CHAPTER 3: HOME

Aria tried to swallow the food that Nora gave her. She still can't get off her mind what happened last night.

Despite appearing to be calm, the thought that she killed someone and going to jail because of it still lingers in her mind.

"Aria, I know you were so exhausted after what happened last night," Nora said. "But you need to eat to regain your strength."

"I haven't seen Leo," she started, contemplating whether to start asking questions or not yet. She thinks Nora seems trustworthy, but not Matt.

Somehow, Matt gives this weird feeling that he doesn't like her that much. She needs Leo.

Aria wants to talk to him. But she hasn't seen him since she woke up.

"He's just trying to get an update in the crime scene," Matt said.

Aria looked up at him and tried to read what was really in his mind; maybe she was judging him too early. But he gazes back at her with inscrutable eyes.

"I don't know if you guys are aware, but I've killed people, and... and I don't think I'm even a human," she said, putting down the spoon and fork she was holding.

Aria tried to calm herself by breathing slowly.

"Yeah, we know, we've been there," Matt said as if it is just one common thing in his life.

"Don't worry, Aria, we'll explain everything to you later," Nora said, then she held her hand and squeezed it lightly to assure her.

"Well, will you please tell me now? I have been trying to calm myself ever since I woke up this morning, because what happened last night doesn't make sense. I am not even sure what I am right now," Aria said, standing up with tears pooling in her eyes.

"After I found out Frank's betrayal, I was betrayed and hurt. I felt used. All of a sudden, heat crawled over every vein in my body. Fury filled my heart. It wanted to get out, and I let it. Then - then I killed them."

She remembers last night clearly, but she isn't sure how it even happened. The thought of Frank cheating on her still hurts her, but their muffled screams and blood are haunting her.

Nora looked at Matt; she nodded at him. Matt seemed to understand what she was trying to tell him and walked towards Aria.

He towered over Aria, and she looked straight into his eyes. They're not the same as Leo's.

"Sit, we will tell everything to you, now," he said in a commanding tone.

Aria just did as he told her and calmed her nerves.

"Okay, I know you may not believe this. But I want you to stop for a second before freaking out, that if what we are about to tell you is not true, how could you have done all those things?" Nora said.

Aria nodded.

"You're a werewolf," Matt said.

A few moments of silence passed. Aria tried to absorb what she heard. But all she blurted out is, "What?"

"Yeah, you, we," Nora said, pointing to herself and Matt, "we are werewolves," she added.

"So, they're real?" Aria asked with a furrowed brow.

"We are real," Nora said, emphasizing that Aria is part of what she thought was not real. This revelation now confirms everything for Aria and clarifies why she was able to do the things she did last night, on how she was able to take down a gigantic man like Frank and another human.

"The feeling that you are always mad about everything, and you would flip out on every little inconvenience, that's the werewolf gene, Aria, trying to break free," Nora explained further.

No wonder ever since she was a kid, she always had this temper, this rage within her. Whenever everything doesn't go her way, she feels like she could kill someone out of anger. Thankfully, her parents were able to help her manage her anger issues.

But now she knows they're not just ordinary anger issues. She is a werewolf.

 "We're actually surprised you were able to suppress it 'till you turned eighteen," Matt said. Then he walked towards the shelves in the living room and pulled out an old book.

"But if I am werewolf, does it mean my parents are werewolves as well?" she asked Nora.

"Yes, they were werewolves. But the parents you know are not," Nora said. "They're just ordinary human beings who were friends with your biological parents."

Matt pulled out a piece of paper from the book he was holding and handed it to Aria.

"These are you real parents," he said.

Aria looked at the photograph, and suddenly all her doubts went away. She looks so much like the woman in the picture who has the same red hair as her. She wears a white wedding gown that glows as if the moon casts its light onto it.

The man wears a shiny white tux, and he has the same emerald-green eyes as Aria.

"That was their wedding day," Matt said.

"Thankfully, the elders who escaped the war were able to save these journals before everything burned to the ground," Nora said.

"We are not sure how you ended up with Jane and Harry, but all we know is they were friends, when your parents were still alive," Matt said.

"We thought all was lost when The Valles took over our town, but it changed when a seer prophesied that one day we could take it back with you and Leo's help," Nora said.

Their conversation stopped when a panting boy came and ran towards Matt. "Alpha, something's wrong. Jake's missing. The others think the Valles caught him," he said in between breaths.

Matt and Nora abruptly stood up. Matt looked at Nora, who was visibly shaking from what she heard.

She was about to run outside when Matt stopped her, "I'll leave her to you. Wait for Leo," he said.

Nora listened to Matt and stayed with Aria, despite hesitation. Tears started to form in her eyes, worry written all over her face.

"I will take care of it. We will find Jake. I promise," Matt said, then he sprinted to the door.

"Why? What's wrong? Who is Jake?" Aria asked continuously, trying to understand the situation.

She wants to comfort her, but she can barely console and calm herself, especially with what she just found out. How can she help her?

"He's her boyfriend," a voice said from behind her. Aria turned around, and her face lit up when she saw Leo standing behind her. But, her happiness suddenly turned into worry as he looked at Nora worriedly.

Nora immediately ran past Leo and to the door, but he stopped her.

"It's too dangerous, Nora," he said.

"I don't care," she said fiercely. "What if the Valles took him? What if they enslave him? Or worst, what if...? What if..."

Nora can't finish her sentence. It already breaks her to think of what could happen to Jake if the Valles caught him.

Leo kept on comforting her that Jake would be alright and Matt would find him.

"The Valles?" Aria asked, getting confused with every piece of information.

"They are the coven of vampires who took Crescent Hill from us. They take werewolves lurking around Crescent Hill," Leo said.

Aria's mind is, once again, flooded with questions.

"Fill her up. I was only waiting for you. Jake is missing, and who knows what they are already doing with him right now?"

Nora yanked her arm out of Leo's grasp and ran outside. Leo called for her name to no avail. He just sighed and sat in a chair.

"Do you think she will be fine?" Aria asked Leo.

"She will be," Leo said.

"Why do they still take werewolves if they already got Crescent Hill?"

"They make them their slaves, to guard them in the morning," Leo said.

Aria thought for a few moments before asking Leo. She wants to ask further questions about the Valles, but she wants to clarify her identity first.

"Look, I don't know if this the right time to ask question. But I need you to help me," Aria said. "I have a lot of questions in my head. I have killed people, and I don't even know what to expect at home or if I can still go home."

"You will go home. Today," Leo said.

"But how? I have killed two people, Leo. And I am not even human anymore. How can I face my parents?" Aria asked, biting her fingernails and anxious about what could happen.

"They know about your real parents. You only need to tell them you already know. They will help you," Leo said, then he stood up and walked towards Aria.

Aria almost jumped when she felt the warmth of his skin touch hers. He held her hand tightly and gently turned her head to look at him.

Tears are forming in her eyes again, but Aria tried holding them back.

She can't cry. She can't shed tears whenever she feels like exploding. She has been crying since last night. She can't cry anymore.

"It will be okay," he said. "It will be fine. You only need to go home."

She can't take it anymore. Everything that happened last night is finally sinking in. She now grasps the gravity of the truth and the horrible thing she did in finding it out.

She let herself cry like a child in Leo's chest.

Aria knows she just met him, but she could not trust anyone right now except someone like her, a werewolf.

===

Aria made it back outside the woods. It was a bit hard with all the reporters and police crowding outside the woods. She was tagged missing.

"Oh, my God!" her mother exclaimed as soon as she saw Aria. She hugged her tightly and cried out of happiness and relief.

Harry, her father, hugged them and was relieved that their only child was finally back - safe and sound.

The reporters tried to swarm the family, but the police stopped them. A medical team immediately checked Aria's vitals.

"What happened to you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" her mother anxiously asked while inspecting if she was wounded.

"I was able to get away," she said. A lump is already forming in her throat. She wants to tell her parents everything that happened. Leo said they could help her, that they know. But she can't do that if they stay here.

"Mom, I want to go home," she said.

Aria's mom just nodded, and her dad threw a jacket over her head to protect her from the reporters outside.

Before going out, she saw her dad talking to a chief of police. They just nodded at each other, and despite covering it up, Aria knew her dad was worried about something.

Aria's dad is right. As soon as they stepped out of the tent, reporters immediately tried to mob them. But with the help of the police officers, they were able to reach her father's car quickly.

Harry immediately drove off to their home. Aria's mother hugged her tightly during the whole ride. She let her head rest on her mother's shoulder and sniffed her mother's scent. 

"I'm home," she whispered to herself. 

===