Chapter 5

An obnoxious white wolf came out of nowhere. I took a step back as she sauntered toward me, a grimace plastered all over her face as if she was going to pop up the hell outta me.

"Accept who you are, Aksha."

I nodded in panic.

"Welcome, Aksha Beatrix Aslenovie."

I catch a glimpse of my hands, turning into white hairy legs. Or was I imagining things? A howling voice echoed in the forest as I opened my eyes.

Why does it feel…different?

I darted my eyes at the woman in front of me. Why does it look like she became taller than earlier?

"How does it feel, Aksha? It was delightful to know that you accepted your wolf that fast."

What is she blabbing about? Wolf? My nerves quivered as I recalled the white wolf's eagerness to be close to me. I don't want to be intimidated by it, it's just that this dream feels so natural. What if that wolf devours me alive? I'm not afraid of dying, it's the thought of departing the earth because of a mythical beast that makes me pee in my pants.

"You're not dreaming," Lunaria declared. "The wolf you met in your consciousness is yours. She's your other half."

"Are you crazy?" I unbelievably asked.

She waves her hand and a mirror appears in front of us. My forehead creased as I walked closer to it.

Four legs…

White coated fur…

Two big ears…

A tail…

What the hell?!

"W-who's that?" I mumbled nervously. "Why am I seeing a d-dog?"

"That is your real form."

"A dog?" I spat. "Are you kidding me?"

I scratched my nose and realized that the dog in the mirror also did what I did. She looks like a reflection to me now that it is synchronizing my movements. I tried to nod my head, and it also did!

"It's not a dog, Aksha. That's a wolf."

"W-what?"

"That is your reflection."

I stared at it. "T-that's the wolf I saw earlier! I-impossible."

Lunaria smiled as I took a quick look at her reflection. It's complicated for me to process everything, so please wake me up! I need to wake up now. This is crazy!

"This is not a dream, Aksha. You're a wolf."

Her words reverberated at the back of my head. I turned at her, shaking my head abruptly. Is she mad?

"Please, tell me this is not real," I begged.

"This is real, Aksha. You're a wolf, this isn't a lie nor imagination."

"No! Shift me back to my normal form!" I wailed. "I'm not a wolf! I don't expect to be one. Please, change me back. You cursed me! I don't want to be a monster, I want a normal life. I want to wake up!"

A flicker of pain crossed her eyes but she remained still. "Wolves aren't what you presume they are. I created them to be the world's greatest protectors. They are lovely, and the devotion they allot is much more than you give as a human. Once they are emotionally attached to someone, no one can gauge the amount of love and care they will show. They might be cruel but that is because they loved too much."

"They ate a human body! It's all over the news. So don't try reversing the reality that I know. Because I will never acknowledge this fate of mine!" I roared.

This tremendous event…I don't want to be convinced about it. Yet the other side of my mentality wanted to.

"Your origin can't modify everything."

Her words struck me. What really am I? Who are my parents?

Lunaria heaves a sigh as she waves her hand. I covered myself as I shifted back and instantly grabbed my clothes on the ground, and ran toward a huge acacia tree to put on my clothes.

It terrifies me to learn that I can change into what they call a 'monster'.

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It's been three days since that fantasy happened. When I got back that day, my friend and our boss bombarded me with some questions that were left unanswered by me. I didn't know what to react or tell to them, I simply found myself sitting in a chair while they were divulging to me how much I made them worry.

That incident still bothers me. Especially now that the metamorphoses of being a wolf are getting worse as days pass by.

I began to crave more meat but I resisted eating those. The contact lenses that I'm wearing can't actually conceal the fact that my eyes are glowing every time the moon shines brightly at night. I also tried dyeing some of my golden hair strands, yet it only kept coming back the next day I woke up. The only thing that I find good is that I didn't shift into a wolf again.

If I did, Feyra would freak out. I am really one of those beasts?

"Hey, Aksha." I glanced at Feyra. "You seemed preoccupied by something. I keep calling your name third time now."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head and handed me the tray with two coffee and slices of cheesecake. "Serve these on table ten. And please stop overthinking, Aksha. You are making me anxious."

I only nodded and smiled at her.

"You have some gold hair. Are those natural?" asked the girl in red as I put their orders over the table.

"Sort of."

She stared at me, more on studying my whole existence which made me feel awkward.

"That's awesome. You know, it's rare to see a unique inherent hair color. I love it."

"You think so?" This is not amazing, for me, this is a curse.

She grins. "Of course. Look, I have some red hair strands."

My jaw dropped as she showed me the red strands. It looks natural like mine. How come? The side of her lips rose, sending chills down my spine.

"What…"

"Your blood is aromatic. I wonder if it tastes sweet too."

I stepped back as I saw how her eyes ignited, her orbs turned bright red which made me swallow hard.

"H-have a nice coffee time with the both of you," I uttered and immediately left their table even though I heard their laughter.

It's not fun. If I'm not mistaken, they're vamps…vampires! My head's gonna explode in no time. First the goddess itself and her magic, second, the wolfy stories—or rather me as a wolf. And now this? Vampires? In the middle of the afternoon? Aren't they supposed to be hiding, far from the sun? This information is hard to process.

Fantasy stories turned out real? Who the hell would think that?! I'm slowly losing my sanity right now, I swear!