Aiden Freeman

Chapter nine

There was darkness. Maybe I had woken up, but there was only darkness. I felt small, insignificant, as if I was nothing. I could hear something. A small sound. Insignificant, just like me, but it was there. If I could hear it, it meant I was there too. I finally opened my eyes, only to see gray skies. The way they looked, it felt sad. I couldn't move. I was simply staring at the sad skies.

Then, the sound got closer. I had heard something similar, but where? I could recognize it, I knew I could. Then I realized what it was. The sound were snarls. A could feel a wolf near me, but I couldn't move or see it. I started breathing nervously as it got closer. I could feel it come closer and closer until the wolf was standing over me. It looked pissed and it was looking at me straight in the eyes. It stared for a moment, then it opened its mouth and bit my shoulder- hard. I screamed, but it sounded like a howl. I could feel blood reaching my face. The pain felt real, but at the same time, it didn't. I suddenly felt everything around me fading, until there was nothing, just like in the beginning.

I woke up startled from a phone call. My breathing was quick, my body was sweaty and I felt anxious. I took a few breaths to calm myself down and then looked at my left shoulder. Thankfully it was alright. The past nights had passed similarly. Nightmares, darkness, and then, death.

I took deep breaths and looked at my phone. The name Iris flashed in the screen. I answered as soon as I realized who it was.

"Hey, how's everything going? You called but I wasn't able to answer.." She told me.

"It's alright, babe. But I haven't had the best time over here."

"What happened?" She asked me in a careful tone.

"Um, my mom, she... she was killed some days ago." I said. My body felt heavy and my mind felt out of place right after I said that, as if something was pulling me down to the ground and a dark cloud was hovering above me.

Iris was silent, but she was still there. I could hear her breathing through the phone. I could hear her taking deep breaths before she spoke to me.

"Where is the pack you're in right now?" She asked in a serious tone.

"What?" I asked her. I wasn't expecting her to ask me that. I wasn't sure what to expect from her to be honest. She knew more than she pretended to, and she was an amazing friend that knew what to say and how to say it. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew it was something good.

"I need to be there right now for you. I've always been before, and I'm not letting a few miles get between that. Where is the pack?" She told me in a calm yet worried tone.

"As much as I would love it right now, it's not that simple-" I got interrupted by her.

"Look for Rudolph." She ordered me.

"But, what for?" I asked.

"It's his pack. I'll ask him for permission and directions." She said in a casual tone. I wouldn't be surprised if she was in her room eating a bowl of ice cream right now with how she was acting. Yet all those things, made me love her and want her more.

"I'll speak with him, babe. I don't promise anything though." I said.

"At least try. Call me when you're done. I love you." She told me.

"I love you back." I said. But I felt that I needed to compensate for my lack of communication.

"I miss you a lot. I'm sorry I didn't call or message you before last night. I uh-" I took a deep breath and sighed. "it hasn't been easy. But it's no excuse. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I understand. If you talked with Rudolph and convinced him of letting me in I would compensate you for not calling either." She told me in a flirty tone.