I didn't say anything. I was shocked to learn that I should've died instead of living through the bite. My eyes lowered to the floor and tears formed within them. There had been many days that I wished I would've died.

"I'm sorry," King said. "It was different when I saw you the next evening at Harden's house." He mentioned the Mayor of the town and the welcoming party that took place. I remembered everything bit by bit, how he had offered me to dance with him, how he had been so kind to me, how he let me see things differently.

I thought that evening was the start of something.

I thought.

"You were supposed to die, Eos, but you didn't and I don't know why or what happened. A wolf bite was supposed to kill a human—any human." He further continued while pacing near me. The sun rays shone straight at him and his brown hair. He was dressed as compared to last night, wearing a black shirt and a pair of black pants while I was undressed and only covered with a comforter.

"What are you?" I asked him, still in doubt, still curious even after seeing him turn into an animal.

"A werewolf or a shifter—whichever term you prefer."

Werewolf.

Wasn't that folklore?

There were many children's stories written about werewolves and big black wolves hunting down children that didn't brush their teeth or slept on time. Often, I read many of these stories and found them interesting along with other mythical creatures that were used to scare children into being good.

"W—what is happening to me, then?" I questioned, horror and strain in my voice as I looked over my hands. They had changed completely last night, turned into an ugly paw.

"You survived the bite and you're in a state of transformation. The pain you felt was your own wolf forming herself within you over the course of the past few weeks. Your body will change, you'll feel different, your emotions, your thoughts, your mind—everything." He explained to me with his warm voice while I was breaking from within.

I looked at him, startled, and said, "I don't want this."

"Unfortunately, that's not something I can control. As I mentioned, this hasn't happened before so I have no clue on what to expect."

"No, I don't want this." I shook my head, denying and rejecting whatever was within me. "I don't want to be a wolf."

I couldn't become a wolf.

"You'll not be just a wolf, Eos." He came near and got down on his knees. His eyes bore into mine and he placed his hands over my legs. "You can control when you want to shift or when not. It's completely up to you. You never have to shift if you don't want to."

"I don't want this." I stared at him and said.

Disappointment appeared on his face. "Why?" He asked, his voice low now.

"Because I don't want to live forever. I don't want to live with pain. I don't want this!" I exclaimed, crying out just a little more till my eyes burned with the tears that didn't stop for a second.

"There'll be no pain. It's a gift and you'll learn that through time." He cleared his throat and stood up. "For now, you just have to shift, tonight."

"What?"

"It's going to be the full moon tonight and you'll have to shift," King said, tearing his gaze away from mine. "If you don't shift, you'll die."

My lips parted. I blinked my eyes and raised my brows at his words. "I'm not going to."

"You'll die."

"I rather die than be a monster!" I exclaimed, standing up from the seat and inching closer to the tall windows. It was time to leave. I didn't want to be here for another minute in fear of getting harmed or worse tortured.

The whereabouts of whatever house I was in were unknown. My phone wasn't with me, my bag was gone as well and my clothes were taken. I couldn't call anyone, not even Aunt Carol. She must've been getting worried sick about me. I told her I would return home and I didn't.

King turned around and he looked at me. I froze on my steps and slowly pulled my hand away from the window lock while ensuring he hadn't seen me reach for it.

His eyes flicked to my hand and then to mine. "I rather have you alive."

"I won't shift," I stated, staying firm on my decision. The last thing I ever wanted to do was to shift into some wild animal and run through the woods, terrifying everyone.

"You'll die, Eos. If you don't shift, you will die tonight and I can't let that happen." He repeated, this time more seriously.

I didn't reply with anything as I had never thought my death would be written in such a way. I didn't want to die. Not right away, not tonight. Things were going well finally in my life and I wanted to live a bit more.

"Come here." He stretched his arm, inviting me in his embrace as I grew lost in my thoughts and emotions.

Countless tears welled in my eyes. I swallowed the bile in my throat and walked away from the window and straight into his arms, sobbing and crying out my heart while he rubbed my back and tried soothing me down. My eyes burned as I continued.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't want this and I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy but it happened—it happened and I can't help it. It was all my fault and I apologize for it. If it were to be anyone else, I would've let them die but I can't let you die." His thumb ran across my cheeks before going through my hair. The tips of his fingers rested in my head and he pulled me closer to his chest where I heard the thumping of his heart.

I held him harder, relieving myself of the pain but there was no relief—was there? It was either dying tonight or living for eternity as a werewolf.

When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurred. I stared at the wooden walls of the room and tried to hold myself together.

Haven't I suffered enough?

"There is still a lot of time before the full moon and I don't want you to spend the day worrying about it so let's get you dressed," King whispered in my eyes before moving my head away from his chest. He cupped my face with his hands and continued, "There is nothing to be sad about. Once you know everything, you will understand how great of it is to become strong, powerful, and different."

His thumb wiped away the tears as I nodded, my heart and soul turning into a little child.

King left me near the window and he entered the other door of the room that led toward a closet and then a washroom. Curious, I peeked in and found him getting a few clothes for me. When he returned, he offered me the clothes and I took them.

"Why did you remove my clothes? I was fine in them." I said, changing the atmosphere of the room and thinking about other things than turning into a wolf tonight. I couldn't stress enough, my head was on the verge of turning into a blitz.

"You slipped onto wet dirt last night. I removed your clothes when I bought you here." He replied, turning around.

His back was turned to me when I undid the comforter and let it slip from my body. As soon as it did, I grabbed the sweater and threw it over my head before wearing the black pants offered. Once dressed, he turned back around.

"Will you let me go home?" I asked, pulling the sleeves down and wrapping them around my fingers. It was chilling cold even with the sun shining in from the windows.

"Not tonight. You're free to leave tomorrow morning or whenever you will be able to finish your transformation." He replied, honestly.

"So, you did kidnap me." I smiled at him.

"I'm trying to save your life—"

"After you tried to kill me." I reminded him and the response sounded like a taunt.

He lowered his gaze and said, "I'm sorry for that." He seemed sincere about accidentally biting me that night at the cemetery. There was guilt in him.

For the most part, I blamed him. But what if he couldn't control himself? What if didn't have control over his animal?

"Can I get a drink?" I asked.