I AM ALL EARS

**Dominic’s story**

“Hey, man, you got some free time?” I turned to Declan, probably the only one close to me who could advise me at this point. Especially since he’d discovered things about Tom, too. Declan knew about my alter ego and also knew about my other life. So, a chat with him was most welcome. I also considered that he deserved to know my entire history. All about Tom and what he had to do with my family. He didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark, especially since he was my friend.
I could have talked to Nick, but he was out of the country.
“For you, always,” he returned my answer, but a little more worriedly. Maybe the tone of my voice had changed too, and that was definitely after my last conversation with Rebecca.
“If you’re on shift, I’ll leave you to it, and talk to you later.”
“No, it’s not a problem. Actually, I just finished my shift so we can talk. Do you want me to come over?”
“I hope you’re not just saying that...” He would often do it just to be there for me.
“I assure you my shift is over! I couldn’t lie about that. Anyway, I’ll be with you in fifteen minutes!” The conversation ended suddenly and, as promised, he was very punctual.
“You’re here... please come in.” After fixing our two coffees, we went out to the pool. The sun was shining high in the sky, but there was also a light breeze, which made the heat more bearable.
“Your face tells me something is wrong. What’s the matter, Dominic?”
It was incredible how this man read me. He was actually the first to know what I was and never judged me. In fact, being a doctor, he once wanted to help me, to find a cure for what he saw was consuming me alive. He understood later that the wolf was part of me and that he would never leave, but I would have to coexist with him.
“You’re right, something really happened and now I just don’t have a way to fix it.”
“Oh my God! Wherever you go, trouble follows. Now what?” Declan’s voice was getting a little playful.
“Hey man, I’m not playing. I’m really in trouble. Look, because you’re my friend, I’ll tell you a story. Maybe you can help me understand and move on. And maybe even explain myself.”
“A story? Whose story?” He was already getting intrigued.
“Mine, Declan, mine.”
For a few seconds, there was silence. Only the wind was still gently blowing through the flowers in the garden, spreading their fragrance.
“Okay, I’m all ears!”
“This story won’t be easy to listen to,” I began the narration and could see the grimace on Declan’s face change with each word. “No one knows this but me. I’m going to ask you to let me finish first and then any questions you have I’ll answer, okay?”
“Okay...”
“I’ll start with the present. The one from the Treasure Awards. Right after I got the award, I saw Rebecca talking to one of my fellow set mates, Logan. Nothing weird so far. Except the moment I got right up in their face, I got mad. And you know the reason why. Anyway, that story ended there and the next day Rebecca leaves my house and meets him. Of course, I found out and followed her. That’s how I also discovered where her apartment was. It seems her time of needing me is over and now she’s back to her old life. Again, nothing strange, until she confronted me with something from my past and my connection to Tom, her fiancé. Okay, now you can ask whatever you want.”
Declan was already so deep into what I said that he barely said a few words that would form a question.
“Connection with... Tom? I mean... more than I found out that day?”
“Oh, way more, my friend. Now I’m going to go back a bit into my past, a past that Tom is also in. You know, he was a werewolf. Tom was crucial to my transformation, Declan.”
“I’ve lost you, my friend. Can you be more specific?”
“More than a hundred years ago, I had a quiet life. With two parents who loved each other unconditionally and who showered their love on me. I felt no burden until the day I fell in love. My only mistake was loving her too much. Jane Barnett, daughter of my father’s rival, Zack Barnett. Both my father and Zack were two extraordinarily strong Alpha males who ran their packs with an iron fist. You may have realized that Zack never approved of my relationship with his daughter. One afternoon, Jane and I decided to go for a hike in the mountains. We both loved adventure and nature. Most importantly, we were both human. Which made my mother and Jane’s mother human as well? Only our fathers were werewolves. We may have had genes, but they never really activated. My mother even had a powerful desire. She didn’t want me to become a werewolf under any circumstances” I took a slight pause while I looked into the distance. Maybe their decision was right after all.
“Looks like your mother’s wish didn’t come true.”
“Unfortunately, she had to beg my father to do it or I would have died. Anyway, the drama started when we were attacked by a wild beast, a wolf to be exact. Big and ferocious, we didn’t stand a chance against it. Somehow, my father found out where we were, only he was too late. Jane was already dead, and I was struggling for my life. My mother begged him to save me, even if it meant breaking her own promise. I got rescued and Jane, my father, carried her in his arms to the gates of Zack’s pack. What happened there only they know, but from that day on the hatred between them grew. I remember with horror that my checking led me to Zack’s hatred towards Jane’s mother, his wife. Then followed a rumor that he ordered her killed. But I could not confirm that rumor. I didn’t even know Jane’s mother, but she seemed to approve of my relationship with her daughter. Maybe that’s what led to her death if she indeed died. I suffered enormously when Jane died. I cannot describe it in words, so I vowed I would not leave things like that. So, I started an investigation on my own and all roads led me to Tom, Rebecca’s fiancé,” I ended the story that not only marked my existence but opened the path to a deep revenge.
“Wait a minute, so on the night you rescued Rebecca and saw her fiancé, you knew who he was all along?” This story was getting even deeper.
“Yes, I knew, but I had to keep it quiet. I didn’t want to endanger her life. But it seems there’s more to Logan than Rebecca tells me and somehow Tom was on Logan’s radar, too.”
“What makes you say that? Didn’t you say Logan was an actor like you?” And the very moment he said it, he also realized that even I wasn’t who I said I was.
“That’s exactly right, Declan. Logan is more than an actor. Something in me tells me that. And to think he’s so close to Rebecca...” My anger was losing control. My wolf was getting restless again, especially since there was a possibility that she was with him right now.
“Hey, relax. I know what your mind is racing at. Maybe he really is just a buddy, you don’t know. Until then, think about what answers to give Rebecca because I bet you have explained nothing. You will not go to her and tell her all about yourself, now, would you? That would really freak her out.”
When this man was right, I had no answer, just as right now. Even I thought it wasn’t time to push Rebecca further away. Especially since it was more obvious than ever that someone was after her. Maybe Tom got killed by his own pack. And although I hadn’t heard from Zack in years, it wasn’t out of the question that he was alive.
“That’s true. I explained nothing to her. I didn’t even get a chance because she kicked me out of her apartment. But we can’t avoid each other forever and at some point, it will all come out. And then Rebecca will have to choose. Either she’ll walk away, scared, or she’ll stand by me like the Luna she is!”