Chapter nineteen

Alina let out a piercing scream. "Marcus!" she yelled with all her strength as she ran to him, hugging him tightly. "Wake up, wake up!" she cried out desperately.

Looking down at the blood on her hands, she whispered to herself, "Is he dead?" Trembling with fear.

"Please don't die, Marcus. Please don't leave me," she begged, tears streaming down her face as she tried to shake him awake. After a few moments, Marcus coughed and stirred.

Alina's heart leaped with joy. "Marcus, it's me, Alina. Can you hear me?"

Marcus sat up, wincing as he held his bitten shoulder. "Alina, what are you doing here? I told you to run and get help. Don't you know it's dangerous to come back here?" he admonished.

"I know, but I couldn't leave you. When I heard the screams, I thought they were hurting you. By the way, where are the wolves? And where are your clothes?" Alina asked, noticing the absence of the wolves and his near-nakedness.

"That's a story for another day, but first, give me my clothes," Marcus said, pointing at his clothes lying a few meters away.

"How did your clothes end up over there?" Alina asked, bringing the clothes and trying not to look at Marcus since he was only in his underwear.

"It's a long story," he said, taking the clothes from her. "I need to get home. I think I need some cleaning up," Marcus said, wincing in pain as he dressed.

"What do you mean, home? We need to go to the hospital first," Alina suggested, worried.

"No, not the hospital. We must go to my house. Don't worry, my mom and dad will know what to do," Marcus replied. "You can turn around now," he added, referring to Alina, who had her back turned so he could dress.

Alina would have protested more, but she didn't want to waste time arguing. Marcus was losing blood, and if he believed his parents could help him, who was she to stand in his way?

She managed to help Marcus back to where his car was parked. As they got in the car, she turned and asked Marcus one last time, "Are you sure I shouldn't take you to the hospital?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just take me back to my house; my parents will know what to do," Marcus insisted.

She shrugged her shoulders and started the car.

"Wait!" Marcus suddenly screamed, causing Alina to startle. He held Alina's hands so she wouldn't drive.

"What the hell?" She blurted out. "What is it now?"

"I forgot to ask you, can you drive?" Marcus said, waiting for her to answer.

She removed his hands and scoffed, "Do you even have a choice? Well, you're lucky I can drive. So, can we go now?" He nodded his head, and she drove off, heading to his house as fast as she could.

Upon entering the driveway, as Alina and Marcus were getting out of the car, Dana saw them and was startled by the blood. She ran to meet them. "What happened?" she asked, looking at both of them. "How did he get hurt?" Her voice was laced with fear and curiosity.

Dana held Marcus, who was already very weak and immediately fainted. "Marcus, Marcus," she said, trying to wake him.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry. I told him we should go to the hospital, but he insisted I bring him here," Alina said, scared.

"Don't worry, Alina. You did the right thing by bringing him here. He will be fine," Dana reassured her.

"Jacob, Jacob," Dana called out, and a big, burly man appeared. "Please, take him to his room."

"Yes, Luna," Jacob responded, carrying Marcus in his arms.

"Wait, Jacob," Dana called him back, gesturing for him to come close so she could whisper something in his ear. "Immediately take him upstairs to his room. Go call Andel, tell him I need him here as fast as possible."

"Okay, Luna," Jacob said, taking Marcus with him.

Dana turned her gaze to Alina, who was visibly shaken and frightened. "Dear child, calm down. Marcus will be alright," Dana said, calmly with a smile.

"This is weird," Alina thought; she couldn't understand why Dana was so calm about her son being hurt and covered in blood. "Will he be alright?" she asked.

"Yes, he will. Now, can you tell me what actually happened?" Dana asked.

"Well, um, we- we..." Alina stuttered, but Dana interrupted gently, "Calm down." She patted Alina on the shoulder. "Take a deep breath and breathe out. I promise you, everything is alright. Marcus will be fine, but I need to know what happened to him so that something like that will not happen again."

Alina took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, then began to narrate what happened in the woods.

When Alina had finished explaining what had happened, Dana gave her a warm hug. "I'm sorry, dear, that you had to go through that," she said softly.

She took Alina by the hand and led her inside, where they both sat on the sofa. "Maggie!" Dana called out. "Yes, Luna," Maggie answered.

"Make the girl some hot chocolate and bring her aspirin. I think she has a headache," Dana instructed.

Alina looked at Dana in surprise, wondering how she knew about her headache and why the maid and the other man called her Luna. "Is she also like her son, forcing their workers to call her that because she likes werewolf movies? Maybe she watches them with her son," she thought to herself but didn't voice it out loud, as that wasn't her main concern at the moment.

Still trembling and scared, Alina mentioned, "Mrs. West, aren't we supposed to call the police? I think those animals are still out there." She looked at Dana, her eyes filled with fear.

"No, no," Dana said, placing her hands on Alina's shoulders to calm her down. "There's no need to call the police. We will take care of it."

"But how?" Alina asked, shocked, confused, and a little irritated. She didn't understand why Dana wouldn't want to report the matter to the police, especially since the animals had attacked her own son and could have even killed him.

"Mrs. West, you don't understand. These were no ordinary animals. They were very huge wolves. Even remembering their eyes gives me creeps," Alina explained.

Dana knew that the girl was very scared, and her face showed it all. "Yes, I know that they are huge. But, Alina, I don't want you to tell anyone about what happened today in the woods."

"What?" Alina said, surprised. "Why would you want me to keep quiet? We need to get rid of those animals!" Her voice rose in terror.

"Yes, yes, my husband and I will take care of it. But if the police were to find out, or anyone else, Marcus' life would be in danger," Dana explained.

Alina was still puzzled. "But I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand, but Marcus would be in serious trouble if you say anything. Promise me you won't say anything, promise," Dana pleaded desperately.

"Alright, I promise," Alina said, still confused and scared.

After Alina had taken the aspirin and drank the hot chocolate, Dana escorted her to the door. "Now you must hurry home, dear. Your dad would be worried; it's already getting late," she checked the time, it was 7:39 p.m.

Alina stood up to go as Dana walked her to the door. She gave Alina a warm hug and reassured her that she wouldn't see those animals again.

"Now, wait, let me call the driver to take you," she said.

"No, Mrs. West, I am fine," Alina insisted.

Shaking her head, Dana said, "No, I insist. It is late, and I can't let you go home alone like this."

The driver arrived, and she instructed him to take Alina to her house.

Alina thanked her and left with the driver.

As she stepped into her house, her father, Paul, rushed towards her, enveloping her in a tight hug. She was taken aback, not expecting such a warm reception.

"Dana told me what happened," Paul said, his voice filled with concern.

Alina's heart skipped a beat. "Exactly what did she tell you?" she wondered, knowing that Dana had pleaded with her to keep quiet about the incident.

"What did she say?" she asked again, her eyes searching her father's face for answers.

Paul looked at his daughter, his expression serious. "Everything," he replied, his gaze unwavering. "I think it's time you know the truth."

Alina's confusion deepened. "What truth?" she asked, her voice tinged with apprehension.

"The whole truth," Paul said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.