Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or anything related to Charmed. My OC is the only thing I own.
I wanted to focus this chapter on werewolves rather than Amaris or the plot. There is a bit of Amaris and her feelings in here, but for the most part, this chapter is centered on how werewolves function (in my story, at least). Though no one has asked me about how werewolves work and operate yet, I still want to devote this chapter to clearing some things up and clarifying them. That isn't to say that that's the only reason why this chapter is up-I have another reason, but you'll just have to read to find out about that particular reason. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
Once Amaris managed to Change back she was bombarded with questions from the awed sisters.
"Does it hurt when you Change?"
"Is it usually like that? All fast and seamless looking?"
"Do you like being a werewolf?"
"Do you have to Change at a full moon?"
"Does silver really hurt you?"
"Are your thoughts as a wolf different from your thoughts as a human?"
"What's-
Amaris held out a hand, and Piper stopped mid-sentence. She was a little bemused by the fact that they had barely stopped for breath, but she had to admit she'd be curious too if a creature she had no understanding of suddenly showed off what they could do.
Still, asking questions so quickly was a little disconcerting for her. Holding a head to her temple, she snapped, "Please stop asking me so many things! You're giving me a headache!"
Piper and Paige immediately obeyed. Amaris breathed out a sigh of relief. Feeling a little guilty for being so hard on the sisters, she said, "Sorry about snapping at you. It's just you were asking so many questions and I-"
Paige held up a hand, effectively silencing her mid-rant.
"It's okay. We don't blame you. In fact, we should be the ones apologizing to you."
She shot Amaris a smile, one that was returned, albeit a little more halfheartedly than Paige's own.
"In answer to your questions...no, it doesn't hurt when I Change, yes I always have to Change at the full moon, silver does really hurt me, and my thoughts are relatively the same in both forms, though they are simpler when I'm a wolf."
Both sisters exchanged a look when they realized she had failed to answer two of their questions. Amaris caught the look, however, and sighed.
"Those two questions are difficult to answer, hence why I skipped them. I sort of...borrowed the magic that this house holds in order to Change faster. Now, this doesn't mean that I can access magic at will, much less the magic of you or your house. I just expressed my good intentions to the manor and it allowed me to borrow its magic. I swear it was just a one-time thing; I'll never borrow the magic this house holds ever again. I just wanted to Change as fast as possible, in order to make myself appear to be not as much as a monster as most see my kind as," she said.
"Uh, what? People see werewolves as monsters?" Piper demanded, sounding confused, and Amaris winced before nodding.
"An unfortunate side-effect of being an abomination to the laws of nature," she told her, a sad smile on her face as she spoke.
The two sisters shot her sympathetic looks.
"We're not exactly loved by the magical realm, either," Piper said in an attempt to comfort Amaris.
"Well, at least Whitelighters like you," Amaris replied before she could stop herself. She realized too late what she said, and covered her mouth with her hands.
Great job, Amaris. Attract the attention of the Elders by insulting them. Bravo. You're such a genius.
The witches narrowed their eyes at her words. Amaris felt a jolt of panic hit her as she assumed they were angry at her for insulting the Whitelighters.
But what they said next surprised her.
"Why do Whitelighters not like you?" the Eldest Halliwell asked. From what she'd read, werewolves were neutral creatures, but from what she'd seen, werewolves seemed to lean more towards the side of good.
So why would Whitelighters hate them?
"It's...complicated," Amaris replied, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. Complicated and awkward, she thought.
How do you explain to a witch that Whitelighters are biased?
The answer: you can't.
Piper opened her mouth to press Amaris further, but was cut off by her before she could say a word.
"Please, Piper. You have your secrets; let me keep mine," she begged. Piper, after thinking about her request for a moment, reluctantly nodded.
With a gasp, Amaris remembered something. A question she'd forgotten to answer. She'd been so focused on the Whitelighters' hatred of her kind that she had completely forgotten about! And it would be rude to leave it unanswered, considering how nice the two Halliwell had been to her so far.
"You also asked me about my opinion on being a werewolf, as I recall," she reminded the two witches. She didn't want to just randomly start answering a question the sisters might have forgotten about, especially considering the topic was a very sensitive one. It was best for all of them for her to just ease into it.
Piper and Paige's eyes light up and they eagerly looked to her for her response to their nearly forgotten question.
Suddenly feeling sheepish, Amaris began running her fingers through her hair. It was a habit of hers that she had had for a very long time. It was also a bad habit, since it pulled strands of hair from her hair. She'd tried for years to break it, but to no avail. The only solace she had was that the habit only emerged whenever she was nervous, or an emotion akin to that, and fortunately it was rare for the werewolf to ever be nervous.
Except, it seemed, around the Halliwells. Around them, she felt like a timid, nine year old girl rather than the twenty-four year old woman she actually was. Then again, the eldest sister could just blow her up with a flick of her wrist, so maybe she did have a good reason to be nervous.
Finally, with a sigh, she decided to get over her problems and tell the sisters the truth she knew they wanted to hear.
"I'll be totally honest her. Sometimes being a werewolf totally sucks," she began. Piper sucked in a breath, not expecting that. Who wouldn't want the ability to live forever and transform into a ginormous wolf?
"It's just hard...I assume you both know I live forever?" Amaris asked, gaze flickering between the two witches. Both women nodded.
Amaris gave another sigh before beginning again, hands still going through her hair.
"Don't get me wrong, immortality is nice. I have the rare chance to see the world around me-the people around me-grow as a whole, yet I can still interact with them and walk amongst them like I am them. That being said, immortality also grants-or curses, depending on how you look at it-the ability to see everyone I know and love die, while also reminding me off the fact that I'll probably never join them. It makes it so much harder for me to grow close to people, because as I do, I always have to keep in mind that they will pass on and leave me behind. It's a double-edged sword, I suppose," she said, adding a dry chuckle at the end.
Both sisters exchanged looks. They'd never thought about that before. However, before either sister could comment, Amaris continued.
"And of course, most people I befriend are normal, non-magical people. I eventually have to leave them after a few years, before they begin questioning why they're showing visible signs of aging and I'm not."
Silence fell. No one moved or spoke for a long time. So naturally, Amaris was surprised when Piper enveloped her in a hug.
"Thank you for being honest," the witch whispered into her ear before letting the werewolf go. More silence passed. Amaris took the time to look at the clock and swore under her breath. She was over an hour late. Oh, her Alpha was going to flay her alive.
"I, uh, need to go," she said, jerking her thumb in the door's direction. Her voice was surprisingly thick, like she had been crying for a long period of time and had only recently stopped. Amaris gulped. The thickness in her voice could only mean one thing.
She was going to cry. She hadn't thought her admittance would stir such strong emotions within her, but then again, that was the first time she had ever admitted her hatred of being what she was to someone other than herself. However, there were more pressing matters than her musings about why she was so close to tears. She needed to leave, and soon. Showing weakness, even to people who had been kind to her, would not please the wolf. Crying was a sign of weakness, and pleasing the wolf and keep her from killing people was the ultimate goal.
The two sisters nodded in acknowledgement, but otherwise remained unresponsive. They were still too lost in what Amaris had told them to really pay attention to the world around them.
Amaris shot them a concerned look before leaving. She didn't want to leave them as distracted as they were, seeing as they might make them more vulnerable to attack, but then reminded herself that they were the Charmed Ones. They could take care of themselves.
She waited until she had walked a block or two from their house before she sat down on the sidewalk, uncaring about whatever looks she might receive in response to her blocking the path.
And then, for the time in a long time, she allowed herself to cry.
Now, not to insult your intelligence or anything, but I hope you guys understood my other reasons for writing/publishing this chapter. I also hope that guys like this chapter, and if you did, please, please review! Thanks for reading and have a fantabulous day (or night)!
