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I remembered him telling me he hated the beach, and yet I still took him there.
Cole didn’t hold back his curiosity. “Weren’t you just avoiding Gray because you were afraid of getting hurt by someone who acted like a playboy? If not, is it because you think what you two have is nothing but a supernatural connection?”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” I said quietly, the heart-pulling sensations I had been having for far longer than ever before returning as if to remind me of its existence.
A supernatural connection?
Perhaps, this was the reason why I had deliberately pushed Gray away. Perhaps, I pretended not to know for so long, so much so that I had forgotten about the truth.
“We’re still friends, Aera. You don’t have to hide anything from me,” Cole added. “I know you know we’re werewolves. And you … you’re something else. So whatever you are, if you like my cousin, tell him. A supernatural connection doesn’t mean your feelings are invalid. It just means it’s stronger. You’ve had feelings for him even before that, anyway.”
“How do you even know all that?”
“I did say I’ve been observing you, didn’t I?”
I swallowed, compelling my shaky legs to work so I could get up. “I gotta go,” I muttered. “Text me when Gray wakes up.”
I didn’t want to leave, but I had no choice. I had to trust that Dr. Loya could take care of Gray. I had to trust that having no vision of the incident meant Gray would survive it.
I had to trust myself.
As I was walking out and musing about everything Cole had told me, I prayed to God that Gray would come back healthy. Maybe then, I could ask him all the questions I had temporarily locked away in my heart, waiting to be unleashed whenever he was ready to answer them.
Meanwhile, the white pup from before followed me on my way home. I had no idea how he found me in the first place. But when I caught him, my heart softened.
I scooped him in my arms and continued heading back home on foot. And since he randomly howled like a baby wolf stuck in a puppy’s body, I named him Howli.
Our Howli.
You Still Have Me
Our home was burningto the ground.
I had jumped into the charred opening to find Stan, Huxley, Gretta, Felix, Old Maurice, and the rest of my pack. Sweeping through the remains on the floor, I saw nothing but scorched bodies sprawled out all over the place, their clothes melted into their skin. I searched every room, called out everyone’s names, but nobody answered. My chest felt like it was caving in.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
My heart pounded, blood rushing to my head as I beheld their burned, blackened bodies on the ground, disfigured and unrecognizable.
Even though their scent still lingered on the corpses, I called for my pack again, denying the truth of what was in front of me. I was met with nothing, nothing but complete, deafening silence.
They were gone.
My knees gave in, and I collapsed to the floor, tears staining my cheeks as I battled the toxic smoke invading my nostrils and drying my throat.
Then, I heard a whimper.
I coughed through the foggy and ashen air, searching for the sound. To my surprise, what I found was a small, white dog trapped underneath a table, crying for help.
Just days ago, my pack and I were living the life, enjoying barbeque on that wooden dinner table, now broken and burned. Just days ago, we were laughing and dancing in the middle of the living room. Just days ago, we promised to meet and unwind in the forest.
It took me a while to move as my ability to stifle my tears became more difficult with every second.
The dog let out another whimper.
Focus, Gray.
