Chapter 18
Secrets
Aphmau and Aaron

◇•◇•◇

Aaron

"Hey, Dad?" The door opened, revealing Taiya.

"Oh, hey Taiya. What's up?" I ask.

"Is Mom okay? I just bumped into her, and she seems... off." She replies.

"Honestly... I'm not sure myself." I admit, "She just started... acting weird. She said it was that she just hasn't gotten used to having all her memories back yet..."

"Hmm... well, she would tell you if it was a big deal, right?" She asks.

Would she?

In all honesty, we have had that problem before. Something happened that upset Aphmau, but she never told me. It... was kind of loud when I did find out. I was upset she didn't tell me.

I swore to myself I wouldn't react against her that way.

But if something is wrong...

Damnit, werewolf instincts. Now I have to find out what's wrong.

"I'll go talk to her." I say. Taiya nods and walks away, while I stand up and go down, following her scent trail. I can hear her talking to someone through the door it leads to.

"Yeah I just-. No, I'm fine, but-. Yes it was my fiancé and friends who bailed me out of jail. No! No, of course not! He would never..."

I knock on the door.

◇•◇•◇

Aphmau

Searching through the contacts on my laptop, with my headphones plugged in, I found the right one and pressed call.

She picked up almost immediately.

Whose she?

Ivy.

Yes, the girl who was absolutely cuckoo crazy for Garroth in high school.

Turns out she's an officer. When I saw her at the prison, I was shocked.

Thankfully, she understands it was a misunderstanding and that I'm innocent.

"Hello?" Her familiar voice rang through the headphones.

"Hey Ivy!" I chirp.

"Aphmau! Oh thank Irene, I was so worried!" She exclaims.

"Yeah, I just-"

"No excuses! Next time tell me before you run off through a giant hole in the wall." She interrupts me firmly.

Guess I better add Ivy to the growing list of moms I have.

"Are you hurt?"

"No I'm fine, but-"

"But what?! Did that pervert come back?! Or, wait, it was your fiancé, Aaron right? He bailed you out didn't he."

"Yes, it was my fiancé and friends who bailed me out of jail."

"Hmm... Aaron isn't hurting you, is he? You sound anxious."

"No! No, of course not! He would never..." I trail off.

"Then what's wrong?" She asks.

"I... I need to talk, and I don't know who else-"

I'm cut off by a knock on the door.

"Sorry, one minute Ivy." I say, pushing the headphones back around my neck. The room I was in had a small bed that I laid in.

"Come in it's unlocked." I call.

The door opens and Aaron comes in. He doesn't shut the door, but walks over and sits next to me.

"Hey Aph." He says.

"Heh, hi Aaron." I reply, smiling a little.

"I... need to talk to you. Are you sure your feeling okay? After you left, Taiya came in and said you were acting strange, and I'm honestly worried..." he says. My smiles fades.

"I-I told you, it's just that I haven't gotten used to having all my memories back..." I assure him.

"It's more then that." He insists, "Even Taiya noticed. Aph, remember last time we kept secrets? I don't want that to happen again... you mean too much to me..." he plays with some of my hair, putting his arms around me from behind.

"I told you, I'm fine..." I say again, pushing away.

"Aphmau, tell me." He orders, lowering his voice, making me blush again.

"Stop that!" I exclaim.

"Stop what?" He asks.

"Stop..." I struggle to find the right words.

"Stop seducing me with your sexy werewolf hotness and voice!" I exclaim, bright red. Aaron blinks. I can hear Ivy laughing, as I bury my face into a pillow to hide my blush. He chuckles finally, and lays next to me.

"I'm fine okay? Nothing is wrong." I assure him. He nods, and sits up, pulling me with him and into his lap. I squeak a little.

"Fine... if you don't want to tell me yet I understand..." he says.

"Nothing is wrong. Now leave so I can finish my conversation!" I get off of him, and playfully shove him off the bed.

"Who are you talking to?" He asks, sitting up on the floor.

"Ivy. Y'know, the lady who was cuckoo crazy for Garroth in high school? She's a lot nicer now, and was an officer at the prison. She knows it was a misunderstanding." I explain. He tenses, but nods and then leaves. I put the headphones back on.

"So, you gonna tell me what you didn't tell Aaron?" She asks. I sigh.

"Yeah..." I say quietly. "It's about him..."

"Oh no... what happened?" She asks.

I blush a little.

"A-Aaron... w-wanted to be intimate, b-but... it's too soon. He stopped before anything got too heated, b-but... it still reminded me." I say quietly.

"Ah..." Ivy trails off. "I see. Well, I didn't want to be the one who broke the news to you but... ugh, screw it. Good news or bad news?"

"Good news?" I ask.

"Thanks to your witchy friends, the wetraolf guards haven't picked up your scent and can't track you by it." She says.

"Okay... what's the bad news?" I ask, a little scared.

Ivy takes a deep breath.

"Balto has escaped."

◇•◇•◇

Aaron

"Get anything?" Taiya asks.

"No. She was talking to Ivy, but kept insisting she's fine. Ivy is a cop, but understands that Aphmau is innocent." I say.

The TV buzzed to life suddenly, and we stared at it. Aphmau came out of the room, and sat next to me.

"We interrupt your day for an emergency newscast. Prisoner: Balto Ronia has escaped. Balto is a red-eyed werewolf, who was arrested for sexual harrassment, sexual abuse, murder, and kidnapping. A picture of him is coming on screen now. If you have any information, contact the local authorities immediately." The reporter says, as a picture of Balto appears.

It's Balto alright, Balto from high school.

Yeah, him.

Aphmau's phone rings, and she picks it up, answering immediately.

"Hey, what's up? What?! Okay, okay. One minute." She stands up.

"I'll be right back." She tells us, before running off.

I decide to follow her, and follow her up the stairs. She goes into our room. I press my ear against the door and listen.

"Oh my Irene, Ivy what do I do?! Balto is loose, he's probably going to come after me, if he finds me, what if he finds me?!" She's panicking. It must be on speaker, because I can hear Ivy's reply.

"Aphmau, calm down! He won't find you. Even if he does, Aaron is there to protect you."

"What if he finds me while Aaron's not around?! Then he'll kidnap me, and do it for real, and-"

"APHMAU! Stop! Panicking! Your catastrophizing, turning a mole hill into a mountain."

"It is a mountain! Ivy, he almost raped me! If Aaron finds out, he'll go berserk, and if Balto finds us- oh. My. Irene. Ivy, what if he hurts my kids?! What if he rapes Kaiya or Taiya, or both, o-"

"First of all, since when did you have kids? Second, again, you have Aaron, plus Katelyn, Garroth, Lucinda, Hyria, I could go on. You even have contact with one of the most feared gangs in the town. You were such good friends with them in prison, I'm sure Mikatsune or any of them would take out Balto for you. Third, he isn't going to find you. Not even the werewolves here in the police force can find you. What are the chances he will?"

Everything tunes out as I process what I just heard.

Only three words ring in my head.

Balto.

Raped.

Aphmau.

I was so busy processing my thoughts, I didn't realize the door had opened.

◇•◇•◇

Aphmau

"APHMAU! Seriously, go tell them right now. I heard Aaron earlier, hell if you don't tell them I will, and if neither of us do, and they find out on their own, it'll be all hell breaking loose!" Ivy exclaims.

I take a deep breath and try to calm down. I feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack. Balto, Balto, the guy who helped Gene try to expel Aaron in high school, the guy who flirted with me casually, but ran screaming when he smelled Aaron's scent on me.

Aaron, he always protected me from him.

I can do this, I can do this.

"I can do this. I'll go tell Aaron now!" I say bravely.

"Yeah! You go Aph!" Ivy cheers me on.

I march up to the door, and fling it open.

A giant hunky of muscle falls on top of me.

I squeal, gazing up to see Aaron.

Judging from his expression, furrowed eyebrows, glowing red eyes, huge frown, he's angry.

Why would he be standing angry outside our room?
Oh, wait.

Oh s**t.

He heard everything.