Bab 131: Chapter 124: 'Chapter title is a spoiler'
"Are you a shifter?" Amber asked, a sombre look on her face as she looked straight at Erick in the eyes.
Erick began to feel panicked as he did not expect to be confronted by her so soon. It was inevitable, though, since he did shift in front of her. He had no choice. The thought of saving her overrides everything in his mind that day. He did not think of the consequences of her finding the truth about him. But it seems like he had to confess.
He did not want to lie and hide anymore from her. And he knew that Dane would love for her to know about him if he was still conscious.
Looking deep in Amber's eyes with an unwavering gaze in his eyes, he seriously said, "Yes."
Amber let out a single word, "oh," before falling silent again.
There was a long pause as Amber looked down at her hands, linking them together, whereas Erick just studied her, hoping to see any reaction.
He never thought that her being quiet felt more daunting than ever. He thought he was ready to hear her panicked voice and screams, accusing him for lying and whatnot.
The silence continued to prolonged, making Erick gnaw on the inside of his mouth, still waiting for any reaction from the girl he loves, standing in front of him.
He finally got his reward when Amber finally raised her head and exhaled a long breath of relief. "Oh, thank god. I thought I was hallucinating. I mean, seriously. A wolf was talking to me. And he was standing on his hind legs, like a real person."
She then moved closer to Erick and peered even closer. Her eyes squinted in suspicion as she tapped her chin with her forefinger, studying him from top to bottom. She lifted her finger and began to poke him. And then began to brush her hand from his shoulder until she cupped his face in her hands. Her eyes narrowed more as she looked at him in the eyes.
Erick could feel his heart starting to beat fast as he inwardly trembled from her fiery gaze. As much as he loved her whole attention on him, it felt awkward to have those kinds of gaze peered onto you. He felt like his whole soul was baring open in front of her.
It was then, she asked, "You're a human now, aren't you?"
Erick just nodded, his eyes widened as Amber still held his face in her hands.
She released his face and took a step back. Her finger continued to tap on her chin as she studied him from top to bottom again. "What happened to your wolf?" she asked curiously.
Erick suddenly felt sad as he gripped his front shirt, where his heart beats. Ever since he woke up, he felt a bit empty. It was as if he could not sense Dane anymore. He tried calling out his name in his mind but there was no response. But he knew he was still inside him, or else he would experience the pain of your wolf soul being ripped out of your body. And if that was to happen, he might go insane or even worse, dead.
To understand how the shifters' souls work, once a human was chosen by their shifter soul, which can either be wolf, bear and even, a coyote, it was as if the human soul was locked onto the shifter soul. However, when the shifter soul dies, the human will either go insane or dead, as mentioned earlier. But if it's the human soul that dies, the shifter soul can look for another body to merge with. Yes, it was unfair to the human soul but they will gain numerous skills from their shifter counterparts, such as super speed, super hearing and whatnot, based on what kind of shifter soul they possessed.
"He's…" he said slowly, feeling choked.
Amber sat down beside him and patted him on the shoulder, giving him the comfort that he needed.
He then turned his head towards her and asked, looking confused, "Aren't you afraid of me? Don't you hate me for lying to you?"
Amber frowned, looking confused as well. "Afraid? Hate?" she repeated. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked, as she reached out and held his hands tight.
Erick looked down at their interlocked fingers. "We, the shifters, have been scorned for many years. We were hated and hence why you don't see us in the open and are in hiding," he explained.
Amber scoffed. "You call that hiding? Not in the open?" she teased as she turned to look at him. "I wonder what the definition of hiding is to you shifters," she laughed, recalling the mess that they made at the park.
Erick just gave her a wry smile.
Amber sighed as she leaned her body against him, her head on his shoulder. "I don't know. I've heard stories about shifters when I first moved here. How it was a taboo topic. I've read articles and reports back then when I became curious about it at the library."
She then looked at him and said, "Is it a coincidence that your family name is Kendall and the town was named Burkendall?"
Erick smiled and admitted, "My family was one of the founding families of the town. Together with some humans."
Amber looked around her and said, "So, is everyone in this town a shifter or only some of them?"
He looked thoughtful at first before answering, "I'm confident to say that the people in this house are all shifters, though."
"But I'm puzzled. Why the hate, though?" she asked again. It was not that strange that she became curious. From the moment she stepped into the town, people around her had whispered that although the town used to be a shifter town, the talks about them were prohibited. It was as if they wanted the history about shifters in this town to be drowned or ceased to exist. Pressured by the non-shifter towns, the Burkendall town was forced into silence. Yet, there were those who discreetly uphold the shifters' history. People like Mayor Hilliard and Coach Gundlach.
Erick began to tell her of what he knows. More like, giving her a history lesson on the Burkendall town. Amber became more mesmerized by the story the more she listened.
Then, looking at her with a grim look on his face. "But you seriously do not loathe me because I'm a shifter? Nor are you scared of me?" he asked, a hint of nervousness can be detected in his tone.
She returned his look with a 'are you kidding me' expression and answered, "No, I'm not."
Seeing his skeptical look, she let out a sigh and confessed, "Alright. I have to admit that I was a bit scared at first. I mean, who wouldn't be? With all the horrible stories that I've heard about shifters in this town and then there were those groundless attacks happening here."
She then held his hands tight and continued, "But then, when I thought about you being hurt and you being unconscious. I don't know what to think, other than feeling worried and scared for you. I know this may seem fast but… for me, it does not matter whether you're a werewolf or human or any other shifter."
She looked at him, straight in the eyes and continued, "To me, you're Erick. You're the one I love. And I guess that's the most important thing."
Amber let out a light chuckle as she looked down at their interlocked fingers again. "I guess it's a good thing, as well that I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter. All these supernatural things became more like something that is fascinating, rather than scary."
Erick grinned as love and happiness bloomed inside him. He leaned closer towards her and to Amber's delighted surprise, gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "And I love you," he whispered after he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.
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Chapter 124: You're the one that I love.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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