Lena felt like she couldn't breath after Darien told her about what happen with Mr. Beckett. Darien had a shameful look on his face as he played with the top of his coffee up lid. They were at the park and it was pretty dark out, but neither of them wanted to go home.

She couldn't believe what she just heard. She already thought Darien had a bad childhood, but it turns out his childhood was a nightmare. His father made Abigail's father seem like a saint! His father was worse, he was a monster!

"So you know why I was very locked away in the beginning.", he said. "I hated the world and everyone in it. I didn't want to get close to anyone and I know they'll always end up leaving me in the end and all people aren't good as they seem.".

Lena wished his father was still alive so she can kill him with her own crawls! She got up from the bench, "How could he do that to you?", she growled between her teeth. "I just want to kill him so bad right now. He wouldn't have gotten away so easily if he was cause I would had made sure he died slowly and painfully.", she said and she didn't realized her eyes changed, but luckily the lamp post was dim.

"I would love the same thing.", he said, not moving. "But instead, he got a quick death and my mom was the one to suffer. Mr. Beckett said I have to forgive him to be able to move on, how can I do that? After all he did.".

She sat back down next to him and put her hands on his arms, "I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you again, Darien, I promise.".

He gave her a half smile, "Aint I suppose to be the one telling you that?", he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Lena wanted to yell and scream, kick and punch, and run. She wanted to do something wild get all the rage out of her and she couldn't do that right now. Darien needed her and she was going to be here for him as long as she has to. But damn, was her wolf scratching to get out.

"I wasn't innocent either.", he said. "I made a boy go deaf.".

"An accident, I'm sure you didn't mean to do it.", she said.

"Lena,", he said, taking her hands off him. "I beat him, hard. I could have stopped, but I didn't. I didn't realize how wrong it was until now. What if I get mad with you?".

"Believe me, you wouldn't be able to lay a hand on me.", she said. "Cause I'll just put my hands back on you and my punch would be so much hard then yours.", she chuckled. "But Mr. Beckett going to help you, get you in a kind of therapy you like. MMA going to be a good thing for you.", she said, giving him a smile and placed her hand on his face, "Your going to be fine.".

"I never thought I would be able to tell anyone about this. I thought you were going to think I'm some...freak and want nothing to do with me after all this.", he said. "I'll admit, I'm afraid to lose you now, Lena.".

Her heart felt like it got bigger and she smiled bigger, so happy he finally said that. He couldn't live without her, all she wanted to hear from him. Someone needed her and wanted her. She was alone for what feels like forever and now someone loves her.

"No secrets now between us, I guess.", he said.

She wanted to frown now, but she forced herself to continuing smiling as she took her hand off his face, "Right.".

He narrowed his eyes on her and looked at her confused, "What? Is there something you need to tell me?", he asked. "I can see it in your eyes, Lena, what is it?".

She bit her lower lip, thinking about if it's the right time to tell him. She knows for sure she can trust him now, but right now, it didn't feel right. This weekend she'll tell him, when he has time to think about and not worry about school.

Her cheeks then blush, wanting to admit something else. She shrugged her right shoulder, "Just that--I love you, Darien.", she said shyly, never saying it to a guy before other then her father, brothers, and cousins.

Suddenly it was like someone pressed a button on Darien and he just paused, going blank. No emotion on his face, nothing. She couldn't read him. She started to hear her own heart beat in her ears, anxious for him to say something! Anything.

"Oh.", he said.

Oh?, she thought when she tilt her head to the side and looked at him confused. Why isn't he saying it back!?. "What's the matter?", she asked.

"Nothing.", he said, shrugging as he got up from the bench. "Hey, look, I got to get home cause Ash is probably wondering where I've been.".

She confused to look confused and hurt, "Darien-"

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow, Lena.".

"But Darien!", she said when he turned and walked away. She wanted to go after him, yell and force him to say it back since she knows he loves her back, but stayed there, not wanting to fight with him and god know what else could happen. What is he so scared of? Being loved, is that it? Why? She thought he would be happy to hear that coming from her, letting him know someone loves him again.

~_~_~

Darien flung his apartment door open and Ash looked at him as if he was crazy. Darien quickly walked over to his bedroom and he heard Ash behind him sigh and followed him into the room just as Darien grabbed his suitcase and through it on his bed.

"What on earth on you doing?", Ash asked, leaning against the door.

"I'm leaving.", he said as he through his cloth in the suit case and Ash's eyes widen. "I'm going to cousin Suzanne house, she always said I could come over whenever I needed to.".

"Whoa, just slow down for a second.", he said, pulling the suit case from Darien. "What happened? What's making you so jumpy? Christ, Darien, please tell me you didn't get high and your going out of your mind.".

Darien snatched the suitcase back and placed it on the bed, "She told me she loved me.".

"Lena?", he asked.

"Who else!", he yelled, freaking out.

Ash chuckled, "I don't see the problem, Darien. Don't you love her back.".

"I don't know!", he said, shrugging. "But I really don't feel like finding out.", he said, began packing again.

"Dude, stop that.", he said, pulling Darien away from the bed. "Okay, I get it, you haven't heard anyone tell you they love you in a long time, you're scared of that. This is no reason to runaway, Darien.".

"No, no, no, no Ash, you didn't get it. Whoever loves me, something always ends up happening. I know something bad will happen and it'll all turns to shit. I'm doing Lena a favor.", he said.

"Have you taken your pills today?", he asked.

Darien groaned and 'pssh', "Of course I have, but you don't understand me. You'll never understand, you don't really know what happened to me.".

Ash placed his hands on Darien's neck, "Look, Darien, you need to calm down right now. Have a cigarette, take a walk, clear your head. Your overworking this.".

"A-a walk.", Darien said, nodding his head. "Okay, yeah. I just...shit, Ash, I left her at the park like an asshole alone.".

"Okay, but that's for tomorrow. Apologize in the morning, but right now, you need to control yourself.", he said. "I can go with you if you want.".

Darien took a deep breath and let it out, "No, no, I'm fine. I'll need the quiet walk alone.".

"Good.", he said. "But don't take so long, like maybe an hour, any longer and I'll have to come find you.".

Darien nodded but he had to ask, "Why do you care so much?".

"What?'.

"About me? Why are you trying so hard to keep me--sane. After the first couple of weeks, everyone would already be getting tired of me.", he said.

"Cause you're my cousin, Darien. I told you I was going to be there, you just needed someone who was close to your age and wasn't going to nag at you about not eating dinner or folding your cloths.", he said. "I'm giving you more freedom. Now go take a walk and clear your head. But hey, only an hour.".

Darien didn't respond to that when he left the apartment and when he went through the doors, he took the pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and lit up. He took in some of the smoke, letting it hit his body all over, and he breathed it out. He looked around for somewhere to walk, not much to walk around. He did notice the woods were only a few short blocks away and he always did like the woods, so why the hell not?

~_~_~

Lena was half whining like a wolf and half sobbing into her pillow. She felt really small and low, not sure how to control herself. She wanted to kick, scream, cry, and yell. But all she could do right now was cry.

Her bedroom door opened and she smelt her mom perfume. She didn't look up from her pillow as her mother walked over to her bed and sat next to her, petting her hair, "It's alright, honey.".

"He doesn't love me back.", she said in the pillow.

"Of course he does, Lena.", she said. "He's probably just one of those guys who don't say it a lot and thinks it's to early to say.".

"I wanna send daddy and the boys after him, but that's my human side, and the other side just wants to cry in misery.", she said, taking her red puffy face out of the pillow. "He told me about his past today and after all of it, I still told him I loved him and he just stared at me before leaving me!".

"I'm sorry, sweet heart. It'll get better, he's just...confused right now. I'm sure when you tell him your secret he might be more understand.", she said.

"Or he'll think I'm a freak. It's how I see myself now.", she said. "I couldn't wait to become like the rest of the family, but now, I wish I was normal and didn't grow a tail. I hate being forced to love someone who is a complete jerk.", she said, pausing for a moment. "But, about him still, it draws me to know him. Ugh, stupid confusing girl stuff.", she said, dropping her face back into the pillow. "Just leave me here to die.".

To her surprise, her mother began chuckling, "I know it feels like the end of the world, sweet heart, but it isn't.

"For me it is.", she said.

"No it isn't. Look, go take a run, you need it. Stretch your legs out, enjoy the run.", she said. "Jamie was just planning on going, I'm sure if you get up now, you can join him before he leaves.".

"I rather lay in a pillow of my own tears.", she said.

"Well I don't.", she said, grabbing her arm and dragged her off the bed. For having sons as big as they are, her mom is strong from all the years of dealing with her brothers and father when they wouldn't wake up in the morning. "I don't like seeing you depressed so get your ass up and go run. But not to late, you still have school in the morning.".

Lena groaned, "I'm not thinking of school right now, mom.".

"To bad. Grab a dress and go running.", she said.

Lena glared at her mother before getting up and went to her closet, grabbed a dress and left her room, joining Jamie for a run.

So bad day with lover boy?, Jamie asked.

'I don't want to talk about it, Jamie,' she said. 'His life before was much hard then I thought and I made a stupid mistake by saying that.'

'Don't blame what happen on yourself. He should have been able to tell you he loves you back,' he said. 'You love him, that's a big deal and he should have been happy to hear that from you.'

'You don't get it, Jamie. His dad did horrible things to him, worse then Abigail's father! I can't be mad at him for not saying it back, I need to give him time to say it back to me,' she growled to him.

'What is there to think about, though?', he asked. 'Love is not as confusing as you think it is.'

'It's not about being confused but-', Lena cut herself off when she smelt a familiar sent a couple of miles away. If she's been in town, she wouldn't have been able to smell it unless she was nearer, but since they were in the woods and the air was much cleaning, she could smell it. She stopped running and Jamie did also, 'Wait.'

He growled, 'What? What's wrong?'

'Shhh,' she told him. 'I think he's here.'

'What? Who? Darien? Why would he be in the woods at this time? I thought you said he went home,' he said.

'I thought so to,' she thought as she walked closer to the scent, Jamie behind her as they walk straighter, keeping an out just in case Darien just shows up out of know where.

'Lena, we should turn around,' he said. 'If he sees wolves, he'll freak out and God know what will happen. Lets go.'

'No,' she said stubbornly. 'I just wanna make sure it's actually him'

'Of course it is, I can even smell him. He smells like mint and cigarette ashes, not hard to miss' he said and she turned her head around, growling at him to shut up.

'Shhh!,' she thought so she could focus on Darien feet as he walked more towards the left, coming closer towards them, but still nine feet ahead of them. Without thinking, Lena transformed back into her human form and hid behind a tree when Darien came in view.

She heard Jamie turn back, "We have to go.", he whispered to quietly behind her that a normal person wouldn't hear him, but she could.

"Just wait, Jamie. Please.", she said. "He shouldn't be out here in the woods alone.".

"There aren't regular wolves here.", he said. "What if he sees you now? It might be a fantasy of seeing you naked, but it isn't for me and really, he might think your crazy to run around naked.", he said.

Lena ignored him and watched Darien take a cigarette out of his mouth and put it to the floor, smashing it with his feet. She shook her head, thinking she got to get him to stop before he ends up with lung cancer.

Suddenly Darien looked towards Lena direction and she quickly hid her head behind the tree, "Who's there?", he called out.

"Come on, Lena.", Jamie said, sliding his hand into her.

"Hello?", Darien called out.

"Now.", Jamie said, sliding them away into the darkness away from the tree silently.

When they transform back into their wolves and ran for a couple of minutes, Lena slowed down her pace and Jamie did also, 'I could have told him, Jamie. The truth.'

'You heard dad, that's never the best way of telling them,' he said. 'They always end up freaking out in the worse way and they'll start to question if their crazy. Believe me, it's best to tell him first what you are then show him.'

She whined lowly in her throat, 'I know, I know. You know what, go on. I don't feel like continuing, I'm too, she breathed out her nose hard, tired.'

Jamie narrowed his eyes on her, 'You better being going home, Lena.'

'I am, Jamie,' she said and scuffed. 'Believe, you right, showing up naked out of no where is not only crazy, but crazy awkward. I promise, I'm going home. When you get there, I'll be there already in bed, watching Resident Evil, the third one.'

'You better or I swear-'

'You swear what?,' she growled out.

'I'll get dad on your ass and you know how he is when it comes to our werewolves lives', he said.

'Jerk,' she growled out.

Only looking out for you, Lena, he said, turning around and ran away.

She shifted back in her human form and laid on her back, staring up at the sky. She wasn't planning on staying long and she honesty is going home. She just need to be alone in a place she loves for a few moments alone without everyone looking at her.

She closed her eyes and just laid there, hearing the sounds of small animals, preparing for the winter for winter which was almost here and the sounds of incents. And the beautiful wind blowing.

"Ahh!", she heard a scream and she jumped up, covering her chest when she looked around, but saw no one. Okay, that sound kind of close. She got up from the ground and looked around, hearing the scream again. It sounded like-Darien...in pain.

She hesitated on weather to go after him or not, "Jesus, Jamie going to be so mad at me later.", she said before transforming back into her wolf and ran towards Darien.

~_~_~

"Okay, seriously, who's there?", Darien called when he felt this feeling of someone watching him. "Come out, I know you there. I'm not dumb. If you come out now, I'll give you a chance to walk away, but if you don't, I'll kick your ass right now.".

A second later he heard a chuckle, a guys chuckle as Joey stepped out from behind a tree. Darien gave him an annoyed look, groaned, and bit his lower lip. The like a circle, three of his friends walked out from behind a tree.

Darien looked around before settling on Joey, "You followed me out here? Really? What, are you stalking me now?".

He smiled, "Look, Darien, I'll give you a chance. Tomorrow you dump Lena and we can ignore each other for the rest of our life.".

"You really followed me out here to tell me that?", he asked. "Your out of your mind, dude. Kind of weird of you to. You could have just shown up at my apartment and tell me there.".

"I rather not with where people will be around.", he said and when Darien was about to be a smartass back, one of Joey big football player friends grabbed his arms and held him back.

"What? Let go of me!", Darien yelled, but this guys was one of those huge meat head guys. He groaned and with the best he could, he slammed his elbow right into the chest waist. The guy groaned in pain and let go of his him, but when Darien wen to jump away, the guy grabbed his grabbed and he slipped right out of the jacket and lost his balance, falling to the floor.

"So this is your plan, gang up on me?", Darien asked as he got up from the floor. "Wouldn't be the first, Wright. At least I'll go down trying and being a man.".

"I am a man, Darien.", he said, stepping towards him until he was only a few inches away.

"You wouldn't need your friend to do your battles.", he said. "Your really this obsessed with Lena that'll you have me beaten up?".

"Lena will make the perfect house wife.", he said, chuckling. "You see, my father sick with cancer and I have a feeling in a couple of years, he'll be gone. But I need to have a good career and a wife when he goes. Lena would be perfect.".

Darien shook his head, "You rich guys, how pathetic. You really like money, huh? How pathetic.".

The big guy grabbed the back of his shirt, but Darien turned and punched the guy in his face. It was a pretty hard one and it hurt his hand, but the guy let go of him and stepped back.

Joey then grabbed him and threw him onto the ground. When Darien went to get up, Joey kicked him right in the stomach and he breathed out heavily. The next knick was in his stomach again and then his face.

Then he felt a kicks at his legs and his back and realized all his friends decided to join. He cried out in pain and tried to get up when they stopped, but he was to out of breath and serious pain so he just ended up slumping back down onto the dirt floor, coughing up blood.

His hands balled up into a fist and he glared up at Joey, "Best you got, Wright? You're a coward, needing your friends to help you. Where I come from, you would have already gotten your ass kicked.".

"You couldn't touch me anyways, my dad the lawyer of this town. I can have your ass out of here in a blink of an eye.", he said. "Two strike already, huh? It was way to easy to get your records.".

"Your pathetic.", he said. Darien packed the pain away and he leaped up, tackling Joey to the ground, go on him, and punched him in the face, hard and strong the best he could do and he swears, he heard his nose broke.

Two people grabbed him and throw him off Joey on his back and Darien groaned in pain. He then felt the kicks again and he forced himself not to beg for them to stop. He took it, he took it all. Of course every fight he was in he didn't won and most of the time, it was a bunch on one match. At least Darien knows he'll go down trying.

You can't win all fights.

He heard over the kicking a very loud growling sound and one of Joey's friend yelled in horror before something huge and big ripped him away from Darien.

"Holy shit!", the other one said in horror.

He heard a growling and bark sound and Darien wanted to know what it was. A dog most likely, but why would they be so scared of a dog? Must be pretty big. Darien was just trying to focus on breathing right now and not drown from his own blood.

"Come on, lets get out of here!", Joey said before they all left him there alone...with the animal.

Darien forced himself to turn his head towards the direction he heard heavy breathing and his eyes widen when he saw a huge brown wolf! I'm so dead, he thought, thinking the wolf probably smelt the blood from him spiting out and cuts on him since someone of them punched him and have rings on them.

The wolf came towards him and lowered his body onto the floor. Then in a blink of an eyes, the wolf turned into a girl. His whole body stung when he gasp and his eyes widen so big, realizing who the girl was.

Lena put her hand under his neck, "It's going to be alright, Darien.", she said before his eyes rolled back and he went into blackness.