Weightless. Floating.

I was floating and tingling.

A dream?

Soft whispers. I wanted to open my eyes, but they were so heavy.

Where was I?

I was lost for a few seconds. Then it all came crashing down.

Brandon, Blake, Riley, and then... I gasped and trashed wildly, tears burning down my cheeks. I felt his hands and mouth all over me again and I screamed.

"No! Please, don't! Let me go" I screamed to the top of my lungs.

"Orla!"

My eyes shot open. I stared at Ezra's eyes, my lungs aching for air. My mind recalled what had happened after the guy took me, after Ezra showed up in his wolf.

A sob escaped my lips; and I was immediately pulled into a warm chest. I let my tears run freely as Ezra spoke to me with a gentle, reassuring voice. "It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay now. It's over"

We were still outside in the woods. After a few minutes, my sobs subsided. I sniffled. Ezra was sitting on the ground with me in his lap. His hand rubbed my back.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper. My throat stung, from all the screaming, no doubt.

"We're going home. I was carrying you but..." He clenched his jaw, his eyes brimming with guilt.

"Let's go home, then," I whispered. He nodded and stood up in one move with me in his arms. I should've told him to let me walk, but I had no energy to spare. And I liked being this close to him. It made me feel safe. That was the thing I craved the most at the moment.

The sun was setting now. Above the trees, a hint of orange and red diluted the blue and stained the clouds purple. The rain had stopped, and the smell of wet earth was thick in the air.

I glanced around at the sound of footsteps. Zach and Ashley were walking nearby. I caught Ashley's sympathetic gaze. She gave me a small smile.

"Blake?"

"He's being looked after," Ashley said. "He's the one who told us what happened."

I breathed out in relief. He was alive. I put my head on Ezra's bare shoulders. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was warm and sturdy, and it made me want to cry.

I closed my eyes and listened to the steady beat of his heart. I was safe.

A few minutes later, we emerged from the woods to our cabin. Haley opened the back door before we even knocked.

"I got a bath ready," she said, giving me a smile.

"It'd be great, thank you." I mustered a smile. Ezra climbed up the steps to my room. He left after a moment's hesitation.

Haley offered to help, but I politely denied. I just wanted to clean up on my own. Haley closed the bathroom door behind her. I took off Sam's shirt, leaving me in the tatters of my clothes. I put Sam's shirt on the counter, then stripped off everything else, throwing them on the floor. I would get rid of them.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and looked in the mirror. Big mistake.

My left cheek had three long gashes; claw marks. They were not bleeding, but they looked angry and red, covered in dirt and dry blood. They stung sharply, as if seeing them brought the pain to the surface. Was it going to scar?

I glanced down my body and immediately hunched over the toilet, emptying my stomach.

Bruises and cuts and bite marks marred my upper half. I heaved again, the disgusting memories twisting my stomach.

"Orla?" Haley called hesitantly from behind the door. "Are you okay? Should I come in?"

My eyes widened and I struggled to get words out of my sore throat. "No. No, it's fine."

But it wasn't. It was far from fine. I stood on shaky legs and washed my mouth in the sink, avoiding the mirror, then sank into the hot bath. The hot water and faint smell of vanilla brought fresh tears to my eyes.

I dunked my entire body under the water for a full minute, emerging when my lungs screamed for air. Then I scrubbed and scrubbed, quiet tears flowing down my cheeks, until my skin felt raw.

I stepped out of the bath after the water turned brown from the blood and the mud, then ducked into the shower, washing my mud-caked hair and rinsing off my body.

I still felt dirty, but I ignored it and got out of the shower. Otherwise I would peel my skin off. I pulled on a bathrobe and wrapped a towel around my hair.

Haley was by the window when I left the bathroom. The world outside was dark. The night had fallen.

The heavy look in her eyes so at odds with the full blown floral of her skirt. "Hey, better?"

Only slightly. I nodded.

"I didn't know what you wanted to wear so I didn't pull anything out," she said, pointing to my closet.

"I got it, thank you."

I got in the closet and emerged in a black, soft turtle neck cotton shirt and black and red flannel pajama pants. Haley was still waiting for me. I walked out and opened my mouth, wanting to tell her that I was okay and that she could go, but all that came out was a sob.

"Oh, Orla," she said, approaching cautiously. She looked like she wanted to hug me but didn't know if that would be okay. So I hugged her first. She held me tightly as I sobbed my heart out.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled against her shoulders. "I don't want to be weepy, but I just- I just-"

"Shh. It's okay," Haley said, rubbing my back and my hair. "You can cry your heart out. Don't hold back. It's okay. You can be weepy all you want."

She let me cry on her shoulder for the longest time in silence. She didn't speak, she just let me cry everything out. And I realized that was what I needed.

"We should get some food into you," Haley said after my tears dried out. My eyes felt puffy, and they were no doubt red. "You want me to bring you something or you want to head down?"

I glanced around the room. I didn't want to stay on my own anymore. "We can go down."

I stood up. My entire body was shaking. I was lightheaded. I hadn't eaten much today, I realized, and throwing up didn't help. Haley wrapped an arm around my back and we got out of the room.

Ezra was leaning on the wall right outside my door. He was fully dressed in a black jumper and sweatpants. He straightened up, his gaze going to my wounded cheek. His eyes looked paler than usual, as if they were glowing from within.

His jaw ticked. He ran a hand roughly through his hair.

"I'll be downstairs," Haley said, leaving Ezra and I standing in the hallway.

He took a step towards me, but then stopped. His eyes were fearful and hopeful at the same time. But the emotion that remained stubbornly there was guilt.

"It's not your fault," I said firmly, stepping closer.

His hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb running over the scarred skin. He shut his eyes tightly for a couple of seconds. When he opened them, he looked into mine and searched for something there. We stood like that for a while, neither of us making a sound, but both our eyes speaking volumes.

Then I sneezed.

It broke the spell and had Ezra ushering me downstairs. He hovered while I shakily went down the steps.

Sam, Ashley and Haley all waited for us downstairs. I sat down on the couch. Ezra disappeared upstairs again.

"Orla, are you okay with chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese?" Ashley called from the kitchen just as Ezra was beside me again, a couple of blankets in his hands. My eyes bugged out. That was quick.

Well, I guess he no longer had to hide his supernatural speed from me.

"Yeah. That sounds great, thank you," I replied to Ashley as Ezra wrapped the blankets around me. He wasn't satisfied until I resembled a burrito.

Haley sat down on the coffee table in front of me with a bottle of water. She uncapped it and handed it to me.

"You should drink as much as you can, and then some more."

I gulped down the liquid. I didn't realize how parched I was. The water eased down my scratchy throat and soothed my stomach.

Gray padded in from the kitchen and rubbed against my leg. I smiled and picked him up. He settled down in my lap, his big paws trying to pull my hair.

Sam set a tray of food on the table. Haley sat next to me and shifted Gray to her lap. "You should eat," she said.

The chicken soup looked delicious. Ezra picked up the bowl. I took it from him. I could feed myself. After what happened earlier, I didn't want to feel helpless again.

I had half the bowl and half a grilled cheese sandwich before my stomach was full. I sighed and pushed the tray away. "Thank you."

Sam sat on his armchair the way he usually did, almost lounging in it. But his face was set in grim lines. Ashley perched on hers, her face worried.

Haley turned to me. "Orla, I can- can I- Ugh!" She covered her face with her hands, groaning in frustration.

Sam chuckled, the joking light back to his eyes. "What she wants to say, but doesn't know how, is that she wants to heal your injuries because she's a witch with healing magic, and it'll make her feel better to not look at that angry scar on your cheek. Although you do look badass with it."

Ezra growled lowly while Haley and Ashley glared at Sam like they couldn't believe he just said what he did. I giggled.

Sam smiled and winked at me. I liked the fact that he was trying to play it off like nothing was wrong. I knew a lot of things had gone wrong, but I didn't want everyone to tiptoe around me.

I would be okay. I wasn't broken.

"You're a witch?" I asked Haley. It was difficult to believe that the first friends I made were supernaturals beings, werewolves and a witch, what were the odds?

"I thought you were all werewolves," I said, looking around.

"Ha!" Sam scoffed. "No, thanks! Who wants to be a furry ass running around naked half of the time."

This time Ashley and Ezra both growled at him, making me giggle again.

Ezra looked down at me, his expression softening. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer, pressing his lips to my hair. I felt so wrapped up in him, so safe and warm. I smiled and looked at Sam. "So, what are you?"

He grinned. I blinked. Were his fangs longer than usual or was I just imagining things?

"A vampire, Little Red," he said, making my eyes go wide. A vampire...

"I have so many questions, I don't even know where to begin," I mumbled, more to myself than anything. But I had to know first. "Are you going to make me forget?"

I looked at Ezra with pleading eyes, because he was the one in charge.

"Do you want to?" he asked in a low voice.

I shook my head vigorously. "No!"

"Then we won't."

I smiled widely and slumped in relief. The weight in the pit of my stomach disappeared. I looked at the food in the tray. I was suddenly hungry. I picked up the tray and finished the bowl of soup and the two grilled cheese sandwiches, much to everyone's delight. I guess I had been too anxious to eat. Now that I no longer had to worry about keeping a secret from Ezra or them making me forget, my appetite was back with vengeance.

After finishing the food, I turned towards Haley.

"Can you do that, please?"

It took her a second to realize what I meant. She smiled and gently put Gray on the couch next to her. He was dead asleep. She faced me. "It's not going to hurt, but it may get a little too warm."

"Okay," I said, part excited and part wary. I was going to feel magic. How cool was that!

Haley put her hand on my injured cheek. Her eyes looked like they were glowing amber. No, wait. They were glowing.

The warmth of her hand slowly increased. I sat completely still, mesmerized by the way her eyes swirled with amber and green, glowing brighter as my cheek grew hotter.

After a few seconds, she blinked, and her eyes were normal again. She removed her hand. The heat lingered then slowly faded away.

"Done," she said.

I touched my cheek. It felt smooth. Wow. "That's pretty cool."

"Thanks." She chuckled lightly. "I'll look at everything else later, alright?"

I nodded and blinked hard, pushing back the memory of all the bite marks on my body.

Ezra pulled me closer, and I leaned my head against his chest.

Right then, his chest shook with a deep growl. I looked up at him, wide eyed. He was glaring at the door where a second later, Zach walked through.

"What is he doing here, Zach?" Ezra growled out.

Zach shot me a smile before looking at Ezra. "He wants to talk to you."

"If I see him right now, I don't know what I'm going to do."

The memory of Ezra's wolf tearing into the guy in the woods flashed in my mind. I pressed my face into his chest again, making his arm tighten around me.

"Alright, but you know we're gonna have to explain everything. Soon," Zach said, his eyes flickering to me.

"Zach," Sam intervened. "Why don't you tell Brandon we'll talk to him in the morning."

Zach stared at Sam for a few seconds before he nodded and walked out of the door.

"Brandon. He was the one who knew my smell, right?" I asked cautiously.

Ezra nodded, his face furious. "He is."

"So," Ashley said, "what do you know? Exactly?"

"For a starter, I know you guys are werewolves," I said with a smile. "Well, except for Haley and Sam, apparently. And I know Ezra is the prince."

Ezra frowned in confusion. "How do you know that?"

"Blake told her a few things," Sam said.

"Actually, I knew before," I said. "When I ran away from them in the woods, I hid under some huge tree roots. I heard them talking then. They mentioned prince Ezra and Zach. That's how I knew about you."

Ezra's eyes filled with regret, shame and guilt. I smiled at him, it wasn't his fault.

"I wish I told you sooner," he whispered.

I shrugged. "I found out anyways. You didn't have to tell me anything. It's your secret, I understand."

He shook his head. "No. I would have told you anyway. From the beginning, you were bound to know."

Both Blake and Sam had said something along those lines, as well. What did they mean? "Why?"

"Because.." he paused and squeezed my shoulder. "I'll tell you later."

I nodded before an obnoxious yawn split my face. Warm and full and safe, all the exhaustion of the previous days crashed down on me. My eyelids grew heavy.

"How about you let Haley take a look at you, then you can go to sleep."

I frowned. There were still so many questions I wanted to ask. Before I could argue, Ezra said, "we'll talk in the morning, I'll answer any question you have then."

I yawned and covered my mouth. Ezra's eyes snapped to where my shirt sleeve had risen to reveal my wrists, where purplish finger marks marred the skin. I lowered my hand and tugged on my sleeves.

Ezra's eyes glowed a paler brown. A vicious growl ripped out of his throat, and fangs poked out of his mouth.

Wood cracked and glass shattered. I jumped and stared at the cracked coffee table. The dishes on it were a shattered mess.

Holy moly.

Ezra clenched his eyes shut. He gritted his teeth, his chest still vibrating with low growls, and gripped his hair.

Ashley had her head down and neck bared. Just like that time in the dining hall.

I put a hand on the one that was tugging his hair and pried it gently from it. He was breathing heavily and shaking, his muscles rippled in his arms.

I wasn't scared of him, I realized. Even now, when he was so angry he looked like he wanted to kill someone, I wasn't scared of him.

"Ezra," I said, letting go of his hand and cupping his face. The growls and shaking stopped and he opened his eyes, they were still glowing.

"It's okay. Can we go upstairs? I think I'd like some company before I go to sleep." I smiled at him. He blinked a few times then nodded.

He scooped me up, blanket and all, and was up the stairs before I could argue or bid the others good night. I locked my arms around his neck. My surroundings blurred. Wow. This speed would take some getting used to.

In my dark room, he put me on my bed and turned on the bedside lamp. It took me a few seconds to untangle myself from the blankets. I settled down with them over me and opened one side, patting the spot next to me.

Ezra's glowing eyes dimmed. He slipped in beside me, and I pulled the blankets over both of us.

We laid there, facing each other. Sharing a bed with him didn't feel weird. Maybe because we'd done it once when I was sick. Or maybe because everything felt so right with Ezra.

"Why were your eyes glowing?" I asked, putting a hand on his face, my thumb rubbing underneath his eyes.

"My wolf," he said, putting his hand on mine. "He's close."

"Close?"

"It happens when I'm too emotional. When I'm too angry, for example. He wants to get out."

"That's really weird. I thought you were the same? your wolf and you."

"We are the same. We are one. We're both halves that complete each other, that make one individual, the human half and the animal half."

"Oh." Remembering his earlier words, I asked, "why did you say I was bound to know?"

His eyes flickered down for a second. "How about I tell you a story first?"

"A story? About what?"

"About us, werewolves. About how we started."

I nodded and adjusted my head on the pillow to be more comfortable. He took my hand again and kissed my palm, sending pleasant tingles over my skin. Then put it between both of his hands in the space between us.

"No one really knows if the story is one hudred percent accurate, but a good part of it is believed to be true.

"A long, long time ago, humans and witches lived in this world in peace. The ruler of both species was called the Moon goddess."

"Wait, so this moon goddess, is she a witch or like, a real goddess?" I asked, immersed in the story.

"Not a witch," he replied. "It's said that she came here from another world. She possessed powers the likes of which had never been and would never be seen throughout history."

I nodded. He continued.

"It was said that the humans felt jealous of the witches' ability to wield magic and the way the moon goddess favored them.

"So the king of one of the kingdoms under the Moon goddess' rule decided to take matters into his own hands. He was called Zenas. Zenas ordered all the witches in his territory either killed or banished. The sentiment of hostility toward witches traveled to a few of the neighboring kingdoms, and they followed Zenas' footsteps.

"The witches, of course, fought back. And this plunged the world in a dark, bloody war between the two species.

"So many lives were lost. The witches were already in small numbers to begin with, and humans procreated faster than them, so the witches' numbers dwindled down to very few.

"The Moon goddess couldn't watch the wars wreck havoc in the world no more. So, in an attempt to stop the bloodshed and punish Zenas, she gave him a beast."

"A wolf?"

"Yes. Zenas was the first werewolf. The Moon goddess gave Zenas' his punishment, then disappeared. It was said she returned to her world because she could no longer live among the jealousy and greed of the humans.

"At first, the humans didn't realize what the Moon did. They thought her curse didn't work. It wasn't until the full moon that they realized exactly the extent of her punishment.

"The Zenas' beast attacked everyone around him. He killed everyone. Including his family and friends and servants. The beast was more in control than the man.

"When he woke up the next day in his skin again, he was so horrified at what he did that he locked himself up in his castle. He lived like a hermit for years. Sometimes, the beast would escape and rake havoc in the villagers nearby. He had bitten so many humans that in turn turned into werewolves.

"Zenas gathered all the werewolves in his castle, and he hired servants whose sole purpose was to lock them all during the full moon in his castle's dungeons.

"They would stay there until his servant came back after the full moon ends. Things remained like that until one day, the wolves managed to escape. They say a servant hadn't lock the doors well, others say one servant had a grudge against the people of that village, so he let the wolves out on purpose so they would destroy it. Anyways, the wolves escaped and destroyed that village, they killed the villagers; men, women and children were all slaughtered. And those who survived and were bitten turned.

"When Zenas woke up the next day to a deserted bloody village, he was horrified with what he saw, the blood on his hand and all over his body, but then he saw the claw and bite marks on the villagers and he knew, he knew it was him and his people who did that.

"Zenas decided he couldn't keep going like that. He headed for a mountain where a powerful witch was believed to live in seclusion. He found her and told her about him. She was horrified at first and didn't believe him. But after he showed her his claws and fangs, she couldn't deny the truth. He asked her for help, he didn't want to hurt anyone anymore than he already did.

"The witch couldn't do anything, though. She said that no one could undo the Moon's punishment, and that only the Moon could help him. But when the witch saw how heart broken and regretful he was, she told him about a secret only a few people know. That there was a secret temple, a place where children of the Moon lived."

"Children of the Moon?"

"Yes. It's believed that long before the werewolf came to be, the Moon had fallen in love with an angel. It's said that that was the reason she was cast to our world to begin with."

"So she had children?"

"Yes. A boy. The boy was also cast to our world. We call him Primus, but no one really knows his real name. He grew up and married a human woman, and lived together in a secret temple with his offspring, away from the world.

"Zenas headed for that temple. He found the beings that the witch told him about. He told them about everything he's been through and asked for their help. The Moon's children let him stay and pray in their temple. They took him to a secluded wing in the temple, and locked him in during the full moon. Primus provided for the king while he prayed, he was the only one who visited the king while he prayed, only to give him food. And Zenas prayed. Days turned into months, months turned into years. He prayed for almost a hundred years until he began to lose hope.

"One day, Primus was absent, so instead of him, his only daughter brought the food to the king. And when Zenas saw her, he knew the Moon had granted him his wish.

"His beast felt like a pup when she was near, her smell called out to him, calmed the beast. Even in the full moon, the beast didn't fight for control. The only thing that was different during the full moons was that his longing for her increased.

"No one knew exactly how the rest played out. But they said that after getting Primus' blessings, his daughter and Zenas got married and had a family of their own.

"The moon's answer to Zenas's prayers was Primus' daughter. She had granted him a soulmate."

I blinked entranced by the story. "A soulmate."

"The moon blessed every single werewolf since Zenas with a soulmate. A person who could tame the beasts, someone our souls sing to. Our other half."

I stared at Ezra in awe, trying to process every word he uttered. A soulmate. A soulmate that every werewolf had.

And Ezra was a werewolf...

"My mother is my father's soulmate. Ashley is Zach's soulmate."

He paused, his eyes so bright and full of adoration, like he couldn't believe I was there, laying next to him.

I wanted to ask him. But I was so afraid of the answer. It would either make me happy or break my heart.

But I didn't need to worry, he answered my question before I even asked.

"And you, are mine," he whispered with a breathtaking smile. "You are my soulmate, Orla. That's why you were bound to know about us from the beginning. You were destined for me, and I for you. You're mine as much as I am yours."

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Hey guys! Happy Monday!

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Much love <3 <3 <3

M.B.