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Elara pulls up outside an old two-story house, and finds Denzel on the porch, waiting for her. She walks over, steeling herself to talk to him about something she's less than excited to reveal. Although she has no proof that she scratched Laith, she can't shake the feeling that there's something more going on with the timing of the scratches and her own first transformation. What if she scratched Laith, and there's something that can be done to make sure that he doesn't transform for the first time? Or at the very least she has to tell Denzel in case Laith does shift, as much as that would be the worst case scenario. Denzel said most humans don't survive their first transformation, she’ll feel awful if something happens to him because she couldn't control herself.
She has to tell Denzel so she can figure out what’s going on, and see if she can help Laith.
It turns out there’s a fate worse than what she’s going through—death.
She stops at the bottom of the stairs, as if she doesn’t deserve to go any further. "I might have scratched someone. A friend," she bursts out, already she's kicking herself for starting the conversation like that. Denzel barely knows her, he invited her into his pack to help train her, and she’s already causing problems. "A human."
Denzel frowns as he stares down at her. "It could have been the wolf that scratched you, the one that's responsible for the other attacks. There's no way of knowing until the next full moon."
Elara shoves her hands in her pockets and thinks about it for a minute, not sure that she understands. It’s time to find out exactly how patient Denzel is with her countless questions. “Why not until then?”
Surely there’s a way to know sooner. The thought of spending a month not knowing what exactly happened and who was responsible isn’t exactly appealing.
"Usually, when the new wolves first shift, they're drawn toward the location of the one who turned them. You would have done the same, which means whoever scratched you might have been in the same vicinity."
Elara's eyes widen as she realizes what that means. She might not have been the one to scratch Laith, which would be a relief. In the back of her mind, she wonders if Kade was there at the same time as Laith.
He’d also been there the night that she had been scratched, and he seems to be following her everywhere she goes, which would mean it makes sense that he was there that night in the forest. A flush spreads over her body as she realizes something else. She woke up naked. How much exactly did he see?
"So the only way to know is if Laith comes to find me on the next full moon,” she muses, trying to keep her mind on the topic at hand. “That's the only way we can be sure."
Denzel nods. His expression is serious, and she can't shake the feeling that he’s disappointed in her somehow, but that's nothing compared to how disappointed she's in herself.
He comes down the few steps to stand in front of her, holding her with his dark eyes. "In order to avoid circumstances likethese in the future, you need to be able to control your wolf. In your case, you also need to be able to control your witch magic."
Elara flashes back to the exploding glass and the curtains changing color, and she can tell by his eyes that he’s thinking something similar. Although she isn't entirely sure she can trust him, he's the best option she's got at the moment. "Okay, let’s train." She glances around. “It’s just the two of us?”
Denzel walks around the house to a large stretch of lawn obscured from the street by the large house. The forest is just beyond, shielding the back and creating a small, private pocket. A quick look around confirms it’s just herself and Denzel. Everything she’s read about wolves is that they’re pack animals. The same should go for werewolves, right? And wouldn’t it make sense that she trains with a variety of people, learning from different perspectives?
"I'll introduce you to the pack when the time is right,” Denzel says, his voice firm. "I can sense that there's something different about you, which means that the other wolves will be able to as well. Wolves aren't really a big fan of things that are different. They don't like change."
Elara nods even though she’s not sure how she feels about further proof that she’s different, even by magical being standards. She realizes she was looking forward to finding a place she belonged, now that normal life has been snatched away from her.
But it looks like that’s not going to happen.
She lifts her chin, looking back at Denzel. Not unless she trains and proves there’s nothing that different about her. “So, where do we start?”
Denzel nods, indicating for her to come and stand in the center of the grassy area. “We’ll start with controlling magic, then do some self-defense skills.”
Elara follows, determined to soak up every piece of information.
Because, at the back of her mind, another question has insidiously made itself known.
If the wolves of Denzel’s pack don’t accept her, what will they do to her?
18
Kade
Kade hunkers low in the bushes between Denzel’s house and the woods behind. He grows low in his throat, his eyes flashing with menace as Denzel helps Elara through different defense tactics. Every time his fingers brush her skin, every smile he gives her, makes Kade’s blood boil.
He’s been watching over her since he parted with Guy, making sure she was alright. The wolf’s bane in her mother’s new garden was a surprise he wasn’t prepared for, and seeing her get wounded by the plant made him all the more angry that he couldn’t tell her anything about what’s going on.
“That’s right, brace your legs, keep it loose. You need to be ready to defend an attack or dodge at a moment’s notice,” Denzel says. His hands are on Elara’s hips, angling her, making sure she’s doing everything just as he says.
Elara herself is so focused on learning that she doesn’t seem to notice how large Denzel’s hands are in comparison to her hips. How much of her he’s touching.
Kade bares his teeth. It should be him teaching her. It should be his hands on her hips. He could be the one who was closeenough to smell her strawberry shampoo and sugary perfume. Not this guy. Not any other guy. Just knowing that it can’t be him, because he promised Guy to keep his distance, makes him feel like he’s going to burn from the inside out.
