Chapter Five
I woke to the moonlight pouring through a window, and no recollection of what occurred between my first Change and now.
I took in my surroundings, not yet wanting to face what ever lay ahead. I was lying on a queen sized bed, and covered with a warm blue comforter. The room was nicely furnished; the dresser, bureau, nightstand, bookshelf and bed were all finished oak wood. The walls were painted a light blue with white trim.
After several more minutes of laziness, my curiosity compelled me to get up. Only when I pulled the covers back- and saw much to my embarrassment that I was only wearing an oversized t-shirt- did I realize Kat was sitting cross legged on a wicker chair placed in the corner of the room.
"Geesh! Scare the shit outta me why don't you?" Kat just stood up and smirked at my comment.
"Do you remember what happened?" She asked a softly.
"A little, I remember the 'you're a werewolf' bombshell, nothing much after that," I said dryly. I wonder where I am…
"You're in our house," Kat answered my unasked question, "Logan, Mom, Dad, Nick and Jeremy," no clue who these people are, "Are waiting for us downstairs." Kat tossed a set of clothes at me, "You can wear these, we didn't grab yours, sorry." She turned her back so I assumed I was changing now. The clothes smelled like a werewolf, but not Kat or Logan. It made me nervous.
"Okay, I'm ready," we left the room and walked down a hallway that had three doors on either side of it, and a staircase at the end. "Do you have any food?" I blurted out. What can I say? I like food, and I haven't eaten in who knows how long!
Kat turned and smiled at me, "Of course we do! There are five werewolves in this house, for god's sake!"
Kat's grin went wolfish (if you'll excuse the pun), and my growling tummy did a little flip.
At the bottom of the stairs there was another long hallway, Kat turned into the first room on the right. It was a den with a cozy fireplace, a desk, sofa, and two big cushy chairs. Overall, it looked very welcoming.
The people occupying said room however, were anything but. The first man to catch my eye was sitting in one of the chairs. He was the only one in the room radiating calm and control. He was a little above average height with black hair that needed cut. His eyes were dark and slightly slanted. He was a handsome man who looked barely over thirty-five.
On the sofa sat three people, all of which looked anxious with varying other expressions. The closest to the dark eyed man was blonde haired, blue eyed and gorgeous; definitely Logan's dad. He looked the most fearsome, the very epitome of danger.
The woman sitting next to him was alert, but less scary and her eyes held more curiosity than anything.
She had almost silver blonde hair and blue eyes also. She looked to be in her late twenties, and she was very tall. I'd take her to be the twins' mom.
The final man- apart from Logan who stood behind his parents- was the tall, dark, and handsome type. His black wavy hair fell down to just touch his shoulders. Olive toned skin covered his lean five foot eleven frame. He looked the easiest going of the bunch, with amusement flickering in his dark eyes. Yet he looked very confident in himself that he could take me down without much effort.
"Please have a seat," It was the calm dark-eyed one who spoke first. As he gestured towards the only empty chair, I felt compelled to sit. But since I'm not one to do what I should, I remained standing.
Everyone's gaze, including Kat's who had moved to stand by her brother, turned stony. Except the one who told me to sit, I presumed he was he leader, his features remained stoic.
"Very well then," he took a sip from the glass he was holding, "I'm told your name is Kaine Arden. Do you remember anything of the past four days?"
Four days? Oh, shit!
"No, just that I'm a werewolf, and a hungry one at that," I said, hinting that I needed food. After all, I have a guess that keeping cool instead of reading from the classic 'Who are you? Where am I?' would unsettle any of my opponents more.
"Hmmm… I see," He sounded like a shrink. God do I hate shrinks.
"Doesn't it bother you at all that you woke up a monster?" The woman I guessed to be Kat's mother spoke up.
"Nope, not really. I always knew I was different." My stomach rumbled, "Look, I'll answer your questions as soon as you get me some Goddamn food." I paused, "Please?" I added, after all, I didn't want to be rude.
The dark haired man on the couch grinned, and the one man's slanted eyes held brief amusement.
"Of course, follow me please," the roomful of werewolves stood up as one, and the two dark haired men went in front of me, Kat stood beside me, and everyone else followed behind. We walked down the remainder of the hall until it spilled out into a huge kitchen.
Ahhh… paradise.
As the grinning man dug out food form various cupboards and the fridge, the leader made introductions.
"That's Nick getting food, Elena and Clayton are the twins' parents," he gestured to each person in turn.
Clayton still hadn't taken his eyes off of me, it was quite unsettling. "I'm Jeremy, and of course, you know Logan and Katherine."
Platefuls of sandwich ingredients were placed on the counter, and Jeremy gestured for us to eat.
YAY! FOOD!
From the way I ate, you would have thought I'd been starved for two months. In reality, it's only been a couple days.
I wonder where my parents- HOLY SHIT! MY PARENTS!
I dropped my second sandwich and went all tense, as did everyone else when I suddenly moved. Clayton even took a half lunge forward.
"My parents! Where do they think I've been?"
Everyone let out the breath they had been holding, and Elena answered, "I called pretending to be from your school. I told them your culture class is taking a surprise, government funded European tour. I snuck into your house and grabbed a duffle bag full of stuff." And while she was there, they probably went through my stuff, "I don't think they totally believed me, but they didn't ask any prying questions."
I'm not sure if that explanation made me feel any better, but it settled me a little for now.
"Kaine, why don't you tell us about yourself," Jeremy asked serenely. Again, I felt compelled to comply, but likewise I chose not to.
"And what if I don't trust you?" Before they could interrupt, I went on, "I mean, I know you probably could have killed me multiple times, but I just found out that we're all werewolves. And Logan tried attacking me, and then my parents think I'm in Europe which means you have at least a month to do whatever you want to me. And you," I looked at Clayton, "look ready to rip my throat out. And I have a feeling you wouldn't mind doing it." A couple of the werewolves grinned feral like.
Then I took a better look at Clayton, "I know who you are!" Confusion flickered across a couple faces, "Professor Danvers; I saw you give a lecture on anamorphic cultures and societies at Youngstown State University! You are SO the reason why I want to be an anthropologist!" I couldn't help but add a totally regrettable squeal at the end. It was just way too girly.
"Thank you…" Clayton said unsurely, I had a feeling hearing him like that was something of a rarity. Sadly though, he didn't relax his stance at all.
"I don't suppose you people would let me just walk out of here and resume my normal life, would you?"
I already knew the answer, but I had to ask.
"This one's a smart one," Nick spoke up for the first time; you could tell he was being sarcastic.
"I'm afraid not Kaine," Jeremy said, "You're not in control of your Changes. And I think there are things you need to know, as well as things we need to know."
I sighed. "Twas worth a try," I mumbled, though by the way Kat giggled I had been heard.
"Fine!" I snap, "What do you want to know?" I polished off my fifth sandwich and looked at Jeremy.
"Who are your parents?" Elena asked.
"Donna and Keith Arden," I wasn't going to give in that easily.
"Your real parents please," she rephrased her question.
I scowled at her, "Brian and Cassandra Kozakcov."
The werewolves turned to Elena for confirmation, she only shrugged.
"Why are you all looking at her for the answer?" I was confused now; I thought Jeremy was in charge.
Nick answered, "She keeps the dossiers of all the mutts, and she's the Alpha."
"What about you?" I pointed to Jeremy.
"Former Alpha," he said softly, but not regretfully or enviously.
"Oh," I was kinda confused now. I mean, I'm all for women having power, but Jeremy was the one that seemed dipped in power, not Elena. Maybe she was new to the role? I'd have to come back to that.
But back to the topic at hand, "So do you know anything about them?" I asked eagerly.
Elena just shook her head, "No," upon seeing my deflated look she added, "I'm sorry." Humph, like that would make it better.
I wouldn't give up though, so I helpfully supplied the fact that they were Russian.
"Perhaps you could call the Russian Alpha?" Jeremy threw me a bone and asked Elena.
"Yes, I'll do that," Elena replied distractedly as she continued to scrutinize me.
After a few minutes of that annoying awkward silence Kat asked me if I had any questions.
There was a nagging question I wished to voice, "Well," I began, "If there are werewolves, what other kinds of supernatural's are there?"
Kat blinked hard, as if surprised by my insight, she glanced at Elena as if for permission before she answered. "There are witches, sorcerers, vampires, shamans, half-demons, and necromancers; basically anything you've ever heard of. Your culture teacher? She's a witch." I stared at her blankly as I digested everything. It was A LOT to take in.
"That's why you called her a witch." I voiced to Logan who only nodded in return.
"What?" I say, getting frustrated- I always had had a hot temper- "You don't talk unless you're threatening someone?" He didn't do a thing in response to my outbreak.
Kat, Nick and Elena, however, chuckle. "He gets it from his father," Elena mock whispers.
The man in question grins at her and then returns to his one-sided stare down with the side of my head.
"Which stories are true about supernaturals?" Having an anthropologists view on life, I naturally wanted to know everything about any cultures, especially ones that I was now apart of. "Like do vampires really live forever? You know, the regular myths."
"No but they do live for a very long time," Kat started to fill me in, "They do drink blood though. Witches aren't evil; in fact, they study more defensive than offensive spells. Sorcerers aren't evil either, well, some of them are (especially Cabals), but they study offensive spells. Shamans are more mysterious, and quiet, but I do know that they can at least astral project. There's all different types of half-demons; from fire to chaos to ones that turn there skin diamond hard. Necromancers raise and communicate with the dead. Umm… There's also clairvoyants, druids, other shape shifters and I know I'm missing about a dozen more, but unless I go through my notes I'm not sure which ones."
"Notes?"
"I make it my own personal job to learn all about the different races," Kat informed me, "You never know when you might need them."
I noticed everyone had left the room except for Kat, me, and Logan. Apparently, I had passed Clayton's Should I or shouldn't I rip out her throat? test. Yay me!
"So what all can we do?" I was leaning forward in my chair like the good little pupil I was.
"Werewolves? Well we have heightened senses, we're stronger and faster than humans, we sprout fur once a week, we age slower, heal faster, and umm… that's it," Kat finished.
I looked at Logan, "When we met you asked me who had bit me, what's that mean?"
Logan didn't answer for a moment, "You can either be born a werewolf or bitten by one. I had assumed you'd have been bitten."
I was confused, "Why did you think that?"
"Only male werewolves are hereditary," he answered before striding out of the kitchen. The way he said it though made it sound like a warning, or a threat. I felt uncomfortable, no, unsafe after that one line.
All the newfound trust I had in this family started to crumble down slowly, but inevitably.
Kat definitely felt my unease, but she kept on talking like she didn't know anything. "Well, that's not completely true; when two werewolves mate they can have female werewolves. That's what happened to you and I. Mom was bitten by dad."
"Aren't there other females?"
"As far as we know, there is just the three of us. Then again, you managed to avoid notice for seventeen years. Who knows how many others did the same?" I got chills up my spin from the thought of hormonal teenage girls tearing down the street as wolves.
"So the other races," I changed the subject, "Do you know any from them?"
Kat just laughed, "Of course I do! There's Paige and Savannah, they're witches, and Paige is married to Lucas, a sorcerer. Jaime is a necromancer, and Jeremy's mate. Cassandra is a vampire- although we don't see much of her," she lowered her voice, "Mom doesn't like her much." I heard a growl from another room before Kat giggled and continued, "Hope is a chaos half-demon, you'll probably meet her when Karl comes. There's a shaman on the Council, but I can't remember his name. I don't personally know any clairvoyants or druids, but I know people who do. And my mom's met other shifters-" I had to cut her off!
"Okay! I get it! You know a lot of them! Now it's my turn to talk. What's the Council? And who's Karl? What's a mate? Who is-" I cut myself off because Kat wouldn't get to answer my questions if I didn't shut up.
"The Interracial Council is a group of supernatural's who try to help the supernatural community. A mate is the equivalent of a soul mate, but much stronger and is just a werewolf thing. And Karl is a Pack member." I stopped breathing.
"A what member?" My voice sounded twice as deadly as it had ever been before. I felt as if I had been bulldozed, like a cold pit was progressively consuming me from the inside out.
I didn't wait for a response, I already knew the answer. "Pack as in the group that killed my mother and father?" I managed to hiss out from a body that dared not to move for fear of attacking the person who stood in front of me.
Kat's expression went from confused to horror filled understanding of what I was saying and what was about to happen.
I didn't care.
With that thought in mind, I went to lunge as rage coursed throughout my body. But mid-leap I collapsed into a writhing heap. Hair once more sprouting from my body. Clothes once again shredding around me. Bones breaking once more.
I didn't care.
I tried to pull myself up, only to be pushed back down by my traitorous body.
I don't know how long it lasted, or what happened during my frequent blackouts. Eventually, I awoke to a dank cement floor with steel bars surrounding me.
My chance at revenge and freedom: gone.