Argent

I stand in the ruins of the old institution, staring at Aida. Her long, straight hair hangs in a single plait over her shoulder, and the deep brown reminds me of my wolf's colour. We match. We were meant to be. She is a tiny slip of a girl. Long lean legs lead into a long, thin torso and beautiful slender arms. I swear she is so tiny I could pick her up with one hand.

She took the shift amazingly well. She didn't scream and run away like most people seeing this for the first time. Like most humans who have witnessed a shift have done so before her.

Aida was unbelievably calm during the shift. Strong. Brave. She is everything my mate should be. Everything the next Luna and leader of our pack should be.

My mother would like her. I feel a slight tinge of sadness at that thought. I miss her.

As we stand here together now, in silence, it's not even awkward. I know she's just taking it all in. I have no doubt she will have millions of questions, but I have nowhere I would rather be and all the time in the world for her.

I take her dainty hand in mine, and I love how they feel laced together. I lead her to a small bench under a tree. It faces the stream, and the soft sound that the trickling water makes is so soothing. I hope she feels like she is ready talk to me about all this.

As we sit, she faces me, and her expression changes. A small frown starts in her brows and makes a small crinkle in the bridge of her nose. It's adorable.

"So ..." she starts, then stops, changing her line of thought. I can see she's trying to figure out how to even begin. "You're a wolf."

I nod, waiting for her to continue.

"And you're not the only one who can do this, I suppose? Because you said that you think I'm a wolf too." Her voice is remarkably strong for someone who just witnessed what she did.

I nod again.

"And does this mean your family are wolves too?"

I smile, thinking about her meeting them. "Yes, we are. For as long as we can trace, my family has been the leading members of the Morningtown pack. My father is the alpha, the leader. I will be the next one."

She looks ahead and seems to be taking it all in. She nods her head and then starts to shake it before finally dropping it into her hands like it's all too heavy for her to deal with right now.

My father would not have approved of me shifting out here in the open, but I feel like I had to. Something about this whole situation is off.

I take her hand in mine, lifting her head up as I do. I so badly want to tell her about mates and how she belongs to me and that I will do anything to help her, but I think that would be overwhelming for her right now. One step at a time. But damn, I want to hold her.

I begin again.

"Aida, usually wolves turn at early puberty. The first time they shift is difficult and painful, but as they continue to shift and learn more, it becomes a natural progression. We learn about it our whole life pre shift. We are all one with our wolf. We speak in each other's minds. One cannot exist without the other. That is why I have no clue why you don't know. I don't know why you've never turned. I've never heard of this happening before."

I think before I question her again.

"Tell me, can you not hear your wolf? Does she not speak to you? Didn't your parents tell you?" I stare at her beautiful round face. I can see her searching for a response. Maybe something in her past will help us figure this out? Maybe a memory she has now makes more sense?

"I never knew my parents. They died just after I was born," she admits, staring sadly out over the stream. She really is alone. Well, she was. Not anymore. She looks back to me and seems concerned. Something is bothering her. "Argent, the reason I'm in here, in this place, it's—"

"I know," I interrupt her. "Dr Jasper said you're unwell. That you've had a troubled past."

I don't elaborate. I don't want to tell her that he called her violent. I don't believe it for a second. I don't want her to think I judge her or pity her for being in here.

"You talked to him about me?" Her voice trembles slightly. She seems worried. Maybe even mad.

I quickly say, "I asked about you. I asked him if he knew why you couldn't hear me when I linked today when we met." I don't want her to think I'm prying or anything.

Her face drops. She frowns at me, and I don't know what I've said wrong but she becomes so upset that she stands and walks to the edge of the water.

I follow her, then grab her shoulders and turn her to face me. "Aida, what is it? What did I say? I'm sorry I spoke to him about you. It's just that I wanted to know more about you. He's a wolf too, and part of our pack, so I thought he would help."

I stop. Her face goes a deep shade of red. Her eyes are wide, and tears start forming. I can't help it. I want to comfort her. My wolf moans inside my head. I don't think about it anymore; I grab her and pull her into my body. I let her sob into my chest, stroking her hair. I feel so close to her that I finally relax. I know she feels it too because her breathing slows, and she starts to relax into me.

She hesitantly raises her head to stare at me.

"Argent, do you know why I'm here? All my life, I've had dreams. Nightmares haunting me about turning into a wolf. Dreams so vivid I woke up outside. I woke up in a torn apart room. I woke up scratched and bleeding. And on the darkest day, I woke up in a house full of people who had been killed, drained of blood, and they were all in pieces."

Aida pauses. She lets out a sob so heart-breaking, I can't take it. I pull her back to my chest again.

She takes a deep breath and continues, "People who I had killed ... Argent, I don't remember it. I can't even remember dreaming it. I just remember waking up with no idea how I got there and seeing Dr Jasper. He told me what I had done and then explained that I would be coming here to BetaStone and that I would remain here or go to prison. That was eleven months ago."

She steps back and looks at me.

"So, don't you see? Dr Jasper, who you just said is a wolf, who knows about wolves, he put me here. He has told me for almost a year that what I dream is not real. That I'm mad and violent. That werewolves are a delusion and nothing more."

She moves away from me, turns, and faces the stream once more, taking a breath and looking up to the blue sky above.

I try to take in what she's said. She believes that she is responsible for killing a whole bunch of people. Impossible. For one, she said they were drained of blood. That doesn't sound like a wolf induced death to me, more like vampires. And more importantly, why didn't Dr Jasper tell her that she's a wolf? What did he know about this?

So many questions.

She asks, "Why are you helping me? Why did you not even flinch when I told you that I was responsible for hurting people?"

I put my hands on top of hers. How could I even begin to explain to her? As her mate, I can see her. I can read her better than anyone else. I know in my soul that she didn't do these things. I know there is another explanation, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. And I'm going to start with that lying piece of shit Dr Jasper. He knows more than he's letting on.

Dad always said he was hiding things. Why has he been lying to her? To protect her? I hope so, for his sake. He didn't mention any of this to me. I guess he thought it was none of my business. Well, it is now. I look at Aida's desperate face. I speak to her softly, "Aida, in my pack, we help each other. We all work as one. If one person suffers, we all suffer until we figure it out."

I take her by the hand again and start heading towards the institution. She follows without saying anything. I hope she trusts me now.

"We can figure this out ... if you want me to help you, that is. If you want to figure it out ... I know you're not part of my pack, but you could be, if you want to. Or until we figure out what pack you belong to. We can get to the bottom of this."

Aida nods and gives me a small smile. "I don't know what I've done to deserve your help, but I swear one day I'll make it up to you. And Argent?" She pauses. "I don't think I hurt those people."

I look into her eyes. Never have I ever felt so sure about anything. "I know you didn't," I say. There's no way she did.

A single tear escapes down her cheek, and I catch it with my fingers. She steadies her breath and takes my hand.

This girl is amazing. Her whole life just changed and yet she's still standing strong.

We continue walking back to BetaStone to find Dr Jasper and get some answers.