Chapter 91: Shadows of the Past

HELENA This man/wolf was beautiful. 'How about I just scratch yours then?" I taunted, positioning my hands in a claw like stance. He smirked, ensnaring my waist with one of his hands. He brought the other one up, and extended his claws with so much speed I almost missed it. I flinched slightly, and his brows furrowed. He dropped his hand to my waist again. 'I'm not going to hurt you." 'I know. That was just sudden." I smiled. 'How would you rip out a monster's eyes with those tiny hands then?" 'Leave me alone." I grumbled. 'I'd grow claws one day, and when I do, it's over for y'all." I snapped my fingers dramatically. 'I'd love to see that." He released me, and walked towards the tent. I rested on the railings, trying to put my thoughts together for the day. It was Saturday, so I had the day all to myself. My mind ran straight to Veronica. I pulled out my phone and checked her messages. The last week had been so filled with activities that I completely….forgot about her. It was sad. I saw 10 new messages from her and cursed. I opened her chat, reading each message with concern. My heart dropped. ‘Hey Lenny, how are you? I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet, I'm just trying to pull myself together.' ‘I was ambushed two weeks ago, by some men who claimed to be working for a man named Kelly. He wasn't the one who sent the first set of men.' I creased my brows. Kelly? That was oddly specific. ‘I'll need Luna's help. Can you help me reach out to her? I'm also thinking of coming back to Henley for a while, but I need to finish my research first.' I felt like calling her immediately. What use was the research if she died because of it? 'Helena, are you okay?" Aaron called. He had a concerned look on his face, and I realized I'd been frowning at my screen the whole time. 'Yeah I'm good." He nodded, and continued packing up our stuff. I returned my gaze to my phone. ‘During my ambushed attack, the men said something. Something about werewolves. My experiment is capable of curing cancer, but apparently, it has an effect on werewolves too.' I raised my brows. ‘I know. It's crazy as hell. I'll tell you everything when I get to Henley.' ‘I miss you.' ‘We didn't even have our girls night out anymore.' ‘Is Aaron still playing hard to get?' I smiled at the last text, and replied, ‘No, he's not.' and a smirking emoji. I left her a text telling her I'd call soon, and I was sorry I didn't get to her sooner. She'd sent those messages last night, so it wasn't too late. I walked inside the house, and was greeted by unending warmth. I ran up to my bed and laid on it, welcoming the softness. Today was gonna be a not so lazy day. CALEB. 'We have a lot to talk about." Brielle muttered as the three of us drove to Dr. Flora's office. More like as I drove, but who cared? 'Yeah, no kidding." Kyle concurred, mockingly. Brielle glared at him, and he looked away, turning back to his phone. I wasn't paying attention to both of them. My thoughts were filled with only one thing. How the fuck was I going to explain to Uncle Kelly? 'Caleb. You seem quiet. What's up?" Brielle asked, leaning towards the front seat. She looked better than the last time I saw her, and I could only pray she hadn't come in contact with any more 'werewolves." Now that I knew they were real, I wasn't taking any chances. We hadn't told Kyle what happened, because I didn't know how he'd react. It's better off that way. My mind roamed for a moment, and drifted to Cynthia. Young, talented, and agile. She was mysterious, and strangely enticing. I was curious each time I saw her, always wanting to figure out her darkest thoughts. She seemed like someone I'd warm up to very easily. Warm up…. That phrase hadn't been in my vocabulary for a long time. Sigh. I thought deeply about me and Helena's relationship. We might have ended on a bad note, but I knew deep down that I didn't want her as much as I did when we first started dating. What I needed was closure. The guilt from hurting her was killing me, and I could finally be myself knowing she had forgiven me. At least, I'd accomplished something before my demise. 'Caleb?" Brielle nudged. I realized I left her question hanging. 'I'm fine. Just a bit worried." Her face fell at my tone. 'Don't bother yourself, Brielle. How's school been?" I switched topics smoothly. Kyle glanced at me briefly, and I knew that look all too well. 'School's been fun. Sorta. Final year preparations are killing me. But I've already decided what I want. I'm gonna be the glam of the party." Brielle rambled on, switching from graduation preparations to the nerds who keep hitting on her, and a few girls nights she went on while we were away. 'We're here." I said curtly, cutting her stories short. The hospital was scantier than I remembered, a little deserted even. There were still hospital staff roaming the halls, and a few patients seated and waiting for their turns, but overall, it was weird. We walked towards the waiting area, and I pulled out my phone to let Dr. Flora know we were around when I spotted a familiar figure in a wheelchair. He was being pushed by a nurse. I was skeptical at first, but as the figure got closer, I felt weird. 'Marcus?" I called. He snapped his head at me, and smiled. It was the kind of smile someone did when they were in pain. I walked towards him, oblivious of the scrutinized look the nurse gave me. 'Ay, fratello. The life of a man is increasingly risky." He shook his head, tasking. 'What happened to you?" He had cuts and bruises on several parts of his arms and legs, and had a bandage wrapped around his head. Whoever beat him up like this, must really hate him. 'It's a long story. We'll talk about it later. I see you have company. Ay, Kyle and Brielle. Is anything wrong?" He tilted his head ever so slightly, and I suddenly felt melancholic. Marcus was talented in the shady arts of investigation and infiltration, but he had a good heart. He'd never do anything wrong unless it was absolutely necessary. I wondered where his wife was. 'No, we'll be on our way now. I'll give you a call, or better still, I'll come see you when we're done." He nodded, and the nurse continued pushing him to their destination. 'Caleb. Brielle. Kyle. Perfect. The three of you can come in." Dr. Flora called, all serious toned. Alright then. Breathe.