Eight: A She Wolf In Disguise

SORAYA

Rosalia asks me if I should stay here, but I tell her that I have to get home because my friends and my father are probably worried about me. After all, I lost my phone and they can’t reach me. So we head downstairs; Rosalia hasn’t stopped holding me since. She’s acting like she’s my mother, but she is a mother, so she understands.

“Jose is going to be taking you home, okay, and please don’t run away. We’re always going to be here for you. You need the community since there is a hunter after you.”

Wow, there is a hunter after me. Someone wants to kill me- how crazy. This is the most bizarre night of my life, except for the night at prom when I found out that my mother was murdered.

I miss her so much. All this while  I thought she was shot by a petty thief, but she wasn’t; she was killed by a malicious person who has a problem with shifters.

Yes, what happened to that girl wasn’t fair, but it’s not everyone who had anything to do with her being a werewolf. I mean, years have passed, and they still have a grudge against shifters.

I look around at the people walking in and out of this building, even the doorman.

“Are they all werewolves?” I ask.

“Yes, honey, this is the Mooncrest Tower, it’s a building for werewolves. There’s a room for every penthouse for us to go in and chain ourselves up when the full moon comes. Werewolves live among themselves in other buildings too; it doesn’t have to be a penthouse building, and they each have their own room for chaining themselves up.”

“So what happens if a werewolf doesn’t chain themselves up?”

“They get shot by a silver bullet.” We all look at Jose. “Are you ready to go now?”  he asks.

“Jose Menendez, can you not be rude?”

“It’s late, ma, and I am tired.”

“Yeah, he’s right. I have to get home; my family are probably worried about me, and I have work tomorrow.”

“Okay, sweetie.” Rosalia spread her arms for a hug, and I hug her. “You’re going to be fin,e Mi amor, I promise.”

Yeah, I hope so, because I don’t want to see what these hunters have in store for me. I let go of her.

“Bye.” Miguel waves and I wave back. I really like that guy. I go straight to the door with Jose following me.

“Good night, ma’am.” The doorman says.

“Good night,” I say, smiling at him.

I recognise Jose’s car, and I walk over to the car. He doesn’t even help me with my door; what a gentleman. I roll my eyes and I open the door to the passenger seat and I get in, he gets in, and he drives the car.

We sit in silence after I give him the address because we obviously have nothing to talk about. I just rest my head, and I look out the window admiring the beauty that is New York City. I love this city, and it’s a shame that I might die and not see it ever again.

Oh mom, she was killed, and she suffered alone.

I don’t even know if I should tell my dad, like does he even know? Is he even a shifter, or is he just human? Is he just clueless?

I don’t even know.

But I remember when Mom used to tell me stories about wolves who protected people from evil forces. I genuinely thought she came up with those stories from her head; I didn’t know they held some kind of truth to them.

I get bored of looking outside, and I sit up. I try to adjust myself, not because I’m uncomfortable; this car is really comfortable. I just do it so I use the style to look at Jose, and I do. I only wanted to look at him briefly and look away fast, but I find myself staring at him for a long time because, as arrogant as he is, he’s pretty…pretty.

He is handsome. He looks like those leading men from Mexican telenovelas.

Oh shit, I hope that’s not a racist thing to say.

“Can I help you?” He asks, which startles me. Fuck, how embarrassing!

“I uh-” I look ahead for an excuse as to why I’m staring at him like that, and then I finally find it. Yes! “Pull up here, please,” I say. I’m home at last.

He does as I say, and he stops the car as quickly as possible, damn he really wants to get rid of me, does he?

“Thank you,” I say, and I open the door; he still doesn’t bother to help me with it. But before I walk out, I stop, and there’s no way I’m leaving here without saying my mind because I always speak my mind.

“You do know I don’t care about being the alpha, right?” I say, and then he faces me, a deadpanned expression on his face. “If there’s only one alpha, then there’s only one alpha. I don’t care for it.”

He smiles, like he genuinely smiles, and I smile as well. At first, I’m about to say how beautiful his smile is, but I wish I didn’t because I realised too late that the smile is sarcastic as fuck.

“Gee, thanks for the charity,” he says, and the smile on my face disappears, and my blood boils.

“You know you’re rude,” I say.

“Really? Would a rude person help you home?”

“You only did it because mommy asked you to.”

He scoffs. “Yeah, right.”

“What is your problem with me?”

“Honey, I don’t think much about you to form a problem. I don’t care for you.”

“Oh really,” I say, and Lord, I don’t care if he’s cute; he’s so fucking insufferable. I hate him!

“You know what? I’m fucking tired; I don’t have time for this.”

I move away from the car.  

“Bye!” he says, and I slam the door, which creates a loud noise and a crack in the window.

What the hell? Oh, I forgot; I have super strength- how convenient.

“FUCK!” he says, and then he starts the car and starts driving away.

“Sorry,” I say. He has to know that I didn’t mean to do that; I’m sure he does. But I don’t think he cares because he’s driven away.

I let out a breath, and I turn around to face a tall apartment building in Murray Hill, Manhattan. I live here with my bestie. I walk in, and I go straight to my apartment. Oh my God, what a night.

Before I can even open the door, the door opens up, revealing my best friend Diana.

“Oh my God, Sori.” She hugs me, and oh my God, I really gave everyone a scare, didn’t I? She releases me and looks at me angrily “Where the hell have you been? I thought you were killed by that man, and where is your phone, and what the fuck are you wearing? This wasn’t the dress you went out in?”

Diana Thornwood is a pretty dark-skinned girl with nice boho braids, full lips, sharp cheekbones and nice curves. She’s currently in a purple robe.

Diana is fun, upbeat, extroverted, loyal, and fiercely protective of me. She has been my best friend since freshman year of college and has always been someone I can trust

I sigh, and I walk inside.

“Where are you going, young lady? You had everyone worried. Your father has been calling nonstop.”

“I know, I know, and I’m sorry. I have work tomorrow; I just need to shower and get to bed. I’ll explain everything to you, I promise. I walk away from her.

“Soraya Renee Blackwell.”

“Sorry!” I say, and then I lock myself in the bathroom, and I lean on the door. I don’t even know if I should tell her; I do need someone to tell. I can’t keep this to myself. And then I remember a person I can tell.

Zayden, he’s probably worried as well. I have to call him. But that’ll be tomorrow because I’m fucing tired.

I’m in the shower, washing off the whole of New York on me.

Everything that happened this night comes flashing into my brain. A lot has happened.

Vampires are real, werewolves are real, and I’m one of them; so are demons, and fairies aren’t nice creatures. I’m an alpha wolf, and my mom was killed by a hunter, and a hunter wants to end me.

God, it’s too much. How the hell do I explain all this to Zayden?

I know he won’t believe me, but I do know what I can do to show him I’m being legit.

I lift my hand and I concentrate on my nails. Okay, first of all, I need a manicure because my nails look like shit.

And they start to grow, turning into long-ass claws.

“Whoa,” I say, looking at it. This is what I am: a werewolf.