In my defence, I wasn't thinking straight because I'm not straight.

I waited. It was hitting one in the morning, and he still hadn't come around. Calix would be in bed by now unless he and Lycius were caught in another examination. Ridiculous, what could have happened in the last hour? I didn't want to rush him, but dread suddenly grew heavy and cold in my gut. There couldn't have been a mix-up, ten meant ten minutes. Maybe he misheard me even though his hearing was ten times better than mine. I hesitated as I reached for the doorknob. The crystal was on my vanity as its pinkish light burned noticeably brighter. I tucked it into my skirt pocket, feeling its aura cast a cloak on my body and left the bedroom to find him.

All night I couldn't help but feel something was terribly wrong. As I marched hesitantly from the east to the west of the house I called for him. I even paused at the grand stairs, the centre of the house and called out his name again in case he was somewhere downstairs distracted with something. With no answer my iron gut weakened and a flood of uncertainty seeped its way into my mind. I trailed further into the west wing,

'Divine Hekate,' I whispered. 'Help me help him.' I knocked on the door of the study and I cracked it open seeing it was not lit and found no violet source of life inside. Gods, I hoped the wolves were put to bed. Calix would have done it. He was competent enough not to let the Coco incident happen again. I crept past Calix's door and moved to the stairs of the tower. I took them two at a time with an anxious impatience. The crystal throbbed forcefully in my pocket and something hard cracked under my boot. I yelped and looked down to see it was only Lycius' phone, but I couldn't 't believe that crack in the screen was from me, not with a puncture through its solid body.

I gazed up at the scratched-up doors to his bedroom. Why did they suddenly look more menacing tonight?

'Lycius?' I said short of breath. The door creaked open of its own accord and a squeak escaped me. Since I had arrived, I had never seen the inside of his room. It was unlit and had books littered on the floor and worn-out furniture. That was all fine and sweet but what disarmed me were the chains at the far end of the bedroom by an open window. They were locked to the floor next to a similar antique canopy bed to mine, only this was tucked tightly away in the corner furthest from the door. Lycius was squirming on the floor with the chains trying to adjust them on his wrists. His whole body tensed as I trod forward making the floorboards creak. Noticing the flinch, I froze, my hand caught on the handle and my breathing uneven. His back was to me, his spine seeming too defined under his tight t-shirt, as he was knelt on the ground and hunching over the chains.

'You shouldn't be here,' he said, his voice was soft that I almost missed it.

'I'm sorry. I thought you were hurt.'

'I have one rule I want you to respect. What did you come here for?'

'We were supposed to read together.'

'We were?'

'You don't remember?' A thick silence swept between us and Lycius straightened his back, keeping his face hidden from my view. I blinked hard worried about my sight. Was it me or was Lycius getting bigger? The violet lights were broadening in his shoulders and the crystal in my pocket pounded.

The chain dropped with a shrilling bang. 'Oh yes. We were.'

'What were you doing with the chains?'

'My Rhea,' he said throwing his head back. The moonlight cut shadows into his dazed expression. He groaned. 'You smell divine...'

My breath caught in my throat as something leered at me over his shoulder, and it wasn't my Lycius. It was his face however there was nothing of him in his countenance. It was sly, and animalistic, and his usual beautiful blue eyes were dampened to a malicious black. I unwillingly trembled as the palms of my hands perspired. Lycius slowly rose to a new height, and his figure blocked the light coming from the window. His silhouette was thick with mass and muscle, and he only seemed to be getting bigger. His violet light was flickering in and out, as if something were tampering with my night vision—perhaps it was my fear. His cheeks had hollowed, and his mouth hung open. Violet and mauve danced along his skin and his eyes they were voids rimmed with pale purple light like a thistle was trying to bloom within them.

'I can see you're busy,' I said.

He stepped forward and I faltered back. 'I'm never too busy for you, precious.'

'Nope.' I shook my head. 'Don't like that.' I backed out of the room and just as he launched for me, I slammed the door shut on his horribly distorted face. I had caught a glimpse of a gruesome flash of anger and hunger.

'You can't keep me in here, divine one.' I heard a scraping of a claw drag down against the wood of the door. I wasn't sure how well it would work but with a free shadow I whirled my finger around the door handles, looping them multiple times before tying them together. The shadow solidified and I bolted down to the west wing and slammed my fist against Calix's door. My heart had thrown its way up my throat as the monster thumped against the doors shouting my name.

'Calix!' I slammed his door open and found the room completely empty. I didn't waste another second and hurried for the stairwell and got halfway down the stairs before a large figure leapt from the balcony and crashed into the marble tiles of the ballroom. My shadow arms reacted of their own accord and my skin blackened into an overcast night as they huddled around me acting as a thick mist. I swiped my hand across the shadows cutting a line through so I could see Lycius gag and moan, his skin rippling as something within was tearing its way through his flesh. Its head snapped to me, and those pitch-black voids had grown two sizes too big for Lycius' head while a snout was forming. His nose flattened then blended to shift with the new jaw.

'Come to me, Rhea,' the creature purred. Its snout grew ten times longer than its usual wolf face and the muscles in its arms and shoulders continued to ripple as its legs broke apart. The crackling sound of bones awakened a new sense of horror and disgust in me. It tore viciously at its own clothes till they were scraps on the floor not that they needed its help as its body kept growing. It bared sharp teeth as thick and as long as my forefinger as its mouth pulled back into an off-putting grin that reached its ears. Then the ears moved themselves to the top of its head and grew out to a sharp point. All of it transforming, rising, and fattening. Its elongated snout was too weak and drooped down, it was like someone had gripped it hard along the bridge and stretched it thin. From an eight-foot-tall werewolf, it had grown to become a ten-foot-tall monster. At my height on the stairs, it would have still loomed over me if he wasn't so far away.

'My love,' it purred. 'My sweet, delicious love. Come here so I can enjoy the ripe...' It started salivating. 'The juice...' It snapped its teeth.

It hungered for me, I felt the heat of its gaze alone and it hardened the dread in my gut making me feel heavy which was funny because my legs were struggling to keep me upright. It knew that I couldn't get past it, it was trying to make me believe that was the only option.

I unravelled my shadow arms like a dark flower blossoming. 'This is a big house,' I said with a false confidence. 'Why don't we make this more interesting?'

It growled. 'If you run I will catch you.'

'Aw. Wouldn't it be a shame if we were to end things so quickly? The game would hardly be fun if you swallowed me instantly, my love.' I traced my collarbone and tugged down my top to expose my shoulder. 'The meat is saltier when seasoned with a bit fear and adrenaline.' It responded with an appreciative growl, the thing made me want to puke but I kept my composure. 'My darling, you need to give me a head start. Put those hunting skills to good use. Give me twenty minutes to run and hide somewhere on the grounds and then you have to catch me.'

It grumbled. 'Five minutes.'

'Fifteen.'

It shook its head and wiggled its clawed finger as it bared a vile smile. It was truly horrible to witness. 'Time is ticking.'

I ducked around the balcony towards the east wing and caught his eyes trailing me. 'No cheating,' I sang.

It snarled and I ran to the safest place I could think of which was my bedroom. I locked the door behind me and unbolted the windows to use my hands and my darkness to clamber my way out into the freezing night. The air was quiet and so was the nocturnal life of the forest. All I could hear was my heart beating in my skull as I climbed down as fast as possible. The shadow arms reached the ground first and hurried me down to the earth, then I commanded them to reach for the highest branch they could. I started to awkwardly travel over the tree tops, my eyes glued to the wall I was trying to reach and fear flooding me with doubt of survival. It wasn't smart to waste time on the gate and accidentally set it loose to the world, should I fail to close it on time. I knew it wouldn't wait the full five minutes, it wasn't Lycius it was a thing that wanted to torment me and make me feel like I had some smidge of hope. I flew from tree to tree as the shadows caught onto every strong branch to keep me lifted.

A howl shook the earth and tempted me to pause. I glanced over my shoulder to find the beast watching me from my bedroom window. Its body was too large to squeeze itself through the narrow arches but did that stop it from trying? I didn't hang around to find out and like a spider—minus its grace—I crawled across the trees and hurried my speed when the ferocious rustle of trees rang behind me. As I crawled, I felt my body weaken but pushed myself because stopping was certain death. The wall didn't seem to be getting closer, it took its time as I felt I was moving at the swiftest speed I could.

Another howl erupted somewhere close under me, so I launched my body into the air and caught myself with the consequence of branches cutting into my skin and ripping at my skirt. The stinging pain had to wait. I had to just reach the wall and get across. Then I would be fine, but that comfort soon dropped as the wall, though getting larger with my closeness didn't seem nearly tall enough to keep the monster leaping over. It was too late to delay with a new plan. I just needed to get across.

The monster leapt out of the trees from right under me and I shrieked at the sight of the pinkness of his tongue and throat rising like a shark bursting from the sea. With a shadow, I grappled with another branch to fling me forward before the great jaws snapped shut, with me embedded in them. However, the launch hurled me deep into the arms of sharpened tree branches and I was smacked in the face before I tumbled down to the ground. I spat out moist soil and prayed that the nasty aftertaste was inconsequential before picking myself back up and running into another jump for the treetops. My face was cut up as I crashed through the twigs and broke through weaker branches to get back to the top. My body ached and I cried out as a shadow arm felt the solid stone of the wall and just as I was pulling myself towards it something sharp ripped into my leg and smacked me down to the ground as if I was little more than an insect.

I plunged my hand into my pocket and ripped out the pulsating crystal, its star within it glaring brightly at me. A strong hand flipped me onto my back, and I shot my arm up with the crystal to the monster's face. Its shriek was inhuman and not like any animal I had heard. It was hauled back by an invisible force or maybe its own terror from the power of the crystal and I took that chance to climb up and over the wall.

The beast leapt up high and was about to make an impact when the wall buzzed loudly and something unseen electrocuted the monster throwing it back to the dirt. I climbed down the other side and sagged against the cold dry rock. The texture of it rubbed sorely into my cuts so I rolled onto my back but that wasn't much better. The flesh around my calf and ankle had been torn open and was bleeding out pretty badly. It wasn't the time to let myself get queasy, even this moment of rest enflamed the pain singing from every limb of my body.

I desired something spicy, maybe a noodle soup. Ooh, a soup would be good right now.

'Do you have soup?' I asked rather drowsily. The young server, the same woman who had delivered me Thai food nervously shook her head in her red cap.

'Miss... This is a Mcdonalds,' she said popping gum.

'Oh,' I said and wet my lips.

'Do you need an ambulance?'

'No-no. Just soup. Some good soup.' I had already used a public phone out in the car park to summon my friend. I could hold up until then.

'We don't have any soup.'

'Some fries then. Oh, but I can't pay you yet.' Her face blurred but I'm pretty sure she made a face at me. 'Rude.'

'Rhea!' I turned around and used the register to keep me standing. The worker gently snapped at me however I was engrossed by the confusion on Martha's many faces. She was in her pyjamas and had thrown on a long wool coat to hide it.

I waved and it hurt like hell but I was glad to see all three of Martha. 'Could you buy me some chippies?' I said.

'What happened to you?' Martha said then made the order for me. 'Oh shit, you're bleeding! What happened to your leg?'

'I had a tussle with a werewolf,' I said wiggling my eyebrows and that bit of action also hurt like hell.

Martha scowled like I knew she would. She did this cute thing where she scrunched up her nose when she was cross with me. Gods, I must have lost a lot of blood and I was drained from expending so much magic. I snapped back to reality when Martha smacked my shoulder. 'Be serious. It looks like you were hit by a car.'

Well, if it looked convincing. 'It was a hit and run.'

'What? Why aren't you at a hospital? Let's go!'

'Pfft. I'm alright,' I said. 'Could you just take me to your parents' place? They have that first aid kit in the kitchen I can use.'

'Are you sure? You're not drunk are you.' With how dizzy I felt I could have been. Was I blinking an appropriate amount?

'Yes,' I said stumbling into her then I cried. 'Wait! My chippies!'

Once I got my order Martha ordered me into her car and drove me back to her parents' house. It was two-thirty in the morning, so we had to creep inside like we did when we were fifteen. I shared my fries with her as I tended to my leg in her amber-themed kitchen. Once I had rinsed the blood away the wound didn't look so bad and thankfully my friend was too squeamish to look at it. I poured some antiseptic on it and hissed as it stung before I wrapped a bandage around it. Martha was worried about me falling asleep in case I had a concussion and I had to keep assuring her that I wouldn't fall asleep. I was too frightened to risk dreaming all the events of the night. To watch that monster try to tear me to pieces.

Martha sat down across the kitchen table with two cups of tea. This brought me back to Calix's secrecy, to Iris' deal with a family that Lycius wanted nothing to do with. But then I realised that the creature that tore out from his body would be enough incentive for anybody. That thing was not my Lycius. That was not the boy I played with nor the man I loved. It was an awful creation. Everyone's fears finally made sense. I imagined what the other three wolves must be like, Coco appearing the worst of them with her matted black fur she wouldn't let anyone dare brush. What good were the tests and the medications if that monster could still be let out without his consent?

Lycius had never believed in the medications and Paul had said that some wolves didn't come back from the Darlings. I was suspicious of this family and everyone else's deep respect for them. What did Lycius witness that made him manic? Could it really be so traumatising that he couldn't share it even when he desperately wanted to? I believed it was a spell. I believed that the Darlings were not as great as Calix talked them up to be. Maybe there was a misunderstanding, a mistake that harmed him and that the Darlings couldn't take back. They were being generous in providing their medicine and equipment.

But then what did Lazza have to do with it?

No. No tea. I had no energy to lift the mug anyway. The last of my energy was spent on my magic and cleaning the cuts. I needed to recharge.

'Why didn't you call Lycius?' she asked.

'He's on a trip with his mum.' It was easier to lie when you had a truth attached to it, not that it made me feel any less guilty. 'I can't go back to my aunt's place at the moment because we're not on speaking terms.'

'Where were you?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'Can you stop being an idiot for one second and tell me what's going on?'

'I was walking, and some other idiot didn't see me crossing.' I buried my head in my hands as flashes of Lycius' newest form haunted me.

'Did you get their licence plate?'

'No. I was too busy getting hit by the car.'

'Sorry. Fucking bastard,' she hissed. 'I bet it was a man.'

'It was something wretched,' I uttered.

'Giannis speeds.'

'It wasn't him.'

'How do you know?'

'I would smell him coming...' I groaned as my skull felt like it was splitting. 'Go to bed. I'll be fine on the couch.'

After a few more nudges to get my sore arse to a hospital Martha finally fell under her own sleepy spell and went to bed. I sunk onto the couch and pet the scratches lined on my face as I stared at my reflection on the TV screen. I wish I had my phone on me so I could leave a message for Lycius. Something kind to read when he regained his consciousness. What would I say?

I'm not angry.

Seeing the word angry might be a trigger and he wouldn't believe it via text.

A simple: I'll see you tomorrow.

That would be enough. A solid confirmation that I was here for him. That I love him. That hasn't changed. I love him. I wondered what he was doing. I wished I could be there for his transformation to let him know that. He was all alone in the house. Oh, Gods, he was all alone in that house. I wanted to borrow Martha's phone, but my energy was spent, I felt myself fall into the couch and was consumed by black.

I sat upright after someone shrilled like a banshee. My eyelids were so heavy, and I had to blink hard till my vision cleared and I found Martha's mother in her bed robe patting her chest.

'Jesus, Rhea, I didn't realise it was you. When did you come in?' Martha's mother had ash blond cut into a pixie cut with pink on the ends. She had done this in solidarity with her daughter because she knew that Martha's dad's reaction was an overreaction. Her dark eyes scanned the scratches on my face. She slammed her coffee cup down onto the coffee table when she reached me I immediately lifted my hands to stop her.

'I'm alright, I'm alright... What time is it?'

'It's eight thirty,' she said. 'What happened to you?'

'I was being stupid,' I said. 'Do you have a phone I can use?'

'Aw honey of course.' She handed me her cell phone, but I realised I didn't have Lycius or Calix's phone numbers memorised. I tried to call Arianna and knowing it was too early in the morning that she wouldn't pick up I still felt really angry about it anyway. My muscles ached as I dragged myself to Martha's room and woke her up. Martha twitched and hit the air in front of her before adjusting to reality.

'What were you fighting in your dreams?' I said.

'I already can't remember.' She winced and sat up. 'What's happening? Are you okay?'

'Yeah, I just need you to drive me back to the manor.'

'Now?'

'As soon as possible.'

Martha took that as time for her to doll herself up while I waited, I tapped my boot impatiently. She rolled on her pink fishnet stockings under a very cute short pink pleated skirt, with a nice, rosy-coloured hoodie with some Pokémon I didn't recognise on it. She kept fluffy up her hair in the mirror and when she picked up a makeup brush, I pulled it from her hand.

'Okay, Marth, I really need to get there and it's freezing outside.'

She looked down at herself. 'These are my winter fishnets.'

'Ha-ha, so funny, let's go please.'