Their shocked expressions are almost comical, but I'm too determined to laugh right now.

"Y-you want to see my wolf?" Xavier sounds hesitant, almost like he doesn't want me to see it.

"Yes, of course. I wanna know what he looks like, and I've never met a werewolf before, obviously. So I'm curious."

"Are you sure; we only just met each other. I don't want to scare you off." His voice is but a whisper at the end. He's unsure, but he also doesn't realize that I'm not leaving unless they want me to. So, to ease his insecurities, I tell him just that.

"Trust me, Xavier. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stick around for as long as you'll have me. And believe me, nothing you do could scare me away."

He smiles gratefully at the reassurance and stands. "Are you sure?" he asks once more.

"One hundred percent," I reply.

"Come on, then, follow me. We can't do it in here; there isn't enough space." He takes my hand and graciously helps me to my feet. I smile in thanks. As we walk to the back door, my other boys get up to follow, most likely wanting to see my reaction.

Xavier opens the back door for me, gesturing me to continue. We stop in the middle of the open yard, and I don't take the time to look at my surroundings or the scenery. I'm too focused on the fact that Xavier is undressing right in front of me. I let out a squeak and turn around quickly.

"What the hell, Xavier?!" I squeal, my hands covering my eyes.

"What? You wanted to see me shift; this is part of it. When we shift, our clothes shred into pieces, and I just got this shirt; I'm not trying to ruin it," he chuckles.

"Well, you could have at least given me a little warning before you just stripped in front of me." They all chuckle.

"I don't see what's so funny. You're going to taint my virgin eyes; I'm not ready for that yet." Okay, maybe that was a bit of a lie. I wouldn't actually mind seeing them naked, but I'd never admit that to them.

"Okay, Ava, I'm going to shift now. The boys will tell you when it's okay to turn around. We don't want to 'taint your virgin eyes'." He's making fun of me, I just know it.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of bones breaking, and a deep rumbling--coming from his chest, I presume.

"Alright, baby, Professor Snuggle Puss says it's okay to turn around now." I giggle at that, uncovering my eyes. I completely forgot he was still in the process of fulfilling his dare.

Slowly, I turn my body, only to be greeted by a huge auburn wolf. His eyes match Xavier's normal--though abnormally beautiful--emerald green eyes. The wolf looks so familiar. It's at that moment that I realize, I have seen him before . . . more than once. And now I know where I recognize those eyes from. I gasp at the realization, and my hand shoots to my mouth trying to silence my shock. How did I not realize this before? Though, I can't keep the shock from my voice.

"N-no t-that can't be p-possible."

"What is it, kitten? Is something wrong? Did he scare you?" Cole sounds so sad when he questions me, like he knew this would happen all along. And I feel bad that I'm the one who caused his sadness, so I eagerly try to fix my mistake.

I turn to face him. "No! Of course not! That's definitely not it. I told you, I'm not scared, and I would never be afraid of you." My fingers are threading through my silver locks, trying, but failing, to grasp the situation.

"Well, then, what is it, Avelyn?" Ashton has given up on his dare, clearly the game has become unimportant. And I appreciate the fact that they're worried about me. Though, they have no reason to be. I'm just completely flabbergasted, is all. So I attempt to explain the situation.

"So, you guys know how I'm an angel, right? A guardian angel?" I direct my gaze back to the wolf before me, only to find that it's no longer a wolf, it's a man. A very attractive man wearing only a pair of dark washed jeans, might I add.

He must have changed back when I wasn't looking.

Noticing that my attention has been directed towards him, he speaks up.

"Yes, princess. We know."

"Well, obviously, that means I'm not just a regular angel--which you have probably already figured out. I didn't know this until recently when I was cleaning my father's office and found a folder on his desk. I accidentally knocked it over, and it fell to the floor. I was curious, so I picked it up. Little did I know what was inside," I start I have to make sure they're listening, and by the looks of understanding on their faces, I decide they are

"What I found was information." I continue. "Information about me, things that I never even knew about myself. From that information, I learned that I am a guardian angel: a rare species of angel. One out of every million angels, there is a guardian. Guardians have what is called 'pure blood', which basically means, instead of the normal crimson, their blood is an iridescent and metallic silver. I never fully understood why my blood was such a color--I always attributed it to the fact that I'm a 'monster'--but now I do.

"A guardian's purpose is to protect what is called our Given. A Given is the person assigned upon a guardian angel. Though, I don't quite like the term assigned. And the folder didn't contain any information on my Given. I assume because they never realized that I actually even had one. So from that, I assumed that there would only be one. But there isn't one; there's three, and they aren't exactly human, either. I learned from the first time I met them. They were wolves. At least, I thought they were." I paused, needing to let the information sink in. They nod, signaling to me that they understand. So after a momentary breath, I continue.

"Now I have reason to believe they were shifters--werewolves--too, like all of you. But I didn't realize it until I saw you shift, Xavier. They were massive and beautiful," I glance toward him, then turn my gaze to the ground, suddenly shy.

"I had a vision, and I saw them; they were in trouble and needed help. Even though I didn't know what they were to me at the time, I do now. They were--are--my Given, and I was sent there to protect them. I had to do that more than once, too." I chuckle. "They really are quite the trouble makers, and every single time I've ever seen them, they've been in their wolf forms."

"So, what are you saying? You couldn't have been that shocked just by seeing my wolf. Tell me, princess. What is it you're trying to say," Xavier pleads.

"Do your wolves have names?" I ask instead, apologetic that I'm only making them worry more, but I need to be sure.

"Yes . . ." he drawls, brows knit together in confusion. I just nod, already anticipating the answer to my next question.

"What are they?"

"Mine is Crimson, Ashton's is Dusk, and Cole's is Comet. But why does it matter, Ava? You're really starting to confuse us. You're speaking in riddles."

I can't help the huge smile that etches into my face at the validation to my theory. "I'm sorry. I can't help it; I had to be sure."

"Sure of what?" Ashton asks warily.

"That you're my Given. All three of you." My grin grows impossibly larger.

"But . . . how is that even possible? I thought you could only have one." Cole's voice sounds uneven, like he's trying to process all of this information.

"You see, I always thought I was a monster. It had been drilled into my brain since I was just a child. Though, I'd always find joy in seeing those wolves, the ones I was meant to protect. And I realised that, even though I was a monster, I was a monster with a purpose. My purpose was to watch over them, to help them, and to protect them. Still, though, I continued to believe I was an abomination, a freak, a monster--until I met you guys. You have made me think differently about myself. I'm more than just an abnormality, and my purpose is this: you."

"Kitt--"

"Wait, Cole. I'm not done, yet. Just hear me out, okay?" I cut him off.

"The first time I had a vision, I gained four tattoos. They're not really tattoos, but I don't know what else to call them. And I feel like a complete idiot, because I never realized. Today has just been one big rollercoaster, and I never stopped to really evaluate anything that has happened."

"Babygirl, what are the tattoos?"

I lift up my sleeve to reveal the angel wings resting under a halo.

"Holy shit! How did I never notice?!" Cole exclaims, grabbing my wrist to inspect it more closely. The others murmur in agreement.

"Wait, what are the others?" Asthon questions.

"You see, that's the thing. I never stopped to think about the names of my Given. I knew I'd recognized your guys' eyes from somewhere, but I never would've thought it was from my wolves. There was just no possible way. So I never even bothered asking. Their names--three names--appeared on the skin of my hip bone when I had my first vision, as with the tattoo on my wrist."

"So . . . what are they?" Cole asks.

I lift up my shirt, revealing the names.

Crimson

Dusk

Comet

Gasps escape their mouths.

"A-are those our wolves' names?!" Ashton shouts, completely baffled.

"Like I said, I didn't stop to think. If I did, I could've put it together. You are my purpose. You are my Given. You complete me."

____________________________________

So... yup. All I really have to say right now, is my eyes really freaking hurt. I've been straining them for far too long, so now my head hurts, too. Ugh! I need to take a break from technology or something. Because, clearly, it's not doing well for my health. 😂

So, until next time...

Sincerely,

The Annoying Author Lady