The Monster Within - Book 1

Chapter 24

'What did I do?' I say to Apollo as I tremble, looking back down to my blood soaked hands.

He pulls me into his arms and brushes his fingers through my hair.

'It's okay.' He tells me 'It's not something he didn't deserve.'

I push him back away from me and I look at him in disbelief. How could he say that about his own brother? I mean, his brother was far from innocent, but I didn't mean for him to get hurt. Not as much as he was. All I could picture was his limp body lying at the bottom of the stairs, barely moving. I've never hurt anyone before in my life. I didn't mean to do whatever it is that I did. But here Apollo is, just being flippant about it, like it was a normal thing to happen in his world.

'How can you say that when your brother is lying on the floor downstairs, probably dead?'

A flash of humour dances across his face as he pulls me closer against his chest, squeezing me like a child that needed comforting.

'He's not dying.' 

'I saw all the blood? This blood.' I say, holding my hands up to his face.

'He heals quickly. We all do' He shrugs.

'What?'

'Go down and look for yourself.' He tells me, stepping to the side for me to go passed him.

I hurry passed him and run to the top of the stairs with the sheet still wrapped around me. I look down expecting to see Archers dead body, but there's just a puddle of deep red liquid smeared on the floor.

'He's gone?' I say, looking over my shoulder to Apollo.

'Yeah, he's probably gone off to lick his wounds.' He smirks.

'I don't understand. I don't understand any of this.' Starting to feel like I'm the crazy one.

'That makes three of us. You shouldn't be able to turn at will. Most wolves are bound to the full moon. Only Alphas have the ability to turn outside of the lunar cycle.'

'What does that mean?'

'It means Archer won't bother you anytime soon.' He jests. 'Other then that... I don't know.' He finishes with a more serious tone.

Do I believe what he's saying? He seems to believe it. With every day I've been trapped here the more I feel myself getting sucked into this werewolf delusion. And after what I just witnessed I don't know if there's any other possible explanation.

He walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder.

'Your memories will come back to you, I promise. The longer you're like this the quicker they'll come back. Everything will make sense again.' He tells me before pulling me into his arms.

'I don't know if I won't them back. I don't want to remember what I did to Archer. I don't want to remember who we killed the first time I woke up covered in blood.'

'We didn't kill anyone.'

'Where did the blood come from then?'

'A deer. You were unstoppable that night. After you changed, it was... an experience to watch.'

'I killed a deer?' I say, feeling a pang of guilt.

'Pretty good going for your first time.' He says into my hair.

'I think I remember... I mean I had a dream the other night that was so vivid.'

'Maybe it's not a dream. Maybe they're memories? I told you it would come back to you eventually. It usually takes more time though.' He tells me with a look in his eye.