The Awakening – 1
Thea’s POV
“Fuck, that hurts!” I stared in shock as Aurora collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, blood gushing from her shoulder. “Aurora!” I tried to crawl toward her, but a wolf suddenly lunged from behind a nearby container, teeth bared and heading straight for me. I reached for the gun that had fallen from my hand when I was pushed, but I wasn’t fast enough. In that moment, I felt my blood boil—that feeling… just like the last time I faced Aurora in the parking lot, a strange yet familiar energy erupted from deep within my marrow.
Kill him! The female voice in my head screamed sharply. I had no time to think; my body reacted automatically, as if no longer under my control. I raised my hand, horrified to find my nails instantly growing longer and sharper, even sprouting fur, glinting coldly like wolf claws. I charged forward, swinging my arm, feeling the sensation of flesh tearing, blood splattering onto my face and clothes.
The wolf let out a piercing whimper and collapsed in front of me, the light in its eyes gradually fading. I gasped for breath, looking down at my hand—just ordinary human fingers, no claws, only fingertips covered in blood, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion. But the werewolf corpse before me and the bloodstains on my clothes silently testified that something had indeed happened.
What the fuck did I just do? I couldn’t possibly have a wolf, much less shift. I was wolfless; how could I possibly have wolf characteristics? A deep confusion and fear swept over me, but Aurora’s moans immediately pulled me back to reality.
“Am I dying?” Aurora’s face was turning pale, her eyes tightly closed, tears falling from the corners. I wasn’t sure if she had seen what had just happened. I didn’t dare look at the corpse on the ground and quickly ran to her side, crouching down. “Am I going to die, Thea?” Aurora sobbed intermittently. I could have told her to stop being such a crybaby, but I didn’t. After all, she had pushed me out of the way, taking that bullet for me.
“No, you’re not going to die,” I answered as I examined her wound. The bullet had hit her shoulder—not a fatal spot, but I was still worried. First, her wolf was blocked by drugs, unable to help heal the wound, and she could die from blood loss; second, we were still in danger. Someone would find us sooner or later.
“You’re lying!” she hissed as I pressed on the wound. “If I’m not dying, why does it feel like I am?” I didn’t answer, focusing instead on stopping the bleeding. As a teacher, we needed to know basic first aid. The bullet was still lodged inside, so I couldn’t remove it without causing more damage. I tore off the hem of my dress and wrapped it tightly around her shoulder.
“We need to get out of here,” I said through gritted teeth, helping her stand up. “Can you walk?”
She nodded, but when I supported her to her feet, almost her entire weight pressed against me. We stumbled forward, each step feeling like a thousand-mile journey. Fuck, Sebastian would absolutely kill me. Not only had I let Aurora get caught up in this escape, but I’d also gotten her shot. Of course, others might say it was Aurora’s own decision to take that bullet for me. I hadn’t asked her to do it, but Sebastian probably wouldn’t see it that way. He’d see his precious Aurora covered in blood and blame me.
“I should have just stayed in that damn room,” she mumbled, her voice weak from blood loss and pain. “Your fucking escape plan was the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”
At least her sharp attitude was still there—a good sign.
“Maybe the idea was stupid, but it got us temporarily out of trouble, didn’t it?” I snapped back, carefully helping her avoid obstacles on the ground.
We walked for who knows how long, maybe minutes, maybe an hour; time lost all meaning in this desperate state. My legs ached, my hands trembled, my head pounded. Aurora was now almost completely limp, growing weaker from blood loss.
“I think we… need to rest,” I said breathlessly, feeling like I couldn’t go on much longer.