29

After Keno and Jamal got back in after me, I just couldn't help but wink at the redhead with a triumphant smile, who watched the car in disbelief as we left the gas station at high speed.

"People are so simply knitted. It's almost pitiable," Jamal said into the silence and I immediately looked at him questioningly from behind, because I was firmly convinced that he just wanted to tease again...

"What do you mean by that?" I wanted to know and he turned to me briefly, only to direct his arrogant gaze forward again.

"Well, keno could have just screwed her like that without even trying. Isn't that pretty naive?"

Just from this horrible thought, I clenched my fists so hard and uncontrollably that my fingernails painfully pierced my skin and probably even left wounds there.

"Oh, and you wolves are better?!" I replied irritably and at that moment acted as if he had personally attacked me with his words, but I also had to admit in this discussion that my human side was much more pronounced was when my wolf fish. "Do you actually know how many times I had to defend myself from being raped because you wolves can't control yourselves?!"

"We wolves?" Jamal laughed and quickly turned to me, after which he had to push his black, short curls slightly to the side. "Apparently you really aren't a real wolf."

"Enough, Jamal!" came out loud from Keno, who didn't even have to look at him and already his beta obeyed him like a good lapdog and turned away from me, just like I did from him.

Why did he even have to provoke me again?! Stupid idiot.

All three of us didn't say a word for the next few hours. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as we listened to Lenny Kravitz's music on the radio until Keno unexpectedly cleared his throat and the gesture made me realize he was looking wistfully at me in the rearview mirror. That look from him gave me a slight stomach ache. So cold and full of pity...

"How often?" he then asked in a low voice and at first I didn't know what he wanted from me, so I frowned and continued to stare at him in irritation. "How many times have you had to defend yourself against wolves?"

"Too often," I replied without batting an eyelid, noticing Jamal's eyes on me. But that's not all. I immediately felt this unbridled anger seething deep inside Keno as he took his eyes off the mirror and me to keep his focus on the street. Basically, I could more than understand his anger because doing this to women was just plain cruel, but I wasn't angry anymore... Probably because I wasn't used to it any other way, which sounded pretty bitter...

"I'm very sorry about all that," he said quietly, as if he could help it, and finally took an exit off the freeway, causing the car to slow down and I looked at the area, which suddenly seemed familiar to me. Immediately all worries were forgotten and I put on such a big smile that I must have looked like shit. I didn't care!

"We'll be right there!" I rejoiced and forgot everything we had experienced together over the past few days. For a moment it even seemed as if I had never been away and from afar I could see exactly the sports field that I used to visit every summer evening as a child. The excitement in me could hardly be controlled and I shifted more and more nervously on the seat while I almost pressed my nose flat against the window pane and could hardly catch my breath.

"Oh yeah, she's really very human," Jamal said provocatively when he made fun of my panting, but even he couldn't bring my mood down now.

Nobody could do that anymore!

Before the car pulled up on my street, I frantically unbuckled my seat belt with my shaking hands and hurriedly opened the door to dive out of the car and sprint towards my front door.

"Gloria!" I yelled out loud, almost stumbling up the porch, but I barely managed to keep my balance and, out of breath, knocked on the front door like a lunatic.

"Gloria! It's me!" I screamed through tears and then ran excitedly to the window next to me to put my hands on it and look in, but she didn't seem to be home...

"Aria?" Keno called from behind me, but I ignored him and ran to the front door again to knock even harder on the locked door. I just didn't understand why she wasn't at home... Or was she so mad that she ignored me on purpose. But Gloria was never a resentful person...

Confused and excited, I tried to smell her, to hear her heartbeat, but there was just nothing... absolutely nothing! My eyes widened in fear, my breathing slowed, and pure panic rose in me.

"Aria!" Keno yelled again and reluctantly I slowly turned around and looked at him completely confused at all this.

He held his hands up a little and I frowned in irritation as I recognized the many letters in his hand, all of which seemed unopened. I slowly walked towards him, feeling my heart beating violently against my ribs, but somehow I felt like I was underwater and didn't really understand what was going on here.

"They were all in the mailbox," he explained, pointing to the white box next to him, which I also gave my attention to briefly before glancing up into Keno's dark eyes, before accepting the letters trembling. I stared at her and knew immediately that this was all up to no good. Gloria has always worked like clockwork. She would never have allowed her mailbox to be so full...

What happened???

"Where is she?" I breathed insanely and looked at Keno for help, who immediately put his hand on my back and walked back to the front door together with me.

"Don't worry. We'll go in and find a reason for this," he tried to calm me down and I had to admit that he really managed to take some of my fear away...

He then knocked on the door again and I was almost scared to death when I suddenly heard loud footsteps on the roof above me.

"This is Jamal."

Keno looked at me and took my hand tightly in his.

"He's looking for an entrance without us having to rip the front door off its hinges."

I nodded and pointed past him.

"The door in the back is actually always open because I've lost my key several times," I admitted and Keno immediately grinned stupidly and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"I didn't expect anything else," he smiled and I just rolled my eyes when the front door opened from the inside and I immediately let go of Keno's hand to step past Jamal into the living room...

"Oh my God!"