CHAPTER FOUR
716 Words
“Before they found me?”
I looked at my mother, waiting for her to explain.
She didn't.
She was still holding her arm, trying to stop the blood with the sleeve of her dress.
“Mom, we need to do something about your arm.”
“It's not that bad.”
“It is bleeding.”
“I'll be fine.”
I shook my head. “You always say that.”
She gave me a tired look.
“And you're always stubborn.”
“I got that from you.”
For the first time that night, she smiled a little.
Then she stood up.
“We need to keep moving.”
I helped her up, but she pushed my hand away after a few steps.
“I can walk.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
We continued through the forest.
I kept looking behind us. I expected the wolves to come back, but nothing happened.
Still, I couldn't forget the way that black wolf had looked at me.
It hadn't attacked me.
It had looked scared.
Why?
And what had that voice in my head meant?
You are awake.
I touched the mark on my chest.
It wasn't burning anymore, but I could still feel it.
“Mom.”
She kept walking.
“What?”
“What was that?”
“What?”
“The wolf.”
She was quiet.
“It didn't attack me.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
I stopped walking.
She stopped too.
“You do know.”
She looked at me.
“Aria.”
“No. You know.”
I was tired of being lied to.
“You knew about my wolf. You knew about the mark. You knew those people were coming. And now you're telling me you don't know why that wolf ran away from me?”
She looked away.
I folded my arms.
“I'm not moving until you tell me something.”
She sighed.
“You're exactly like your father.”
I frowned.
“You knew my father?”
She looked at me as if she'd said too much.
“My father. You mean you knew him?”
“Of course I knew him.”
“Then why did you always tell me he was gone?”
“Because he is.”
“That doesn't answer my question.”
She sat down on a fallen tree.
I sat beside her.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then she said, “Your father wasn't a bad man.”
I didn't know why, but hearing that made my chest hurt.
I had spent most of my life wondering if he had simply left because he didn't want me.
“Then why did he leave?”
“He didn't.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“He didn't leave us, Aria.”
I didn't say anything.
My mother looked down at her hands.
“He was taken from us.”
I felt cold all over.
“By who?”
“I don't know.”
“You just said he was taken.”
“I know what I said.”
“Then how can you not know who took him?”
She looked at me.
“Because I was told never to look for him.”
“By who?”
She didn't answer.
I was beginning to hate that word.
Who?
Why?
I don't know.
Never.
Those were the only answers I'd been getting all night.
I stood up.
“We're going to Aunt Clara's, right?”
My mother nodded.
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Because if you won't tell me anything, maybe she will.”
My mother looked worried.
“You can't tell her everything.”
“Why not?”
“Because she doesn't know what I've told you.”
I stared at her.
“You're making this worse.”
“I know.”
She got up again.
“Come on.”
We started walking.
This time, I didn't ask any more questions.
Not because I wasn't curious.
I was.
I just knew that whatever was going on was much bigger than I had thought.
And somehow, I knew my aunt was going to be the next person with secrets to hide from me.
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