Aaron: An Imposter

AARON

Two women were sitting in the farthest corner of the café, probably here on their lunch break. One of those women said to the other, “There is a disturbance in the northern region again.” I glanced at them and saw a woman in a white blouse, as she put the newspaper down and took a big bite of her salad.

“Must be something to do with stealing land from the tribes and indigenous communities.” The other woman dressed in an olive dress shirt, took a bite from her sandwich and shook her head, “I don’t know when they will leave these communities alone. We learned nothing from the past,” she clicked her tongue.

I rocked my fingers over the counter as I listened to them talk. They were sitting a bit far to be heard by basic human hearing, but that’s not my case. My hearing power is better than anyone's in this café. I am not your average human. I don’t even know if the people around me would even call me one if they knew who I am and what I can do. I never reveal my true identity to them because I so desperately want to be a part of them. I want to be normal. I don’t want to be associated with my roots. So, I want to be one.

I am a human. I repeat the same old mantra to myself like I do every day.

“Excuse me, Sir? Your coffee,” I heard the barista. I looked at her. She was holding my cup of coffee in her hand, waiting for me to take it from her. I didn’t realize I was zoned out. I took my coffee from her hand and thanked her. With one last glance at those two women, who were now gossiping about a colleague of theirs, I walked out of the café.

I looked up at the sky. It was a gloomy day. It rained all night the night before, but now it has been reduced to drizzling. I heaved a sigh and looked around me. Some people were carrying umbrellas, while others were rushing to cover. I didn’t have to. I don’t mind rain. If anything, I like it. It reminds me of my home. It reminds me of the North.

I watched as people were dressed in coats, jackets, and sweaters. They must be feeling cold. November’s rain can get chilly here. Unfortunately, I don’t feel cold. I like the idea of shivering in the cold, taking warm showers, drinking warm beverages to feel warm, and doing everything a human does when it gets cold. I can’t do any of those, because I don’t feel cold. I do them all to mingle among the other humans around me, but it is not the same.

“Sir, you could have asked me to get you coffee.” My assistant, Kendrick, rushed to me with an umbrella in his hand. He had to tip-toe to even barely get it over my head.

Kendrick is not a short man. He is well over 5’11 ft. It is me who is excruciatingly tall – standing high at 6’8 ft. People gawk at me when they walk past me. They must think that I am some sort of bodybuilder with my jacked-up body and tall height. When I correct them, they believe I am just a gym junkie. I don’t even go to the gym! That’s just who I am. I am an imposter. If any of these people knew who I really am, they would know about me. They will run away from me. No one will ever want to come near me, and that’s exactly why I hide my true self.

I looked at Kendrick and nodded my head, “It’s okay. I wanted to walk,” I replied to him impassively before I took the umbrella from his hand and started walking towards the car.

Kendrick smiled at me as he walked beside me, “In the rain?” He asked.

I smirked at him, “It is the best.”

Kendrick has been working for me for the past three years. He is in his late twenties and is very efficient in his job. His presence doesn’t make me feel like I am alone. He is quite a friendly person, even when I barely ever return his friendliness. I am known as an approachable person. I am stern. I am rude. That’s okay. I don’t mind being called all that. In fact, I prefer it this way. The farther people are from me, the more secure my identity is from them.

We got in the car. I sat in the back and Kendrick took the wheel. I do drive around, but not when I am going to see clients or for meetings. That’s when Kendrick drives me. We were currently going to a meeting with another biomedical firm. They have some interesting innovative ideas in their pockets, but they don’t have the talent to act on the ideas. That’s where I come in. I run a biomedical company. Most of the hospitals, clinics, and dispensaries have the product our company produces. We have made quite a few breakthroughs in the last few years. Our company is leading in the industry of biomedical technology. After working day and night for the last five years, my employees and I are finally able to bring my company to this point. I couldn’t be prouder.

As the car rolled onto the busy road of the city, my mind drifted back to the conversation those two women were having in the café. I know what those disturbances are about. If only everyone else knew as well, how scared they would be of the North.

How do I know? It used to be my home, but it is not anymore. I left home ten years ago. Why? I wanted to be normal. I left in search of the human in me and left the wolf part of me back in the North.

Most humans believe that werewolves are mythological. I wish that was true. We are not fictional. We exist. Our old customs, religion, beliefs, and unwillingness to move on from the tribal Pack system pushed me to take a big step toward leaving that place. I was different. I used to think differently. I didn’t care about the century-old values, the Gods, the customs, and the secrets. I didn’t care if my father was an Alpha of the Pack (he still is). I didn’t like the ranking system of the community. The Alphas, the betas, the Omegas… I hated how everyone was treated based on how strong one was from another and what rank they possessed.

I hated that even when I used to show no respect towards the beliefs and customs of the Pack, everyone worshiped me only because I was their Alpha’s oldest son, and the next in line to become an Alpha. I didn’t want to! How could I be the Alpha only based on my father’s rank in the Pack? What kind of monarchy was it? I didn’t think I was capable of being an Alpha, but my father believed that it would come to me – because I was the chosen one. What bullshit? Chosen by who? The Moon Goddess? The woman I couldn’t even see? No, thank you. I didn’t believe in their make-believe games.

My father hated my atheistic approach. My mother prayed for my soul. My siblings tried to talk me into it, but all their efforts were in vain. I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take the pressure. The day I turned 16, I was expected to start training to be a future Alpha. I was told to search for my wolf. It scared me. I wasn’t scared of my wolf, I was scared of searching for it. I didn’t want to mix in the Pack, I wanted out, so I tried everything to keep my wolf from appearing, and it ended up with me leaving my Pack forever and coming to the city to live like a normal human.

I can lie and say I don’t miss the North. I miss my family, even when only Alex, my youngest brother, and my mother are the only ones who talk to me. I miss the forest. I miss the clean air. I miss the people too. But I would never return – at no cost. Sage Pack is in the past I am never going to visit.

I heaved a sigh and looked out of the window of the moving car. I know the disturbances those women were talking about were attacks. The Sage Pack has been attacked for a few months by the unknowns, but they are always able to defend themselves. I hope that was the case this time as well. Maybe I should call my mother to make sure she is okay.