Chapter 3

        I thought about screaming for help, but then I realized that there was no one around to hear me. Well no one except the wolf. I thought about running but knew that I would get only two feet before it would catch up to me. Well this is it. I'm going to meet my end by the hands, er paws of a wolf. Yet I'm supposedly going to be mated to a wolf. Ironic for me, isn't it?

        It was almost as if the wolf heard my thoughts because it suddenly lowered it's head to the ground in a submissive stance. Back in my freshmen year in high school, I had read a famous werewolf series and read all I could about wolves and their behaviors so when it bowed its head, I knew it was an act of  submission. 

        At the time though I was freaking out so I couldn't comprehend what the wolf was doing. It slowly drew closer, as if knowing that I was afraid. I knew that if you back away from a wolf, it would see you as the prey, trying to escape the predator's clutches so I sat completely still on the rock. It came within a foot away from me and I got a look into the creature's eyes. Its dark eyes didn't look like a wild animal. It was like looking into the eyes of a kind, yet powerful person. 

        I couldn't stand to look at the wolf anymore so I squinched my eyes shut and waited for the inevitable pain. After what seemed like hours, I felt something lower into my lap. I opened one eye and looked down to find that the animal had layed its head down in my lap. It looked back up at me, as if trying to show that it wouldn't hurt me. 

        At this moment, a thought popped into my head that seemed stupid but yet I still spoke aloud.  "A-are you a werewolf?"

        Don't be ridiculous, Crystal! It can't possibly be a-

        The wolf picked its head off of my lap, cocked it to the side and stuck out its tongue in a playful gesture. 

        "I'll take that as a yes then?" I couln't believe that I was talking to werewolf when only a few minutes ago I was terrified out of my mind. 

        It put its head back in my lap and tapped my hand with its snout. I placed my hand on its head and started to stroke its fur. As I was petting the huge wolf, a low rumbling came from its throat and it closed its eyes.

        "I didn't know wolves purr." It didn't seem to like my statement because it opened its eyes and looked up at me in an exasperated manner. 

        "Well that was definitely a purr. And besides, can't you just transform back? You know, into a human that can talk?"  It took a step back from me and turned to face the woods. It ran to the edge of the forest, gave me one last glance as if to say "stay", then took off. 

        I waited for about five minutes watching the stream trickle into the pond before I heard the rustling of trees. I turned to face the direction of where the wolf left and in its place stood the most handsomest guy I had ever seen, leaning against a moss covered tree. He was even better looking than the other werewolves I had seen back at the Serbian pack mansion. He had shaggy, short black hair that was swept to the side like he had just ran his fingers through it. His eyes were the same, dark green, kind eyes that the wolf had. He had only jeans on which allowed me to view his very muscular chest. My eyes were roaming over his dark swirl tattoos that apparently all werewolves had, when I heard him clear his throat.

        "Satisfied yet?" He asked. I immediately looked down, embarrassed. I couldn't let him see how much he affected me because for all I knew, he could already be mated to someone else. But if he wasn't, I wouldn't complain about looking at that for the rest of my life. 

        "Well, I've never seen tattoos quite like that before. Where did you get them done?" I looked back up to meet his eyes and realized he was standing next to me. 

        "Who are you?" He asked in return. He had a slight accent that I couldn't place but it just made him all the more attractive.

        "Um, I believe I asked you a question first. So I can't answer yours until you answer mine."

        "Very well. I was born with my tattoos. They show my ranking in the pack. They cross over my neck, back and the top of my chest to show that I'm an alpha. And now, may I ask, who are you?"

        "I'm Crystal." I was not about to say my last name to some stranger, no matter how good looking they may be.

        "That's a pretty name. My name's Perseus Lupei."

        "Wait, you're named after Perseus? Like the Perseus?"

        "Yeah. My mom was a fan of Greek mythology because it was the only mythology in this crazy world so she named me after her favorite warrior."

        "So...can I call you Percy?" My favorite series besides the one with werewolves had a main character also named Percy and the werewolf in front of me actually looked like my mental image of him. 

        He cocked his head to the side, like a dog does when it's confused. "No one has ever called me that before."

        "Well I love that name and now you're stuck with it."

        He leved his head and grinned. "Alright then. So I told you my last name. What's yours?"

        "Oh no." I slid off the rock and moved a few steps away from Percy. "You don't want to know."

        "Oh but I bet I do." He started taking slow steps toward me, like a predator stalking its prey. 

        "No, you don't and quit it with the stalker stance. It's creepy." 

        "It is?" He asked with mocked surprise.

        "Yes, it is. Now stop." I felt compelled to take another step back but knew that it would just egg him on even more.

        "Fine. I'll stop but only if you tell me your full name."

        "Never. I'm not going to tell a stranger my last name." He was just a couple of feet away from me and if he took another step, he would be next to me. 

        "But I'm hardly a stranger now since you gave me a nickname. I'm just going to annoy you until you tell me."

        "Alright fine! I'll tell you, but you have to promise you won't laugh."

        "It's that bad?"

        I cocked an eyebrow at him.

        "Ok fine. I won't laugh."

        "It's Waters. My name is Crystal Waters."

        He took another step and was standing directly in front of me. I looked up at his face and saw that he was trying to hold in a laugh.

        "See?! I knew you would laugh!" I pushed his chest back but he didn't even wobble. He just laughed harder.

        "Come on! It's not even that funny!" I pushed him again and this time he grabbed both of my hands.

        "I think it's adorable. And it matches your eyes perfectly." He looked into my eyes with such intensity that I looked away. He dropped my hands and took a step back. I wanted him to hold my hands again but that was just ridiculous. This guy couln't be mine. He was way out of my league. 

        After that, we fell into a moment of silence. I looked out over the water in the moonlight and watched the water silently flow into the pond. I could feel his eyes on me and just when I couldn't stand the silence any longer, he spoke. "You must be new here because I have never seen you before and I doubt I could forget someone as beautiful as you."

        I didn't really feel as beautiful as he said. I'm not the tallest girl or the shortest. I was definitely not the smartest girl in school but not the dumbest. I had straight dirty blonde hair that couldn't hold a curl for more than ten seconds. My eyes were just a dark blue color with no special sparkle that my parents and brother had. I was the odd man out in my family but I was ok with that. But now, a guy telling me I was beautiful who wasn't my dad was really strange. 

        "Yeah, well I was brought to the Serbian pack today and told that I was a...gypsy healer or something like that."

        "You're a healer?" He asked, surprised. 

        "Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying but I hardly feel like one."

        "Well, I better escort you back to your pack because they'll probably be looking for you."

        "But I don't belong there. Everyone knows who and what they are, and until today I knew who I was and what I was going to do. Now all I want is just to go back home."

        "I'm sorry, but if they say that you're a healer, they're usually always right. Especially if Peri is in on it."

        "Yeah. She was definitely sure that I was a healer. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I truly feel like I'm not a healer. I feel like...I'm something else. As if that makes any sense."

        I looked up at him and saw that he truly wanted to help me but didn't know how to.

      "How about I make you a deal. I'll escort you back to the mansion if you agree to meet me here again tomorrow. I can help. Together, we'll find out who you really are."