“Who are you?” My voice trembled as I stared at the man named Aaron who stood before me, and I realized I had never known him. Nothing about him at this moment felt human, and he was right when he said he wasn’t like other men. He had always told me this, and I never understood until now.
“I am Aaron Hart,” he said, stepping towards me. The glow in his eyes didn’t decrease as he said those words.
I stepped back, and my legs hit the wall. “What the hell are you?”
“I am a werewolf, the alpha of the Dominio pack,” he answered.
“No!” I shook my head, unwilling to believe or accept what he told me. “There are no such things as werewolves. Those only exist in movies, books, and tales of the ancients. Not in our world.”
“And you’re so desperate to believe a lie so that you can feel comfortable. This isn’t some fantasy world, Zera; this is real. Werewolves are just as real as the air you breathe. I think a part of you already knows that. A part of you has known that I am not like other men for a while now, but you chose to ignore it. I am a werewolf, the same as your now-dead friend, and when Zion comes of age, he will be just like me.”
My eyes paled at his words, but the look on his face told me he was not joking. A sob left my mouth, and my hands raced up to cover it. I shook my head, not ready to believe what was coming from his mouth. I couldn’t believe it or accept it.
“No, no, no. My son will never be like you!” I vowed, tears streaming down my face.
He stormed forward as if the words I’d spoken had triggered him, but I couldn’t run. I was trapped between the wall and him. “Why? Because then he’d become unworthy of your love? I guess your motherly love has its limit, after all.”
“No, because you’re a cold-hearted monster who kills without remorse. You ripped Henry’s heart out as if it were nothing. How many people have you killed? How many hearts have you ripped out?”
He remained silent. “So many, uh? This is why my son will never be like you.” I spat at him. My head pounded harder than it did when I woke up, maybe because I was yelling at the top of my lungs or maybe because I needed rest. I didn’t care, though. I didn’t want to stop.
“You have no control over what Zion will be. I think you already know that. He may be young, but I bet you can already see the difference in him compared to other kids his age.”
He was right. Zion had always differed from other kids his age. I noticed it the first time he socialized. He had fewer social skills and stayed on high alert, taking notice of things that most would ignore. He also had a keen sense of smell, and I thought he took that from his uncle Lionel, who had had that since he was a child. I shrugged it off as social anxiety, but as he grew older, I noticed less of that. If I’d observed harder, perhaps I would have noticed he wasn’t like others.
“You can claim to not want it, but the reality is way more than your little naive mind thinks it is.” His growling voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Fuck you!” I cursed out, glaring at him.
He reached out, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me against his body. “Gladly.”
I struggled to set myself free from his hold, terrified out of my mind, but he only tightened his grip more, and my body pressed against his.
“Behave, Aaron!” a feminine voice said, walking into the room. Aaron released his hold on me and stepped away. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, and I saw the flare of red in his eyes reduce before he turned away from me towards the intruder.
My head moved in the voice’s direction, and I saw a young lady standing there. She looked a few years younger than me, with long black hair and hazel eyes, just like Aaron, and I didn’t need to be told that she was his younger sister. She was wearing a brown dress that complimented her hazel eyes and made her even more gorgeous. She had to be like him then. Despite being so much younger, I also noticed that he obeyed her words.
“How’s your head feeling?” She asked with a tender tone, and the terror cursing through my veins subsided. My hand travelled to my temple to rub slightly on it.
It was okay, but she didn’t have to know that.
“We are here trying to help you, Zera,” she said, still sounding calm and friendly.
I scoffed. “I doubt that very much.”
“I told you she is just as stubborn as they come.” Aaron hissed out and turned his back to me, facing his sister and speaking as if I wasn’t in the room or hearing them.
“How is she dealing with the truth, though?”
“Not very good, Sesi,” Aaron answered, walking over to the door where she stood.
Sesi, the name, sounded familiar. He had called her name when I asked about his family many years ago. She was the only sister he had, and if he spoke the truth, then he had two other younger brothers. Ivan, whom I met earlier, and another, Damor.
“And neither are you helping by pressing yourself against her, Aaron.” She scolded him and then turned to me with an apologetic eye as if she were the one who hurt me. “I’m sorry he got handy with you, Zera.”
“How do you know my name?” I asked before realizing Aaron probably told her.
She smiled, and her deep dimple, just like Aaron’s, came into display. “You’re Zera Adams, the mother of my nephew. Aaron told me all about you, and I am happy to meet you. I, however, wish we met under better circumstances.”
I glanced at Aaron and found his gaze intently fixed on me, and I looked away immediately.
“Don’t worry; he won’t hurt you,” she assured me in a kind tone. You have my word. He isn’t always like this, and I know you know it, too.” She was right. Aaron was the most in-control man I had ever known, but that still didn’t change what he did to Henry.
“I don’t know anything anymore.” I shook my head and ran my palm over my face. What had happened so far told me that if there was anything I knew, it was that I knew nothing about anyone. Not one bit.
“You do.”
“He’s a werewolf!”
“So am I. And a werewolf doesn’t automatically mean an out-of-control monster, Zera. You have much to learn, and I’ll be willing to teach you a few things.”
She was friendly, and her offer was tempting, but more than that, I needed to find my son and get out of here as fast as I could. “Where is Zion? I need to see him.”
Aaron stepped out of the room at my request, and I was left with Sesi.
She raised her hands. “Yes, I know you need to see him, and you will, just not now.”
My brows narrowed suspiciously at her. “Where is he, and why can’t I see him now?”
“He’s in the kid’s room, and you can’t see him because, after what he has been through, it’s for the best that he rests. You’re also not stable enough yet, and I do not want him getting triggered.”
“I am his mother. You can’t keep me away from him!” I yelled my protest at her, but it fell on deaf ears because Sesi stepped out of the room and shut the door.
I groaned and ran towards the door, banging on it and yelling to be let out, but it fell on deaf ears. I pulled at the knob a few times but failed terribly at my attempt.
My headache returned in a massive fold, and groaning, I let go and stumbled back towards the bed. I sat on the floor and buried my head between my legs.
I was locked in a prison and kept away from my son. I never thought this day would come, but here it was, right in front of me. There is no greater heartache or misery than being denied your own, and I won’t survive this.