He Was Wild (Short Story)

Part 1

Sitara had always thought of her brother's best friend, Aiden, as an enigma. Mysterious and quiet, he seemed to hold secrets that no one else could fathom. So he didn't speak. Yet, his presence always brought a sense of comfort and familiarity to her, despite the aura of intrigue that surrounded him. It was that very intrigue that led her down a path she could have never anticipated. A path she never before dared to take.

In the heart of the city, their lives intertwined like threads weaving a complex tapestry. Aiden had been a fixture at their house since they were kids, always there for family gatherings and special occasions. As the years passed, he remained a steadfast presence, a silent guardian to her, of sorts. It wasn't until Sitara moved away to attend college that things began to change between them.

It was during one of her wilder weekends that Aiden's true nature began to reveal itself. The night was hazy with the scent of adventure and the lingering warmth of summer, and she followed it as if tranced. Sitara and her friends had indulged in their fair share of psychedelic substances, each one turning reality into a whirlwind of colors and sensations. But what Sitara witnessed that night defied the boundaries of her altered perception.

They had all gathered at a remote cabin deep within the woods, the perfect setting for their escapades to be unbound. Aiden had joined them along with his friends, one of which was dating Sitara's closest friend. His usually composed demeanor was different tonight, tinged with a bit of restlessness. As the night wore on, the group danced to a rhythm only they could hear, lost in their world of euphoria.

It wasn't until Sitara glanced at Aiden that her world flipped on its axis. His eyes, once the color of warm amber, had transformed into a deep, feral gold. She could have sworn his usually cropped hair spread along his neck. His features shifted, a certain tension in his movements that betrayed a primal grace. It was as if a different creature inhabited his skin, a creature that was both breathtaking and terrifying.

In the depths of her altered state, Sitara's mind wrestled with what was real and what wasn't. She watched in disbelief as Aiden's eyes gleamed with an intensity she couldn't comprehend. As the night wore on, she found herself drawn to him, a magnetic force compelling her to unravel the mystery that was Aiden. She struggled, knowing in her very core that it was wrong. This was the same man who had given her a bloody nose as children accidentally when she crawled into their treehouse unnoticed. The same guy who unclothed all of her dolls and left, when she had begged Aiden and her brother to play with her just for a little while. He was abominable. He wasn't hardly ever kind to her. What reason could she have for being so drawn to him now?

Days turned into weeks, and Sitara couldn't shake the memory of that night from her mind. She began to observe Aiden more closely, noticing the subtle shifts in his behavior. What she had noticed, but thought it was incredibly ridiculous, was that he seemed more attuned to the moon's cycles. He disappeared from their friend group during the nights of the full moon. It was typical for him to be withdrawn, unsocial as he was. When she went looking for him, though, she caught him sitting on the edge of the water fountain in the center of the quad. He was wholly transfixed on the full moon above them. His senses were keener, his awareness heightened. As soon as he caught her watching from across the quad, hiding behind a building, he bolted in the opposite direction. There was no way he'd have heard her.

She was at a complete loss, unable to explain what was happening between them, if it was anything at all.

Convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her, Sitara decided to research. She sought out any possible logical explanations for the inexplicable. His behavior was becoming way too strange, even for him. To her horror, she uncovered ancient legends that spoke of humans transformed into beasts under the moon's silver gaze. But such stories were fantasy, mere myths to keep children inside after dark. Any logic or evidence behind the stories could easily be dismissed. Devoured animals in the night of the full moons were eaten by larger animals. That was all.

Despite the mounting evidence in her research, Sitara remained skeptical. She refused to believe that the quiet, enigmatic Aiden could harbor such a secret. Yet, the truth was inescapable, like a shadow lurking at the edge of her consciousness day and night.

One evening, unable to ignore her curiosity any longer, Sitara confronted Aiden. They sat on the porch of her family home, the moon casting a silvery glow over the landscape. Heart pounding, she broached the subject, her words a mixture of caution and uncertainty.

"Aiden, there's something I need to talk to you about," she began, her voice trembling slightly.

He turned to her, his gaze unwavering. "Yeah?" Gods damn him. He was always so calm, so quiet. It was eating at her. He probably thought her an absolute fool for drawing him away from the post-dinner conversations and games to ask this. She already began speaking about it, there was no turning back now. The worst he could do was laugh at her and call her ridiculous for believing in such a thing. It was impossible. Wasn't it?

"I..." She stumbled over her words, then she straightened. "I saw something that night at the cabin, and then afterwards," she confessed, hinting about that night in the courtyard. Her eyes searched his face for a sign of denial.

He remained silent, a solemn acknowledgment in his eyes.

She continued, her voice barely above a whisper, "I know we were all hopped up out of our minds. Honestly, I have no basis for what I saw. All I know is that I did. Your eyes changed, and I saw you move... differently,"

Aiden's gaze softened, the flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The devil himself. "You've always been very observant."

Her heart raced, a mixture of emotions churning within her. "Is it true?" she asked, her voice full of trepidation and awe.

He nodded slowly. "Yes, it is. Which is why you can't tell a fucking soul."

Sitara's world trembled, the foundation of her reality shifting beneath her feet. She had braced herself for a multitude of responses, but this was beyond anything she had imagined. Aiden's admission hung between them, an unspoken understanding that transcended words. He wouldn't lie, not to her. Especially not about this. It would have been way too easy for him to brush it off, to make fun of her instead. Yet, he didn't. He confessed.

As the days turned into weeks, Sitara came to accept the truth that had been revealed to her. Her mind grappled with the fantastical nature of Aiden's existence, yet her heart recognized the person beneath the facade. She knew his parents, were they werewolves? Did it only affect the males? How many were there? Aiden's transformation only deepened their connection, weaving a bond that was as unbreakable as it was extraordinary.

The nights of the full moon became moments of shared understanding, as Sitara and Aiden soon came to venture into the wilderness together. Beneath the moon's luminescent glow, Aiden's form would change, his humanity giving way to the untamed creature within. They would run together through the woods, side by side, as the wind whispered secrets and the night embraced their otherworldliness. For the first time in their lives, she heard him laugh. A guttural, primal laugh from his soul that he simply couldn't contain any longer. A happiness from sharing this deep part of himself with someone. With her.

It was as if this whole thing was her undoing, and yet, the beginning of something beautiful.

Sitara's perception of reality had shifted irrevocably, and with it, her understanding of what it meant to be human. In Aiden's dual existence, she found a reflection of the complexities that resided within all of them. She had come to realize that beneath the surface, each person carried with them a universe of secrets, desires, and truths, just waiting to be revealed.

And so, amidst the chaos and uncertainty of this world, Sitara and Aiden navigated their own reality—one that transcended the ordinary and embraced their oddities, instead. In the heart of the night, beneath the watchful gaze of the moon, they found solace in being untamed.