In Love With The Coldblooded

She gasped.

He howled and tore his skin open as claws and canines grew. Those eyes turned dangerously golden yellow.

This was not the Jeremy she knew. Yet she watched under the full moon in the humid darkness of this forest how her best friend turned into a werewolf.

Weren't these monsters supposed to thrive in fantasy novels and folklore?

This dazzling black wolf sniffed her, and without further ado, he targeted her as his prey. He growled; she ran.

Thumping her heels on twigs and dry leaves while her red hair brushed through branches and leaves, she whimpered, hearing the stomping paws of a werewolf. Her ankle got sprained as she inadvertently fell, and at that moment, she concluded she was doomed. Her bones began to shudder, her heartbeat raced loudly, and her breath was heavy. She tried to move, but her pain wouldn't let her. It shot up from her sprained ankles to her ribs, rigidly holding her down to on the dirt. She exhaled once she was greeted by the terrifying creature stalking towards her.

There he was growling at her, taking stealthy steps as he circled about her. Claws digging into the ground, his fur rose, and his canines were bared in the under the moonlight.

He was ready to tear her apart.

"J-Jeremy," she voiced weakly in a trembly tone while her eyes fixated on his. She hoped some part of him would recognize her, but no. He barked ferociously in return, causing her to whimper and embrace the new wave of fear. Her eyes were closed, but tears flowed regardless; she simply hoped for a miracle.

A torrent of wind blew past her hair, and a loud groan followed suit. The painful howling of the wolf and thrusting sound forced her to open her eyes.

Tears bathed her cheeks as she watched this young man and her best friend turned werewolf battle roughly with unimaginable speed, strength, and a never-ending growl.

In a minute, this other man had speared his silver knife to the wolf's leg, who in response howled and whimpered. Its dangerous eyes were now yearning for help.

Was she to smile and heave a sigh of relief or let her fear further taunt her? She was stuck in place as she watched Jeremy stagger on his paws and escape from the death grip of her savior.

Her mystery savior walked gallantly towards her.

"Are you okay?" He extended a hand to pull her up. His voice was soothing yet dangerously hoarse.

She looked up only to see monstrous reddish-black eyes, canines as long as Jeremy's, and sharp claws from the hand he extended. The fear that had relatively lessened gripped her again. She had foolishly accepted his hand.

"What are you?" she asked in a fear-stricken tone.

"A monster," he answered huskily while he pulled her to her feet.

She exhaled instantly from the pain that coursed through her body. She had also grown weary of his presence. And indeed, his words lived up to its name. His countenance was as dark as his attire.

"If you cherish your life, I'll advise you to run before I rip you apart," he stated.

If your savior is meant to save and allay your fears, this one was different. Without a doubt, she believed his warnings and shoved all worries for Jeremy aside.

"I'll give you thirty minutes to scurry away from this forest, for I can't assure you’ll live after that," he stated in a rather authoritative manner.

The pain in her ankle still blossomed, making her wobble.

"Run!" he growled.

She squeaked again, putting more pressure onto her legs. She grew worrisome for Jeremy again, but given the situation, she couldn't dare think of saving a savage wolf.

**********

BELGRAVE HIGH

THREE DAYS LATER

Days passed, and there was still no sign of Jeremy. Of course, nobody except her mother worried about his disappearance; he is an orphan, and she's his only family left. The unfortunate night that she kept secret still rang daily in her head, but she chose to believe Jeremy was possessed by a demon or something.

School began today, and the thought of starting it alone depressed her. She sighed heavily, slamming her locker with hopeless eyes.

"Easy, darling," said a young man whose locker were just beside hers. His head were fixed in his locker, apparently sorting through things.

His voice and stature had a resemblance to her mysterious savior.

"I know that voice from somewhere," she responded.

He brought out his head, staring uninterestingly at the redhead totally gawking at his handsomeness.

"Hmph.." he whispered to himself. Probably one of his one-night stands.

"Yes!" her tone rose after she had spent minutes examining this newbie. She stepped closer yet was fearful of his presence. "You saved me from the wolf months ago in the forest," she said, lowering her voice.

He focused purely on his books that he kept arranging. "I've killed many wolves for the past month now. I'm sorry I don't recall."

Taken back by his bluntness was an understatement! Nevertheless, all she wanted was to know the status of her best friend, whether he survived or died by his hands.

"You asked me to ‘scurry’ away before 30 minutes passed," she explained.

He stopped, deciding to stare at her till he could get a memory of the redhead.

"Oh... I think I remember now," he answered coldly.

"Well," she spoke again. "I wanna thank you for saving my life."

"Funny," he scoffed. "I recall I wanted to eat you." A tiny smile danced on his lips.

She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Technically, you saved me."

"No. You ran."

"No!" she argued. "You told me to run."

He sighed, returning his gaze to his locker. Although there was still fear, she gritted her teeth at his pride and rudeness.

"I don't understand why you're still standing here," he muttered, realizing she’s been standing there watching him in silence for minutes now.

"Did you kill him? He's my best friend," she replied.

He scoffed again. "That aggressive beast who wanted to tear you apart is your best friend? How adorable."

"Please, I just wanna know if he's still alive," she said. She reminded herself about the monster within him; although, if anyone had told her this handsome young man was a demon, she wouldn't have believed them.

He grinned. "Probably dead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class of simpletons to attend." He slammed his locker and brushed past her.

"Please," she grabbed him by his left hand but dropped it once he glared at her in an overly intimidating manner.

His face folded into a frown. "The next time you touch me without my consent," his husky voice proclaimed in a sadistic manner, "I will kill you."

She gulped as her eyes twitched.

"Jeremy means a lot to me. I know he isn't a monster. That night, I'm certain something possessed him."

His grin grew devilishly as he stepped closer to her. "I don't care. Stay away from me if you don't want any problems."

She watched him leave. Although she could have taken his advice, for her love for Jeremy, she was going to do the exact opposite till she found him.

The girls in Bella's class found themselves totally lost in his charms. His dark hair, his enchanting grey eyes, and his rosy red lips that made him so unique. But Bella shoved all that girlish attraction away and chose to focus on the fact that this monster was going to be her classmate! Her fingers trembled recalling his dangerous attitude at the locker.

"Class, let's welcome our new student, Arthur Middleton." Mr. Alrik grinned, wrapping his hands around Arthur's shoulder.

"Finally, we have a new hottie in our class." The drama queen rose from her seat and walked like a seductress towards Arthur.

"Just so you know, the name is Alisha, Belgrave High cheerleader." She bit her lower lip.

A tiny smile spread across his lips. Bella frowned, finding his smile so superficial yet sinister. It made her worry.

"Okay, Lisha, please return to your seat." Mr. Alrik beckoned. "Now," his grip on Arthur's shoulder tightened, "I trust you'll all do well in giving him a warm welcome." Her teacher grinned again.

"Off you go."

Bella tracked his movements as he walked in her direction, and then her heart missed a beat as he sat beside her with a profound iciness inscribed on his face.

While Mr. Alrik delved into Indian history, all she did was steal glances at him. She was so curious about what happened to Jeremy, yet terror ceased her from talking.

"Continue staring at me and I'll pluck off those eyes of yours," Arthur said in a tone low enough for her to hear alone. Her body stiffened, and her heart skipped again. Regardless, she dared to look at him again.

He smacked his table roughly to the right. Ignoring the noise that startled everyone, Mr. Alrik didn't waver. Arthur grabbed her by the wrist before storming out of the class.

Once they stepped out of the class with his iron grip around her wrist, the wind sped across her face and her legs dangled in the air. When it all stopped, she realized they were in the janitor's closet. How they had reached here within seconds was a question saved for later. Her main worry was that she was in the same room alone with a monster, Arthur Middleton, all because of her stupidity. She grunted as he pressed her against the wall, holding her arms above her head and gripping them to the wall. His cold breath slammed across her cheeks, and his grey eyes that were once gentle now turned ferocious. It reminded her of that terrifying night, the same way Jeremy had been so malevolent. Except he wasn't this close to her like Arthur was.

"I told you to stay away from me, didn't I?" he growled. She whimpered from the pain shooting in her wrist.

"I need to see Jeremy!" she cried, avoiding his monstrous gaze, dearly hoping he would show compassion for her helplessness.

He scoffed. "I killed him."

Her heart thumped loudly, and her breathing became uneven.

"He didn't deserve to die! Let go of me!" she screamed, but his iron grip remained firm.

"Scream all you want; nobody is going to save you," Arthur spat out in a renewed growl. "I saved your pathetic life from danger, but it seems you love danger itself."

"Please, don't kill me! I'm the daughter of the Sheriff." She mustered every ounce of courage within her to speak up. Surprisingly, Arthur released her from his iron grip. Her eyes twitched with a tear as she observed the redness wrapped around her wrist. Why he released her was another puzzle she couldn't decipher.

"So, you're the daughter of Cosgrove," Arthur stated in an awestruck tone. She stared into his eyes that had now slipped back into gentleness. He then hissed.

"Certainly, that woman would have regularly laced your blood with garlic making you dormant to my compulsion." He was inches away from her, palms curled into fists. She thought of scurrying through the door but decided against it. Her speed would be nowhere comparable to him. Instead, she struggled on what he meant by garlic and compulsion.

"You know my mother?" she asked in a whisper, fearful of what monstrosity he might respond with. Arthur shot her a stern face that easily stopped her breath.

"I know important people who are not to be messed with," he responded in the iciest manner possible while his eyes looked away from hers as if he was in deep thought.

She frowned, unable to comprehend what he meant. Her mother is the Sheriff of Covington but not as important as Arthur seemed to think.

"How do you know my Mother? What do you mean by compulsion?" she asked.

Arthur frowned.

"You ask too many ridiculous questions," he growled. She remained silent, hoping not to anger him more. Then he smirked.

"Just one look at you, and it's obvious you're a stubborn one. It runs in the Cosgrove blood. So, let me make you a deal." Arthur inched close. She moved backwards till her back was against the wall.

"I struck your puppy with a cursed knife. It makes a werewolf remain in its wolf form for days, months, or even years, depending on the strength of the werewolf blood."

"Jeremy is a werewolf, and he's stuck in his wolf form. How is that possible?" she asked with a quizzical look, unable to digest the truth that her best friend, an orphan, is a beast.

"Honestly, you're dumb," Arthur remarked with a smirk. Her hand clenched into a fist but who was she to dare hit him. "Obviously, your puppy is roaming about or perhaps dead from various skilled hunters. But with the aid of a witch, we can test that theory out."

"Witches are real?" she exclaimed and quickly regretted it from the low growl Arthur responded with.

"You're the daughter of a prestigious supernatural species, the Hunters, yet you're so," Arthur pursed his lips as if searching for words insulting enough, "ignorant."

She frowned again as he spat another puzzling statement. She wouldn't deny that most of his words didn't make sense. At the same time, she couldn't dare ask another question that would enrage him.

"Luckily, if he's alive, I will find him. And after, you will stay with me till the poison in your system wears off and I can compel you to forget ever meeting me," he stated as if he had successfully carved out a foolproof plan. "Have you told anyone about me?" he suddenly asked.

She quickly shook her head, still confused about the whole situation, but Arthur pressed closer. His eyes renewed their threatening gaze.

"You better not." He grinned while her heart was still racing in fear. He looked at her wrist that was still reddened from his rough touch. "I'm sorry for hurting you," he said. She exhaled in surprised awe. A minute ago, he was all beastly and now he muttered words of apology.

"That is what you get when you disobey me. Now, shall we return to Alrik's class?" His words rolled out more like an order than a question.

She nodded as she saw the finest grin she had seen him wear. One could hardly resist his innocent looking face even though he's a monster. She quietly obeyed, following behind him till they got back to class.

Mr. Alrik glared uninterestingly at them and without further ado spat out, "Detention for you both."

"Mr. Alrik, I can explain," she protested while Arthur remained unmoved.

"Bella, there's nothing to explain. It's perfectly clear. Mr. Arthur here wrecked the school's property and you, my dear, left this class without my permission. That is an action I won't tolerate!" Mr. Alrik retorted in a hoarse voice. The bell rang, signifying class was over. "Class is dismissed," Mr. Alrik stated, and with haste, every student quickly filed past them.

"Bella Cosgrove, huh," Arthur said mischievously behind her left ear, certainly with a devilish grin on his face. "Something tells me we are going to have a lot of fun. Can't wait to see you in detention," he said with another heavy dose of sarcasm before disappearing amidst the others.