His, Eternally [18+]

Chapter Twenty: Curiosity

Indie's Point of View:

Thaddeus and I sat there, me in my bed, cocooned by the soft covers, and him in the creaky chair as we watched the sun disappear into the night. It wasn't an awkward silence anymore, however, but now a peaceful one. Him being there calmed my anxiety, and I felt as if we were the only two people in the world as we watched the sky turn darker. I didn't know what to say to him — he said he would explain everything, but I didn't want him to, in that moment. I needed him there, he filled the void that had been dooming my mind for years upon years. Silence was a treasure to me, and he knew that — something which made me feel funny things in my stomach and in my heart. He knew what to do, (tonight, at least) and what to say.

I kept trying to come up with words in my mind to initiate the conversation, despite me not wanting to ruin the silence. The curiosity inside of me was growing, but I couldn't help myself from getting hopelessly distracted by the beautiful man that sat only a few feet distal from me. I didn't know others existed in the world like me. Although he was a werewolf, a part of me felt strangely comforted by the fact that he was so different too. I had never met anyone like me, as I have mentioned previously, much less someone who possessed even more out-of-the-ordinary qualities. I needed to know why I felt like this, so attached to someone I barely knew. More importantly, why I was attracted to someone who had already done me so wrong.

As I kept contemplating what to say in my mind, he broke the silence — as if he was the one doing the mind-reading. He knew what I needed to hear, although I was frightful of what he would tell me.

"This is very strange to say out loud, little one, so bear with me." He said, taking a deep breath in. "As you saw earlier, I am a hybrid of a human. I transform into wolf. Us weres are much like genuine wolves themselves. We have a pack, those that are close to us. We protect ourselves from society finding out who we are, and protect each other. I am the Alpha of this pack, much like the leader of any faction." He looked ahead at the now glowing moon that seemed so close yet so far away, a distant look in his eyes. "Why?" My curiosity got the better of me, I couldn't hold back all of the questions I had any longer. I had to break free from my fear of knowing the answers to difficult questions.

"Many centuries ago, witchcraft was practiced on a family. The family's last name is unknown, but is weres call them the Original Six. The were struck with a curse, by these witches — as a punishment for stealing from them. They stole jewels, gold, coins. They robbed the witches lair of everything they possessed. It was much like a never forgotten family feud, like Romeo and Juliet. It was petty, the hatred the Original Six held against the witches for decades upon decades. The Original Six underestimated the powers of the black magic the witches possessed, simply shrugging it off like some sort of joke," He said running his hands through his hair. "The witches cast a spell on them, a spell by the name of 'Luna Plena est Anathema', or, 'The Full Moons Curse.' When the moon rose over the skies and midnight struck the clock, the Original Six transformed to vicious beasts. Due to fear and confusion as well of lacking the ability to control their anger, they slaughtered the witches and their children. However, with the witches deceased, there could be no end to the curse. To put an end to the spell, a witch who had partaken in setting the curse had to end it herself. All but one of the weres died by suicide, whilst the last one, Ares, continued to hide from society — fear of execution and others finding out who he was. He met a woman, Imogene, and fell in love with her. They had children, all whilst Imogene was oblivious to the cursed placed on her husband. He would disappear every full moon, unable to control his transformation. Imogene soon was the bearer of his child, shortly after their marriage. However, she was fed up with Ares leaving her alone in her pregnancy. She struggled to feed herself as well as the child, and she often went to sleep by herself, nearly freezing to death as Ares tried to learn to adapt to his new way of life. They were dirt poor, barely affording the porridge that kept them fed. And, as a woman in this patriarchal society thousands of years ago, she could not work. Ares left her, refusing to work to keep her and his unborn child fed; due to the feel of being exposed for who he was. She fled over the seas, to Alaska. There, the child was born; Milo was his name. He was like his father; half-wolf, and half-man. As time progressed and Milo had children of his own, they better learned to control their shifting as well as their urge to hunt. Now, werewolves roam the earth — hidden from all governmental elitists. It has stayed this way for hundreds of years; as we've hid ourselves discretely." There was a far-off look in Thaddeus' eyes, one that I very much so related to. He looked at me, awaiting my response and studying my facial expressions.

"Fuck, that's intense." I breathed out, not knowing what to say at all. Society was oblivious to the supernatural beings walking amongst them, and they've existed for thousands upon thousands of years. I was shocked by all of this — as one can imagine. There were others like me out there, maybe not identical to me, but those hiding from society and fearing exploitation. It was comforting, in a very strange way. He chuckled awkwardly, shifting his position in the chair before crossing his hands, his fingers intertwining. His eyes met mine, amusement twinkling in them. "I assumed you would say something along those lines, Indie."

"So you can just, like, transform into a wolf whenever? When does it happen? When a female werewolf becomes pregnant, does she bear multiple children at once, like a wolf does? Does it hurt you, when you change? Does the full moon still trigger the shifting?" I looked at him, my curiosity getting the best of me, for I could not stop my mind from wondering. It was extraordinary, truly — the way the body could change so much, how deeply a curse could affect a small group of people, even change their species as an entirety. I felt so lost in his eyes at the moment, all of our previous conflicts seemed to disintegrate into thin air. The thought of why I felt so attracted to him slipped my mind, suddenly more interested in the real tale he was telling me. I felt so not alone, for once in my life.

He leaned back in his chair, silent for a few moments as a part of me became nervous. I didn't want him to feel like I was prying at business that was not my own, but questions kept tumbling out of my mouth. "We can shift whenever we feel needed. When we feel rage, it triggers us to shift. The first shift takes place after puberty for both man and woman. However, just like the body developing for humans, we can be 'late bloomers' as well. When a were-woman becomes pregnant, she often has only one child. Her reproductive system is the same as a human's, practically. The first shift is very painful — your bones are snapping, morphing into something entirely new. You can feel your back breaking, first, and the claws breaking through your flesh. The rest of your bones break, one by one. It is an excruciatingly long process. The full moon does indeed urge your wolf to shift, but it has become easier to control with time and practice. However, when you are newly-shifted, it's nearly impossible to stop from shifting when the full moon comes out for the first six months." My mouth was hanging wide open, utterly fascinated by what he had just told me.

"That's... amazing. Beautiful, really." I breathed out, yet again. His deep eyes were lightened with hope from my response, as he gave me a small smile in response.

"I'm glad you think so, little one."