Chapter 116

"What's wrong with her?" James asked, his voice sounding alarmingly loud, as though he were shouting the words directly into my ears. I instinctively clapped my hands over my ears.

"Too loud," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut. "Don't scream."

"I'm not screaming," James replied, attempting to lower his tone. "I'm talking normally, Shana."

My heart pounded as if it were trying to escape my chest. My trembling hands were a stark reminder that something was terribly amiss. I couldn't fathom what was happening to me. Was this some kind of panic attack? Anxiety?

"What's going on, Shana?" Lucas asked, his arm wrapped around me, pulling me close to him for support.

My heart seemed to double its pace, and I forced my eyes open. The world was no longer a blurry chaos, but my trembling hands refused to stop shaking.

I held my quivering hands out in front of me, bewildered and frightened. What was happening to me?

"Look over there! Shana's acting weird again," a voice exclaimed from somewhere nearby, but it wasn't Lucas or James.

I furrowed my brows, my head tilting to scan the surrounding area. Who had said that? Their voices sounded like they were right next to me.

The hallway was filled with students, most too absorbed in the rush to get to class to pay us any mind. But as I swept my gaze across the crowd, it landed on a couple standing on the opposite side of the hallway. They were watching me, their eyes fixed on my actions.

"Shit, is she staring at us?" a girl with brown hair whispered to the boy beside her.

I blinked in surprise, my mouth falling open. I could understand what they were saying so clearly, as if they were standing right next to me.

"I can't tell," the boy replied, his voice the same one I'd heard moments ago. "But let's go before Lucas sees us staring and does something about it."

The couple walked away, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. I was transfixed by this newfound ability, an acute sense of hearing that I'd never experienced before. It was unheard of for someone like me, someone who was wolfless.

My shock left me feeling even more bewildered, and my hands refused to stop trembling.

"Shana?" Lucas asked again, his voice filled with concern. This time, he gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him. "What just happened? What's going on?"

"I…" I struggled to find my voice, trying to make sense of the chaos inside my mind. "I think I just heard those two people talk," I finally managed to say. "From all the way across the hallway."

"Where?" Lucas questioned.

I pointed to the spot where the couple had been standing, a good hundred feet away.

"What did you hear them say?" James asked, keeping his voice low, mindful of any eavesdroppers.

"They were talking about me," I replied. "They were staring at us. But their voices sounded so close to me, as if they were standing right next to me."

Lucas and James exchanged a perplexed glance, their expressions mirroring my own confusion.

"Are you sure you heard them?" Lucas inquired.

I nodded vigorously. "Yes, I saw their mouths move too. It was definitely them speaking."

Lucas suddenly seemed to freeze, and his grip on my shoulders tightened.

"Lucas?" I prodded. "What's going on?"

"There's something I haven't told you yet," Lucas began cautiously, his eyes darting between James and me.

My heart raced even faster at his words. What was he keeping from us?

"Well, spit it out," James urged impatiently.

"A few days ago, I met with a professor who specializes in the wolfless species. I wanted to see if he could find any answers about your symptoms, Shana."

"You did what?!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Dude," James smacked Lucas's arm. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Lucas, what the hell!" I felt my anger flare up. How could he keep something like that from me?

I remembered our conversation during our date, when I had told him about my findings on the internet regarding wolfless individuals potentially facing early mortality due to worsening symptoms.

He had mentioned talking to a doctor about it.

"If it gets worse..." I had voiced my concern.

"I know, Shana." Lucas had reached across the table to grasp my hand. "I know, and don't worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I've already talked to the doctor about it."

"You have?" I had asked. "What did he say?"

"He said that as long as you take care of your health, like going through routine checkups and exams, you'll be fine. And I promise you, I'll do anything to take care of you."

Had the "doctor" he mentioned been the professor he visited? I should have asked more questions during our date.

"I didn't want to worry you more, Shana," Lucas rushed to explain himself. "You've been dealing with so much already, and I just wanted to figure this out for the both of us. I wanted to know how to care for you and find out what could be done to help."

"Lucas, you should've told me," I argued, my frustration mounting. "This involves me. It's my life we're talking about!"

"I know, I know," Lucas said, his fingers trailing down my arm to grasp my hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you. I didn't want to bring the mood down on our date. I just wanted to give you some good news."

"Well, damn," James muttered, shaking his head as he absorbed everything. "So, what did this professor say about Shana? And why were you just freaking out a second ago when Shana told you about her... sudden hearing ability?"

"His name was Professor Black," Lucas began, his voice filled with a sense of solemnity. "He was fascinated by Shana's case and the recent symptoms she's been experiencing. I believe he thought it was strange and rare..."

I leaned forward, a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach. "Did he say anything about what it could mean? Did he offer any insight into how to help with my symptoms?"

Lucas shook his head, his brow furrowing. "He isn't sure what it could mean. He mentioned that it's possibly due to a congenital deficiency, something common among wolfless individuals. It could lead to... well, an early death."

The word "death" hung in the air, sending shivers down my spine. James couldn't help but interject, his voice laced with concern. "Whoa!? He said Shana's going to die?"

Lucas quickly clarified, "No, not exactly. He said that if Shana takes good care of herself, she should be fine. But that's not what had me worried a moment ago... he told me a story about a wolfless boy who had strangely similar symptoms."

My curiosity piqued, and I leaned in closer. Were there more people out there like me? Maybe there was hope after all.

Lucas continued, "There was a wolfless boy, only sixteen, who had undergone a transformation, much like a wolf... but he wasn't really a wolf. Professor Black described him as a strange, unusual… creature. He said that nobody has ever seen anything quite like it before."

My heart raced, and panic began to creep in. "So, you're saying I’m…just like him?"

Lucas hastily reassured me, "Not at all, Shana. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just... I don't know, Shana. I think there's something we don't understand here. One moment, you're dizzy and afraid of falling over, and the next, you're experiencing a kind of hearing ability that even I can't possess…"

Suddenly, all the strange things that happened to me recently flashed before my eyes.

Disbelief struck me.

Did this mean that I could eventually transform into…a monster?