Chapter 35

Someone gently shakes my arm the next day, waking me up. My eyes open on their own, groaning, to meet Kaden's stormy blues. I squint at him before puffing and closing my eyes again, attempting to sleep again. When he open the curtains, I turn onto my side and nestle closer in the blankets, throwing them over my head to shield my face. "What are you doing here, sleeping beauty?" "It is four o'clock in the evening." He chuckles, and my eyes widen in surprise. "What?!" I exclaim, leaping from my bed and straightening my hair. "How come you didn't wake me up for school?"
"I tried, but I think you were exhausted from the day before." I figured I'd give you a break. I brought you homework since you're a nerd!" He mock cheers as he tosses the books plus assignments onto the nearby desk. I give him a glare before requesting a spare toothbrush. I clean myself up then brushed my teeth before wiping my damp face with a fluffy blue towel as I walk down to the restroom. I found Kaden inside the kitchen, hurrying over to remove the burnt toast pieces from the toaster, choking as I try to keep the black smoke off my face. With an orange juice carton in his hand, Kaden returns from the refrigerator.
"Oh," he says, frowning before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know why they constantly come out that way -" When he sees me turning the dial to the maximum level, he comes to a halt. I placed two slices of bread into it, shaking my head to him, and show him the nicely toasted pieces as they pop up again. "So that's what it's for!" he exclaims, a look of surprise on his face before a cheeky grin. "How would you want to live with me," I chuckle and roll my eyes as I sit down at the small table with him and eat the meal he has cooked, almost suffocating on it as he filled the evening with his dirty jokes and hilarious faces. I make the decision to stay with Kaden till six o'clock in the evening.
Well, I'm compelled to; he takes me to several locations and we'll go bowling, where I, unfortunately, lose. That kid is a pro, I promise. My swings were more likely to hit the gutter than the bowling pins! When Kaden throws the keys from behind me as I walk outside to my car, I caught them in my hand. I quickly stow my suitcase in the passenger seat and whirl around to hug him. "Thank you for making me smile and not interrogating me about it," I said. While he stands motionless, I mutter on his shoulder.
He pulls out of it then wraps his arms round me, but I can sense he takes a moment to think about it. Kaden is odd like that; if you show him even a smidgeon of kindness, he will act as though he is unaffected by it. Perhaps he is. Probably he's the sort of person who hides his suffering behind a grin, since I occasionally see it spill out over the front of his eyes before he can disguise it. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Just don't cry your eyes out next time in a park; you realize where to go now." He winks and softly pushes me forward towards the car. "Also, uh...don't tell anyone about this -"
''What?'' I let out a loud gasp and look up at him, stunned. "And tarnish the bad boy's reputation?" I wouldn't even consider it." He gives me a faux glare as I giggle and climb into the driver's seat, revving the engine. I stalled for a few seconds as I back out of the garage and back to the street, waving farewell and watching him do the same thing before driving away. With a gulp, I realize that nothing, not even the radio, can now free me from my own thoughts as I drive down the narrow, residential street.

***


I pulled into the driveway and turn off the engine, but I do not exit the vehicle. Although I had left a message explaining why I had left, I know the Winks' will be furious. Without anyone's input about what I should be doing with my life, I needed to analyze everything. I got out of the car and stroll up the driveway, hesitantly creeping into the house, with determination. I ended up standing in front of the lounge area, starring at the individuals in front of me, seated on the sofas with worried expressions on their faces.
When I see Chris' stiff posture and untidy hair, like he's already run his hand althrough it a hundred times, I immediately feel awful for scaring everyone. When I take a step forward, the sound of my shoes hitting the floor startles everyone. ''Amanda!'' Before I'm immersed in warmth, I hear Chris cry in relief, his footsteps booming in the quiet room. "What have you been up to?" I was very concerned! "I just wanted space and some time to think about everything, and you'd never pick up and you weren't at school," "I just wanted space, and time to think about everything." I apologize; I did not want you to be concerned." I interrupt, a pang of remorse rising within me. "I felt stifled, and everyone kept on talking about myself and I -"
"Oh, honey". As I try to apologize, Elizabeth draws me into her loving arms and hushes me. "Everything will work out." All that matters now is that you're at home. Why don't I cook something for you and we'll clarify any further questions you have over dinner?"
She kisses me on my forehead and motions Linda to accompany her towards the kitchen when I nod. William and Chris spend the next hour telling me all on werewolf history. According to William, werewolves are an epitome from the supernatural realm. According to most elders, their affliction began as a curse as a result of a man that cheated on his wife... and apparently, she was reportedly a witch. She placed curses his unborn offspring with the ability to transform into wolves at the age of sixteen, with the next group of kids following suit.
William and Elizabeth were the pack's former Alpha and Luna before passing the title on to Chris when he met his mate, Linda. Their second-in-command is the Beta, who in this pack is Kelvin. Silver is a dangerous metal for werewolves, capable of killing them if not treated immediately. It will destroy a werewolf slowly if not handled within 48 hours by running throughout their blood like acid. When they shift, they will only have minor discomfort in which they were wounded if treated promptly.
As Chris describes a werewolf's wild nature, my thoughts return to Gabriel. They can neglect they are human and surrender to their wolves if they're in wolf form or not. They're also prone to losing their cool. To my horror, I also learn that other supernatural beings exist, one of which is vampires. Daisy and Dag are matched to them, which explains why they don't attend the same institution as me and instead reside in other states.