Ignoring Sam's expression, Blake and I stood up and made our way to the exit. I kept my head down, Blake between me and the two guys as we walked past them.

Riley and Barret didn't even look at us. I let out a sigh and hurried my steps, thankful that Brandon wasn't with them.

Our pace increased as we left the dining hall building, until we were running to my cabin. The sky had darkened to a dull gray. The weather today had more moods than I did on my period.

Only once inside did we speak. I slumped against the door. "Thank God Brandon wasn't there."

Blake plopped down on the couch, shoving his hair back. "Yeah. Sam-"

"He knows," I said, sinking into the armchair. "I have a strong feeling he does."

"I knew he would."

"Why?"

"He has this... gift, if you will. He knows stuff. I can't say because it's not my thing to tell, but no one around here meets his eyes head on..." he trailed off.

I gaped at him, horrified. Did that mean Sam could... read minds?!

"I don't think he used it on you, though," Blake hurried out, noticing my expression. "He probably just observed how you react. The guy has been around for a long time."

I'd always thought Sam was sharp, despite his devil-may-care attitude. Wait... "What do you mean he's been around for a long time?"

He opened his mouth about to say something, when his eyes widened and he pointed to the door. Seconds later there was a knock.

I gulped, rubbed my hands down my thighs, and made my way to the door. It was Sam.

He had a sly smile on his face, his hands low on his hips. He walked right past me inside. I peeked out. It was only him. I closed the door.

He took the other armchair, and I took my seat. My eyes flickered everywhere but at him, the weight of his gaze made my hair stand on end. Tension thickened the air. Someone laughed outside. I almost jumped when Sam spoke.

"How about you start talking, Little Red?"

"Talk about what?" I wasn't about to spill the beans in case he didn't actually know.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You're lucky the others were too occupied to realize it was you."

I pursed my lips. Nope. Not going to talk until he did. He sighed.

"You're the human girl they can't seem to find, the one who had the incredible luck of running into wolves in the woods. Werewolves, to be specific. Come on, Little Red, just talk. I know it's you."

My heart stuttered. I glanced at Blake. He shrugged. Here goes Nothing.

"And what if I was? Are you going to tell them?"

He smiled widely. "No. But you should. Brandon has almost run out of human girls to sniff. It's only a matter of time before it's your turn."

"But I don't want to forget" I groaned, slumping back into my chair.

"Forget?" Sam's eyes swung to Blake. "You told her?"

Blake stiffened and I immediately straightened in my seat. "It's not his fault. I made him tell me."

Sam looked back at me and shook his head. "You'll know everything eventually, so I suppose it doesn't hurt. But why don't you want to forget?"

"Because..." I looked away from his knowing eyes and bit my lip.

"You don't need to worry about that," he said.

"What do you mean?"

He waved me off, and fixed Blake with a smirking look. "More importantly, you should be careful about who you're getting friendly with. Although it is sort of fun to see Ezra so riled up. So do continue."

Blake's eyes widened and he cleared his throat awkwardly. Couldn't they focus on the more important issue?

"Sam, will they make me forget?" I asked again with a small voice. I really didn't want to forget.

His eyes softened. "I can't make any promises. In normal cases, that's what we do. But I have a feeling you're not as normal as you think."

I furrowed my brows. And what did that mean? "So they won't?"

"Only one way to find out, Little Red. Besides, I think Ezra would have already found out if he hadn't been denying it. He wants to be the one to tell you."

So he did want to tell me. A small weight lifted off my heart.

I had to tell them. I had to tell him.

Sam left after he made me promise not to tell anyone until he was around. He wanted to see the expression on their faces.

Sam's words somehow put my mind at ease. I decided I would tell them after my evening class, there was no need to drag it any longer. I just hoped that since Ezra already wanted to tell me, then they wouldn't take away my memories.

Blake and I went to our afternoon classes. My mood was infinitely better now that I knew what I was going to do. Even Riley sending me and Blake nasty looks didn't bother me much.

Jerk.

"Shit! I forgot my phone inside!" Blake said as he searched his jean pockets. We had just left the lab where we had our last class of the day. I was part giddy, part nervous for the evening.

"I'll wait for you here," I said.

"Two minutes!" He said then went back into the lab.

I was alone in the hallway. Students walked past me, excited to end a long day of classes.

Two minutes turned into ten. The hallway was getting empty. What was taking him so long? Maybe he didn't find it?

I was staring into nothing when a gasp sounded from my left. Right there, at the door of a class nearby, stood Brandon.

His nostrils flared. Recognition flashes in his eyes.

I stood there, shellshocked. I really didn't want them to find out this way.

He took a step forward. I took one back. His eyes flickered to the hallway's entrance, the only way out.

The lab had a backdoor that led straight outside. My heart beat in my ears.

I flickered my eyes to the hallway on purpose. I made a move to run that way. He fell for it.

In a second, he was a few feet into the hallway blocking the entrance. I slipped into the lab and locked it behind me. A bang shook the door a second later. I jumped and scrambled back. A growl followed.

Get the heck out of here! Back door. Yes! It was unlocked.

I didn't even take the time to realize Blake wasn't in the lab. I sprinted into the woods and ran like my life depended on it. It was only a matter of time before Brandon caught up to my plan.

Ugh. I really didn't want him to drag me to Ezra like a criminal. I wanted to tell him myself. I should've just told him sooner.

Heart in my throat, I ran. Grass crunched under my feet. I almost slipped in a puddle. My shoe squelched. Rain began drizzling and the sky turned darker. Great, just what I needed.

I was halfway to the cabins when I heard laughter. Growling. Grunts. The oddly familiar sound of flesh hitting flesh. The memory of my nightmare flashed in my mind.

"Get the hell up Blake!"

I stopped dead in my tracks whipping my head towards the voice. It was Riley's. What was Blake doing with Riley?

I veered toward the voices, trying to keep my steps quiet. I peeked from behind a tree at the horrifying scene.

Riley along with other boys and girls stood in a circle. Through them, Blake's prone form in the ground.

My feet carried towards them without a thought. Rain fell harder.

"Come on! I thought you were a wolf!" Riley kicked Blake in the gut. He grunted and clutched his belly. I hastened my steps and a few surprised faces turned towards me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I shouted walking between two guys. I knelt next to Blake. One of his eyes went wide when he saw me. The other was swollen shut.

"What are you doing here?" He croaked.

"I thought you went to get your phone!" I frowned, my hands hovering over his frame. He bled from different cuts on his face, a dark stain soaked his shirt.

"Hey! How the hell did you get in here?!" Riley shouted. Murmurs rose from the others surrounded us.

"Can you stand?" I asked Blake. Blake grunted and tried to push himself off the ground, his hand still clutching his side.

"Hey!" A hand roughly grabbed my arm and wrenched me off the ground.

"I'm talking to you! Slut!" Riley shouted in my face. I grunted at the pain of his grip.

"Let go of her, Riley!" Blake called. I could hear him struggling to get up. I turned my head just in time to see one of the guys sock him in the face, knocking him to the ground again.

"Stop!" I said, shaking Riley's hold. He tightened it.

"I said how the hell did you get in here?!" Riley asked again.

"What the hell do you mean?!" I shouted back, my temper flaring. "I got in here on my feet! I walked, you idiot!"

His face turned red. For the first time since getting here, fear sparked in my guts. I didn't think they would actually hurt me. A little shoving and some insults were all they'd do.

Right?

Rain fell harder, a sheet of white all around us, wetting my clothes and sticking my hair to my face.

Another guy spoke. "Riley! Brandon just linked me. He said he found the human you guys were looking for, but she escaped into the woods. A red head, with mismatched eyes."

My mismatched eyes widened as did Riley's. I took advantage of his shock and freed my arm, stepping back to stand next to a kneeling Blake.

An ugly sneer twisted Riley's features. "Well, well, well. Looks like you know all about us. No reason to hold back then."

"Riley, you're going to regret this. Just let her leave," Blake said, struggling to his feet.

"Or what, Blake?" Riley chuckled. "Are you going to shift? Oh, wait, you can't shift, you sorry excuse of a wolf!"

"Prince Ezra won't let this slide," Blake shot back taking my hand and tugging me so I stood slightly behind him.

"Oh, please!" A girl said. She was Sarah's blonde friend, the one who kept throwing snide remarks at me. "She's just a human. He's using her until he gets tired of her. You think he'll side with a human instead of his own?" She scoffed.

"He's been keeping her around for a while now. She must be good in bed," Another guy said, his eyes trailing down my body in a way that made bile rise in my throat. A few people snickered. This was getting out of hand.

I snuck my hand into my pocket and found my phone. Maybe if I called Ashley or Ezra, they'd come help-

"Oh, no, you don't." I jumped at the whisper. The same guy who'd made the remark snatched my hand out of my pocket and stole my phone, winking at me. Damn it, I hadn't even heard him. I stepped away from him and almost slipped in the mud.

"He's going to have your throats if you lay your hands on her," Blake said. "Just let her go and do what you want with me!"

Riley socked him in the stomach. Something crunched. I gasped and put an arm around Blake's waist to keep him up.

"Shut the hell up! You, slut, are coming with me," Riley said reaching for me. Blake moved in a blink. He shoved Riley and crouched in front of me, growling. The sound was loud and threatening. I could almost feel the vibrations on my skin.

"Don't touch her," he growled in a deeper voice. Riley's eyes widened in shock. Gasps sounded all around us.

Riley quickly recovered, though, he looked to a couple of guys on his right and nodded. Then the three of them moved at the same time.

Riley and another guy held Blake, shoving him to the ground. The other was behind me, holding my arms tightly, my back to his chest. I struggled. Riley and his friend pounded Blake with their fists, punching and kicking.

"No! Stop!" I screamed in horror, trashing in the third guy's firm hold.

Thunder crashed in the distance. I didn't care, for once, because Blake was going through so much worse. I flinched when I heard another crunch. Oh my God, they were going to break him!

"Riley, I'll take her to Brandon," the blond guy who took my phone away said. Riley waved him off, too busy kicking Blake.

He came closer. There was something sick in his eyes, something that made me wish the ground would open up and swallow me. I struggled harder. I didn't even see his hand move. He slapped me, snapping my head to the side. My ears rang, and something cracked in my neck. Ow.

"Let's go, Caleb," he said, addressing the guy holding me.

Rain stuck my hair to my face. Caleb and the creepy blond guy dragged me along, my feet struggling to keep up with them. The woods looked dark through my locks, and Blake's grunts of pain had long since subsided.

Please, let him be alive.

For the first time, I realized that I should've been afraid of them. I should've been more careful. They were monsters. What they did to Blake, one of their own, was sickening.

And what would they do to me?

"Let go! Let me go!" I screamed at them. They didn't seem to hear. They just hauled me along through the woods. Cold seeped through to my bones. My teeth chattered. My clothes clung to my body.

The trees turned denser, taller and thicker, blocking the heavy rain until it was only a slight drizzle, and the gray light until I could barely see our surroundings. I tripped on a thick root. The two guys just jerked me up, almost dislocating my shoulders.

"Aaron, shouldn't we be taking her to Brandon?" Caleb asked the blond guy.

Aaron kept walking, giving me a look that made me want to throw up. "We will. After we have a taste."

Dread settled in my stomach like a heavy rock. They stopped.

Caleb hesitated. "What? What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Aaron began, looking around and nodding to himself. "They're going to lock her memories anyways, so I'm going to have a little fun with her. She won't remember, so no harm will be done."

My heart almost stopped, I kept telling myself he didn't mean what I thought he did.

"Aaron, are you sure? I don't think this is a good idea," Caleb said, unsure.

"Don't worry." Aaron grinned. "If you don't want a go, you can just watch. Or don't, if it's not your thing."

He looked at me, licking his lips.

Oh God, please no...

"No," I mumbled, then screamed at the top of my lungs. "No! Help! Someone help-"

Aaron let go and back handed me, I tripped backward and landed on the ground, my head swimming.

Caleb let go and stepped back. "Man, you're on your own. I don't want anything to do with this."

"Help! Please!" I said, looking at him. Maybe he'd help. Maybe-

Caleb shook his head and walked away, disappearing in the trees. I scrambled to my feet. Aaron was right in front of me. I stepped back, unable to take my eyes off of him.

He smirked. I turned on my heels and ran. Before I could even take three steps, he was in front of me again. "Come on, the prince can't keep such a delicious looking thing all to himself. I promise I'll make it feel good if you don't give me a hard time, no pun intended."

I ran again. He was in front of me in a blink; his grin sick. "So you want it the hard way."

He slapped me hard across the face, sending me to the ground. Something sharp stung my cheek.

He was over me before I could even move. I screamed and trashed. He sat on my legs and held my arms up by my wrists. A flash of my nightmare came to life.

I screamed. His hand pawed at my chest, shredding my clothes until the cold air bit at my skin.

Tears streamed down my face. The sense of helplessness settled over my like a blanket, I cried and screamed, begging him to stop.

His hand slid down the waistband if my pants. No! Thunder crashed close by.

"Help! Someone! Please! Ezra."

My head swam. I felt faint, as if the air didn't have enough oxygen. The edges of my vision turned black.

Something shook the ground under me. A foreboding growl echoed in the air, swallowing all other sounds and making the sorry excuse of man over me freeze. His eyes widened, and in the next moment, a blur of black jumped and snatched him from over me.

His weight disappeared. I blinked and turned my head. A tear slipped the corner of my eye down my nose. I blinked again and my vision cleared up.

A wolf.

A massive black wolf tore into the screaming man. He bit, shaking his his head viciously, ripping the man's flesh and dismembering him in seconds. The abhorrent sight couldn't penetrate the fog of shock and relief that muddled my mind.

Black fur glistened, the muscles beneath it roiling. His snout dripped a dark red as he circled the man's limp body. I could still see it twitch and hear his pained groans.

I should have been disgusted, even repulsed by the sight. But I was numb. My ears rang, and black dots danced in my eyes.

Someone covered my view. Ashley. Her body was covered in a big gray t-shirt and her wet hair clung to her face.

"Orla?"

Ashley's voice was muffled. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She touched my shoulder. I flinched, her hand too hot against my skin.

"It's okay now. You're okay now," she cooed as her hands gently pushed some hair off my face.

Ashley glanced up. Sam appeared next to her, his gray eyes like chips of ice on his pale face. He slipped off his long sleeved-shirt and gave it to Ashley, then turned towards the black wolf.

Ashley helped me sit up and pull Sam's shirt over my head. As soon as the shirt covered me, it was as if a switch was thrown off. I became increasingly aware of the cold and the pelting rain, the sounds of the rain and the fighting turned louder, and the smell of wet soil and wilderness filled my nose. My teeth shattered. I brought my knees to my chest and hugged myself.

I leaned to the side to see the black wolf. Aaron was no longer recognizable as anything human. What looked like limbs were scattered around. The wolf's jaws closed around the man's neck.

The wolf was looking at Sam. Then he glanced at me, and I knew. I knew those dark eyes.

The wolf dropped the body, the neck nothing but shredded muscle and bones. He stood proud and strong over the slaughter, but those dark eyes betrayed his turbulent emotions, the way they always did.

Guilt, fear, pain, regret, sadness, so many swam within his dark orbs making my heart ache. A tear slid down my cheek.

"Ezra," I croaked out, my voice a hoarse whisper. But he heard it.

He whined and lowered his head, approaching with hesitant steps. But I didn't want him to be hesitant. It wasn't his fault. I just wanted to disappear into his arms.

Maybe if he had been someone else, another man, the thought of his touch would have sent me into panic after what had just happened.

But it didn't.

All I wanted was to go to sleep and wake up in his arms again, as if this was nothing but a bad dream.

When he was a few feet away, Ezra lowered his belly to the ground and crawled the rest of the way towards me. His nose was inches away from my hand on the ground.

He looked up, his dark eyes so puppy-like I almost smiled, and whined.

The rain weakened until nothing reached us through the thick trees. I raised a shaky hand and put it onto of his head. It looked so small and pale against his black coat. Tingles. I scratched his head, the fur soft and damp under my fingers. He leaned into my touch and closed his eyes.

He rumbled, like a big cat purring. I smiled and tugged on one of his ears. He raised his head and licked my palm, tickling me. My smile widened. He crawled closer and nudged my hand. I put my head on my knees. So tired. But safe.

Safe.

I was safe now. The remnants of panic melted away. Ezra's warmth seeped through my clothes. He was like a furnace even now. My eyelids grew heavy.

"Ezra," I whispered. "Let's go home."

And I closed my eyes, a sad howl the last sound I heard while drifting to sleep.

--- ---- ---

Hey guys!

Early update this week. I hope you liked it. don't forget to vote and comment.

Also, I'll be posting a new story very soon. It's a pure romance (no fantasy) and I hope you enjoy it. It's called Learning to Live, so check it out and add it to your reading list to stay updated.

Much love <3 <3 <3

M.B.