Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The rest of the week went by smoothly. The homework load was light and there weren’t any more confrontations between Layton and Zev. I was still mad at Nick for what happened on Friday, so lunch with Layton was out of the question.

If I didn’t take off with Zev to the diner, I would end up in the library. Layton joined me in the library the two days I spent there during lunch.

During PE, which was the only class I had with both Layton and Zev, I made a routine of going to the end of the gym. When Layton and Zev arrived to class, they would each take a seat on either of my sides. Layton didn’t seem happy about the sitting arrangements, but he hardly made any comments with Zev there.

Zev invited me to hang out Friday after school. We were going to a lake a few miles away from his house. He told me about it on Wednesday, during one of our trips to the diner, and the excitement had started since then.

The weather had been nice and warm, usually turning cold until it was late in the afternoon.

I was wearing an aqua colored swimsuit, with some khaki shorts and a red tank top over it. Since I couldn’t be bothered to find my red pair of flip flops, I grabbed the blue ones and ran to the kitchen.

I was taking care of making sandwiches and packing chips and other snacks. Zev was taking care of the drinks. Just as I finished putting everything in my backpack, the doorbell rang.

Zev stood at the door, dressed in cargo shorts and a navy blue shirt. For some reason, his clothing made his hazel eyes shine brighter. There was a certain glow to them that was lighting up his features. I had to admit he looked great, even though he was wearing something so casual. His hair was disheveled and all over the place, like it usually was.

He winked at me when he noticed I was staring at him. I simply laughed, already used to his flirty ways, gave him a light shove, and threw my backpack at him.

Zev had to park about two miles away, so we were making the rest of the walk through the woods. As soon as I noticed the trees clearing out, I started walking faster.

When we arrived, I realized it was all more than worth it. The lake was absolutely breathtaking.

“Wow….”

“It is safe to assume that you like it?” Zev seemed amused by my enthusiasm.

“I love it!” I cried, and took the few steps to reach the shallow ends of the water.

“It feels warm,” I commented after dipping my toe in.

“We’ll enjoy it now. In a few hours, the water is going to be freezing,” Zev said.

It sounded like he had experienced the water at its coldest, and the way he cringed when he spoke, it made me smile.

“I can’t believe you have this so close to home. How the heck are you not here every day?”

Zev was closing the distance between us. Once he was beside me, he took my hand and began walking us deeper into the water.

I stopped for a few seconds, enough to slip off my shorts and tank top. Even though I had extra clothes, there was no point in getting the ones I was wearing wet.

It was a full swimsuit, which made me feel less exposed and a lot more comfortable than a two piece.

When Zev noticed I was undressing, he slipped of his shirt as well, leaving his chest bare. It was impossible not to look at his nicely tanned skin. His abs looked amazing, and distracted me for a few seconds.

“Nice view?” Zev asked me, cocking an eyebrow.

There was a playful grin on his face, which made me feel less embarrassed about being caught staring at him once again.

“Very nice,” I admitted, before continuing to the water.

We fooled around most of the time, splashing water and chasing each other around. I was a fast swimmer, something I took pride in. Zev kept trying to catch up to me, but he failed every time and ended up getting frustrated.

It was funny to watch his pouty face, although I didn’t think he knew he was pouting like a little kid.

“How are you doing it? You’re like a fucking mermaid.”

At that time, he’d been on one side of the lake and I was about fifteen feet away.

“Hey, I’m just swimming. Don’t hate on me just because you can’t keep up,” I told him with grin on my face.

We got out of the water about two hours later. Zev was hungry and I was starting to get cold. It was still light out, but the afternoon breeze was picking up.

Zev left me alone for a few minutes, while he walked back to get the food and the cooler. I was surprised when he came back a lot faster than the time it had taken us to reach the lake when we arrived.

We had been eating peacefully for about twenty minutes. The blanket felt nice under us, and I kept playing with some colorful pebbles that decorated the entire shore of the lake. I was picking up the prettiest ones and stashing them in my bag, which had Zev teasing me.

“You know those rocks belong to me, since it’s my lake,” Zev told me.

“Does that mean you can’t spare a few of them? I didn’t know you were that stingy,” I countered, teasing him right back.

“I don’t think you asked for them. You’re practically stealing from me right in front of my eyes,” he said.

Loud growls coming from behind the trees stopped my hand before it reached a nice red stone. The grin was wiped off from Zev’s face, and I saw his body tense up.

“Did you hear that?” I asked, feeling my heart pounding loudly against my chest.

“Loud and clear,” Zev said through gritted teeth.

He looked furious.

We both stood up from the ground, very aware that the growls were getting closer. When I took a step towards the trees where the sound was coming from, Zev placed his arm in front of me.

“Don’t move,” he ordered, keeping his eyes in the direction of the woods.

I gave him a confused look. It was the wrong moment for him to be acting tough. This thing—whatever it was—sounded dangerous.

I had been deep in thought, figuring out a plan, when the scene unfolded in front of me.

It all happened fast, way too fast. One moment, Zev was standing next to me, his hard stare focused on the trees in front of us. In the blink of an eye, he was dashing for the woods. Just before he made it, a huge silvery gray Wolf jumped out and stood right in front of him.

I had never in my life seen a real life Wolf, but I was sure they were not supposed to be over six feet tall.

Zev didn’t back off when the Wolf began growling at him. The Wolf looked feral and wild. I feared for Zev’s life. I knew I could take care of myself, but Zev had unnecessarily exposed himself.

I was scared the Wolf would rip Zev to pieces.

My surprise came a few seconds later, when Zev started growling back, imitating the Wolf’s actions.

If it wasn’t for how dangerous the situation was, I would have been indulging in the beauty of the huge silver Wolf standing just feet away from Zev.

I was staring at the silver Wolf in awe, when he suddenly jumped at Zev, aiming for his neck. Zev swiftly moved out of the way.

I was about to step in and stop the Wolf midair before he could make another move. But I didn’t have to. The moment I held my hand up to hold the silver Wolf with my mind, Zev shredded his clothes and transformed himself into a black Wolf.

I was in a mixture of being amazed and being scared.

I stood in place, trying to understand what was happening before my eyes. Both of the Wolves were circling each other, growling ferociously.

They seemed lost in their own fight, forgetting I was standing there, not even ten feet away from them. If I ran away, there was a big chance I would make it home safely. But my legs were glued in place. I was staring in anticipation at the Wolves in front of me.

In all the haze of Zev’s transformation, I forgot about my telekinesis ability. I sighed in relief once I reassured myself that they couldn’t hurt me.

I kept having inner debates with myself.

Maybe I could stop the fight before it started.

I didn’t want them to fight. I didn’t want Zev to get hurt. All I had to do was keep the Wolves in place at opposite ends of each other, using my mind. They both looked fiercely strong, but I was certain that with a little effort exerted from my part, I could hold them in place.

I needed Zev to change back and explain everything that was happening. What stopped me from doing it in that second was my dad. He would hate for me to expose my gifts in front of two Wolves. Well, it was a Wolf and Zev, who had transformed into a Wolf himself.

I hastily made my decision just in time as the silver Wolf threw himself at the black Wolf, who was really Zev. I made a run for it and stood protectively in front of Zev. My plan was to cover him from the attack. Once the silver Wolf came at us, I would shove him away with my mind, and then I would take off with Zev.

It did not happen how I planned it out in my mind. I wasn’t expecting for the silver Wolf to stop his attack as soon as he saw me intercede. He landed awkwardly in the ground, after he stopped his jump midair.

Zev, or the black Wolf he’d become, bit my tank top from behind, and threw me out of the way with force. I landed on the ground in a heap, a few feet away from the pair of Wolves.

When the silver Wolf’s dark eyes landed on me, he closed the distance between us. I was too stunned to move him away from him. He gave a loud growl, which made me jump, but it hadn’t been directed at me. The Wolf had growled in Zev’s direction, very loudly.

I didn’t know whether to feel confused or scared when the silver Wolf started licking my face and sniffing around my neck. When Zev took off into the woods, all of my emotions turned into fear, as I watched Zev’s retreating form. He was leaving me to fend for myself with the humongous gray Wolf that was still licking me.

It felt like ages later when Zev came back wearing a pair of black shorts. His hair was disheveled but he seemed fine. His chest was still bare, and his frown had faded.

I was still on the ground, sitting up, with the silver Wolf hovering over me. I looked over at Zev for help, and he just rolled his eyes. He seemed more annoyed than scared by the Wolf that was practically over my body.

“Go change. You’re freaking her out,” Zev said, standing a few feet away from us.

The Wolf growled at Zev in reply. A sharp set of canines came to view, too close to my face for comfort.

Why was Zev angering the Wolf while he was still right next to me?

“Huh?” I dumbly asked Zev.

“I’m talking to him, Cass,” he replied, pointing at the Wolf.

The Wolf growled again, a growl I felt myself getting familiar with.

At least he didn’t seem angry at me and he wasn’t trying to eat me. I didn’t expect him to create a small distance between us, but he did. He ran his slimy tongue on the side of my face and took off towards the woods.

“Why did you leave?” I asked Zev demandingly.

“I didn’t. I had to go change or else you would’ve seen me naked,” Zev replied, holding his hands up in defense.

“You left me with a freaken Wolf! He could have eaten me!” I shouted, feeling really pissed off at him.

“He’s an idiot, but he wouldn’t hurt you. And go wash off, you reek of him,” Zev told me right after sitting by my side.

He was scrunching up his nose, making it seem like I stunk. I had no idea what the heck he was going on about, so I just went to the lake and quickly washed up.

I was about to start throwing accusations at Zev, when Layton popped out of the woods.

He was wearing a pair of dark gray shorts, nothing else. He honestly looked like a Greek God, strolling towards us with his amazing athletic body. His muscular chest was on full display, and it grabbed my attention a lot longer than I would have liked to admit.

Zev impressed me, but Layton had just blown me away.

Layton’s jaw was clenched, implying he was upset, but he still looked gorgeous. He was making his way towards us with all his confidence and standing tall. I really couldn’t keep my eyes off him.

It wasn’t until Zev flicked my nose that I turned back to face him, glad that he had gotten me out of the trance Layton had me in.

“Layton, what are you doing here?” I asked. My voice was still shaky from the events that had taken place just minutes before. Zev still hadn’t given me an explanation on what the hell had happened, or how he’d turned into a humongous Wolf.

“What am I doing here? Are you seriously asking me that?” Layton asked. I could hear the anger in his voice, his hands were in fists, and his eyes were dangerously dark.

“Uh, yeah, I think that’s what I asked you,” I replied, knowing it would only anger him more.

I was surprised with how used to I was to his aggressive behavior. It was like I expected him to behave this way at least once a day.

“I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t gotten here,” he spat.

“Well, you missed a fight that was about to break loose. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” I said to him, the memories of the two Wolves still very present in my mind.

“I know!” Layton yelled at me.

“And you,” he looked at Zev, “I should’ve ripped you to pieces just now!”

“Why didn’t you?” Zev questioned.

Why was Layton talking like that? He wasn’t even here until right now.

“You know why I didn’t. What were you two doing before I got here?” The accusation was clear behind Layton’s words.

“What is going on?” I asked, unsteadily. I knew the answer to my question, but I really didn’t want for it to be true.

“I was going to rip your friend here, apart. But of course, you had to go in and defend him like you always do, like if he can’t handle himself. So I had to step down,” Layton huffed, his face growing red.

“You…” I started, not being able to finish my question. “You were the silver Wolf?” I asked after taking some deep breathes.

“Damn right I am!” Layton snapped.

I sat down on the ground, not able to handle what was going on. Layton and Zev had shifted into Wolves. ‘And I thought I was the freak,’ I thought to myself.

“Cass, princess, are you okay?” I faintly heard Zev ask. He took a seat next to me, trying to get my attention.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Layton yelled. I noticed he was approaching us, but I felt too numb to push him away, not that I wanted to. I didn’t really know what I wanted.

“Shut the fuck up. This isn’t about you Layton. We can’t just shift in front of her and expect her to take it all in like nothing happened,” Zev scolded him.

“I’ll take her home and explain everything. Now get away from her!”

Layton tried to take me away from Zev’s arms, but Zev wouldn’t let go.

“I brought her here and I’m taking her back,” Zev told Layton firmly.

“I don’t care if you brought her here. I know what you two were doing and I’m not going to let it keep happening.”

When Layton went to grab me a second time, rougher than the first, Zev finally let me go.

“What if she wants to stay here with me?” Zev challenged.

“She’s mine. I say where she can and can’t stay,” Layton replied with a growl, pressing me closer to his chest.

I could practically feel the bruises forming in my skin from his rough hold. I couldn’t speak. I felt numb and the shock from it all was barely sinking in.

I thought about all the times Layton and Zev fought. Many things about them finally made sense. This was what they were hiding. They were Werewolves and more than likely, so were all the other guys.

I thought about myself and being a Legen. What would they say if they ever found out? What if there were more Legens? If Werewolves existed, more Legens could exist as well.

I didn’t know if more Legens were out there, and I probably never would. There was no way any other Legen would be shouting at the world what they were. There might have been more of my kind, wanting to be found.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt my body being tugged to opposite sides. Both Layton and Zev were fighting to get me in their arms.

“Put me down!” I ordered the pair.

They turned down to stare at me, looking like they were taking my presence into account for the first time.

“We’re leaving,” Layton told me.

“I’m not leaving with you.”

“You can come with me,” Zev offered.

“I’m not leaving with either of you,” I said, looking a few seconds between Layton and Zev.

They were surprised by my words. Neither of them made a move when I picked up my back pack and my flip flops and started walking away.

I felt their presence behind me, both of them keeping a safe distance from each other. It was a long walk back home, but I didn’t care. When I made it to the road, I kept walking.

I created distance between them and me, picking up my speed more than I should have. With about two miles separating us, I prepared myself for flight. I carried my back pack in my front, and allowed my white wings to surface from my back.

They ripped my swim suit and the tank top, but I didn’t care. I wanted to get home and think and rest. After taking a few deep calming breaths, I shot up high in the sky and started flying home.

My phone rang all afternoon. Every time I checked it, it was either Layton or Zev. I got a few calls from the other guys, but I ignored those as well.

I went to bed just past eight. It was still early, but I felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. Just before I drifted off into a restless sleep, I heard howls coming from outside my window.