Chapter 52: Knight in Shining Armor.

HELENA. If anyone told me I'd be caught in such a situation ever again in my life, I'd kick him in the nuts. The four large men stood over me like I was just some piece of trash they were ready to use. A strange wave of deja vu washed over me, and I shivered. I was so stupid. I had finished from the office a little late and was rushing to meet Aaron at the bakery when I spotted a small golden cat laying a few feet from the entrance to the bank. The cat looked bruised and battered, and I just couldn't leave it there. I bent to pick it up and it started to run. I was curious, a little too curious, so I followed it. I fucking followed a stray cat. The alley was dark, disgusting. A few people gathered in one corner, and all my instincts screamed at me to run. Run far away. But I didn't. I remained where I was. 'Well, what do we have here?" A large man chuckled behind me. I whipped around, heart in my throat. 'And she's very beautiful too. Call Simon." Another guy appeared. I suddenly felt like that popular sound on TikTok, 'it was at that moment that she knew she had fucked up." Because I had, badly. 'I'll be on my way now." I tried squeezing in between them. The first guy grabbed my arm and pushed me to the ground. I landed on my butt. Hard. 'The little damsel thinks she can just leave. You've entered our tuff pretty doll, we're gonna make sure you come back." He pulled his belt. No no no no…. No! I kicked my feet and got up. I tried to run again. This time, two other men showed up and pinned me to the floor. I felt so …helpless. The last time this happened I was a young and naive girl. I wasn't that girl anymore. So I kicked one of them in the nuts. He groaned and loosened his grip, and I managed to get a few paces when I was pulled back yet again. No worries, I'd take as long as I needed to. The tussle went on and on. I'd try to run, they'd catch me, pin me to the ground and say nasty things. Only one thing was on my mind at that moment, ‘you're gonna get out of this.' But I was getting weak. I hadn't eaten anything during the day, and now all I wanted to do was eat chocolate bread and sleep. Everything zoned out for a moment. The men were laughing, each of them searching my body with their eyes. The one called Simon ran his hands up my thigh, and I shuddered. Nightmares from years ago resurfaced, and I went limp. Suddenly, he was thrown off me. The three men around me yelped in alarm. There was growling, snapping of bones, and the sound of struggle. I looked up, and bright green eyes stared back at me. Aaron. How did he find me? I scurried to my feet, dusting off as much dirt as I could and leaned on the wall of one of the buildings. Aaron bite Simon on his chest and arm, and he was bleeding profusely. The three other men probably figured out that they couldn't match him, and ran off. Aaron didn't stop. People were gathering towards Simon's yells, and if anyone saw him, it wouldn't end well. 'Aaron stop! It's fine! They're gone, please don't kill him." I yelled. Simon had already gone limp from the loss of blood, but he was still conscious. At least. Aaron paused, then looked at me. 'Please…" I whispered, darting my eyes between him and Simon. He snarled, and switched back to human. I breathed in relief, and hurriedly called an ambulance. I ran over to Simon and checked his pulse. He was still alive. 'You're lucky to be alive." I spat. 'The paramedics will be here soon. Get a better life." Aaron sat on the pavement, staring into space. 'Are you alright? Did they…. hurt you?" He himself sounded hurt. I crouched down beside him and touched his shoulders. 'No, they didn't. I'm fine Aaron. You need to calm down." He turned to look at me, and I could see so many emotions flickering back and forth in his eyes. He got up, grabbing the nylon beside him. I realized it was the bread we were supposed to get, and felt a little bit guilty. Then, he turned around swiftly, and hugged me tightly. He was trembling. I returned the hug, suddenly feeling a wave of nostalgia. 'I'm sorry." He whispered. Sorry for what? 'It's okay." I said, patting him on the back. My heart melted. AARON. We walked back home that evening. I held Helena by the arm, guiding her through the annoying flood of humans on the road. We had small talks about work, people and our general overview of life. 'I didn't know you were that reserved." She said, swinging her free arm. I had just told her one of my favorite middle school stories. I remember vividly, it was one experience I wasn't gonna forget in a long time. I sat at the back row of the class, trying so hard to get lost in the book I was reading. It was a fantasy novel, one of my favorites. The noise from the constant chatter of my classmates was loud in my ears, but it felt distant, like the background noise in a movie. It was a Friday, and the air was more charged with energy than usual. Of course, everyone was happy to finally get a rest from the busy week. 'Aaron!" I heard my name. I pretended not to hear. I find it utterly insulting that a lot of people don't know how to take a hint. 'Hey Aaron!" I looked up from the pages of my book. It was Mark, one of the popular boys in school. I groaned inwardly, and glanced behind him. His usual entourage of his two best friends, and his female best friend were in town, wearing similar smirks. 'Why are you always with those books?" He said, snatching my book clean from my fingers. He flipped through the pages of the novel and laughed. 'You are one boring motherfucker." He spat. 'Give it back, Mark." I said lowly. His smirk fell slightly, and he said, 'Or what? You'll beat me with your book?" Oh damn yes I will. At this point I was still sitting on the chair, and even though I had no intentions of getting up, if he had tried something, I'd have prolly killed him. 'Give it back, now." A feminine voice said beside me. I glanced at the brunette. It was Sofia, another popular and powerful girl in our school. Mark's face shifted for a fraction of a second, and he shoved the books at me. I thanked Sofia that day, but I don't think I ever spoke to her afterwards. 'I just prefer to stay alone. Interactions with humans can be exhausting at times." Even werewolves. Generally, I liked solitude. Helena giggled lightly, covering her teeth. 'You could've been one of the popular ones." 'Yeah, but it wasn't for me." I put my hands in my pockets. Helena smiled again, covering her tooth. 'Why do you always do that?" I asked, chuckling a bit. 'Do what?" She looked up at me innocently. 'Whenever you smile, you place your hands over your teeth. Is it a reflex?" She paused and stared at me, biting her inner lip. 'Did I say something wrong?"