The Monster Within - Book 1

Chapter 19

'Archer?' I exhale, seeing the ghost of the man who I thought was dead.

'What?' He bites, standing from his seat and walking over to me. His body almost as tall as Apollos, but not quite.

'How are you alive? I thought the wolf got you.' I ask with confusion in my tone

He scoffs.

'As if he would kill me. He's needs me more than I need him.'

'Wha... what?'

'Apollo isn't going to kill the last living member of his family... Of his pack.' He pauses watching me for a second. 'I didn't think you were going to survive the transformation last night. You were in a pretty bad way. Unfortunately for me, you're still here.'

He tilts his head, running his eyes over my body.

'Has everyone just completely lost their minds? I didn't turn into some sort of animal last night. Things like that don't exist. Monsters don't exist.'

He closes the gap between us, stepping so close towards me I can almost touch him. I back up into a counter, stopping me from being able to move away as he lowers his mouth to my ear, not quite touching me.

'Of course monsters exist and now you're one of them.' He laughs before moving away from me.

'Ohh, there you are.' Apollo announces as he walks into the room, eyeing me.

My grasp tightens on my towel as I pull it higher up my body, covering myself. Not wanting to catch his gaze, I look down to the floor, feeling my heart pound in my chest. But something inside me can't help but to look up. Peeking through my eyelashes I see him chewing the inside of his lip as he looks at me annoyed. Then I hear his voice playing on loop in my head, demanding me not to cover up in front of him.

'How is it that you have no idea we exist when you're part of one of the oldest bloodlines?' Archer asks, reminding me he was still here.

I don't say anything as I don't want to anger two people who have been sucked in by this delusion. Two people who seem very capable of very bad things.

'Go get dressed.' Apollo commands, when I don't answer his brother's question.

'But... I have no clothes?'

'All you're things have been moved here. Your clothes are in the drawers in our room.' He states

'You moved my clothes? You brought all my things here?' I question, ignoring the fact he just called his room, our room.

'Yes, now go. There are some things I must discuss with my brother.'

I walk back to the room, clutching at the towel. Once in the room I make my way over to the chest of drawers and pull each draw open, eyeing all my neatly folded clothing. I pull a top and some jeans out before starting a hunt for my underwear. I walk over to the other draws and open them only to find Apollos clothes. He didn't pack my underwear?

I pull the jeans on feeling very uncomfortable as the fabric rubs against my naked skin between my thighs. I pull the top over my head just as Apollo bursts into the room without knocking. Spinning on my heels, I turn to face him before he takes several large strides across the room, toward me.

'Tell me. What is it you know of us?'

I pause before I answer 'I only know what my nan told me. We used to play with each other when we were kids. And there was a fire at your old family home. That's all I know.'

'So until today you had no idea you would become a werewolf?'

'No?' I only say to humour him.

'You did not know that your father promised to marry you off to me when you became of age?'

'No, I don't even know my father.'

'Probably for the best.'

'Who was he?' I ask, a bit curious.

'He was a pathetic excuse for a man. He tricked your mother and got her pregnant. She was unaware of the deal he made with my father to pay off the debt he owed my family. She only became aware after you were born. A girl, promised to my family.'

'Why has no one told me this before?' I question, trying to find a hole in his story, just to show him how none of this made any sense.

'I don't know.' He says, shrugging his shoulders. 'My family was very angry when your mother took you away. But then Ester got you to come home. To your family.'

'I have no family now she's gone.' I say, feeling a sadness swell in me.

'I am your family now. Your life will soon have meaning again.'

I laugh at his comment, then quickly cover my mouth at my sudden outburst, while Apollo glares at me. But he wasn't wrong, was he? I had no mother or father. Nan was now gone, plus an Ex boyfriend who was cheating on me. I had no one to love me. Suddenly my life felt very empty.

'Sleep now.' He tells me. 'You got very little rest last night.' He finishes as he leave me in the room alone, locking the door on his way out.

Perching on the edge of the bed, I notice how tired I truly was. As soon as my head touches the plush cushion I slip into a very vivid dream. A dream that felt so real, but I knew wasn't. I dreamt of being the white wolf again, running through the thick woods, chasing a dear, while it ran for its life. It was so close to the one I had the other night, except in this dream I catch the dear. One second I have it pinned beneath me and the next I'm sinking my teeth into its neck, feeling the life drain from it as I gorge myself on its flesh, all while the black wolf watches.

The room is dark when I stir, feeling the bed dip to my side as someone crawls onto the mattress. I feel the covers being pulled down my body, causing me to freeze to the spot. Then a hand moves to the bottom of my top, slowly pulling it up to expose my stomach. Fear creeps in as I wonder what he's going to do. When I feel his cheek press against my stomach, I have to force myself not to push him away, while I pretend to be asleep. Then his arms wrap around my waist as Apollo drapes himself over my body before going to sleep. It felt like an eternity as I laid there, unmoving, waiting. But he didn't move again. He didn't speak. The only thing I could hear was the sound of his steady heartbeat as my eyes grew heavier and heavier.