34

I stood in a daze in the arms of a man I didn't want to suffer or have near me.

I broke away from him, wiped away my tears and took a deep breath, only to hear heavy footsteps coming from the forest. "What are you doing here?" Jayden glanced at me, then gave Ethan a questioning look, who didn't answer.

"How is Lou?" I asked into the silence, although I didn't really want to exchange a word with him, but my concern for her outweighed my dislike for him. "Why are you asking me that?" He looked at me confused, which made me think I'd really lost my mind. "Well, isn't she in your hut?" "What are you talking about, Chiara? I haven't seen her for days."

My breath hitched, but then I glared at Ethan, who avoided my gaze and lit a cigarette. "Can someone explain to me right now what's actually going on here?" Jayden's voice grew louder and threatened, but that didn't scare me anymore.

"Nothing, it's okay. She was drunk and I wanted to talk her into going home," Ethan explained the situation to him, which made me push him as hard as I could against the tree behind him. But this idiot just laughed while Jayden grabbed me around the waist and I also hit him for it.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped at the Alpha, who was staring at me in complete shock. "And you!" I pointed to Ethan. "Don't you ever dare to speak to me again! Do you understand that?!" I was shaking with anger and my hand that I was pointing at him was shaking so badly that I couldn't keep it straight and pulled it back. "You guys are just amazing!", I threw at both of them and turned around, where I saw Ludwig on the side of the road, who looked at me guiltily.

I ignored everything around me and just started running, just down the street that led to my house and didn't even think to stop until someone grabbed my arm.

"Chiara, please wait," said Ludwig soothingly. I stopped in front of him, but I didn't look at him, I just looked at the ground. "I'm-" "Never mind, Ludwig. I've heard enough apologies since I walked into this place."

I turned my back on him, hiding my tears from him, which I couldn't hold back. "It was just supposed to bring you closer to Jayden," he suddenly murmured, and I turned back to him, stunned. "What do you mean by that?" I asked him, looking him straight in the eyes.

He clutched his forehead in agony and paced while I waited, my heart racing, for his explanation. "Jayden is, well, he's complicated and still so young and wild. Ethan, Lou and I wanted to create a situation where you could get closer to him." "Are you kidding me?" I blurted out, my eyes widening, breathing heavily.

"Are you telling me that you only invited me to hand me over to Ethan, who was supposed to lead me to Jayden with a ruse?!" My anger made me tremble and tremble. I felt the lump in my throat, the tingling in my fingers, but I fought back and turned the anger into sadness.

"Things won't go well for our town if you don't find each other and you don't give the Alpha his strength. Remember-" "Stay away from me! If you come near me again, or near my grandma , I'm going to break all your bones!" I screamed, crying, walking backwards a few steps, trembling, and then turning my back on him.

Never in my life have I been so disappointed. I didn't expect anything less from Ethan, Lou was probably coerced but Ludwig, that handsome bastard, he broke my heart with that betrayal of trust.

I ran into the dead end crying and determined to stay here for my grandma to protect her from these characters, but I would never speak to any of them again. There were plenty of other people here that I could get to know. I wasn't dependent on some dumb pack or angel masquerading as the devil.

The biggest disappointment was that I really believed him and didn't understand how he could kiss me first and then make sure that I would end up with someone else. Something wasn't right and if I hadn't cared so much about these people I would have wanted to find out what, but I really didn't care at all.

There were no apologies, no excuses, and no reparations for that.

I unlocked the front door in tears, ran up the stairs quickly and locked myself in my room feeling trapped. I was a prisoner of this place, but I would find a way out, I vowed to myself, and if I had to yank my grandmother by the hair to do it, I would do it to escape.

The sun was rising outside my window and I still lay there, unable to sleep and my head pounding from the countless tears I had shed last night.

My only thought was to run away and as fast as my feet could carry me, but not without my grandma. I would never leave her here after all I had seen and heard. After my grandfather, she shouldn't be the next to perish here and I couldn't rely on these people.

Powerless and drained, I got up from my bed and unlocked my room door to then take the stairs down.

"Grandma?" I called through the house, but I didn't get an answer. She might be out or still asleep, so I set about making myself some coffee and breakfast. It was only when I wanted to get a cup from the cupboard that I noticed a note on the kitchen counter.

Dearest Chiara, Your mother wanted to come visit us and you now know, as do I, that she must never get to know this place. I went to visit her and spend some time with her. I would have liked to take you with me, but since your transformation you have changed and even if you don't notice it yourself, a mother will notice it immediately. I told her on the phone that you work a lot and don't have time at the moment for a spontaneous visit.

The fridge is full and if you still need something, don't hesitate to call Rudi. His number is on a piece of paper on the phone.

I'll be back in a week. Greetings Grandma

I could hardly believe what I had read and staggered I searched my way into the living room to sit down on the couch. I read those words again at least ten times and still I didn't want to see that she had left me alone. She could have taken me, not to my mother, but out of this hole surrounded by thick forest.

Pure disappointment spread through me and if all that wasn't enough, the doorbell rang. I stopped moving, didn't want whoever was on the doorstep to know someone was home.

After what felt like hours, I got up as quietly as I could and ran to the front door to put my ear to her, but I couldn't hear anything anymore. I opened it and looked around, but no one was around, so I was about to close the door again until I noticed a bouquet of roses on the floor in front of me. I hesitantly picked it up and saw the small note on it with the words "I'm sorry" written on it.

I looked around again and shook my head in anger. Although I liked flowers, I tore up the entire bouquet and threw the remains on the floor, then stomped back inside and slammed the door. Whether it was Ludwig, Lou, or even Ethan, who I least expected, who placed the flowers there, none of them deserved my forgiveness.

I went back to the kitchen to finally eat something and drink my coffee. The anger and disappointment took over everything in me that day. I would have loved to have a drink to wash away the pain, but I wanted to keep my head clear, so with my plate of toast and coffee, I found the couch and turned on the TV, hoping to catch what was happening in him would distract me from my own miserable life.

I must have fallen asleep after eating, because when I opened my eyes tiredly, it was already pitch dark outside. The TV flickered on and roared into the silence that surrounded me.

I stretched my body and got up to turn it off and make my way to the bathroom, wearily drunk. In front of the mirror, yawning, I began to model myself to understand what my grandma meant by change.

I looked the same as always. Perhaps the dark circles were more pronounced, which was completely natural after so much stress. My blue eyes were the same color as ever and my dark blonde hair looked the same as ever. I touched my skin with my fingertips and stroked my cheeks, which felt warm, and then, taking a deep breath, looked away from the mirror to sit on the toilet and let my face fall into my hands in exhaustion.

At that moment, when I was slowly becoming right again, everything I had experienced went through my head and I was sure if there was a hell, it would be this place. The demons of the night drank their venom and danced happily through the forest while lies and deceit were the order of the day, drawing even the toughest of humans into a maelstrom of destruction.

How I would like to have the ability to forget, but I knew I would never forget and felt like I would never process it either. Maybe that's what my grandmother meant by change. I had changed and even if I managed to put the pieces back together, the cracks would stay with me for life.