Chapter 60

~Eliana~

Although nothing terrible had happened since the previous day, I couldn’t help but feel that things were going to blow out of proportion anytime soon. I was so worried about Ian, and I didn’t want him to go to school today, but I couldn’t just tell him not to go to school without a good reason. I could only cross my fingers and hope for the best as I waved him goodbye as he entered the school's premises earlier today, silently praying nothing went wrong and he didn’t end up disclosing who he truly was.

It was already past 12, and his school didn’t close until two more hours had passed, and so far, I hadn’t received any text message or a call from his teacher that something terrible had happened. My phone had been with me all day, and even as I went about my duties, my heart kept beating more rapidly than usual as I feared the worst could happen to my little boy, who had no idea of what his good intention to heal his friend had caused him.

“Can I get a latte refill?” A young guy of no more than twenty years, sitting opposite the counter asked.

“Coming right up,” I said, letting go of my worries for one second, as I went to attend to him.

He was a regular customer, and was always busy with his laptop while he sat for about three or four hours in the coffee shop where I worked. My boss never complained, and neither did I, because he wasn’t taking up space and ordered for a latte refill as each hour passed.

I took away his tray and went back to make him a cup of latte, which I placed on his table.

“Thanks,” He said, without looking up.

“You’re always welcome,” I said, wearing a smile, even though he obviously couldn’t tell that I was smiling at him.

I heard my ringtone and quickly reached into my apron’s pocket to see who was calling. I hardly received any phone calls, and like I had guessed, it was Ian’s teacher who was on the phone.

“Hello,” I said immediately I answered the call, without any hesitation.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Venator. Can you come to the school, please? Something is going on with Ian, and you need to be here,” She said.

“I’ll be right there,” I told her, then hung up immediately.

It was exactly like I had guessed. I should never had let Ian out of my sight today. I was only trying not to be overprotective for once in my life, and I was pretty sure the result of that had been completely unfavourable. The entire werewolf community will be mad at me if they found out that I had allowed my son expose them.

I untied my apron, folded it, and dumped it on the stool behind the counter. There was no one in the coffee shop apart from myself, as my co-worker, MaryAnn, had gone to get some supplies needed for the shop. I was at a loss on what to do, and was contemplating whether or not to ask the regular customer guy to watch over the shop for a moment while I went to my son’s school which was close-by.

I became more worried even as the thought sunk in. I couldn’t trust the guy, because even though he looked responsible, he was probably a thief, and I’d be in trouble if he made away with anything in the shop. MaryAnn was not going to show up until an hour’s time, and I didn’t have the patience to wait for her.

My phone began to ring again, and it was still Ian’s class teacher who was calling, but this time around, I didn’t pick up the call, as I already knew all she wanted to say was to hasten me to go to the school. My son needed me, and thankfully, I still had the engagement ring Alistair had given to me, so, if anything went wrong, all I needed to do was just sell the ring and repay my boss with whatever anyone made away with.

“Hey,” I called.

The regular customer looked up. “Hey. Any problem?” He asked.

I shook my head. “Not really. My son’s teacher just gave me a call, and I need to go to his school to sort some things out,” I said.

“Okay?”

“I was wondering if you could help me look after the shop for a few minutes. His school is just right across here, and it’s quite urgent, but since my co-worker isn’t here and you’re practically the only one I can trust, I really don’t have a choice than to plead with you to just look after the place for sometime,” I said.

He looked contemplative, then shot a small smile at me. “Okay, no problem,” He said, in agreement.

“Thank you so very much, Mr...”

“Ethan. Mr Ethan,” He replied.

“Okay. I’m Eliana by the way,” I said.

“Cool. So, I’ll just stand at the counter on your behalf, not so?” He asked.

“It is so. Just help me collect the money when the people here are done with what they ordered for. If anyone comes in, you don’t have to make anything. Just tell them to wait, and if they can’t wait, apologise on my behalf and tell them to leave,” I said.

“Yes, boss,” He said, with a mock salute.

“Thank you very much. I’ll be right back,” I said, then quickly turned my back on him, as I left the shop, and ran all the way to Ian’s school.

At his school, I met with his teacher, who had been standing outside his classroom, apparently waiting for me to show up. If she could have been pacing around and waiting for me, it could only mean that things were even more complicated than I had originally thought.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Venator. Please, come with me,” She said, walking briskly.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, feeling even more worried as I hurried after her.

“I don’t know, ma’am. Ian seems really upset, and I thought you’d understand since you’re his mother,” She said, as we stopped in front of the library.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“He’s in the library. No one else is there since it’s school hours and the pupils are all meant to be in their classrooms, and the librarian is sick. I thought he wanted to be alone for some time,” She said.

“What happened?” I inquired.

“It’s my fault, I suppose. He gets teased a lot by some of his classmates, but he doesn’t make it a big deal, so, I just thought he was okay with it and that that’s their method of playing with each other,” She said.

I scoffed. “My child was being made fun of, and you thought it was a method in which kids play? What kind of teacher are you?” I asked, almost at the top of my voice.

“I am sorry, ma’am,” She said, looking really remorseful.

“Sorry won’t cut it, Miss Sally. Perhaps, if you had kids of your own, you’d have understood that being made fun of isn’t a joke,” I said, in a really stern voice.

“Again, I am so sorry,” She apologised.

“So, what happened exactly?” I asked, ignoring her apology.

“His classmates said some of the pupils were laughing at him concerning an issue during lunchtime, and he got really angry. He began to fight them, and they said he was growling. Someone even told me his eyes had a yellow glow and he had fangs, which I know is a lie. They’re just kids, they have wild imaginations, and I can understand that. When I got to the class, I tried to call him, but he had his face and ran out of the classroom, and came to hide out in the library. I figured it would be best if I called you to handle the situation,” She said.

I heaved a deep sigh. “You called me because you knew I work in a coffee shop nearby, unlike other rich parents who work in big companies. Would you have called me if I was working in an office far from the school? You call yourself a teacher, but you are not acting like one. You never bothered to tell me that Ian was being bullied, you weren’t in the class when they were having lunch, and you left a boy who just turned six all alone in the library, without even bothering to ask him what was wrong with him or try to comfort him.

“You left him alone...all freaking alone, and you’re proud to say it. What if he harms himself? What would you do then? You’re a disgrace to the educational system, and if anything happens to my only child, you’d be forced out of the teaching profession,” I told her, giving a distasteful look, as I opened the door and stepped into the library, without bothering to pay the slightest attention to her apologies.

“Ian,” I called, closing the door gently behind me.

I didn’t get a response.

“Ian, it’s your mum,” I said.

I heard a low growl, and a tear slid down my face. At least, I had gotten a response, but my heart ached badly, because I knew my son didn’t deserve to go through what he was facing at the moment.

I walked towards the sound where the growl had come from, and saw him sitting on the floor at the end of the library, in between a long bench and desk. I hastened my footsteps, then crouched before him.

His head was hung low, and when I saw his claws shooting out, I could only imagine that he was ashamed to look me in the eye.

I patted his head softly, and pressed his head close to my chest, like every loving mother would. He was my son, and I sure as hell wasn’t afraid of him. Thankfully, no one would believe whoever saw him transform since he or she was just a kid, and we didn’t have anything to worry about.

“Take a deep breath, close your eyes and calm down,” I said, holding his hands in mine.

He sobbed quietly, as he did as I had instructed.

“Think of me, Ian. Let go of the anger you’re feeling because of what your classmates did to you. Think of only happy things. Think of the time I took you for your first swim, think of when I caught you kissing Andrea on the cheek and telling her you loved her, think of my Mac and Cheese which you were forced to eat last night...”

“It tasted so awful,” He said, wearing a look of disgust, as he opened his eyes.

I chuckled, realising my trick had worked. His fangs had disappeared, same as his claws and the yellow glow in his eyes. I stopped patting his head, and made him look in my eyes, as I touched his cheek.

“Am I a monster, mum?” Ian asked, after an awkward moment of silence.

I shook my head, giving him a negative response. “Of course not, Ian. You are certainly not a monster,” I replied.

“Then, what happened to me?” He asked, looking terribly scared and troubled.

I heaved a sigh, standing up. I then sat down on the bench, and told him to do the same, which he did.

“You transformed into a werewolf, my baby,” I said.

“Wait. Werewolves are real?” He asked, with his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

I nodded my head, in the affirmative. “Yes, Ian. Werewolves are very real,” I said.

“And I am one of them?” He asked, looking at me with disbelief written all over his face.

“Yes, you are one of them,” I responded, wearing a smile.

“How?” He asked.

“Well, your father is also a werewolf,” I replied.

“Then, I don’t want to be a werewolf. How can I change back to being a human being?” He asked.

A smile lit up my face. “There’s a way it can happen, which is through magical means, but I don’t want you to deny who you are,” I said.

He seemed shocked. “Why? Don’t you mind having an animal for a son?” He inquired.

I shrugged. “To be fair, humans are biological animals. Ian, as a werewolf, you’d have a better memory compared to your peers, you’d be faster at running, seeing, smelling, and you can even hear stuff that’s going on miles away,” I said.

“Really?” He asked.

I nodded my head, in the affirmative. “Really. Being a werewolf is one of the most beautiful things you can possibly be, and once you learn how to control your transformation, you’d fall in love with who you are,” I told him.

“I’m not sure, mum,” Ian said.

“Listen, I am not going to force you to accept being a werewolf, but I also don’t want you to regret it in the future, so, Ian, you have to be sure,” I told him, squeezing his hands.

He seemed thoughtful for about a minute. “If I become a werewolf, am I going to be a good fighter?” He asked.

I chuckled. “Is that even a question? Yes, of course. Why do you ask?” I inquired.

“My classmates always insult me because I don’t have a dad, and they also say you’d give me to a welfare home soon because you’re still young and beautiful, and you’d want to start a new life. Today, they said you don’t even have the time to prepare lunch for me because I always eat the school’s lunch. I got really mad because I know you try your best to cook for me, but you just can’t, and even though I’d usually ignore them because I feel like they’d beat me up, I just couldn’t control my anger today and I fought them and won. I was making sure if it’s the werewolf power that gave me so much strength,” Ian explained.

I nodded my head, in understanding. “Your classmates are jerks, and you should have told me all these. I never could have guessed my happy little boy is going through a lot in school, but thanks to the werewolf power, they got what they deserved today. What do you say then? Will you accept being a werewolf or should I get a witch to get rid of your powers?” I inquired.

He shrugged. “I still don’t know, mum. All the benefits you listed about being a werewolf are personal. Can’t I do something for others?” He asked.

A smile appeared on my face. “Honestly, you’re the best thing I have gotten out of life. Imagine you having other people’s feelings in consideration. To answer your question, Ian, you can heal people with your powers or take away their pain...”

“Wait. Is that what happened with Audrey yesterday?” He inquired.

I nodded my head. “Yes. You saved her life, Ian. By trying to take away her pain, you triggered your werewolf abilities which shouldn’t have been so until about seven or eight years from now,” I explained.

“Wow. I want to keep being a werewolf, mum,” He said, looking really excited.

“I thought you’d say that,” I told him, wearing a small smile.

“So, is the healing ability a two-way thing? I noticed my teeth has grown back. Does that mean I also get to heal quickly, and I no longer have to bother you with being sick?” He asked.

“You’re such a smart boy. Yes, you also get to heal quickly,” I replied.

“Thank you for having a child with a werewolf, mum. This is so cool. I love you so much,” He said, hugging me.

I patted his head, wearing a big smile, as I hugged him back.

At least, things hadn’t been as bad as I had thought they would be. Ian was excited about being a werewolf, and he didn’t even dread the idea. However, accepting to be a werewolf came at a cost, and I had been thinking about it all morning. I couldn’t handle him all alone anymore, and I needed all the help I could get from the person who had gone through exactly what he was going through right now.

The full moon was fast approaching, and for the sake of my son, I knew I needed to do the right thing, even if it went against what I truly wanted. Alistair Duke needed to know about his son, as that was the only way I could ensure Ian didn’t make mistakes during the full moon that would make him hate himself forever.