Chapter Two, Part Seven.

The doors shut, and it was Aubrey and me alone. I felt my face flush as he gazed at me openly, then stepped away from his chair and walked closer.
"We haven't been formally introduced, have we? My name is Aubrey," he put out his hand, and I took it, to shake it, I thought. Instead, he went all old-timey gentleman on me and kissed my hand. My ears burned in response. "And we have met before."
"We... We have?" I stammered. He smiled, still holding my hand to his face.
"Yes. Mr. Conrich's AP American History class, third period?"
And then it clicked. That kid Trent and Brenner always picked on! It was him! How come he didn't make my heart beat at a million beats per second before?
"Oh my god! You?!" He gently released my hand, chuckling. "Sorry if this is out of line, but, ah, why are you such a pushover in there, when you're so high up on the food chain here?"
His chuckling crescendoed into a full-bodied laugh. "Because those jerks aren't worth it, Athaliah. It's worth more to me to ignore them, knowing I could easily dispatch them. Plus, it allowed me to watch your reaction, observe your character. And your temper." He winked at me. "You're kind of cute when you're mad."
Thrown off-guard by the small flirtation, I didn't answer. He continued. "Now, then. To address your history. Our history. And what it is to be of the Blood."
He turned and strode past me, opening the doors the same way Vera had. Still a bit dazed, it didn't really register that he wanted me to follow him until he turned back and beckoned.

He led me out, down a hallway, and into a courtyard within the building. Everyone else had disappeared into the other parts of the building, I assumed. Even though he was the Alpha, which I understood meant the leader of the group, I felt more at ease with him than with anyone else, even Vera, who I had instantly felt comfortable with. He sat on one of the wrought-iron benches sitting in a semicircle in the center and gestured me to follow suit. After thinking about it for a minute, I plunked myself down on the soft grass instead and grinned up at him, trying to avoid offending him. He didn't seem to get ruffled feathers too easily, though, and smiled back with a laugh.
"So, let's play a little Q and A," he said, moving from the bench onto the grass in front of me.
"Okay," I replied. "What is the importance of the Cavailier name?"
"Ah, the big question. Well, to first answer that one, I have to address a few other things first, such as what the Blood is."
"Well, that's good, because I was wondering about that, too."
He smiled, but not as widely as he had before. "The Blood is... Well, we're not sure exactly what it is. Scientists are more eager to disprove its existence than to find out what it is. But anyway. The Blood is passed on through infection and through mating. It causes a change in us. All of us. The first full moon after our Blood awakens in us, we transform for the first time. For a while, it occurs every full moon, but with time, with training, the change can be controlled at will."
"So you're... you're..."
"Go ahead, say it," he smiled.
"You're werewolves! Hell, if I have this Blood, then I'm a werewolf!"
"That's right. See, fairy tales all have some sort of truth to them."
"Don't you mean horror story?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Athaliah, we don't turn into mindless beasts who run rampant and rip people to shreds under a full moon."
"No, that isn't what I meant. Fairy tales are usually pixie dust, dancing babies, and pretty princesses in castle towers. What you are... What we are... Well, we're the stuff of nightmares." I curled up on the ground.
He sighed. "You're right. And it's sad that we've been painted that color." Stretching out his legs, he groaned. "But I can't say that our predecessors didn't earn the reputation. At least not truthfully." I looked at him questioningly, and he sighed again. "Our ancestors were brutal animals. They did, in fact, tear humans to pieces and feast on their flesh." I cringed. "But we evolved. A few of us developed past our primitive instincts, and broke off from the rest of the pack, choosing to coexist with humans instead of prey on them. The rest... Well, they ended up being hunted to extinction. Many by our own hands, some by the hands of the humans."
"You... You killed your own?" I asked in horror.
He looked at the ground. "We had to." he said softly. "Any rift will cause violence; all it needs is extremists to push war, and war will follow. There were many casualties on both sides, and many of us watched those we loved die." he pressed his fingers to his eyes, as if trying to block the memories. But why would he have memories? He was only about eighteen...Right...? "And so we vowed that it would never happen again. This is why we have the protocol for the New Bloods.
"Some wolves show very early that they would be hungry for the taste of flesh. Although many of us are opposed to the killing of humans, some show very early that they would hunt at every opportunity. Not all of us are able to responsibly bear the ability to kill. So we formed a Council. There is me, Rafael, who you already met, obviously," he raised an eyebrow. "I do want to hear about that, by the way." I shifted uncomfortably. "Adallinde, the girl who probably argued with him while you were there; Tassilo, the one who I was talking to before the Council was dismissed; Celestria, who usually holds her tongue unless her diplomatic skills are absolutely necessary; and Dionisia, who keeps documentation of Council meetings. The reason we repeat names and such is for her."
"These are all really far-out names. Am I going to get attacked for forgetting any of them?"
"They do have nicknames, you know," he laughed. "You probably already heard that Rafael goes by Ray sometimes, and Adallinde goes by Addy or Linde, Celestria goes by Cele, and Dionisia goes by Di. Tassilo and I are the only two without them, but you see me a lot," he winked. "And Tassilo's name is kind of hard to forget."
"But...But that doesn't answer the question..." I protested.
"It's alright, Lali," he said. "they won't hurt you. There's no reason to be freaked out; we're just wolves. Like you."
I squeezed my eyes shut. "Please don't call me that."
"I'm sorry," he said gently. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
"My mother always called me that because she thought it was cute that my sister couldn't pronounce my name." I whispered.
He didn't answer right away. After a pause, he said, "I'm sorry about what happened to her. Your mother was an incredible woman... I miss her."
I reached for the pentagram I wore. "Me too." Then something registered. "Wait, how did you know my mother?"
"Ahh, nice catch. I wondered if you would notice." he smiled. "Yes, I knew your mother. She was my Pathguide when I was a New Blood."