Oliver's life turns upside down when he learns that werewolves exist and one of them is his mate, but things get dangerous when he starts to learn more about himself.
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"It's a gift...
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-Oliver-
I guess I was lucky. Somehow, I only got bruises after getting beaten up by Jack. I think. I was sure that if I had broken bones they would hurt a lot more. I was in pain, true, but it was considerably easy to hide it. And the bruises on my back. Lucky for me, it was winter, so no one questioned me for wearing big sweaters with long sleeves and turtlenecks.
My birthday... We had cake after dinner and the staff had arranged us a movie night in the living room. Of course, when all the other kids were younger than me, we watched movies for kids, but it was fun nonetheless. We had popcorn and candy and sodas – treats we usually didn't have – and we even got to stay up late.
And I got a present.
"We all pitched in," Mrs. Bundt said with a big smile, when she gave me a small packet, wrapped in white paper and a blue ribbon. "I hope you like it. You definitely deserve it."
I stared at the gift, feeling emotional for some reason. The day had not been great, and I couldn't stop seeing Jaden laughing at me, or the anger on Jack's face, but knowing these people actually cared... I didn't feel so alone and helpless knowing that.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" Mrs. Bundt asked with a giggle.
I nodded, smiled at all of them, when they gathered around to see my reaction. I opened the ribbon and carefully moved the paper away to see what was inside.
"Are you kidding me," I smirked. "A new phone?"
"You are sixteen now! You need a new one. One that's hip," Mrs. Bundt said with a proud smile.
"I don't think anyone says 'hip' anymore," I chuckled, taking the phone out of its box.
I had never even held a smartphone before. Absolutely everyone at school had one, but I had no idea how to use it. It didn't have any buttons. That confused me. There were only two on the side of its slim figure. And an oval-shaped... something, at the bottom, but it didn't look like a button.
I was confused, but Mrs. Bundt spent the next thirty minutes teaching me how to use it.
I was happy, of course. The day ended better than it had started, but hours later, when everyone was asleep and I was lying on my bed, staring out of the window into the dark sky, the brightness of my birthday party couldn't outshine the darkness. Jack. Jaden. Mr. Hanson.
I couldn't sleep because my back started to hurt more, but I still refused to tell anyone about it. Jack was not a good person. Every time I even thought about him I could feel his aura. It terrified me. The way he faced Mr. Hanson at the school was just wrong.
And now he was mad at me. Of course I couldn't sleep.
