56

She looked at me questioningly, but I avoided her gaze and didn't know how to explain all this to her. Especially me, who wasn't exactly the most sympathetic person, more someone who explained everything with arrogance and hubris, but I was different with her, so I took a deep breath and hoped she wouldn't run away in shock forever the moment she did would go better again.

"Yeah, I know that sounds harsh now," I began, looking for her gaze, which was curiously looking at me. Oh god, I thought and had to remember Chiara, who had gone so crazy after finding out everything. "I... We... well, we're not real people."

She didn't say anything, still looking at me with her interested look and with her eyes urging me to continue. "We are wolves, shapeshifters," I said simply, expecting her to either scream or laugh at me, but something else happened entirely.

"It's you?!", she suddenly said, completely surprised and raised her upper body exhausted. "What do you mean?" I asked her confused, thinking maybe she still had a fever that was too high. When the first tears welled up in her eyes, I took her hand comfortingly and gave her the time she needed to open up.

"My mother left me early and the last time I saw her she said that someday a man who could change his shape and who would take care of me and protect me would find me," she sobbed and spread stretching out her arms to show me that I should take her in a hug.

I quickly scooted towards her and pulled her tightly to my chest. I felt her trembling and the tears running down her cheeks on my bare skin. "I've waited so long," she breathed and I was just glad that she wasn't angry at all. I'm sure she would have many more questions, but the worst was behind me and I just wanted her to rest and fully recover.

"You should get some sleep now," I whispered in her ear and then noticed that she was breathing very quietly and gave me no more reaction. Smiling at my calming effect on her, I gently pulled her away and gently lowered her onto her pillow so she could finally get a good night's sleep.

"Sleep tight," I whispered, kissing her hand gently while just being proud that this beautiful, intelligent, strong girl would be mine from now on and her mother was right. I would protect her forever, even to the death, and there would never be anything more important to me than her well-being.

I got up reluctantly, wanting to stay by her side but she really should be resting without disturbance and besides, I still had to wash my feet.

I grabbed one of the water bottles from the table and opened the door to face the brunette, then walked out smiling. "You're still alive, so you haven't told her the truth yet," Chiara laughed immediately and I grinned at her challengingly. "She knows, only not everyone is as paranoid as you and freaks out at every little thing."

The dark blonde's eyes pierced me as Jayden stood beside her, studying the map. "Oh yeah? Maybe she's just scared of you and just waiting to be able to get away," she said and tapped my arm provocatively. "What do you care, anyway? Better lie down in the sun and relax. You look like a corpse," I laughed, examining her sparkling eyes.

"Charming as always! And then you're still wondering why I pissed you off?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and clung to Jayden's side, sticking her tongue out at me provocatively.

I turned to my feet and started running the water from the bottle over them while Jayden took a deep breath and stared at us both. "If we start now, we could be on a beach tomorrow at noon," he said, showing Chiara the map.

"How is Jo supposed to rest when we're driving?" she then asked him worriedly and exactly the same question buzzed through my mind as well. "It'll work, it has to work," he said and smiled at Chiara, who beamed back at him.

"Thank you darling." She kissed him so passionately that I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Get a room!" I snapped at the two of them and instead of them stopping, they smiled at me, took my hand and disappeared behind the door of the room Jayden had still booked.

"At least make it quiet!" I shouted after them and then quietly climbed back into the trailer.

When I opened my eyes everything was dark around me and I heard Jayden snoring loudly. With difficulty I got up from the hard folding bed and carefully climbed over the three sleeping people.

Chiara lay tight against Jayden's chest while Ethan slept on his stomach. I stopped just outside the cab and thought about everything he had told me.

Shapeshifters... wolves... I only knew all this from my mother's stories. She always told it as if she had experienced it herself and when I was little I always wished I was a wolf too. Looking over my shoulder, my heart warmed because I realized that it had to be a mark and according to my mom, it meant that Ethan was my soulmate.

I smiled to myself and would have loved to snuggle up to him, but unfortunately there was no more space and I felt so good after sleeping that I wanted to surprise them.

"If I start driving now, we'll be there by sunrise," I murmured to myself, holding the map in my hand.

Ready to drive through the night, I grabbed the key from the table and walked over to the driver's seat to start the engine. A curious glance backwards showed me that nobody seemed to have woken up, so I turned around again and headed back to the main road to head towards the sea.

Hours passed in which I drove alone with my thoughts through the night and only Jayden's snoring penetrated my ears. How could the other two sleep next to him? I could hardly stand it like that, but they were probably used to it.

My mind wandered back to Ethan, whom I had blamed for so many things for no reason. After all, the bite was a token of his affection, but how was I supposed to know beforehand? He could have just warned me, but how do you tell someone something like that? I had no idea and was just happy to be with him from that point on.

I've never been lucky enough to feel at home anywhere since my mother died and finally, I had that feeling and realized that it wasn't freedom that meant happiness to me, but rather getting through it with these three people by my side to drive the night. Ethan was right from the start.

I just concentrated on driving and watching the fields and small forests that passed me while the beach should be getting closer if I had read the map correctly.

"Hey," suddenly Chiara's quiet voice next to me startled me and I gasped for air until the dark blonde sat down next to me with a smile. "Hey," I whispered back to her, glancing over at her as she looked me up and down. "You look better," she giggled, leaning back in her seat.

I kept glancing over at her and wanted to ask her so many things, but didn't know where to start. "Are you a wolf?" I asked her and my cheeks turned red, but she just laughed softly and leaned forward again. "Yes, I am, but not for that long either. Jayden bit me," she whispered and I continued to ask curiously. "How was it for you?"

"Oh don't ask. I wasn't as lucky as you and had a pleasant encounter with him before. On the contrary. He was mean and arrogant and just pushed me against a tree at night," she said and then took a deep breath. "But today I can tell you, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. After transforming for the first time and getting involved in getting to know him better, I haven't wanted anything else ever since."

She sounded so happy doing it and dreamily looked up at the night sky. I really couldn't imagine that Jayden was arrogant in any way or that she would just attack her, but maybe she had made him a better person.

"Is there anything else you want to know while they're both still asleep?" she then asked, turning to the sleeping people. "Has Ethan always been like this? Or was he arrogant before?" She suddenly laughed so loudly that I opened my eyes in shock and winced. "You're really great, Jo," she giggled, clutching her stomach. "When did this braggart stop being arrogant?"

I softly joined in her laughter and had to shake my head at the thought of their friendship. "No, but seriously. He's one of the good guys, but don't you tell him I said that." I nodded to her and then looked contentedly out of the windshield to see the sun slowly rising on the horizon. "We'll soon be there!" I turned to Chiara, but she suddenly sat there and turned deathly pale until she covered her mouth with her hand and jumped up.

"Stop right now!", she mumbled through her hand and walked back to the door.