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SHANIA’S POV

A few days have passed, and my headache hasn’t stopped even for a day. At times it gives me excruciating pain, and I massage my temples in circling motions. It keeps giving me a hard time. Even my stomach is no longer on my side.

I was in the room when Mr. Russel entered with Mrs. Russel and Brandon. Mr. Russel looked at me. He examined me. Brandon and Mrs. Russel were on the side also observing me. Whenever I look in their direction, his mom is giving me a smile assuring me that everything will be alright.

"It’s almost done," Mr. Russel said and I looked at him. What is almost done? Am I awakening? Is that what he meant?

"You're about to finish the waking, Shania,” he answered my thoughts and looked at me.

"What will happen to me? Will I be a werewolf?" I asked him and he smiled at me.

"Not yet. This is you meeting the inner you Shania, and it's not only about you being a werewolf,” he told me and gave me a comforting smile.

"Waking doesn't just mean you become a werewolf. You won't be a werewolf if you don't want to. You turn into a werewolf is up to what you feel inside Shania," he added. I took a deep breath and lowered my head. He stood up and Mrs. Russel sat down in his place.

"Shania honey, you don't need to be afraid about you being a werewolf. We are here to guide you until you'll finally accept who you really are," she said and stroked my hands before standing up.

After they wrapped the tools they used to examine me, they left the room. Brandon stayed on the side of my bed.

"You don't have to stay here Brandon," I said, turning to him with a straight face. I continued and said, "You have something to do. I can handle myself."

He then looked at me.

"Why are you always trying to push me Shania? I won't stay here if you don't want to. Let the maids know if you need anything,” Brandon said with a disappointed look on his face and left the room.

I got up and went to the window. I looked outside and it was very peaceful. It is completely different from how I feel inside.

I don’t know if I’m ready to accept this side of me. This is not easy for me and it will never be. I never knew about me being a werewolf. It’s something I only read about in books. It's all fiction in my head and then it suddenly became my reality.

My head hurts again maybe because I'm thinking too much but all of a sudden, my fingers are starting to hurt. The pain is unbearable. It was as if there was someone trying to hurt me, but the pain is all inside of me.

I tried to cling to the table near me and hold the pain as much as I could without bothering anyone from home but it became too much for me.

"Brandon! Help!!!" I cried and tears fell down my face.

"Is there anyone there? Please help me!" I said while sobbing. It was as if my head was about to explode and it was as if my fingers were being removed from my hands.

"Help me, please!" I shouted for help again.

The door opened with force that gave a loud thump and it was Mr. and Mrs. Russel.

"Shania!" Mrs. Russel exclaimed when she saw me crying in pain.

"Help her hurry," she instructed the maids but when they helped me I shook hands with them, causing them to fly in the air and they fell and lay on the floor.

"Oh my... What are we going to do?" Mrs. Russel said and turned to her husband.

"I'll take care of it ... Call Brandon,” he said and then pulled out a syringe.

"He was here earlier," she replied.

"I saw him leave, call him right now," Mr. Russel said. She nodded and left the room to call Brandon.

"What's happening to me? Why did I do that?" I was crying and was catching my breath as I gaze at the maids who were on the floor now.

"It's okay Shania, you need to control yourself and calm down," he said to me as he slowly approached me.

"Don't come near me or I might hurt you," I taunted. My fingers were starting to hurt again and I could see that my nails were getting longer and not just thicker. It hurts like hell and I scream in pain.

"Ahhhhhhh!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs and I could feel my hands burning. “Mr. Russel, please help me. It hurts so much, please!” I pleaded and he immediately came over to me and injected the syringe in my neck and I started to lose sight of what’s happening.

~

  • BRANDON’s POV *

I left the house because I was so annoyed with Shania. I wanted to look after her, be with her, by her side, but she looked at me as if I was just nothing to her. I want to stay, but what can I do if she doesn't want me to be with her?

“Is she really mad at me like that?” I whispered as I drank my vodka.

"I don't hate you, to be honest, I like you,” a woman who was sitting next to me said. I pretended I hadn’t heard her. She thinks I’m talking to her, but I’m not.

I keep thinking about Shania, will I go back? What if something bad happens to her? I shook my head and drank my vodka again. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered without looking.

"Brandon, where are you?" That's my mother, I recognized it immediately, but what's wrong with her voice? Why is she in a hurry? Did something happen?

"Come home now! Shania is screaming in pain! Where the hell are you!?" She burst out in anger. I immediately hung up the call and stood up with someone holding my arm.

"Where are you going? I thought we were having fun tonight?" The lady asked in a flirty voice. I removed her hands from mine.

"I am getting married,” I simply replied and left to go home.

I drove as fast as I could so that the 45 minute drive would only take me 15 minutes. When I got to our house, I didn't park my car properly and started running to the house until I got to our room.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"What happened to Shania?" I asked my parents. My father looks at me calmly but my mother gives me a death glare.

"Have you been drinking, Brandon? I can smell alcohol,” Mom asked me with a serious face.

"How is she Dad?" I ignored mom’s question and asked my father as I walked closer to Shania.

My eyes widened when I saw a syringe mark on her neck.

"What is this Dad? What did you put on her?" I pierced my eyes.

"I shouldn't have done that if you're here Brandon. There's no way I can handle her alone so I used something to put her to sleep," Dad's words ringed in my ears and he looked at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked him again, wanting to be sure of what happened. Dad motioned for me to look at Shania's hands and I saw her nails.

It was longer and thicker at the same time, which was probably why he was in so much pain.

"Is this the last step?" I asked him.

"It's almost over." My father said. He took the syringe and placed it inside a box. Then, placed his hands on my mother’s shoulders and left the room.

I looked at Shania who was sleeping in front of me.

"I told you I'll be by your side, and it's just the beginning but I'm starting to fail,” I whispered and held her hands.

Her nails are longer and thicker but her hands are soft. One by one, her nails returned to their original form. The syringe mark has healed as well. Shania would wake up after a few minutes.

"I should have stayed,” I told myself in disappointment. Her hands moved and my eyes fell on her face. Her eyes were slowly opened.

"Brandon," she uttered my name in a low voice. Her eyes were golden brown. It was originally brown, but it is in gold color now because she is experiencing awakening. It returned to its original color in a second.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't here when that happened," I apologized and put her hands next to hers.

~

SHANIA’S POV

I woke up to Brandon holding my hands and he said sorry that he wasn't there when that happened.

"I'm feeling better,” I told him and he gazed at me.

"Then that’s good,” he replied. "

"I'm hungry." My face turned to a smile.

He noticed it and stifled a laugh. Just a little. "Don't laugh, I'm really hungry," I said and rolled my eyes.

What’s funny with that? I said I’m hungry, and how dare he laugh at me.

"Let's go down, it's only 15 minutes before breakfast,” he said and I looked outside and saw the rays of the sun peeking through the leaves.

So much happened and it happened so fast.

"Change your clothes okay? Do you want me to wait here? Or downstairs?"

Of course he would need to wait outside. It would be too awkward if he will wait for me here.

"I'll just go down alone,” I said and opened my closet to change clothes.

I didn’t hear another word from him but the door opened so I assumed he came down. I moved quickly and changed clothes.

I straightened my hair, then reached for the doorknob. I opened the door and I screamed in panic because of Brandon.

"Aaahhh!" I screamed and I jumped to my feet.

"What are you doing there? I thought you'd wait downstairs,” I told him with one hand on my chest. I just recovered from what happened, but this jerk will make me faint again.

"Did I say I'll wait downstairs? I just went out but I didn't say a word,” Brandon said and put his hands in his pockets.

" Let's go. I thought you're hungry,” he added and motioned for me to walk first and he stayed behind me.

Everyone is sitting in front of the table and serving breakfast as well. It's steak! I gulped the forming saliva in my mouth. Its smell is inviting and fills my nose and my gut.

"How are you feeling Shania?" Mr. Russel asked when he saw me.

Brandon pulled up the chair next to me and motioned for me to sit down, so I sat down. I’m not that complicated you know, maybe sometimes.

"I'm feeling better,” I replied and he nodded.

"Make sure you finish your meal, we requested that for you,” Mrs. Russel said in a cheery tone.

They asked to serve it for me? They are very thoughtful.

I cut the steak and it was medium rare. It was so appetizing so I started eating like I was alone at the table and did not care for anyone.

When we finished eating, Mrs. Russel asked me if I wanted to grab some coffee with her. We went to the coffee shop closest to the house.

"How are you feeling now Shania?" She asked.

"I'm alright," I simply said and smiled at her.

"You can tell me anything. I'm willing to listen to you, always remember that.”

Then, she sipped her coffee.

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