Chapter 2: Scars and cuts.

Jess was shocked but that lasted for only a split second. Her reflex would have made her run but she was stubborn. She, rather, brought her phone out and tried to record the moment. She thought it was a unique sight to behold a person in real life transforming into a wolf, although frightening. Adrenaline rushed through her, she was excited and wanted to scream. It took everything in her to hold her phone tight, miles away, and catch the whole thing on camera.

A deep growl escaped his lips as his skin turned dark. She heard his bone cracking as the air started to shimmer. A feeling she couldn’t denote enveloped her, she was numb. He cried out and suddenly, a black wolf was standing on his spot.

When Anthony had fully turned into his wolf form, he charged at her. 

Immediately she realized what was happening, she dropped her phone and tried to run. She was already weak from running previously plus the wolf was way stronger and faster than she was. With only a few steps, he was able to grab her and over-power her. 

“Anthony…” She struggled to call. He held her up so tightly that she felt her blood flow had paused. Fear enveloped her, she tried to move but was unable to. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She stammered. 

Dropping her down, Anthony’s wolf stomped angrily to where her phone was laying on the ground and he crushed it. 

Jess couldn’t feel her bones the moment he left her. 

“Heavens!...” She cried out. She couldn’t move and the wolf was coming near her again. “Anthony, please. I won’t say a word to nobody.” She begged. The wolf's eyes were red. When he stared at her, it seemed like fire was passing through her body. She managed to crawl backwards but that only made it worst. He pinned her to the wall and she screamed so loud because of the pain she felt.

The palm of the wolf felt like it had thorns in it. He brought her closer to him, then, she couldn’t tell what happened next.

Jess awoke when a cold hand tapped her numerous times.

“Is she drunk?” The female voice asked. 

“I don’t know.” Another voice replied. They tried to raised her up and she stayed still, letting them do what they want with her until she heard, “Oh my God, she’s so bruised. We need to call the police. I think she was robbed.”

“Shouldn’t we take her to the hospital?” The other person asked.

Jess realized it was time for her to stop the prank. She shot up immediately.  “I’m okay. I’m okay.” 

Getting up from the ground, she dusted the sand from her clothes. She felt so cold…and bruised. She looked at her skin and yeah, she was so bruised.

“Heavens! He scratched me.” She cried out, events from last night running through her mind. The two girls stared at her in awe. Both of them were the cleaners of the university’s mini library, they had morning shifts. 

“Are you okay?” The taller girl asked. “Do you need to go to the hospital? Were you robbed?”

“No, no.” Jess said. “I just came here to read and…” She paused when her eyes rested on her phone that laid a few steps from where they stood. Girls, my phone is so ruined. My documents, my pictures, everything...Oh, right, they’re saved in the cloud. Did you by any chance see any blonde nerdy boy here this morning?” 

“Nope.”

“Okay, did you see a big…” She paused. It would sound crazy, definitely, but she to. “Wolf?”

“Christ! Definitely not. We only saw you here, lying on the ground, eyes closed, looking so dead.” 

“Uhh, whatever. I should be on my way home now. You had better start your work before the librarians come and meet this place messy. You would lose your job. Thanks for your help, pretties.” 

“She’s so weird.” They hissed but Jess didn’t mind. She was trying not to show that she was internally freaking out. The part of her arm where Anthony grabbed her was red and it had scratches. Her legs were bruised too. She felt a sore on her face but she couldn’t tell if it was a cut or scratch. 

Too tired to run, she settled for walking or was she jogging, rather? She was walking in a fast pace, almost running, but she wasn’t running.

Jaden stood in front of their apartment, dressed up, he looked worried sick that she almost burst out laughing.

“Jess, Jesus Christ! I was coming to look for you. I didn’t even realize you didn’t come in until it was past three. I was so worried, I thought you got lost or something.”

Jess excused herself and went inside. The excitement in her had been drained.

“Tch, babe. Are you mad at me for something?” 

“You mean, you didn’t realize I wasn’t in? That’s such a mean thing to say. Didn’t you see me leave? You couldn’t care to stop me and now, you didn’t realize I didn’t come back till past three?” 

“I told you not to go, Jess. I don’t get why you are mad. I begged you not to go. Shouldn’t I be mad that you went back out by that time of the night to get a boy’s contact? Do you care about whatever ideas I could be getting from that situation? And it was 3 O'clock, which was just three hours from when you left…” He said, clearly frustrated. “And I was sleepy.” 

“You are simply unbelievable.” Jess cried out and turned away from him. She turned her phone torch and and began to search for her undies and fresh clothes. She started to grumble about something else and it just made him feel so bad. He hated when she behaved like that. She wasn’t like this before she got pregnant so he would bet his whole arse that it was pregnancy hormones. He understood that sometimes, she couldn’t control it so he let things slide.

“How many weeks gone are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“I’m sorry I talked to you like that. I’m really sorry. I promise, I was worried. I was so worried.”

“It’s fine.” She smiled and he heaved a sigh of relief. “I would love to use the bathroom.” Her clothes had a bad stench, she smelled like Anthony’s wolf and she hated it.

Inside the bathroom, Jess began to cry. She stood in front of the mirror, naked. Her skin had become really bad and she thought she might need to go to the hospital. The worst thing was that she couldn’t even explain why. 

Jaden kept on tapping on the the bathroom door, asking her what was wrong. She refused to open the door and she sobbed loudly. 

“I’d open it myself, Jessica, if you don’t open it this moment.” Jaden warned, in a stern voice.

She resorted to turning the bathroom light off so that he wouldn’t see her, then she opened the door. 

“Seriously?” He asked, as he turned on the light. “Oh my God, what happened to you?” Jaden cried out.

When she had come in earlier, the day was still dark and he had turned the light off. “Oh shit, holy cow. Heavens! What happened? Jessica, talk to me right now.” The fact that she was crying wasn’t helping matters. He held his arms out for a hug and she gave in. What wasn’t helping matters again was that he was getting a boner that moment. “Fuck.” He groaned. “Love?” He called.

“Yeah?” She answered softly.

“Freshen up and come let’s talk, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you need help with your bath?” 

“No, you perv.” She laughed, throwing him a punch jokingly. He pretended to be in pain, then he left her to have a bath. 

Jess wore a black leggings and a crotchet sweater over a tank top that she had worn at first. Her hair was very tangled so when she had tried to comb it and the comb kept getting stucked, she gave up on it and wore a bonnet instead.

Jaden walked into the room after he had called her for the umpteenth time to come for breakfast, he caught her trying to apply some make-up. Jessy never applied makeups unless it was her birthday or she was attending a party or something. 

“Look at you so dressed up and now, you’re gonna apply some make-up? Babe, you know you don’t have to hide them, right? These scars doesn’t make you less beautiful and I know they would heal over time, okay?”

Jess stood in front of him, pouting her lips and staring at him like a child who had just been caught stealing milk and was getting reprimanded. 

He hugged her. “Now, come let’s eat. And you’d tell me what happened to you last night.”

“Don’t bother 'cause you would never believe it.” She warned as they sat down in the dinning room.