No more secrets

I stare at the empty doorframe. What was that about? Perhaps she was not strong enough to see the scene? I shouldn't ponder much.

"Water..." Hana was sure unconscious, but her body was out of control as she speaks in a dry voice. Quickly gathering a glass of water from this house, I present her with it. Although she couldn't really chug it down on her own, I help her sip from the glass softly.

"You alright...?" I ask her, her body still scorching hot as it almost burns my hand. But... as I see, her body was pale and the normal color of skin. She wasn't red or something, the thing that usually happens when the person is overheated.

With my help, she sits back up and stares around as if she was born yesterday.

"Did I... do that?" She asks, her voice laced with traces of guilt. I nod, humming softly.

"Quite certainly. Could you please explain what was that about?" I ask quite mercilessly. Her power saved our lives and here I am being rude to her. I should have first taken care of her needs.

Her cheeks are red as she shyly covers herself with the jacket I covered her with. She answers in stutters, "I-I don't know... this power has been with me since I was born. Like you, Riley." She says, turning towards me.

"Oh. Now I get it." Eugene says, clicking his fingers and resting his index digit on his chin, "You were adopted into our pack because you were orphaned in a war, right?"

Eugene asks. I had no knowledge of this. Hana was someone who didn't speak much upon the dinner table. While we boys had fun talking over the table, munching on her deliciously prepared meals, as she did was encourage her and not quite open up about her own stories. I should have known that she wasn't legitimately from our pack.

"Y-yes... my parents were scared of me and never gave me a normal opportunity. I grow tired of them and... they died in that outbreak. But, I have been hiding this power ever since I knew people will look differently at me. I- I am sorry." She apologizes softly.

This was no matter to apologize.

"Hana, I'm glad you weren't the one hurting people but protecting them. What you have within you is not to be looked down. You're a savior, unlike... me." I was inducing my own failures. But Hana quickly shakes her head and is able to stand up on her feet. The jacket was long enough to cover her feminity, but I still turned around to give her privacy.

"That's not true! You're a savior of mine, Riley! Indeed, you will grow stronger than anyone of us and save us all from this impeding doom!" She screams at me. Her reaction wasn't quite fitting to the situation. I couldn't figure out why she needed to explain herself with such vigor.

"O-okay..." I sense the awkwardness so well I could cut it in the air like meat. Clearing my throat, I send them away to gather her some clothes as she crawls towards me and requests.

"Could you please carry me to our dorm? I don't think I will feel safe or comfortable with anyone else." She asks me.

"Sure thing." I say and get up, only to realise how tired I was in reality. My whole body was aching and my lungs were almost malfunctioning by how much I've strained myself. Yet, I feel this incredulous need to help her out, just because she acknowledges me as the alpha and finds no discomfort only in me.

She was pretty lightweight for a girl. She was two inches shorter than myself, on top of that slim and flat. Quite opposite to the person I know.

"I'm lifting you up now. Have you changed?"

"Yes. I'm done." She says and stretches her hand out to pat on my shoulder. I could see even through her skirt that she was trembling to stand. Without waiting another second, I sweep her off the dirty floor and carry her bridal style, minding that she was wearing a skirt.

"People will stare at you, b-but don't look at them. If you can't close your eyes, just look at me." I say to her as we begin walking outside the damaged house. Something from the calibration of my words makes her blush into a tomato. I tilt my head, not getting why she was blushing anyway.

Soon, the whispers that I've been hearing begins.

"There's already been one attraction for dragons. Now there's two of them."

"The moon Goddess cursed us all to being born into this pack. I don't know how many more are to be murdered because of them."

The horrible rumblings begin. I cannot stop them nor can I accept them. Dragons were enemies to werewolves even before I was born. Through these years and through every attack that landed on us, I have been hearing them all along. I have kind of become immune, but I cannot say the same to a girl whose heart is more sensitive than mine.

I pick up my pace to filter out the whispers. But our werewolf ears pick up every sound without much effort. It hurts. It hurts even more because they are the people I must protect.

"You okay?" I ask softly, looking at Oiko who whips her head away as soon as we catch eye contact. "Yes. I'm fine. Thank you, alpha." She whispers, calling me by the name I deserve. Letting her rest upon her cot, I close the door and meet up with the four.

"She's fine, right?" Asks Gray. I nod at him while heading towards the bathroom to wash my hands. Soon, we gather around the table and look at each other. The tension was around.

"Did you guys know what she was hiding?" I ask them at last.

"Yes..." Keith says. He's the one who never talks. So if he confirmed it, the truth is legit. I breathe out and shake my head.

"You could have at least told me."

"We were planning to, Riley." Opo says, "But then we thought it was too soon. We were going to tonight after training, but then... this happened." He says as he looks down on his lap.

"Well, what's happened, happened. No more secrets, aight?" I smile.

"Right. No more secrets." Gray smiles and pats my shoulder. I hope we stick to this promise.