The car rolled to a stop in front of a small lake house. The kind man turned to Ember, looking at her with compassion in his eyes. "This is it, Ember", he said and urged her to climb out of the car.
Ember stepped out of the car gingerly. She took in the sight of the compound; it was small but in perfect condition. There were different shrubs of neatly trimmed flowers scattered across the compound and the scent of blooming roses and fresh grass filled the air, a stark contrast to the chilling memories of the woods she had just escaped.
She noticed that a small lake ran through a part of the compound and there was an outhouse nearby. A part of her wondered what they stored there. The tall apple tree stood large in the middle of the compound, giving it a more natural appearance.
"I know it's not much, but we make what we can out of it", the man said, noticing that Ember had been staring at the compound since they arrived.
She shook her head, embarrassed that he'd caught her staring. "No, no", she protested. "It's beautiful. I like it"
John gave her a knowing smile. "Thank you, Ember. Glad to know you have an eye for the beautiful things"
Ember grinned at him. For a while there, she started to forget about her current situation, about how weird it was that she had woken up with part of her memory fogged.
What if the night of the mating had only been but a figment of her imagination? Maybe she had felt so pressured about finding a mate that she dreamed the whole thing up? The only way things would make sense to her is when she returned home, back to the refuge of her pack.
"Ember ", John called, pulling her out of her head and back into the compound. "Are you okay?"
Ember nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine"
"Come on, let's get you something to drink", he said and pulled her gently into the house.
The warmth in John's house was welcoming and it was exactly what Ember longed for. She had been exposed to the biting cold for so long that her body felt numb. The heat from the fire place sent an electrifying shock through her body.
Ember sprinted to the fireplace and crouched over it. She placed her hands over it and let the warmth of the fire move through her, shivering from the cold that clung to her like a second skin.
"Oh, my god! Who's that, honey?" A woman gasped behind Ember. Her voice was high pitched and she sounded alarmed.
Ember turned to the woman, alert. She jumped up to her feet, ready to run.
"Who are you?", asked the woman. The suspicion in her tone had increased by an octave. Ember watched as John rushed over to her side, gently wrapping his arms around her waist.
John hadn't mentioned he would be bringing a guest, especially not a girl who looked as though she had just emerged from a battle with a lion. Ember's wild hair stuck out in every direction and her dirt-smeared face made her look like she had been dragged through hell and back.
"Darling" John said in his calm voice. "This is Ember. I found her in the woods". To Ember, he said. "This is my wife, Rosa"
Ember gave John's wife a curt nod but still kept her distance. She was just as surprised to see John's wife because all through their three hour drive, John had never mentioned having a wife. Maybe it just didn't occur to him.
"In the woods?" Rosa asked. Her initial wary had faded from her face, and replaced by it was a look of sympathy for Ember.
"How did you end up here, all alone in the woods?" she asked, her tone softening as she approached Ember.
Trying to sound convincing, Ember recounted her harrowing tale of getting lost during a hike with friends. She knew that John and his wife were kind hearted people, she shouldn't be lying to them, but again, she couldn't exactly tell them the truth.
As the conversation unfolded, John's wife noticed that Ember's feet were bloodied and bruised, a sight that tugged at her heartstrings.
Without hesitation, she knelt beside Ember, her compassion shining through. "You need to take care of those feet," she said gently, leading Ember to a cozy bathroom where a warm bath awaited.
Ember felt so overwhelmed by their show of compassion. After soaking her tired limbs, Ember was wrapped in a soft towel and Rosa handed a steaming mug of tea, its aroma inviting and soothing.
But as Ember took a sip, her expression twisted in agony. The warmth that should have comforted her now felt like fire in her throat. She groaned and moaned, the mug slipping from her grasp and shattering on the floor. "What tea did you give me?" she gasped, her eyes wide with panic.
After a moment of hesitation, John's wife replied "Monk's hood", confusion etched on her face. The name hung in the air like a dark cloud, and Ember's heart raced as she whispered to herself, "Wolf's bane"
It was the only plant known to possess the power to weaken a werewolf, and she realized with dawning horror that the wolf's bane would trigger her shifting abilities. She didn't want to turn from a girl into a wolf on all fours in front of John and his wife.
The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning, igniting a primal instinct to flee. Ember bolted from the house, her speed astonishing as she dashed toward the nearby lake, the cold water calling to her. John and his wife exchanged worried glances, their hearts pounding as they followed her outside, fearing she might be in grave danger.
As Ember reached the water's edge, she dove into the lake with a splash, the shock of the cold water enveloping her. In that instant, the lake had become her sanctuary. She swam deeper, her heart racing with the thrill of the water and the urgency of her situation. The tea coursing through her veins was a dangerous potion, and she needed to cleanse herself of its effects before it was too late.
Underwater, she felt a sense of freedom, the weight of her worries lifting as she glided through the depths. But her mind raced with thoughts of her unexplainable memory loss. Something had not just been right about her whole situation. Even in the lake, she ached to know. She needed to know or she would feel incomplete.
Emerging from the water minutes after, she gasped for air, her heart pounding in her chest. John and his wife stood at the shore, their expressions a mix of concern and confusion. "Ember!" John called out, his voice cutting through the stillness of the evening. "What's going on? Are you alright?"
She swam back to the shore, the realization of her true nature dawning on her. "I need to get away from here," she said breathlessly, her eyes darting between them.
"Why? What's happening? You're scaring us", Rosa cried. This girl was strange all through and through. First, she was found in the woods all alone and now, this? This was crazy right out of the box.
Ember hesitated, the words caught in her throat. She wished that she could confide in them. That she could open up about her amnesia, but humans were the lowest tier of beings.
They could never know that the supernatural world existed, hiding in plain sight. It was better for them to just assume that she was crazy.
"I am so sorry", Ember whispered. "I have to leave. I need to find my parents."
John and his wife exchanged glances. They felt great pity for the strange girl, but she was right. She had to leave.