Nielu [REWRITTEN]

17 - The Heart is Shattered

The minute the boat docks, Nana and Zane race off the boat itself, Luci behind them as is Alina and Nico. Ethan glances his eyes upwards, then sighs as he follows after them. Melissa stares at his retreating body, her right hand moves to dig out a vial and grasps it.

She slips it back into her pocket then jogs off after her wife, friends, and family. Her feet halt when she approaches them, though. "What's going on?"

"It's Aaron." Luci mumbles. "He's being controlled."

Melissa shifts her golden eyes ahead of her, seeing her dear brother stalk towards Nana, Nico, and Ethan. She inwardly winces when he throws the meif'was out of the way, leaving only her nephew; his adopted son.

"Dad, don't do this." Ethan whispers and tries to take a step backwards only to collapse on his knees.

The Lycan man immediately latches a hand around his son's neck as the latter lets out a soft gasp. Ethan's hands fly up, desperate to free his neck.

"Aaron! Let him go!" Melissa shouts. "I know this isn't you! You told me before, you'd never hurt him. That you'd always care about him because he makes you both happier than I've ever seen! Please, let go of his neck."

"He must die. Michael wishes it that way."

"Daddy! Let go of his neck!" Alina barks. "Please."

A force runs into Aaron, causing him to let go and fall backwards. Ethan gasps for well needed oxygen as Melissa and Nana pat his shoulders. He growls after he pushes himself to his feet and feels earth-shattering pain race through his body as he pounces forwards.

"Dad! Snap out of this! Aunt Mel's right! This isn't you!" Ethan tries to say, but all he hears is barks coming out instead of words.

Am I a wolf right now? I didn't even know I could do this.

"Ethan, you shifted!" Melissa hollers. "Nice job! I have something for you, if you're a bit thirsty."

"But dad..." he barks again, glancing at Aaron's downed body. He sees a solid light brown wolf with patches of black and dark brown on his hind legs and head sitting on his father like it's bored.

"Who are you and what are you doing on my brother?"

The wolf then proceeds to shift into an actual human, a bit naked human though. Nana throws the shifter Zane's jacket she's wearing. "Cover up." Nana mutters, "I've seen enough nudeness for days."

The brunet laughs and lifts the jacket to smell it, then throws it back to her. "No thank you, vampire mate." he growls.

"Who are you, you didn't answer Mel's question." Lucinda asks, sliding over a pair of spare shorts Nico had in his suitcase that she took with them.

The human slides the pants on, and moves to put his hands on his hips. "Now, you," he gestures to Ethan. "Close your eyes and imagine your human form. You'll shift back that way."

Ethan snarls at him a second then closes his eyes. Nana tosses a jacket and shorts to Lucinda. "If it's the same, he'll be...you know." she jerks a head at the human shifter that was nude a moment ago.

Lucinda laughs awkwardly. "Right." she catches the clothes and sets them beside Ethan's wolf.

The teenaged werewolf shifts out of his wolf form and safely into human form, becoming quickly flustered as Nico walks with him a bit away from the group.

The two come back with Ethan clad in his jacket and shorts. "You okay, Ethan?"

He glances to the right, noting it's Alina's voice he hears. "Yeah, fine. Didn't know I could do that. I thought mom and dad can't."