Chapter 18

Aria's POV

I woke up to the alarm blaring in my ear and a headache in the base of my skull. I used to get headaches a lot when I was younger, so I knew this one was going to be a bad one. I threw a pillow over my head and waited for Forest to turn off the alarm.

I heard Forest laugh as he pulled the pillow off me and his face came into view, smiling above me. He looked so happy and knew I was blessed beyond measure to have a mate like him. I tried to return his smile, but I could feel my headache getting stronger, so it wasn't a completely happy smile.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Forest asked, worry thick in his voice, I felt bad for worrying him, I was still getting used to the fact that he actually cared about me.

"I'm fine," I said, trying not to wince at the sun light coming from the curtains, making my headache worse. "I just have a headache, that's all."

Forest's face showed that he didn't believe me and from the spaced out look on his face I'm guessing he was talking to his wolf.

We walked down to breakfast and Forest grabbed some paracetamol from the cupboard, handing it to me before grabbing some breakfast.

As I grabbed my own breakfast I saw Atlas and Isla share a look of concern. I suppose I did look terrible, my skin pale as a ghost and my face contorted in pain, the headache was going to be a really bad one.

"Are you ok Aria?" Isla asked me, "Do you want a day off school?" I quickly shook my head, I didn't want to worry them, and I'd had worse pain from beatings, I would survive. "It's ok, it's only a headache."

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We got ready to go and I packed some more paracetamol into my bag for later, Forest again asked me if I was ok, but I didn't want to worry him, so I just said I was fine, it was only a headache after all.

My first lesson was computing. From the window I could see the PE changing rooms and I could see all the girls swooning over Forest. My heart clenched with anger at the sight of them. Wait what? Since when did I care, they are just stupid girls I was confused, why did I care? Maybe it had something to do with my headache, it has been gradually getting worse ever since I woke up.

I could see annoyance written all over Forest's face when Tasha came over and I was filled with pride as he ignored her and brushed her off.

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After a few hours of lessons and my headache getting worse it was time for English with Forest. I dragged myself to my seat, Forest sent me a reassuring smile which I tried to return. Just sitting next to him made me immediately feel a bit better. The light shining through the window made me squint and the noise pounded at my head, causing me to wince. I put my head on the desk, blocking out as much light and sound as possible. Everything was too loud, too bright.

The lesson went on and I kept my head on the desk, ignoring everyone and everything. I heard the teacher tell us to get into threes, but I didn't move, I just stayed with my head on the desk.

It was only when I heard Tasha's annoying voice from nearby that I opened my eyes. "Seems like we're a group then." She said, rubbing herself against Forest, something in me surfaced. I didn't like her near my mate.

I watched Tasha try to seduce Forest getting angrier and angrier, and when Tasha told Forest to kiss him something inside of me finally snapped.

My eyes flashed, and my actions didn't feel like my own. I jumped over the table and on top of Tasha, I kept gaining control over my limbs but then losing it again, I had no control over what I was doing.

I heard Forest from beside me shout in confusion and the teacher from the front of the class tell me to stop, I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I didn't care, all I cared about was stopping Tasha from taking my mate away from me.

MINE something inside of me yelled MINE, NOT HERS MINE. It kept yelling, every punch and slap was fuled by the voice, MINE, Finally, I managed to get control for long enough to get off Tasha and I fled from school.

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I ran, and I ran, and I ran. I didn't get tired and I couldn't stop. I could see the world blur past me. I could see everything, hear everything and smell everything. It was unnerving, and my head was still pounding. I'm sorry I heard a small voice in my mind. Wait what? I'm sorry. I don't want to do this, but I have too. It's the only way. Suddenly I lost control of my limbs again and was running in a different direction.

What do you mean? What don't you want to do? What are you doing? I'm sorry that I attacked Tasha, but she had no right to flirt with Forest and I don't want to do this because it will scare and hurt you. But I have too.

Before I could ask what it meant, an agonising pain came over me. I screamed, the pain steadily increasing, becoming more powerful and more excruciating, building and layering until I thought I was going to die.

I wanted Forest. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be back sitting round the kitchen table with Isla and Atlas, laughing and having a good time, something that never happened with my dad but happened all the time with Atlas, Isla and Forest.

Every bone, muscle, tendon, artery, vein, capillary, cell, molecule, and atom in my body felt like it was on fire, I felt like every bone in my body had been shattered and been shoved back in places they didn't belong.

I was sure I was going to die.

Then my world turned black.

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Forest's POV

I ran after her. Out of school, on to the field and beyond. I could hear the teachers yelling after me, telling me to stop, but I couldn't, I had to find her. I was lost without her, I needed her. I had picked up her scent heading into the woods, but it was fading fast. She had run randomly, seemingly unaware of her surrounding and I was worried she wasn't fully there.

I found my way deep in the woods, I knew I was heading neared my pack territory, but I still couldn't find Aria. I followed her scent until I was about a mile away from home but then I lost it. Maybe she went back home? My wolf suggested. I didn't have any better ideas, so I ran back, hoping she would be there.

She wasn't. I reached home faster than ever before but all I found were my parents worried expressions. They had been looking as well, but she was nowhere to be found.

Just then my dad got a phone call from the pack. "A rogue was found on the edge of pack territory." My dad said, after disconnecting the phone.

"Why are they calling us?" My mum asked, "They know what to do when rogues turn up." I shook my head, I had much more important things to deal with.

My dad sighed before answering, "The rogue won't shift back and has a very unique smell, not part of a pack but not a full rogue. They don't know what to do with it." He turned to me before continuing, "We will check out the rogue, you continue looking for Aria." I nodded my head before heading out to search for her scent.

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Aria's POV

I woke up confused and scared. The pain had gone, even my headache had fully gone, but something wasn't right. I looked down and I almost screamed. I wasn't human. I was a wolf. I looked into the river and saw my reflection, I was a black wolf with ginger and white stripes.

Before I could figure out what to do something came barrelling into my side and I went flying to the side, crashing into a tree. A man came over to me. Standing over me, a glare on his face.

"Shift back," He told me, I didn't know what he was on about. How do I shift back when I don't know how? ­I thought back to when Isla told me what shifting was, but she didn't tell me how to shift back.

"Shift back." He repeated but I still didn't know how. I tried to tell him, but I couldn't find my voice. I started to panic, what could I do? Where was Forest? Where was I?

However hard I tried I couldn't tell him I didn't understand. "This one won't cooperate, and it smells weird, what should we do?" What was he on about, I wasn't trying to be difficult, but I didn't understand what he wanted me to do and what did he meant I smelt weird.

"Call the Alpha, he'll know what to do." Another man said from beside me. The first man pulled out a phone and called someone.

"Alpha we have a bit of a problem here, a rogue has strayed onto our territory, but it won't shift back, and it smells strange, it doesn't belong to a pack but doesn't smell of rogue, what should we do?"

His words confused me. I knew what an alpha was, Forest had explained that his dad was the alpha of his pack and his mum was the luna and I knew what rogues were, they were evil wolves with no pack, but I didn't understand how I was a part of this.

"The alpha and luna are coming, let's get it locked up in a cell for questioning." I was picked up by the scruff of my neck and dragged into a dark room. I was thrown into a cramped cell with no windows. I lay on my tummy, waiting for whoever it was who was coming to question me to come.

I knew Atlas was an alpha and he was nice, but I also know he's a nice father where as my dad wasn't, just because one father is a good doesn't mean they all were, just because Atlas is a nice alpha didn't mean they all are.

Suddenly the door crashed into the wall and a huge amount of power came storming down the hall. The alpha and luna were here, and the power was something I've never experienced before.

I heard a familiar voice yelling, "Where is the rogue?"

I looked down and I almost screamed. I wasn't human. I was a wolf