It was him. I have never been more sure than at this moment. Yesterday at the club, he was the man with whom I danced so openly. It was him with whom I wanted to end the evening. Oh my God, what am I doing?

Coming back to my senses, I violently push away Thalion who, under the effect of surprise, lets go of me and takes two steps back. He stares at me with a look that clearly indicates he doesn't understand my reaction. His pupils are so dilated that I can't make out the iris and that scares me, because like that, he looks like an animal.

"What..." he begins.

But I'm so mortified by my reaction that I can't think of anything smarter to do than to run away.

Seeing Wes reminds me too much of Thalion and the fear gives me goosebumps.

'' What happened to you ? Wes asks.

He crouches down and cocks his head to the side as Phoebe wipes away the smudges of makeup that must be making me look crazy. I sniffle inelegantly and watch as Phoebe encourages me to answer.

“Monsters attacked me, I huff.

My throat constricts and my tears resurface as if my heart is capable of producing endless tear fluid.

“What monsters, darling? Keep going Phoebe.

I shake my head. She does not understand. She won't believe me, you have to see it to believe it. She's going to think me crazy and have me locked up.

'' An animal...

“Was Thalion with you? I thought he was taking you to a charity gala.

Hearing his name, I start to sob again. But what the fuck is it? I don't even understand what I actually saw. That's the worst thing, it's not understanding why and especially how Dogon was able to metamorphose into an animal.

“Thalion was talking to the wolf that attacked me! I get angry.

Wes freezes and takes a deep breath. He approaches me and I try to pull back.

"You too are like them, aren't you? Are you going to try to kill me too?

He takes my hands gently and I see no malice in his clear eyes. It's always the Wes I met. He only seems sad to see me like this.

"Have I ever given you a reason to be afraid of me? he asks me.

I shake my head.

“Did I do anything to hurt you?

I shake my head again without even hesitating. Wes has always been lovely to me.

"Now tell me what exactly happened," he said quietly.

"You're going to think I'm crazy...

“No,” he cuts me off. You are far from crazy.

I take a deep breath and explain the whole evening to him. My little trip to the gardens, Dogon who scared me, then his words that I didn't understand, his transformation into a wolf and finally Thalion who rescued me and spoke to the wolf as if he were like him. Equals. When I finish my story, Phoebe's face is as serious as Wes's and I can't guess what they're thinking.

“We have to take him to the hospital? My friend asks Wes. I think she's delirious.

But he shakes his head explaining that I am perfectly lucid.

“I'm really sorry you found out this way and I can't even imagine the state Thalion must be in. But to keep you in the dark any longer would be really silly. So I'm going to tell you, tell you everything.

Phoebe frowns, but she's hanging on her lips just like me, but not for the same reasons. I can clearly see that she's crazy about this guy, but I want to understand. I want to know why I had to go through this and why I'm not crazy. Wes takes a deep breath before sitting down on the sand facing us.

"I'm not going to tell you how the werewolves came about, because I don't know the real story myself. Thalion is a werewolf, just like me, or Tanya and even Dogon whom you unfortunately met this evening. Thalion is an Alpha. We could translate it as the leader of the pack. He is the most powerful among us. I am his Beta. His second. When he's not around, I manage the pack.

“Werewolves? I cut it. So is that why Dogon turned into an animal? Are you part of some kind of horror movie?

He rolls his eyes before shaking his head.

“Believe me, Man is capable of the worst monstrosities, we are cat pee besides.

I know he is right and our history, that of humanity, has proven it many times over.

“The pack is infamous, because we are the “Cursed Pack”. It happened ten years ago. A woman, who was actually a witch, but we knew nothing about it, came to ask for help. A wolf was threatening her, but it was impossible to really know what was going on. Did he like her? Was she his other half?

His gaze is veiled in a sadness that moves me. Wes doesn't see us anymore, he's gone way too far in his mind.

“But Thalion has always had an unspeakable hatred for humans and he did not feel concerned by the woman's plight. And he's the Alpha, so we have to obey him. Only she didn't want to hear about a refusal. Tempers flared and she cursed him. Well, we figured it out later, because it sounded like a madwoman's gibberish. Thalion killed him so she would leave him alone.

Kill a woman to get rid of an overly insistent tone? Seriously ? What is this madness again?

“The witch’s curse took away what made us proud: our ability to transform into wolves. Imagine werewolves unable to transform... We are the laughingstock of the entire race and all the packs know us. Only, we become vulnerable, because even if we have kept our abilities, the transformation is like a relief. Like stretching after a long day in the same position.

He's finally quiet, and neither Phoebe nor I say a word. Truth be told, I don't really know what could be said. It's totally amazing and even with my wild imagination, I couldn't believe for a second that werewolves exist. Wes gestures toward me, but I jerk back. I turn to Phoebe who looks shocked.

"Let's go home, please...

She jumps and shakes her head mechanically. Wes stands up and holds out his hand to Phoebe who takes it without really seeing it.

"I'll take you back," he said simply.

We don't really have a choice, so we follow him. We climb into the white car and the journey is made in silence. I notice that Wes' phone keeps vibrating unlike mine. Thalion has given up on calling me.

We pull up to my house and Phoebe gets out of the vehicle with me. She asks me if everything is fine. I vaguely answer yes, but it's so much to take in that I don't really know. Wes joins us and looks worried.

“Maggie, Thalion is harassing me. He wants to know how you are. He doesn't want to impose himself on you, but I have to answer him. Do you want me to tell him something from you?

I take a deep breath and nod my head.

“Tell him that I will send him my letter of resignation within the week.

'' What ? Maggie, you can't do this! Phoebe protests. Think of your father and your debts!

I close my eyes. I know she's right, but I can't come back to work after all this. It's way too much for me.

“I will find a solution.

“Do you have money problems? Wes intervenes.

I turn to him and my blank stare urges him to calm down.

"It's none of your business. Thank you for taking the time to pick me up and take me home, but I hope you'll understand that I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. This includes your... pack. And Thalion.

A strange pain creeps into my chest. Telling myself that I would never see Thalion or Wes again hurts me a lot, because despite everything, I started to get attached to them. But it's safer for me. By being around them, I risk my life and that of the people I love. I don't want my father mixed up with any mystical species.

“Maggie, I think your decision is made out of fear and anger. Take a few days to rest and then you will decide.

“My decision is made, Wes.

He nods and asks Phoebe if he should take her home. My best friend glances at me before shaking her head.

"No, I'm staying with her," she said without taking her eyes off me.

To be continued....