessed. She didn't know why she was crying. Was it because she had seen her Abhi in such a monstrous form? Was it because he was a monster? Or was it because he never told her about this side of his life? Pragya didn't know but she continued to cry for the rest of the night.
As the dawn broke out, the door bursts open waking Pragya and she sees Abhi stumble into the room drained. Pragya runs to him and holds him. Abhishek turns to look at Pragya as she led him to the bed. Abhishek watches Pragya painfully trying to read her face. Pragya makes him lie on the bed and Abhishek softly tells her, "You hate me." groaning painfully, he closes his eyes and sleeps off.
Did she hate him? Pragya asked herself. Did she hate the monster he had become? Didn't he save her? if he wanted, he could have let her die and his secret would have been safe but he didn't. Like before, he risked everything he had to save her. Pragya's eyes fill with tears as she found the answer to his question.
Pragya sat by him watching him sleep as she lovingly caressed his hair, her heart filled with the answer to his question. Hours later, Abhishek opens his eyes and sees Pragya smiling at him.
"Pragya?" Abhishek says as he sat up in shock.
"How can I ever hate you, Abhi?" Pragya asks him. "I love you."
"I am a monster, Pragya."
"You are not." Pragya whispers as she gently caressed him.
"Don't touch me, Pragya." Abhishek says agitatedly as he got up from his bed and moved away from her. "You are so innocent and pure. And I am a monster."
"You are not." Pragya argues as she moved towards him.
"You saw what I am." Abhishek tells her as his eyes filled with tears.
"You saved me."
"That doesn't change what I am."
"What are you?" Pragya asks him.
"Werewolf."
Pragya looks at him in shock as her mind filled with questions. "There isn't any silver in this house. Every full moon night you don't come home."
"Silver is lethal to us. I'm sorry I can't get you a knife."
"Not every knife is made of silver, you idiot." Pragya tells him chuckling.
"I got burned twice, Pragya." Abhishek tells her confused.
"That would have been silver but not every knife is silver." Pragya tells him shaking her head at him. "But we used to be together during full moon before."
"My werewolf genes hadn't been triggered then." Abhishek tells her.
"Tell me, Abhi." Pragya tells him as she held his hand.
Abhishek looks at Pragya thoughtfully wondering what to tell her and whether he should tell her. He had seen the fear on her face and he couldn't see it again.
"Please, Abhi. I want to know everything."
"According to what my Dad told me, once a coven of Vampires had come to Motihari. They started feeding on humans and killing all that were living or turning humans to vampires. When things went out of hand, a witch found out from the ancient scriptures that there is an enemy for vampires. Werewolves. A werewolf bite is lethal to vampires. Humans after dying becomes Vampires so werewolves are born with the werewolf gene in them. She blessed the people with werewolf genes. Every person with ancestors who were living in this area at the time of that witch have werewolf gene in them. It needs to be triggered. Dad's and Daddaji's were never triggered. Daddaji's father was a werewolf."
"How is it triggered?"
"A vampire kills human to make Vampire and a werewolf saves life. When you save a life, it is triggered."
"You saved my life." Pragya whispers in shock.
"Yes. I was scared of losing you and I saved your life only to be separated from you." Abhishek tells her as he cupped her face.
"You love me?" Pragya asks him surprised.
"As long as I can remember, I have loved you." Abhishek tells her.
"Why did you hide it from me?" Pragya asks hurt remembering all the pain she had to endure because of his hurtful words.
"How could I tell you, Pragya? I am hiding out here. Scared to go back home fearing someone would find out my truth. How can I drag you into this life? You deserve better Pragya not a monster like me."
"I decide that." Pragya says furiously.
"We are getting a divorce."
Pragya furiously slaps him and Abhishek's eyes turn red and fangs come out immediately. Pragya stops in shock seeing him.
"I am this." Abhishek tells her helplessly.
"And I am your wife."
"Pragya..."
"You were here all these years?" Pragya asks curiously because at present she needed answers to all her questions before they dealt with their future.
"Yes. Dad was getting me to the airport when my leg started healing. He realized that I had become a werewolf and quickly got me here." Abhishek tells her.
"You were here alone all these years?" Pragya asks hurt.
"I was here getting trained by another werewolf. Then we travelled around trying to find werewolves to form our pack."
"Pack?"
"Group... werewolves have packs while Vampires coven."
"So that was your pack?" Pragya asks curiously.
"Yes. When you become a werewolf, it takes a lot of time to control your urges and fury. Yesterday, who was trying to attack you, it was his third time. We need to be trained to turn our anger and fury towards Vampires. I train them now."
"You turn on every full moon?"
"I can turn on will but on full moon, I have no choice, I turn."
"Is it so painful?" Pragya asks as she cupped his face remembering his drained condition.
"No... the tiring thing is to keep in check all the new werewolves. They go out of control and I have to keep leading them back into the forest before they attack humans. I have to be at many places at the same time. Controlling them at times is a bit tricky."
"Your roar scared them."
"I scared you." Abhishek reminds her.
"You were loud." Pragya tells him smiling.
"I can control them to an extend with my roar but on full moon when they lose control of their senses it is difficult."
"Why did you come back to Mumbai?"
"Dad lied to me that you were getting married and I just wanted to see you before your wedding. When I got there I realized that he had lied to get me home so that he could get us married."
"I used to mail you. You never read my mails?"
"When you are a werewolf your emotions are heightened." Abhishek tells her sheepishly. "Though you never mentioned anything about marriage when Dad told me you are getting married, I couldn't control my jealousy and I came home."
"Your feelings never changed with your werewolf trigger?"
"When I turned, my love for you became all the more intense."
"Those nights when you never came home..."
"I was training my pack. There isn't any girl in my life other than you. There will never be one."
Pragya smiles at him. "I thought you didn't love me. I thought you were having affairs. When compared to that, you being a werewolf, I can live with it." Pragya tells him smiling.
"Pragya..." Abhishek says helplessly his eyes turning shades.
"Why are your eyes red?" Pragya asks curiously. "Others were yellow."
"I am their alpha."
"Alpha?"
"Leader."
"How did you become an alpha?" Pragya asks curiously.
"When you risk your life to save someone, you become a true alpha." Abhishek tells her.
Pragya smiles at him happily and tells him as she cupped his face. "Show me your true form."
"Pragya..."
"Please?"
Abhishek closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. As Pragya watched his ears became longer, his forehead and nose start thickening, his fangs and claws come out, and finally he opened his red eyes.
Cupping his face, Pragya gently starts caressing his face as Abhishek simply stood feeling her touch. Leaning on tip toes, Pragya softly kisses his lips as she whispers against him, "I love you."
Growling, Abhishek takes her lips in his and starts kissing her hungrily.
Abhishek watches Pragya as she smiled with a glow on her face due to the after math of their love making.
"I love you." Abhishek whispers to her.
Pragya smiles at him. "Every full moon after I came here, I used to watch the moon remembering how we used to watch it together. Is it because of your werewolf genes that you were so obsessed with the moon?" Pragya asks curiously.
Abhishek shakes his head, "You looked more beautiful in moonlight and I used to love how you used to look at me instead of the moon." Abhishek tells her with a loving smile.
"Now we can't do it." Pragya says sadly.
"I have seen you at the window and I look at you while you looked at the moon." Abhishek tells her.
Pragya smiles hearing him.
"Next full moon, I'll try to come early, or I'll leave a little late." Abhishek promises her.
"Thank you."
"I am sorry, I hurt you, Pragya. I just wanted you to have a better life."
"Why did you marry me?"
"Because you were crying and it broke my heart. Your mother was sick."
"But you were very cruel to me."
"Why didn't you ever leave, Pragya?" Abhishek asks her amazed.
"I think, somewhere deep down in me, I knew you loved me. maybe that stopped me from going away from you."
"I am very sorry, Pragya." Abhishek whispers to her as he kissed her.
"You are not forgiven. You have to make it up to me."
"How?" Abhishek asks her wanting to make amends.
"That you have to find out." Pragya tells him smiling. "Now, no more sorry-s. Let's talk something happy."
Abhishek smiles at her as an idea came to him. Abhishek jumps up from the bed in such a swift and fast motion that Pragya gapes at him in shock. Abhishek laughs at her, "I was dying to show you that since I learned how fast I could move."
Pragya smiles. "Show me more."
"I'll. Now get dressed." Abhishek tells her as he zoomed around the room in superfast motion that Pragya just remained amazed as he threw her clothes to her and by the time he got back to the bed in under a minute, he was fully dressed.
He smirks at her.
"You are such a showoff, Abhi." Pragya chuckles at him as she got up from bed and started getting dressed.
***********
"Do you trust me?" Abhishek asks Pragya as he held her hand and stood on the rooftop looking down.
Pragya looks down at the depth with her heart beating faster. Then she turns to look at him and sees him watching her calmly. Her heart beats steadies and she smiles at him, "I do."
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Abhishek jumps down taking her with him and Pragya shrieks in excitement while Abhishek looked at her with a smile. He lands on the ground gracefully while Pragya laughed with abandonment. Holding her tight, he runs taking her with him climbing on to tree and jumping from one tree to the next making Pragya laugh all the more in excitement as leaves and branches passed near her without touching her as Abhishek moved it out of their way effortlessly.
Pragya looks around in shock as she clung to her husband on top of the tallest tree in the forest looking around Motihari with their Mansion standing tall in the middle.
"Welcome to my world, Pragya." Abhishek whispers to her with a smile.
Reposting the message, I had written when posting the original version.
Inspired from Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries and Twilight.
I didn't want RK(Abhishek) to turn into his wolf form like in Twilight or Vampire Diaries. I decided to use the werewolf form from Teen Wolf as a reference. Those who haven't watched Teen Wolf, these are for your reference.
Scott McCall
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130330093452/teenwolf/images/8/87/Scott_%287%29.jpg
RK's Alpha Eyes - Scot McCall
Derek Hale
https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_loxcvbRbIF1qm4hrdo1_540.gifv
Alpha's Roar
And I didn't want the werewolf gene trigger to be murder (like TVD) or Wolf Bite (like Teen Wolf), as I wanted Madhu(Pragya) to be a part of his trigger I decided to use the opposite of what is in TVD.
I don't know, how convincing this story is, please comment and like as this is my first time into werewolves and vampires.
Please vote and comment
- Lazy