Kiyomi
(Two weeks later)

    Kiyomi races down the stairs, excitement circulating through his veins. She runs into the kitchen while quickly fixing her whitish-blonde locks into a braid. A white hoodie, black leggings, and combat boots make up her outfit. She smiles at Grayson, her older adopted brother. He opens a cabinet while kicking the fridge lightly. The door swings open with a loud squeak as he grabs a cereal box of her Cheerios and sits a glass bowl on a marble counter.
   "How are you feeling?" He asks, pouring some cereal into the bowl, grabbing strawberry milk from a shelf in the refrigerator, and sitting down. She shrugs her shoulders while propping her elbows on the glass table.
   "I can't sleep. I keep seeing your parent's faces," she mumbles, sitting on a stool and wrapping her legs around it's wooden frame. He nods his head in understanding as he walks over to the table.
   "The nightmares will go away eventually," he states, placing the bowl of cereal in front of her. She glances at the bobbing pieces of food, nausea settling in her stomach. She gently pushes it away from her and stands to her feet.

    Kiyomi pops her neck loudly, heading toward the living room. Grayson gently grabs her wrist and pulls her away from the archway. She quickly turns to face him with a raised eyebrow.
   "We need to talk. It's really important, Kiyomi," he says, seriousness radiating off his body. She sighs as she pulls her wrist out of his grip.
   "Make it quick. I'm going over to Tyler's place," he frowns, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
    "We're moving," horror twists into her facial features.
    "Why?" She crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at him.
    "I'm worried some rogue pack may attack again. They might come back to finish what their sister tribe started," he replies, running his fingers through his jet black hair and fixing his cap over his head.
    "I can't leave. Tyler and you can protect me," she protests while turning her back on him. He sighs in annoyance, reaching out and taking her hand.
    "That's not enough. You're a target for feral wolves, now. They'll stop at nothing to kill you. You have to leave in order to protect Tyler. Please, just head upstairs and start packing,"

    Kiyomi makes a huffing sound, her muscles tensing. She wipes angrily at her eyes with the back of her free hand, clenching her jaw tightly.
    "No!" She shouts at the top of her lungs, yanking her hand out of his grip. She races out of the room, past the living room and onto her front porch. She fishes out an extra set of keys to Tyler's house, tears pouring down her face. She glances back at the house, before quickly stomping down the steps. Her heart pounds painfully against her ribcage as she runs into her backyard, numbness overwhelming her senses. She pushes a tree branch out of her way, sprinting into the woods and taking a short cut to her boyfriend's house.

     She races up the driveway, dust and gravel spraying onto her boots. She stomps up the porch steps while fishing out a set of keys from her hoodie pocket. She cautiously glances around at the woods, quickly slipping the key into the doorknob and turning it to the right. Images of rogue wolves flash across her vision. Blood stained muzzles and teeth ripping into human flesh playing out like a movie. Fear pumps into her heart, the scent of thick metallic filling her lungs. A loud mechanical noise breaks the silence as she quickly pushes open the door and storms into the house.
    Kiyomi shuts the door lightly, her body shaking violently. She takes in a breath, her back sliding down the wooden frame and her lower half colliding with the floor. She pulls her legs against her stomach, burying her chin into her kneecaps. She curls her fingers into fists at her sides, her bitten nails digging deep into her skin. Loud footsteps echo throughout the bottom floor as a tall silhouette emerges from the kitchen in the distance. She blinks away some tears while watching the shape make their way into the living room. The lights flicker on, illuminating the shadow.

    Tyler tosses his cap onto an end table next to him, before carefully approaching her and sitting down in front of her. His brown hair is covered in sweat, littered with pieces of mud and dirt. His black tank top is sticking to him, outlining his muscles and abs. His skin is engraved in slash marks, mud smeared across his jeans and cowboy boots. He gently takes her chin while wiping away her tears with his thumb. Kiyomi sniffles, moving closer to him.
    "You, poor thing," he mumbles, gently taking her wrists and propping them on top of her knees.
    "I saw the woods and then, everything came back. The blood...wild...wolves, stained muzzles...an..d...d...pieces of fle...sh," she whispers, more tears pouring down her face. He sighs in sadness and places a hand on top of her head.
    "I know. It's going to be alright," he states, moving her bangs out of her blood shot eyes and uncurling her fingers. He frowns, his unnatural green eyes flickering with pity. Bloody cuts are indented below her fingers in her skin where her nails were.
    "How long has this been going on?" He gently grabs her elbow while standing up. He carefully helps her to her feet and guides her to the living room. She sits on the sofa next to him, wiping roughly at her eyes and blinking.

    "Oh, sorry. If I worried you, I'm alright. I must have had another spell," Kiyomi replies, tilting her head to the side and smiling. She quickly takes in his rugged appearance while throwing her arms around his neck. She hugs him tightly, snuggling her side into his.
    "Are you alright? You look awful. What happened?" She asks, fixing his hair the way she prefers it.
   "There's something we need to talk about. It's kinda a clashing werewolf pack thing," he states, gently taking her wrist as she looks at him in curiosity and concern.
    "Well, today my pack was having a celebration due to taking out the rest of those rogue wolves on our territory. I wasn't planning on going, but one my friends insisting and I was dragged into it. Anyway, one of the girls who had imprinted on me, started flirting and hitting on me. Well, her lover happened to be the Beta. A Beta is second in command and enforces the law when the current alpha is not present in the pack. He challenged me and the alpha approved it. I tried to back out of the whole situation, but he went crazy with rage and I had to kill him,"---Kiyomi squeezes his fingers, sadness reflecting in her eyes.
    "Now, I'm second in command and the alpha has agreed to train me in order to take up his position when he retires. I can't take up that ranking until I have a mate,"---he sweetly takes both her hands as he smiles at her.
   "So, will you be my partner?" She smiles sadly, shaking her head and avoiding his eyes.

    "I can't. I'm moving away. Grayson insisted I leave and move in with my aunt for a while. He's having a vampire erase my memories of my adoptive parents too," she mumbles, tears pouring down her face.
    "It's okay," he traces her knuckles with his thumb. He gently lifts up her chin while leaning his forehead against hers.
    "It's unfair for you, though," she whispers, biting into her lip.
    "If I'm leaving, you'll be left in a terrible place. I want you to be happy," she blinks, clenching her jaw tightly.
    "So, I'm giving you the right to break up with me and get together with another werewolf. She'll be able to give and do things I can't. You'll be better off with your pack and everything else will improve that way," he shakes his head, lightly poking her nose with his index finger.
    "I'll pass on that offer. I wanna try a long distance relationship with you. So, we'll be texting and video chatting until you get sick of seeing my face," he leans forward, her heart speeding up pace. He kisses her passionately as she twists her fingers out of his grip and throws her arms around his neck. She kisses him back with hesitation, his arm wrapping around her waist. He pulls her closer, their bodies pressed against each other.

    Suddenly, the door opens with a loud slam. Kiyomi pulls away while carefully giving herself some distance. She looks toward the doorway to see Grayson stepping into the house. He gracefully steps into the living room with his arms crossed over his chest.
    She shyly stares at her feet, standing up and messing with the wolf pendant attached to the necklace wrapped around her neck. Tyler pops his shoulders and glares at the other boy. He tenderly takes her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles.
    "Call me when you get to your aunt's house. So, I can check on you," he states and squeezes her hand.
    "Yeah," she mumbles as he hesitantly lets go of her. She quickly slips past her adopted brother and heads for the car parked in the driveway.

   Grayson follows her outside while she opens the door to the passenger side and climbs into the car. He shuts the front door, making his way to his vehicle and getting into the driver's side. He slams the door closed as she buckles her seatbelt. He turns the key in the ignition to the right, making the engine come to life. Kiyomi pulls her knees against her stomach, propping her right arm on the window seal.
    "Even if we're still together, it hurts. It hurts more than seeing my caretaker's death over and over. I'm going to miss him a lot, regardless," she whispers, leaning her head on her arm and closing her eyes tightly.

© StarsofClarity