ARI

"No, no."

I stirred in my sleep, turning over on my bed trying to block out the distressed voice.

"Don't touch her!"

A deep voice shook the walls around me, causing me to jolt off my bed.

I looked around my room to find Alex knocked out in the sofa chair that was next to my closet. His stiff body was trembling as his hands gripped at the armrest with all of his strength. His wolf's claws ripped at the chair every time he moved.

I moved closer to him slowly, caressing his tense, veiny arm. "Alex." I whispered.

Something made him angrier because he growled, showing me his full set of canines.

I gripped his shoulder and shook him. "Alex! Snap out of it! You're dreaming!" I shook him but it wasn't working.

Suddenly his eyes shot open, revealing the dark color of his irises. Alex's hand whipped out and pushed me away, clawing my arm in the process.

I screamed as the claws ripped my skin open. I fell to the floor with a thud and grabbed my injured arm, trying to stop the blood that was starting to pour out.

Looking up, I gasped and tried to move away from Alex who stood tall in front of me, looking very dangerous. My own claws threatened to come out but I forced them back, afraid I might hurt him.

"ALEX!" I screamed for him to come back to reality but he just kept advancing.

"Ari! What's happening!" I heard my mother pounding on my bedroom door.

Alex held his hand up in the air, his claws shining with my blood.

"ALEX! Please!"

But it didn't work. Alex swiped down and I closed my eyes waiting for the pain to erupt but nothing happened.

I looked up to see Alex's blue eyes come back and a look of pure horror on his face when he looked between my bleeding arm and his claws.

"Ariana stand back!" My mother shouted through the door and then I heard a loud gunshot, blowing the doorknob into pieces.

My mother kicked open the door and pointed the gun at Alex.

"Ariana!" She yelled when she witnessed what was in front of her. She looked at Alex with anger. "Get down on your knees now!" She came closer, pointing the gun at his head.

Alex listened and bent his knees, putting his hands behind his head with a look of guilt on his face.

"No mom!" I stood between Alex and the gun, looking my mom in the eye. "Mom, don't! He's my friend."

"Friends don't hurt each other!" She cocked the gun and pointed it at Alex again. "I told you to stay away from her and if I saw you again I would shoot you!"

"MOM! Listen to me! Alex was here because I asked him to be! Just put down the gun and listen to me!" She still glared at Alex, the gun not leaving his head. "Please." I pleaded with her.

She looked into my eyes and sighed, putting the gun down. "I trust you Ari, that's the only reason why I put it down. But if I catch one move from you..." She glared at Alex, still on guard.

I slowly took the gun from her and put it on my bed.

"First off, where the hell did you get a gun!" I was super impressed with her. If I really was in danger, I knew she would have my back.

"I've had a gun for a while, you just didn't know about it." She smirked but then frowned looking at Alex who was still in his position with his head down.

She kept staring until her eyes went wide. She looked him over with tears in her eyes, becoming angry again. "Take them off! Take them off right now!" She yelled at him trying to rip off her late husbands clothes.

I grabbed her. "Mom, I gave him the clothes. He needed them because-well it doesn't matter but I need you to go into your room and change. We have to go to Alex's house. I think his father can explain better than I can." I pushed her towards the door but she didn't move, her eyes still on Alex.

I grabbed Alex's arm and pulled him up. He was still looking down, not meeting my eyes.

"I'm not leaving you with him in here." She crossed her arm and sneered at him.

"Fine!" I turned back to Alex. "Alex, can you wait downstairs for us please."

He didn't say anything but listened. He stopped next to my mother. "I'm sorry." He told her, clearly upset about hurting me.

My mother looked away from him in an obvious gesture that she didn't forgive him.

When Alex left, my mother finally left causing me to sigh in relief. Holy shit that could have gone worse. I inspected my arm to see it had already started to heal. The blood had stopped but the wounds were still open. I can't believe how deep Alex had clawed me, I could almost see the bone!

I took a shower, washing off the blood. I left my hair to air dry and wrapped a towel around me going into my room. I squeaked in surprise when I saw Alex cleaning the blood off my floor. He gasped in surprise and looked away, making me blush and run into my closet , shutting the door behind me.

"Alex what the hell!" I yelled through my door.

"I didn't see anything!" He replied sounding sheepish.

I looked for some clothes and found a pair of my rifle green cargo joggers and a plain white v-neck shirt. I paired the outfit with my white converse.

(A/N: To those who don't like the outfit. I like the cargo pants, deal with it! ☹️)

I pulled the door open and saw Alex sitting on my bed, his hands were twined together like he was nervous of something.

He looked up at me with guilt again and I went closer to him. "Alex, stop. Look, I'm perfectly fine. Okay?" I showed him my already healed arm.

He touched my arm, caressing where the wounds were. "I'm sorry." He said, sounding ashamed. "I never wanted to hurt you, ever, let alone actually hit you."

I laughed internally because he literally bullied me just a few days ago. He looked down again but I touched his cheek softly. "I forgive you." I told him genuinely smiling.

Alex blushed the longer I touched his cheek. I guess we were both warming up to the idea of us not hating each other.

"Ariana! Let's go!" My mother's voice startled us both. She was standing in the doorway looking at me with disappointment. I looked at her sheepishly and followed her down to the garage, Alex right behind me.

"My mother got into the drivers seat and I got into the backseat. Alex opened the door on the opposite side of me, climbing in.

"Uh, uh, uh. You sit here in the front." My mother told Alex, pointing to the passenger seat.

When Alex climbed in she looked at him threateningly. "I don't know what was going on in Ari's room but I know what I saw. You're lucky I'm patient enough to wait for your father to explain, even though I needed to see him anyways but whatever. Don't go near my daughter again."

Alex bowed his head again in shame, making me angry.

"Mom!" She turned to me, still glaring. "I'm not a little kid okay, I can take care of myself." I stated, annoyed that my mother was telling Alex to stay away from me.

She ignored me and started the car, putting it in reverse.

We drove to Alex's house in silence. My eyes never left Alex and neither did my mother's. I was surprised with her skills of being able to watch the road and Alex at the same time.

"What does Warrior mean?" I asked Alex when we passed through the open gate.

"It's the name of our pack." Alex said proudly.

"What is that? A gang?" My mother spat at Alex. "I'm not surprised to see you're in one."

"Mom!" I was surprised at how much she hated Alex.

Alex was bothered by her words but still said nothing.

When we reached the front entrance, my mother parked the car and got out, crossing her arms.

"Where is your father?" She tapped her foot in impatience.

"Hello! You must be Je-I mean Ariana's mother!" Nathan came out of nowhere, followed by his flock of friends who all seemed to not get over the fact that I look like their dead friend.

Am I their dead friend? I don't know what to believe. I don't even want to think about the fact that the guy I've been dreaming about, calling Shawn, is Alex.

"Who are you?" My mother asked in a not so friendly tone.

Nathan just smiled. "My name is Nathan Lockwood. I am Alex's father. Is something wrong?"

My mother literally got into Nathan's face, making Alex, and almost everyone stiffen. I could see a women standing in the house, glare at my mother. She must be Alex's mom.

"I don't know who you think you are paying off my loans but I do not appreciate it." She accused him.

"Wait, what do you mean he paid our loan?" I asked her. Nathan seemed confused about what we were talking about but quickly looked at Alex who looked away from him.

"This morning when I called the bank to make an overdue payment, they told me that I didn't have any amount due and that they received a phone call from Nathan Lockwood to pay off the loan." She was angry.

"Did you have some kind of statement that you wanted to get across? I know you're a rich guy but that doesn't mean you go around doing something that I could have handled."

"Uh." Nathan said. "I-" But my mother cut him off.

"I don't even know you, so why." She asked him.

"It wasn't my dad that called the bank, it was me." Alex chimed in.

My mother looked at Alex with surprise. "What?" My mother and I said at the same time.

"I overheard Ariana on the phone with you." He said shrugging his shoulders like it wasn't such a big deal. I looked at him, starting to feel a warm feeling in my heart, finally starting to understand what it was.

My mother was quiet for a minute. She didn't seem mad, just taken by surprise with Alex. "This doesn't change the fact that I found you in my daughters room almost about to maul her."

"Whoa, what?" Nathan asked with urgency. He looked at Alex with concern. "Explain yourself."

"Before you do that." I said to Alex, I looked at my mom. "I have something to tell you."

"You know that thing that happens to me sometimes."

My mom looked around and gave me a pointed look. "Yes, we can discuss this at home." She said whisper-yelling.

"No, mom you know how I thought I was alone but you said that I wasn't. Well I'm not." I looked at Alex.

She seemed confused at first but slowly started to understand. "You mean?" She pointed to Alex with surprise.

"Yeah, mom. We're known as werewolves." I said almost proudly. Whoa, what do I have to be proud of? I've done nothing but hate myself for years and now I was actually holding my head up high and saying I'm a monster with pride.

My mother looked like she was going to burst into tears. She hugged me tight. "I knew it! I knew it! Didn't I tell you?"

I laughed. "Yes, you did and I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Alex growled, making my mother jump. I think I grew used to it because it didnt affect me anymore. He was looking at his dad with anger, his eyes glazed over.

"AM I?" He roared.

My mother jumped again and I placed my hand on her shoulder, calming her.

I knew what Alex was asking his father and his father seemed to be ignoring him.

It only agitated Alex even more. "Answer me! Am I or am I not Shawn?!"

My mother perked up to the name Shawn. She knew it was the name I had been dreaming of since I was little girl. "What's going on?" She asked.

Before I could explain to her, Alex shifted into his wolf, charging at his father.