Chapter 10

Alisha and I went to bed together and even though I was as tired as if I had just ran three marathons I couldn’t fall asleep and I started tossing and turning, clearly making Alisha uncomfortable.

-I’ll take advantage of the full moon – I whispered to Alisha

-Be careful, okay? – She said turning around and hugging a pillow

-Don’t worry – I said getting out of bed

I dug through my bag of clothes looking for my favorite – actually comfort – sweater, I grabbed the oversized light blue sweater and put in on with the first pair of pants I found, I didn’t bother with shoes and just stepped outside of the cabin walking towards the jail-like are we had for the new wolves to transform safely during the full moons.

I actually hoped not to find Aldahir there but knowing him he would have wanted to transform in there instead of in the woods because he wasn’t exactly in the best mind set and he didn’t want to risk hurting anyone. I stayed around smelling the air seeking to catch his smell, as soon as I caught it I realized he was locked in one of cells so I snuck around and got into the hallway filled with cells, to my annoyance pretty much everybody there bowed to me as I walked down the hall.

-Aldahir? – I called him stopping in front of the last cell

He was sitting on the floor with his back to the cell and as soon as he heard my voice he turned around, I’m not sure if surprised or confused by my presence. Seeing him there, sitting on the dirty floor of an awful, depressing and old cell broke my heart a bit, especially knowing – or at least suspecting - I was the reason why he had decided to lock himself in there.

-What are you doing here? – He asked without bothering to turn to look at me – aren’t you supposed to be in that cute little cabin with your soon to be wife? – He added with what I had come to learn was resentment in his voice

I of course, couldn’t blame him for feeling that way, nor could I even think about getting upset because I had just broken his heart, without even talking to him in person about it, I actually went there fully expecting him not to want to talk to me.
-Yes, I should be with Alisha… But I had to t least see you and…

-I already got your letter thank you Dhalia – he said cutting me off and showing me the crumbled-up letter in his hand – unless you have something to had to what you said in the letter leave me alone, I’m not really in the mood to talk to you right now

-I’m sorry Aldahir, I really am… You know I am, don’t you? – I said sitting down on the floor

Aldahir growled at me and his eyes flashed yellow for a second, but he took a deep breath to try and calm himself down, which me sort of managed to do and then turned to me.

-I know you’re sorry, it doesn’t look like it right now but I’m not actually mad at you, I’m mad at your parents for forcing you to do this and I’m mad at the whole pack because they enforce this stupid tradition, but mostly I’m mad at myself for falling in love with you to begin with – he explained resting his head on one of the bars while holding another one with his hand

-Aldahir – I said trying to keep my voice from cracking – you shouldn’t be mad at yourself, is not like you chose to fall in love with me to have your heart broken – I said putting my hand over his

-But I could have chosen not to act on my feelings – he said chuckling

-Why are you laughing? – I asked getting confused by his reaction

-I’m just appreciating the irony of this whole thing, starting with the fact that we wouldn’t even be here if you hadn’t bitten me

-I couldn’t let you die

-Because you felt guilty about what the others did to my parents – he said shaking his head

-No

As soon as I said it Aldahir looked up at me confused.

-I didn’t bite you because I felt guilty about your parents, of course I did feel guilty but… I decided to bite you because you had survived, I thought you were a fighter who wanted to live so I helped you

-Why hadn’t you told me this before? – Asked Aldahir trying to get closer to me, but obviously he couldn’t because we were being separated by steel bars

-I guess I was stupid enough to think it could make you feel different about me – I said playing with a strand of my hair

-Different how?

-It doesn’t make any sense now that I’ve thought about it but… If you feel in love with me the way you did, thinking I had bit you just because I felt guilty about your parents, maybe your feelings towards me would be more intense if you knew the truth and therefore, you would get hurt even more when I had to do this Choosing Ceremony

Aldahir stared at me with a weird expression in his face, almost as if he were trying not to allow himself to smile.

-I know it’s ridiculous, you can make fun of me – I said laughing at myself

-It’s not ridiculous Dhalia – he said smiling – if anything is kind of cute actually – he added smiling even more

-Is cute that I kept the truth from you? – I asked getting a little confused

-A little, you might have kept the truth from me, as you said, but you did it because you didn’t want me to get hurt, besides you just told me so obviously you didn’t mean to kept it to yourself until you died

-I guess you’re the only person who doesn’t get upset over not being told the truth – I said chuckling

-It is kind of hard to get upset with you… I know we are not together anymore – he said showing me the letter again – but that doesn’t mean I suddenly stopped loving you Dhalia

-Aldahir…

-Let me talk please – he said cutting me off – I still love you, simply put, I know you won’t do it because you respect Alisha and the relationship you’re supposed to have but… I’m not going anywhere, either as a friend or if you ever decide to take me back for some reason…

-I’m not marrying Alisha – I said cutting him off

Aldahir’s mouth dropped wide open as soon as he heard me and his eyes opened as dinner plates, staring at me.

-What do you mean? – He asked

-I’m not marrying her; she’s my friend and I know I will be able to actually have a good time with her over the years but… She’s not the person with whom I want to be with for the rest of my life

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, collecting my thoughts, pushing away the fear and gathering the strength to say what I was about to say.

-I want to make our hypothetical plan a reality – I said barely loud enough for him to listen

-What made you change your mind about it? – Asked Aldahir confused

-I’ve thinking about it since last night

-Meaning you had the chance to come to me last night and talk about this

-I thought you would be excited about this, you just said you are still in love with me

-I am, but… You didn’t see yourself earlier today, you looked so happy with Alisha

-I thought you weren’t at the Choosing Ceremony

-I was there, you just didn’t see me

-Alisha is my friend, nothing more… And, yes, I might have been happy in that moment with her because I enjoy her company and, I was doing my best to convince my mother I was fully in with Alisha and I wouldn’t do anything stupid…

-Like coming to me and saying you want to run away together – said Aldahir cutting me off – if you have feelings towards Alisha you can stay with her, is fine…

-I don’t, I just told you that, I love her as my friend, nothing more than that… I’m in love with you

-Could I ask for some sort of prove?

I immediately leaned in and kissed him through the bars with great difficulty, he gasped in the middle of the kiss and when we pulled away he looked at me with relieve in his face.

-Is that prove enough? – I asked smiling

-I wouldn’t mind if you did it again – he said smiling – so what’s the plan?

-I still don’t really have one

-What have you done with my super organized Dhalia?

-Today is been kind of hectic, I haven’t had time to think, all I know is that we must leave before the date of the wedding, I have a few pieces of art I can sell to the tourists tomorrow and… I don’t know where to go from there

-That’s fine, we’ll get together tomorrow to…

Aldahir’s words were cut off by his eyes turning bright yellow and a loud growl coming out of his throat, the moon had reached its peak and he was going to transform into a wolf.