Hey!

Sorry for any mistakes! And, if you want, check out my new story Monsters Among Us! Thanks!

~Lissa

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"Watch out!"

I released a small scream as Ethen whipped around, his arm slipping around my waist. Next thing I knew, I was tilting backwards, being bent over his knee while three darts zoomed above my face. With a growl, he raised a hand, instantly having the weapons in the guard's hands flying away. I straightened up, just as the guard was 'magically' thrown into the nearest wall, his head smacking against the hard surface, knocking him out. I was breathing heavily at this point - for the last five minutes, we had been running down the corridors of the facility. Ethen looked at me, his emerald eyes filled with concern. "Thea, I understand you're human, but you need to pay more attention."

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

He pinched his lips together. "I just don't want you getting hurt. I'm only saying you need to be more aware of your surroundings."

"I'm focused on getting you out of here."

"I'm focused on protecting you."

As I opened my mouth to argue with him, a group of guards came barreling around the corner, startling me. When Ethen started raising his hand, I grabbed his wrist and yanked him into the nearest room, slamming the door shut. The lights flickered on and shakily, I locked the door. Seconds later, the sound of fists pounding on the door came - I staggered backwards in worry, bumping into Ethen. He looked around the room in curiosity and impatiently, I tugged him over to the trash shoot. With the little strength I had, I pulled it open, unfortunately being greeted with a horrid smell. "Alright, this trash shoot will take you to the ground outside by the fence - and the fence may be a little shocking if you know what I mean."

He peered down. "Any guards down there?"

"There shouldn't be."

His eyes flickered my direction. "Come with me."

"What?"

"I know you don't fully trust me," he started, glancing towards the door. "But, if you stay, you'll be killed. Come with me and I promise, I won't hurt you."

I hesitated. "I know you wouldn't hurt me, but . . . my whole life is here. By escaping, I'll throw that all away - my job, my friends, my second home."

He grabbed my shoulders, frustrated. "Thea, you won't have a life here because they will kill you, understand? This is the second time I've been here and believe me, they don't show mercy. Just come with me and we'll figure something out." I stared at him for a long moment, debating back and forth in my head. The door was barely holding back the guards at this point. Realizing he was right, I nodded and took a deep breath, hardly holding it together. He gave me an assuring grin, before gesturing towards the trash shoot. "Go ahead." With that, I crawled into the small, squared shoot and released my grip, colliding against the sides the whole way down. I dropped onto numerous bags of trash in the dumpster, which thankfully, prevented any injuries. Groaning, I hurriedly hopped out of the dumpster, landing on the muddy ground.

Seconds later, Ethen came dropping out of the shoot, but somehow, more elegantly. Easily, he lifted himself out of the dumpster and glanced around, suspiciously. Sirens were blaring outside, echoing. He snatched a rock from the ground and tossed it at the fence, appearing relieved when it didn't spark. "Hurry," he rushed, extending his hand. He helped me crawl up the fence, clearly knowing that I didn't have a lot of upper muscle. It was hard to believe that I was escaping the place that I had called my job with a werewolf and not just any werewolf, but one capable of magic. Even though, I was offering him my help in escaping, I still didn't understand why he was helping me.

When I landed on the other side, I crumbled to my hands and knees. Embarrassed, I stumbled to my feet, just as he dropped beside me on his feet. "This is your last chance, Thea," he said, seriously. "I can turn around and hand myself over if you've started thinking this is a horrible idea - that letting me free is a mistake."

"No, it's too late, anyways," I told him, forcing a grin. "My job is down the drain now." He looked at me, almost as if he blamed himself. Suddenly, guards came bursting around the corner of the building, firing. A wheeze came from Ethen, before he grabbed my arm and dragged me into the trees of the surrounding forest. We ran and ran - we ran until we couldn't hear any more shouts or the firing of guns. I was startled when Ethen all of a sudden collapsed against a tree, breathing heavily. "Ethen? What's wrong?" He moaned and swearing under my breath, I watched as he flopped down on the dirt. "Stand up!"

"I-I was shot," he stuttered, ripping a dart out of his shoulder. "Oh no."

Quickly, I grabbed the dart from his hand, inspecting it. "Oh shit."

"Is it a paralyzing dart?"

"No, worse," I answered, mentally freaking out. "Uh, it affects your brain. You'll be 'reliving' some moments or memories."

He hissed. "It won't be my favorite ones, will they?"

"No, they'll be your worse," I told him, quietly. He muttered something under his breath and hunched his shoulders, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "That's not why it's awful, though. In about five minutes, you'll be shoved into a sleep, which is 'reliving' your memories, like you're dreaming. . . Well, if you can't snap out of it or wake up, you'll be stuck in that sleep."

An unenthusiastic laugh came from him. "You know, I'm going to blow up that entire facility."

I grinned. "You conquered the laboratory last time."

"Damn right."

"I'm curious," I blurted, suddenly slapped with a thought. "Did you want to get captured? I mean, from what I heard, it was too easy."

He hesitated. "Yes, I did." I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue. "I was hoping by getting captured, it would make an excuse for me to back out of a favor that I owe."

"What favor?"

"If I tell you, you'll regret helping me escape," he said, honestly. I gulped loudly, officially wondering if helping him was a mistake. What if he was a monster? What if he killed me in the end? What if he murdered several people after this? It would've been my fault - I had let the monster escape. "I'm feeling tired." He moaned again, relaxing his head against the trunk of the tree. "Thea, do you want to see my past?"

I sputtered for a moment. "What?"

"I guarantee you that I'll be able to wake up - I've suffered worse things than this," he assured, his breathing slowing. "But, I think this would be a good opportunity for you to see who I am, what you've released into the world." Worried, I started picking at the tips of my fingers, listening to the branches swing with the wind. "I'm capable of bringing you into my mind. You'll experience my memories with me."

"I-I don't know."

"It's risky," he said, slightly nodding. "But, despite the kindness you've showed me, I can't trust you until you've seen the worst parts of me." A moment of silence passed between us when I didn't know what to say. "You've only seen the one side of me. The other side is bad - the Devil."

"So, you've been suppressing the other side of you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why? To convince me you aren't bad, so I'd help you?"

"Because, the Devil has demons," he answered, quietly. "I never wanted your help. I'm just afraid of scaring you away." He watched me with his emerald eyes, which were starting to droop.

"But, you want me to see your worst memories?"

"I want you to accept me," he breathed, closing his eyes. "All parts of me." I glanced around, nervously. "Give me your hand, Thea."

"I-I don't think this a good idea."

"Probably not," he agreed, "But, it'll be okay." He extended one of his hands, placing it upwards on his thigh. Was I seriously going to do this? Go into the mind of a werewolf? In fact, why did it matter if I accepted him? Knowing I was more likely going to get answers by witnessing his memories, I placed my hand in his, startled by the sparks. His fingers tightened around mine, slightly squeezing. Next thing I knew, I found myself growing tired. "Trust me, Thea."

With that, I was shoved into the first memory.

I found myself standing in a forest, one containing scrawnier trees, their branches tangled together above. Sunlight was streaming down in patches, stretching across the dirty ground. I recognized Ethen, lingering the farthest away, his black hair much longer and his physique not quite as large. Concern and regret was written across his face. His emerald eyes flickered towards the two other men who looked almost exactly like him. The dark hair, emerald eyes, harsh features - the oldest was rubbing his jaw while the other was picking at the dry blood on his hands.

"I can't believe you killed father, brother," Ethen hissed, glaring over at the one with blood on his hands. "You ruined our family!"

"He deserved it," his brother growled back, eyes narrowed. "He was beating us around, including mother."

The oldest stepped forward. "Ryker, it wasn't necessary to kill him! He's our blood!"

The brother, Ryker, scowled. "He was never our blood! We weren't a family, either - not with him in the picture!" Ethen exchanged looks with his oldest brother, appearing torn. "I was tired of him a-and to keep our family together and safe, I did what had to be done, Caine."

Caine pointed an accusing finger. "You took advantage of our new power." Ryker huffed, clearly not caring. "Spilling the blood of your family has to have some effect on you, brother."

"I don't care!" Ryker shouted, nostrils flaring. "If spilling father's blood has consequences, so be it! It's too late now!" He gestured towards the ground where there was a sloppy grave, one that contained their father's body. Ethen started pacing back and forth while Caine exhaled loudly, not understanding how to get through to his brother. "We all know that I did our family a favor. Neither of you had the guts to kill him."

"It could have been handled a different way," Ethen argued, tossing his hands into the air. "Despite his cruelty, he was still our father!"

"He was a bad person!" Ryker blurted, angrily.

"Really? Look at your position," Caine retorted, looking at Ryker's hands. "Your the one will blood on your hands, brother. If father was a bad person for giving us some marks, then you must be a monster for committing murder. In fact, you're worse than him!" Ryker snarled and stepped forward, his hands clenching into fists at his side. In fear, Ethen moved between his brothers, shaking his head.

"Please, stop arguing," Ethen begged, tiredly. "It's done with."

"This is a huge deal, Ethen," Caine said, glaring at his brother. "This isn't one of those situations where we forget it ever happened."

Ryker rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because you refuse to accept that I did us a favor. I saved our family; I saved us. I saved mother." He stepped backwards, looking at his brothers in disappointment. "I thought you would understand."

"I understand you have anger problems, brother," Caine said, quietly. "You've always been impulsive and angry - believe it or not, but you were exactly like father. Now, you're worse." Rather than becoming angry, a look of pain came across Ryker's face. He staggered backwards, bumping into the nearest tree while Ethen was lost with words. "One day, you'll see what you did is wrong. We have this new power, these urges, and everything is heightened for us, meaning we can't just murder someone because they've done us wrong! We need to control our power, not take advantage of it."

"You never take my side," Ryker came, shaking his head. "Everything I do, is apparently wrong in your eyes, brother."

"Because, the things you do are wrong!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Ethen shouted, before looking at Ryker. "Go wash your hands off in the stream." Hesitantly, Ryker turned around and stomped off to the nearest stream. I stared at his broad back, instantly thinking that he was the type of werewolf the facility needed to capture and keep locked away. Ethen ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Caine, frustrated. "Are you going to forgive him?"

Caine pinched his lips together. "I don't know if I can."

"I agree with him about father being a bad person," Ethen said, quietly. "It was hard to consider him family and he was going to destroy us, I believe."

"But, Ryker shouldn't have killed him," Caine countered, frowning. "Yes, father was an awful person, but now, look at our brother. He's always had temperament problems and now that we're cursed with this beast inside of us, it's twice as bad." Caine gestured the direction that Ryker had taken off and tilted his head back, looking up at the branches. "This isn't going to be the last murder of Ryker's."

"I know," Ethen muttered, pained. "He's still our family, though. We need to stick together." There was a long moment of silence when Caine didn't know how to respond. I remained standing there, invisible, listening to their conversation. "I'll forgive him of this, even if you do not. Whether you believe it or not, he did get rid of the man who - "

"Stop," his brother demanded, holding up a hand. "If Ryker can commit murder, he can do anything."

When their brother started stomping back through the trees, they hushed. Ryker was wiping his damp hands on his pants, grumbling. Ethen bit his bottom lip, moving away in silence. Caine remained glaring at his brother, his eyes swarming with anger and disappointment. Ryker pretended not to notice his brother's glare, but instead, looked down at their father's grave. "He should be lucky that he was even buried - if it was just me, I would've left his body out here for the bears to finish him off."

"Ryker, don't," Ethen pleaded, quietly. "Don't disrespect the dead."

"He always disrespected me," Ryker argued, raising an eyebrow. "Quite honestly, I've never hated someone more than him in my life."

Caine took a deep breath. "Hate is a strong word, brother."

"That's why I used it."

Suddenly, the sounds of screams and shouts came, echoing throughout the trees. The three brothers exchanged looks, before they sprinted off back to their village. Curiously, I chased after them, struggling to keep up. Ethen was shouting something at Caine, but I couldn't hear what through the wind. I ducked underneath low branches, swerved around trees, and slapped away buzzing insects from my face. When I burst out of the trees, the smell of a fire shot up my nose - oh no.

I glanced around in fear, following the three brothers. There, in the middle of the village, a woman's throat had been slit. Her body was handing above a fire and just as Ryker screamed in rage, her raggedy dress caught on fire. The flames danced up her body, eventually reaching her hair. Ethen buried his face in his hands for a long moment, his shoulders shaking. Caine stumbled backwards in disbelief while the village people cheered, gathered around the fire. Ryker snarled and moved forward, his neck twisting. "Mother!"

"Ryker! Don't!" Ethen shouted, reaching for his brother. "Ryker!" His brother's pleads didn't stop him, though. Ryker transitioned in his wolf form and I gasped when he lunged at the people, teeth snapping. I started shouting with Ethen for his brother to stop, tears running down my face when the wolf ripped off an arm of an elderly man. There was so much blood, so many screams, and so many people running for their lives.

Caine looked over. "This will be what I regret most." With that, he transitioned into his wolf form and joined his brother's rampage. I watched the two black wolves charge and attack - I couldn't believe this. Ethen glanced around, before transitioning into his wolf, immediately joining his brothers.

The memory disappeared and I found myself spinning as Ethen's mind focused. Several flashes appeared before me of Ethen murdering people, snapping their necks, chomping into them with his teeth, and more. Eventually, I was stopped at a particular memory.

"I want my curse removed," he said,his eyes squinted. In this memory, it was a much later time, judging by his haircut and style. He was standing in a small house, owned by an old lady who sat before him, knitting. Her glasses were perched on her nose and large earrings dangled from her ears - she appeared uninterested in what he was saying. "Did you hear me? Remove my curse, you filthy witch."

"Why should I?" she spoke, raising an eyebrow. "You deserve everything you've gotten."

"It's a stupid curse," Ethen said, shaking his head. "It only gives me power that people dream of - how is that even a curse?"

"It causes you pain every full moon."

"Not anymore," he told her, honestly. "I've transitioned so many times that I don't feel the pain anymore; I'm almost close enough to controlling when I shift."

She huffed. "Congratulations."

"Take away my curse."

"Listen, whoever gave you the curse, obviously thought you deserved it," the witch said, looking up at him. "I refuse to take it away, so leave." She gestured towards the door and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "Now." I expected him to turn around and walk away, but instead, he appeared in front of her and grabbed the old woman's throat. He yanked her out of her chair, releasing a snarl. Even though, he couldn't hear or see me, I shouted for him to let her go, desperately. Her face started turning bright red and the vein in her forehead popped out - she scratched at his hand, her lungs begging for oxygen.

"I asked for one thing," he said, calmly. "I hate witches." In seconds, a snap filled the room and the witch's lifeless body crumbled to the ground. "I just - I don't want this anymore."

A display of memories played before me, some longer than others. A lot of them contained murder and his worst crimes. I was relieved when he had finally snapped out of the 'sleep', pulling me out of his head. The world spun for a moment until I realized that we were still sitting in the forest, expect I was laying on top of him. Quickly, I pushed myself upright, though he was already staring at me, sullenly. "Those were only some," he told me, hesitantly. "Do you understand now? I've done horrible things."

I bit my bottom lip. "Yeah, those were awful."

"Do you regret letting me go?"

I stared at him for a moment. "No, I don't."

Shocked, he blurted, "What?"

"Look, I don't live with regrets," I said, shrugging. "And, honestly, I don't think you're the same person. You're trying to be better." He looked down at the ground in silence, listening. "I wanted you to escape because I know you only have good intentions, otherwise you wouldn't have cared if I died or not."

"I have good intentions," he agreed, nodding. "And, I can't have you die on me - one day, you'll understand why."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Tell me."

"Not now," he said, slowly struggling to his feet. "I need to do something first and if you're still at my side, I'll tell you."

I rose with him. "What do you need to do?"

He hesitated. "I have to go kill someone."