Page 21 of Stolen By Dragons

Chris reached my door, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Was that Ossian? What did he want?"

I felt a pang of guilt as I lied, "Oh, he was just commending me on my performance in training today." My mind swirled with questions now, questions only Ossian could answer. Telling Chris would mean telling him about our kiss, and the thought of doing that made my stomach flip.

Chris looked skeptical. "That's... weird. I didn't think vampires were the type to give out compliments."

I forced a laugh, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, it was unexpected. Anyway, come in."

As Chris entered, I tried to push thoughts of Ossian and his request out of my mind. Along with my unease now about his motives last night. Had our kiss been something stemmed from him trying to trick me with vampire magic? The thought made my stomach churn, but I focused on Chris instead, on his warm smile as he glanced around my room then focused on me.

He’d been sweet from the get-go, and despite my reservations towards men in general after Jason, I couldn’t help the way I felt so comfortable around him already.

“Let’s sit on the balcony,” I suggested, and he nodded. We made our way outside, settling into the chairs there. The view of Dracaria spread out before us, beautiful and mystical, a reminder of how far we were from home.

"So," Chris said, his hazel eyes soft as they met mine. “You did amazing today. How are feeling about it all?”

I sighed as I let my gaze move to the view before us, so vast and stunning. But as I began to speak, I couldn't quite shake the memory of Ossian's hungry gaze and his troubling request. What was I going to do about that?

8

ARIA

"I'm... overwhelmed, I guess," I admitted, deciding to focus on the broader situation rather than my personal dilemmas. “I mean, we have ancient magic in us, and we’re in a whole new world. I could jump things I never could have dreamed of jumping before, and my reflexes… let’s just say, clumsy was my middle name most of my life. Now, I seem to be quick and able to do incredible things. Nothing like you guys, but still enough to get through the course. It's a lot to take in." I paused, then added, "But I know it's not just me. We're all in this together, dealing with this crazy situation. I guess I just feel even more naive and new since I didn’t even know that you guys existed,” I said as I gestured at him.

Chris nodded knowingly. "Yeah, it's pretty insane. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find out this was all some weird dream. You’ve just been hit with an entire hidden-world-around-you stick as well, then tossed into another one.”

“Tell me about it, god, it’s crazy,” I said with a wry smile. "But then again, the magic we felt today... that was real. Something amazing. I've never experienced anything like that before."

"It was incredible," Chris agreed, his face lighting up as he smiled at me. "When I felt that energy coursing through me, it was like... like I was finally complete. Like a part of me I didn't even know was missing suddenly clicked into place."

I nodded, remembering the warmth that had spread through my body during the training session. "It's strange, isn't it? To suddenly discover you're not who you thought you were?"

Chris's expression grew serious. "Tell me about it. I mean, I've always been a werewolf, but this... this is different. It's like there's this whole other side to me that I'm just now discovering. Another whole new learning curve, because having your first shift and learning to master your wolf side isn’t a mission in itself, now we’re adding on another whole level.”

"What's it like?" I asked, my curiosity winning out about the werewolf stuff. "Being a werewolf, I mean. If you don't mind me asking."

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze distant. "It's... complicated," he finally said. "On one hand, there's this incredible sense of power and freedom. When I shift, it's like all the worries and constraints of the human world just fall away. But on the other hand..."

"On the other hand?" I prompted gently when he trailed off.

Chris sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "On the other hand, it can be isolating. I've never quite fit in with my pack. I was a late bloomer - didn't have my first shift until I was in my twenties. In the werewolf world, that's practically unheard of. Now, amongst humans, you can’t really connect on a deeper level. They’ll never be able to know who you really are. Our existence has to be kept secret. It’s been hard. At home, I seem like a regular guy with a crappy cubicle job. Being confined to adesk like that when you have an animal inside you, it’s tough as hell. But I need the work to survive.”

"That must be difficult," I said softly. “You guys said that the supernatural world is governed by a Council of sorts. That hunters exist to exterminate you. That’s insane in itself. But I can only imagine how the world would react if you came out.”

“Exactly,” he said with a heavy sigh. “And since I’m without a pack, life gets hard, lonely. You can’t really open up to anyone, all my friends, they’re just acquaintances really,” he admitted, his brow furrowing as he looked down and flexed his hand.

“Wait, you’re without a pack? Why? I thought you said most werewolves are born into packs, that lone wolves are rare…” I frowned at him, confused by this knowledge as I recalled what he’d told me. I’d wanted to ask him about his pack, but I’d gotten distracted by all the shifter stuff and gotten overwhelmed.

He nodded, his expression pained. "When I turned twenty and still hadn't shifted, my family... they disowned me. Said they had to maintain their standing within the pack. I was forced to leave the pack territories, completely unprepared for life on my own, since a pack works together in all ways. You tend to stay on Pack land, you get helped with schooling, getting a job, getting a house in the territory… I lost all of that support.”

I reached out, placing my hand on his arm as my heart pulled for him. "Chris, I'm so sorry. That's terrible."

Sure, my father and I had our differences, but he’d been there for me when I needed him. Helped me with school and pushed me to go to college, although he’d said it was to help me find a respectable man pursuing a good career, but he always meant well. A pang sliced through me as I thought of him, the fear of never seeing him again if we couldn’t beat the Void, but I shoved it aside as Chris managed a smile at me. He covered my hand with his and squeezed it, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

"It was rough," he admitted. "I had to learn to navigate the human world while dealing with this part of me I didn't fully understand. Then, when I finally did shift, I thought... well, I thought I could go back."

"You tried to return to your pack?" I asked, sensing there was more to the story. His hand was warm on mine, and it tightened as he frowned, his jaw clenching. This was something that still hurt him, and I wanted to ease the pain somehow.

"Yeah, I did. But it didn't work out. My late shift was seen as a weakness, something that made me unworthy of the pack. They refused to accept me back."

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