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I gasped for air and stood up staring at Darren’s infuriated face. I shivered and stared at him in shock. “How did we get to the creek at the edge of our property?”

He smiled. “I had to stop you. It’s not time yet.”

I growled, and the sound vibrated my chest, sounding like a wolf. I pictured the wolf with purple eyes and felt my body warming up. Darren grabbed me and snarled in my face. “You

aren’t allowed to change yet.”

My body cooled and the vision of the wolf disappeared. I collapsed into his arms and

asked, “What’s happening to me?”

Darren stroked my hair and whispered, “It’s alright. Just sleep. You’ll understand when

you wake up.” I nodded my head and relaxed, as he picked me up and carried me to the house, and to my room. I started to get up to change my contacts, but he just rolled me over, so I could take them out. He whispered, “You won’t be needing those.”

I curled up under the covers, not having the energy to ask anymore questions, and fell

asleep. I dreamt of Ares and pictured his gorgeous face. I could see him in front of me running through the forest. I ran after him as fast as I could, but my human legs wouldn’t keep up with him. He turned to me and howled, summoning me to him. I tried to reach him, but he was too far away. Another howl broke through my dream, waking me up. I sat up on my bed with sweat

running down my face. The windows were dark, so it was still night. I inhaled and smelled wolves.

I ran from my room to Darren’s, but he wasn’t there. I ran to the gun safe and unlocked it, taking out a gun and loading it. I grabbed a handful of shells and put them in my jeans pockets. I walked quickly to the back door and stopped moving. Darren stood on the porch with his hands to his sides with no weapons. On the ground twenty feet away from him stood three giant

wolves. I instantly recognized the middle wolf. “Ares.” I whispered quietly. I pushed open the door and walked out, setting the gun on the porch and taking the shells out of my pockets. I started to walk past Darren to Ares, but Darren grabbed me, pulling me against him. Ares snarled at us, but I felt no fear.

Darren snarled back sounding just like Ares. “She’s my pup. You can’t take her like this.

She hasn’t changed yet.” I felt anxious at Darren’s words and wanted to go to Ares. I pulled away from Darren, but he grabbed me, holding me tighter. Ares walked forward and sat on his butt tilting his head to the side. Darren shook his head. “No, Ares. She can’t be yours. I don’t care if she is the one who answered your call. She’s not ready. She doesn’t even know yet.”

I looked up at Darren and smiled. “They said that was your fault.”

He frowned. “You’ve talked to them?”

I shrugged. “I’ve had dreams about Ares and he’s had them about me. I had to talk to

them.”

Darren sighed and looked at Ares. “If you want to see her reaction, then go ahead.”

Ares stood up and shook his body. I held my breath as his body rippled like water and

turned human just like in my dreams. Darren ran into the house and returned quickly with a pair of pants which he tossed to Ares. Ares put the pants on then smiled at me. His blue eyes sparkled like crystals. He took a step towards me, and I looked at Darren. “We’re werewolves, aren’t we?

Ares frowned. “Why haven’t you told her? The full moon is tomorrow.”

Darren sighed. “I didn’t want to scare her. She has no idea what she is. She thinks she is human.”

Ares snarled. “You would rather her be scared shitless when she changes for the first time? That is the worst way to find out.”

Darren snarled. “She is my pup to do with as I please.”

Ares shook his head. “I am alpha to you and she is my
passt genau
. I am taking her. I will teach her the ways of our kind.”

Darren pushed me behind him and squatted down in an attack stance. “You will not touch

her. She will not become like you.”

Ares snarled. “And what am I?”

Darren spit. “A monster.”

The two wolves behind Ares growled and took a step forward. Ares held up his hand and

they stopped moving. Ares sighed. “I understand you don’t agree with what is being done.

Neither do I, but I am following my alpha’s orders. If I could, I would stop it.”

Darren sighed. “What do you want with her Ares?”

He smiled at me as I looked around Darren. “She is mine. She answered my call.”

“What call?” I asked.

Ares took a step towards the porch and Darren growled. Ares sighed. “I’ll stay here, but

not because you are dominant to me. Keep pushing it and I’ll remind you who is dominant.”

Darren sighed and walked to one of the chairs on the porch a few feet away from me.

Ares cleared his throat. “I sent out a call through the video that only my true match could answer.

You answered me. I was still in Nevada when I heard you.”

I shook my head. "I don't understand. What are we? I mean are you really a werewolf?"

Ares smiled. "I'm a lycanthrope, also known as a werewolf."

I gasped and turned to Darren. "Your papers in your room. They were talking about

lycanthropy."

Darren sighed. "Yes, because I am a lycanthrope as well, and you, being my child, have had the disease passed on to you."

I stared at Ares and asked because I had to be certain, "I'm a werewolf? How is that possible? I thought werewolves were myths?"

Ares snarled. "There are many myths that are true, but the humans forced us into hiding a few centuries ago. We have just been waiting for the right time to come out and take over."

I stared at him in shock. "You are killing all of these innocent humans because of what other humans did centuries ago? How can you do that? They had nothing to do with it."

Ares frowned. "You think these would be any different? You think that if I were to show myself to the humans of this century that they would not hunt us down? You are very naïve and it is your father's fault for not teaching you our history."

Darren sighed. "I just wanted her to have a normal life. I had no idea when you would be returning. I had hoped that she could live out her life until she was an adult without changing, but when she saw the news, she started showing the signs. And then you had to call her and speed up her process. I had to force her change back once."

Ares bowed his head. "My apologies for that. But I had to know if she was my match or not."

I took a step down the porch towards Ares. He smiled at me, but Darren growled making

me stop moving. Ares ran up the porch in a blur of tan skin grabbing Darren by the throat and holding him up, choking him. "I warned you already. I am the alpha here, not you. Do not hinder her again."

I ran to them and pleaded, "Please don't kill him!"

Ares dropped Darren back into the chair and smiled. "I would not kill him. He is your father and just needed a small reminder."

I stared at his handsome face and couldn't help but look over his muscular body. His light tan skin was the color of caramel and his perfect blue eyes were like a June sky. I reached out toward him, and almost touched him, when I heard the wolves behind us snarl. I turned around and saw Bret standing on the side of the house with his rifle aimed at the wolves. Ares snarled and the two wolves moved towards Bret.

I screamed, "NO!" and ran as fast as I could to Bret, standing in front of him.

He dropped the gun down immediately and stared at me in shock. "Artemis, what the hell are you doing? Don't you see the wolves? They are the same as the ones that have been killing people."

I looked back at the wolves still moving forward and Ares close behind me. I turned to

Ares. "Tell them to stop moving. He won't shoot them. Please."

Ares sighed and held his hand up. The two wolves stopped moving, sitting on their butts,

staring at Bret angrily. I reached for Bret's gun, but he backed up. I shook my head. "Bret, give me the gun or they will kill you."

Bret reached towards my face and asked, "Why are your eyes purple?"

I heard Darren speaking to Ares. "I made her wear contacts because they changed when she hit puberty."

I ignored Darren, and turned to Bret. "Look Bret, there is a lot of shit I can't explain right now, but if you don't give me the gun, they are going to kill you."

Bret stared at Ares and the two wolves and shook his head. "They are going to kill me anyway. I can see it in his eyes."

I turned to Ares and snarled. "You won't touch him."

Ares snarled back at me. "You are not dominant enough to make such statements."

I shook my head. "I don't care about dominance. If you try to hurt him, I will die

protecting him."

Ares shook his head. "Do not threaten me, pup."

I sighed. "Please Ares. I am asking you as a submissive. I am pleading with you as the one who answered your call."

Ares smiled. "Only if you promise to leave with me."

I looked up at Bret's shocked face and turned back to Ares. "Only if you and all of your people leave this town unharmed."
Good thing he doesn't know that I was already planning on
leaving with him.

Ares sighed and rubbed his temples. "I should have known you would be smart. Very

well, if you leave with me, we will leave this town unharmed including this boy."

I reached down and grabbed Bret's gun out of his hand before he could react. I ran over to the gun case, and locked it inside before Bret could reach me. He spun me around and shook me.

"What have they done to you? Have they brainwashed you?"

I felt the tears falling down my face and shook my head. "I'm sorry, Bret. I had no idea about any of this. I have to go though."

Bret stormed towards Ares and glared at the shorter man. "Who the fuck is he that you would leave me for him?"

Ares smiled up at Bret. "She's my one and only, destined since she was born to be mine."

Bret spit on the ground beside Ares. "That's a bunch of shit. We've been together since we could walk. She is mine, not yours."

Ares smiled wider, but it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "Would you put it to a test?"

Darren stood up and walked quickly to Ares. He dropped to his knees and begged,

"Please don't do this to him. He does not know anything about us. Please, Ares."

Bret stared at Darren in shock. "Why are you groveling to him? He's just another man."

Ares laughed. "Just another man! How funny."

I grabbed Bret's hand and pulled him to me. "Just leave, Bret. You have to move on. I'm sorry, but I won't be here. It's for the good of the town."

Bret shook his head. "You're not making any sense. Why would you leaving benefit the town?"

Ares smiled and motioned at the two wolves. "Because your town is just another one to be destroyed. She has bargained for your lives, can't you see that?"

"I won't let you leave with him." Bret said angrily.

I smiled and hugged him standing on tiptoe and whispered, "I have always known you

were my best friend, but this is bigger than us. I have to protect everyone, including you." I pulled away and backed towards Ares.

Bret shook his head. "No, don't leave me. I am the one who is supposed to protect you, remember?"

I smiled. "We always knew it would end with me protecting you, Bret. You just never

wanted to admit it."

Ares extended his hand to me smiling, "Come, my Moon Goddess. Let me take you away

and show you your true nature."

I smiled back at him and took his hand. The instant our skins touched an electric shock

went through our bodies. I collapsed forward falling into his arms. He picked me up and held me against his bare chest. "I'll treat you like a Queen."

I looked one last time at Bret's distraught face then relaxed as Ares began running. I

heard the two wolves following closely behind us. I expected his running to be bouncy, but it was smooth. It was like we were standing still, with the air whizzing past us. They ran for a few hours taking us into a thick forest. When they finally stopped running Ares set me down on the ground. I wrapped my arms around myself and sighed. Tears escaped from my eyes before I

could stop them. Ares sat down beside me and wiped the tears away with his thumb while he rested the rest of his hand against my cheek. I leaned into his hand enjoying the warmth. He whispered, "You will be happy again soon. I promise."

I nodded my head and turned away from him. The two wolves stared at me with curious

expressions on their faces. I turned to Ares and asked, "Why are they looking at me like that?"

He smiled. "They want to know how it's possible that you do not know what you are. And why you have not changed."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. My father never changed in front of me, so until you changed I had no idea."

One of the wolves shook its head, I heard popping and snapping. It sounded like bones

breaking. I cringed as I watched his head reform into a human head. His green Mohawk was a dead give away. I smiled. "Koda!"

He smiled at me as I stared at his human head on the giant wolf body. "Hey, Artemis."

I smiled. "I should have known you would be here. Why aren't you changing back all of the way?"

Ares rolled his eyes. "He is trying to save you from embarrassment. If he changes

completely, he will be naked and we have no clothes with us for him to change into."

I blushed. "Oh."

The other wolf shook his head and changed it to human. He looked exactly like Koda, but

had a blue Mohawk and spoke with a British accent. I recognized him as the other man from the hotel. "She's blushing. That is very cute, Love."

I turned away from them and walked a few steps away. Ares snarled. "Nice job, Matt."

"What? You can't tell me that it's not cute that she blushes like a human." Matt said.

I turned around and snarled at them. "I am a human!" I clamped my hands over my mouth and turned away again.
Holy shit. What is happening to me?

Ares whispered, "It's okay that you are scared."