Hunted

by DJ DeSmyter

  29. Alex

  “Why are you so upset?” I asked James when we got back to the apartment. I wasn’t used to seeing him so down. I don’t think any of us were. He was always enthusiastic, always the first to try new things. He even welcomed Lily with smiles and hugs.

  He grumbled something that barely resembled an answer and stormed off to his room.

  “Just let him be,” Mom said, patting me gently on the shoulder.

  “I think he’s just a bit jealous,” Summer added.

  I turned to her with a questioning look. “Jealous of what?”

  “Not what. Who.”

  I didn’t understand where she was going.

  She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. I’m going to bed.”

  Mom and Dad both sighed and wished me goodnight before disappearing into their own rooms. And then it hit me, the reason why James was so upset. I walked over to his door and gently knocked.

  “Come in,” he said reluctantly. He knew it was me.

  Taking a deep breath, I entered his room. “Hey.”

  He looked up and nodded.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize how much time I had been spending with Lily.”

  James added, “And how little you’ve spent with us.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed. “I just can’t seem to stay away from her for longer periods of time,” I admitted.

  “That’s kind of sad. And disturbing.”

  I laughed. “Thanks.”

  A smile suddenly appeared across his mouth. “Just telling you the truth. So you must really like her. And she clearly has eyes only for you.” His old-fashioned remark made me chuckle. “Have you told her you love her?”

  I nodded. “She hasn’t said it back, though. But I don’t expect her to. I hope she knows that.”

  “Do you mean it? Do you really love her?”

  “I do.” I smiled to myself as Lily flickered in my mind, laughing and smiling. “But that doesn’t mean I should ignore you and the rest of the family,” I said once I snapped out of my reverie. “I really am sorry.”

  “Me, too. I shouldn’t have been such a butt about it. After all, with everything going on with the hunter, you should be with her to protect her.”

  “So, are we okay, then?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Yeah, I was just jealous,” James answered with an assuring smile. “I guess being separated because of the hunter really threw me off. I don’t think any of us are used to being apart.”

  “No, we’re not,” I agreed with a light laugh. “But I may not be around as much as I used to be now that I’m with Lily.”

  “I know and I’m happy for you. Honestly, I am,” James said.

  “So are you sure everything is fine?”

  “Yeah,” he said. Despite his reassuring smile, I sensed a hint of lingering resentment.

  “Good.” I felt better knowing he was no longer mad at me, but part of me still felt terrible for treating my family like strangers. If we were real wolves, I probably would’ve been forced out of the pack for not putting its needs first.

  “Alex? What is it about her? You’ve never taken an interest in anyone before. Why do you love her?”

  I could have named a dozen reasons why I loved Lily, but the way I felt for her was indescribable. I had always read stories and watched movies about love at first sight, but never truly believed it existed. Then I met Lily and my view changed. Something sparked between us when we first met and I tried so hard not to look at her, but I couldn’t keep my eyes away. She was like a star, the brightest one in the night sky. Yes, she was beautiful, but her beauty was more than physical. Not only was she artistic, smart, and kind, she was extremely open-minded and understanding. She accepted my being a werewolf with little hesitation or doubt. It was an understanding I thought I would never find.

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “I just do.”

  30. Lily

  Photographs were everywhere in my room, making it look like a collage instead of a bedroom. Since finding out Alex and my mom were werewolves, I hadn’t given much thought to the art scholarship Mr. Wesley had told me about. The deadline wasn’t until the end of January, so I still had a few weeks to select a photo and send in my application. The problem was I still didn’t know what photo to enter. I could only choose one, so whichever one I chose had to be amazing. No, it had to be amazingly amazing.

  With a sigh, I started picking up the photos I knew I wouldn’t use and when I set the pile on my desk, my eye caught my new digital camera. Picking it up and turning it on, I looked through the photos I had taken and stopped on the one of Alex playing his guitar. From the lighting to the use of space, everything about the photo was, in my opinion, perfect. I immediately went to work uploading it onto my laptop. When I first took the photo, I thought it would look better in black and white, but I was wrong. The colors were what made the photo so beautiful.

  After printing a copy of it to show Dad when he got home from patrolling the woods, I wandered downstairs to find something to eat for dinner. It was the second day that Alex and I hadn’t spent together and with Dad gone, the house was as empty as ever. I had grown accustomed and almost dependent on Alex’s company and even Dad’s since he stayed home a lot after the wolves attacked him. Since he was completely healed, Dad started patrolling at night and most of the time Peter went with him.

  I was used to Alex spending time with his family at the apartment, but I wasn’t used to him sleeping there. I was glad he decided to spend more time with his family, but at the same time, I missed him incredibly. The uncomfortable feeling that crawled over my skin from his absence was beginning to fade, however, and I felt stupid for feeling so clingy and selfish.

  Clearing my head and taking a deep breath, I opened the refrigerator and dug around for something to eat. Finding nothing, I moved towards the pantry, but a knock at the front door stopped me. I walked to the door with light steps and peered through the peephole.

  Alex.

  My heart fluttered as I opened the door, beaming. Wearing a pair of perfectly fitted jeans and a simple white button-down shirt under his jacket, he looked beautiful as always. Without saying anything, he closed the distanced between us and kissed me. My fingers wrapped themselves in his soft, brown hair while his hand cupped the back of my neck. When we put the distance back between us, I was struggling to breathe.

  “You know that breathing is essential to living, right?” he asked, his words drenched in playful sarcasm.

  “I have heard that, yes.” I moved around him and shut the front door. “What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged before removing his jacket. “I miss you is all.”

  “I miss you, too, but I thought you were trying to spend less time with me and more with your family.”

  “Turns out I’m not good at staying away from you.” His smile was innocent and warm.

  Shaking my head in fake disbelief, I walked past him and headed back into the kitchen. When I passed him, he grabbed my hand and kissed it before wrapping his around it. Even though I was searching for food, he continued holding my hand and we moved like a single unit throughout the kitchen. He finally let go when I sat down to eat the sandwich I had made. He remained standing and leaned against the counter.

  “What have you been up to?” he asked.

  After swallowing my bite, I answered. “Not much. I decided on what photo to use for the Artist’s Gallery scholarship.”

  “Yeah? Which one?”

  “The one of you playing your guitar,” I said proudly.

  “Really?” He sounded shocked and honored.

  I nodded and took another bite of my sandwich.

  “I hope you win.”

  “Me, too,” I said. “But I looked at the artwork that won in previous years and I honestly don’t think I have much of a chance.”

  “You’re too hard on yourself and you have more talent than you know.”

  “Thanks,” I said quietly.

  “Speaki
ng of your talent,” he continued. “Will you play me a song today?”

  “But you’ve heard all of my songs.”

  He shook his head. “No, you left one out that day.”

  “I did?” I replayed the day I first played my songs for him in my mind and listed all the songs I played. As far as I knew, I had played every song I had written. “Are you sure it was one of mine? And when did you hear it?” I finished my sandwich and led us over to the piano.

  “I heard it about a month ago while I was locked up.”

  I pulled the bench out and sat down. “What do you mean?”

  He sat down next to me. “Your dad hasn’t told you?”

  “No—”

  “When I was shot, I blacked out and when I woke up, I was lying in a cage in some shed. The bars were made of silver, which made me think the hunter had locked me up.”

  “Why would he have done that? Wouldn’t he have wanted to kill you?”

  “Well, it turns out it was your dad, not the hunter.”

  “My dad locked you up in a silver cage?”

  Alex laughed. “He was just being careful, Lily.”

  The thought of Alex locked up in a deadly cage caused me to shudder. “Were you scared?”

  “Terrified,” he answered. “But the good thing was that I was healing, so I regained most of my strength by the time your dad introduced himself.”

  I furrowed my brows at him. “I’m assuming there wasn’t a doctor locked up with you who had the necessary tools to remove a bullet.”

  “Werewolves heal really fast. It’s another one of our special abilities.”

  “That’s so cool,” I said with wonder. “Does that mean you’re invincible?”

  “No, but our life spans tend to be a little bit longer than normal humans, but not by much.”

  “Wow.” I took a deep breath and paused to let his words settle in my mind. “So what does this all have to do with my mystery song?”

  Alex laughed and while he spoke, he tinkered around on the piano. “When I was locked up, I woke up to the sound of a piano. The song being played was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. It was simple in structure, but it gave me hope.”

  “And you think it was me who was playing?” I asked.

  “I’m positive it was.”

  I sighed and rested my fingers on the keys. My brain began working overtime to recall what song I had played. I pushed past all my recent memories with Alex and brought forth those before he came into my life.

  And then I found the moment I was looking for. The song filled my head and I instantly remembered how to play it. Without saying a word, I began to play. My left hand lightly played a constant pattern while my right hand played the melody. Using single notes and octaves, the song was indeed simple, but I liked it and couldn’t believe I had forgotten about it.

  “It is just as beautiful as I remember,” Alex said when I finished.

  Relieved the song was just as he remembered, I said, “I’m glad.”

  We were about to kiss when the front door burst open. We both jumped up and looked anxiously at the front door. Dad and Peter both wore sorrowful expressions, oblivious to catching us mid kiss.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  Dad answered first. “We found another dead wolf.”

  “But it wasn’t a werewolf,” Peter added.

  I felt Alex relax beside me. “What if it had been? How can you tell a dead wolf apart from a dead werewolf?”

  Alex turned to me. “When a werewolf dies while in their wolf form, they revert to their human state.”

  “Oh.”

  Thankfully, Dad changed the subject before it became even more morbid. “Peter, would you like something to eat before you and Alex go home?”

  He nodded. “That would be great. Thanks.”

  The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Alex and I in the front hall.

  “So, what do you want to do while our dads eat?” Alex asked with a grin.

  I had something in mind, but was too embarrassed to ask him.

  “What is it?”

  I couldn’t hide anything from him. “Well, I was wondering if you’d change for me. The one time you did it in front of me I was kind of freaking out since a pack of wolves was attacking us.”

  “Sure.” Alex chuckled.

  Excited to see his transformation up close and with ready eyes, I suggested he show me in my room where we could have some privacy.

  “When I turn back, you will have to turn around,” he said after closing my bedroom door.

  “Why?”

  “Because when we shift, we don’t get to take our clothes with us.”

  “Oh, of course!” I felt stupid for not knowing the answer. “But wouldn’t you like to take your clothes off before you shift?”

  “But then you won’t be able watch,” he said.

  “I don’t want you to ruin your clothes. I can just turn around while you change. I can watch you change back and turn around again before you’re human.”

  “That’s a good plan. Besides, I don’t think your dad would be happy with you seeing me in all my glory.”

  I laughed and turned away from him. “No, he probably wouldn’t.” Even though my back was to him, I still closed my eyes. With one of my senses cut off, my others became stronger and my ears were suddenly filled with the quiet sounds of Alex unbuttoning his shirt and removing his pants. I instantly blushed and was thankful Alex couldn’t see me.

  Before I knew it, Alex nudged my leg with a cold, wet nose. I turned around and found a wolf staring up at me. I bent down and gently stroked Alex’s fur.

  “You can just stand on the other side of the bed, so I won’t see anything I shouldn’t,” I suggested, still petting him.

  Unable to use words, Alex nodded and licked my face.

  “Cute, Alex,” I said, giggling.

  After showing off by chasing his tail and giving me more kisses, he sat down and stared at me with patient yellow eyes.

  “Ready to change back?” I asked.

  He nodded and then trotted to the other side of my bed. Before I could say anything else, he began changing. His limbs grew longer and the fur receded to reveal human flesh. Every canine characteristic slowly disappeared and was replaced by those of a human. It all happened so fast, that I barely had time to observe it all and in a matter of seconds, a very naked Alex appeared before me. He was on his hands and knees and I was so enthralled by the whole spectacle that I forgot to turn around. Snapping out of my daze, I closed my eyes and turned away.

  “Okay, I can’t see you.” I heard him chuckle as he pulled his jeans back on. “Wait! Don’t put your shirt on yet.”

  “Why?” He asked, clearly amused.

  “I want to see where you were shot.” And see how perfect your abs are, I thought.

  “Well, you can’t really see the scar, but you can try.”

  “Can I turn around?”

  “Yes.”

  When I faced him, I let out a tiny gasp. He had put his shirt back on, but left it unbuttoned and it beautifully framed his lean, sculpted body. Had he lived in Ancient Rome, a statue of him would have been constructed and displayed for all to see. But it was his personality and the sweet, kind way he treated me that was his most beautiful trait. Whenever I was around him, I felt important and complete, like we belonged together.

  “The bullet hit me right here,” he said.

  I approached him and studied the area where he was pointing. Spotting the light difference in skin tone, I traced the scar with my finger. “Did my dad remove the bullet?”

  “He must have.”

  I stepped back and tried not to stare at his exposed body. “Thanks for changing so I could see.”

  “I’m sorry you couldn’t watch the whole transformation.”

  “It’s fine. Watching you change back was amazing enough. I don’t know why so many books and movies depict werewolves as monsters. What I just saw was a display of beauty.�
�

  Smiling, he buttoned his shirt. He moved towards me and rested his forehead on mine. “I love you so much. I hope you know that.”

  “I do.”

  “Good.” He kissed me again, but this time, on the lips.

  “And Alex?” My palms grew damp from my nerves.

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you, too.”

  “You do?”

  I nodded slowly, contemplating the weight of my words. My cloud of doubt returned, this time with thunder and rain. “But I’ve never been in love before, let alone a relationship, so this is all new to me,” I said.

  “Me, too. Maybe this is all just first love feelings,” he suggested. And then he shook his head with a grin. “No, this is not first love hastiness. I’m going to be with you for as long as you will let me.”

  He said he wanted to be with me, forever; which is a lot to say to a person. What if Alex was getting caught up in the rush of love, letting his heart do all the talking and leaving his mind out of it? But that was now. Would he feel the same in a few months? A few years?

  Absentmindedly, I sat down on my bed with my eyes fixed on the floor, but staring at nothing.

  “Lily?” Alex’s voice was full of concern. “Is something wrong?”

  “I just need to think for a minute,” I said, trying to think over the storm brewing inside me.

  “Are we going too fast?” It was as if he read my mind.

  I looked up and tried not to look too distressed. I didn’t want Alex thinking I regretted telling him I loved him. I didn’t. It was a big confession, one that carried a thousand different meanings and emotions, and the weight of it hadn’t hit me until after I said it.

  “It’s okay if you want to take it back,” he said. “I won’t be mad or hurt, I promise. It won’t change how I feel.” The sincere and gentle look in his eyes was all it took to calm my storm.

  “I’m sorry, I just freaked out. I should stop worrying and just enjoy what we have, right?” I nodded my head while I spoke and tucked stray hairs behind my ear.