Bonded By Blood & Claws.

Into The Reaper's Arms.

“Do you wish to live?”

Each word that slipped into her ears reeked of an unsettling aura, and it instantly imprinted fear on her soul, and body.

Whose voice did Verena just hear?

She considered mere minutes hours due to the presence of this three-headed beast, and for the first time, she tore her gaze from it.

“Is anyone there!? Please help me!” Her eyes expanded greatly in their socket, shifted rapidly yet frantically from one pool of darkness to another.

Still, no one was seen.

Not even a scent was perceived, and she assumed her body, soul, and mind had become wholly consumed by trepidation to truly feel anything else.

“Pl- Ah!” An ear damaging scream sliced through the air once the entity of intimidation released another soul shaking roar.

Verena shuddered harder than a dangling leaf on a branch during a thunderstorm. Frightened to the bones, her body glued to a spot had its back pressing hard against… Emptiness.

Yes, she backed something, but it didn't feel like a wall, or even glass — it was nothing.

Knowingly, whatsoever conveyed Verena from the Alpha's Fold to this enclosure possessed mythical powers.

But being immersed in uncontrollable terror, she couldn't even think of anything asides escape.

She needs to get out of here before this creature would leap forward, and tear her to bits.

Verena couldn't die like this.

She just couldn't!

Time dragged along in a snail-like pace, and the almost seven-foot Cerberus took gradual, calculated strides towards her.

Its pairs of eyes poured out the mercilessness of its soul, and the visible scars, laying on its furry body in multiple, added to its fearsome appearance.

“If…if this is about Viella's disappearance, then…” Her lungs were squeezed by trepidation, refused to work properly, and Verena's breath became raspy.

“Please!” Again, she shrieked as the Cerberus four limbs advanced closer, and the raucousness of her cries could've shattered a dome's glass.

“I'd-”

“I ask again” As unearthly as death, the voice came again, and this time, Verena, gazing upwards with glassy eyes, beheld a pair of gleaming… Darkness.

Not a hue of color resided in them, yet she perfectly could see two balls from above staring at her, and they shimmered coolly.

And the voice… Its gender couldn't be pinpointed, but it was laced with malovance.

“Y-yes! Please!”

“Then run”

For a second, the danger the Cerberus standing a few feet away possessed, and its entire presence became non-existent to Verena.

She solely acknowledged the speaking darkness, and its command — she… Should she run?

“Leave the Scarlett Heart Pack. Never return. But do, and your life shall become as worthless as forgotten whispers in the wind”.

Fear skittered down her spine like fingers, and her mouth seemed void of her tongue; Verena was speechless.

If she leaves the Scarlett Heart Pack, then she must step foot into the Land of The Reaper.

She'd die.

Nyktoria was divided into two housed heartless creatures, yet the Scarlett Heart Pack could never be compared to the one ruled by the walking corpse — taker of souls — Alaric Phantomhive.

And been wolfless…

“I'll… I'll die! Pl-”

The aggressive growl of the Cerberus pierced through the air — the mere smell of its breath capable of knocking out the faint-hearted.

Verena nearly lost consciousness, and shakily, she faced the creature just to witness it leaping towards her.

“Dear moon! No!” Instinctively, her body having all veins flowing with alarmed adrentness leaped from the floor.

On her feet, she sprinted forward, and dashed through the barrier of nothingness.

In a few seconds, Verena emerged from the goddess- knows-where, and bare-footed through the forest that served as an exit to the Scarlett Heart Pack.

Still… The Cerberus chased her — its bronze eyes shimmered and parted jaws, revealed bone - crushing long fangs.

It wanted Verena Clawford in its mouth.

~•

•~

As the sand wood desk stretched so lengthily, so did the Alpha's infuriation.

It morphed, jabbing the skins of the dozen beings seated around, and merely breathing too loudly could lead one to their death.

In the sacred room designated mainly for meetings, the Council Member assumed a meeting would commence due to the Alpha's missing blood-haven.

None — absolutely none, would ever assume it'd be for her treacherous, loathed sister, Verena.

As the Alpha, majestic yet so effortlessly terrifying, settled in the comfort of the high back royal chair, his eyes fixated on countless scrolls.

Standing, and positioned beside him was a wraithguard - a ghost like creature bestowed with translucent skin, and embers for eyes.

They were quite common in the Scarlett Heart Pack, and bore one intention; to serve the Alpha.

“Tell Alaric, Hell Bound will be postponed” Kieran broke the lingering silence, and his announcement acted as a bomb, blowing away every being present.

Eyes widened, tongue stiffened, but one sole backside rose to protest about such an… Absurd decision.

“Your Majesty please” The soft-spoken beta began as his fingers kissed the wooden table.

Likewise to everyone, each gaped at the Alpha perplexingly, and so did Thane.

“Hell Bound occurs every decade for a reason — it brings both the Scarlett Heart Pack and the Land of The Reaper's rulers to dwell within the same roof for a year. If it's postponed, Alaric Phantomhive might take offense and another war might ensue”.

Calmly, he uttered, trying to gently cut past his younger brother for a ruler's dangling veils of decision to birth logical reason.

“I'm not daft Thane” Dripping of opulence, Kieran rose from his seat, his neon eyes glowing like sun kissed jewels.

“A war can happen this instant and I'll slay that vampire. Understand that I do not care about anything presently except getting Verena, my lunarheart back into my arms.” His frame solely commanded respect but earned excess fear and reluctant nods of acceptance.

“Now, I want every breathing being to search for her. If she's not here, then invade the Land of the Reaper. I do not care what or who dies, I must have Verena back!”

~•

•~

As her heart thudded violently in her chest, surprisingly in tandem with the Cerberus's thunderous roar, Verena's bare feet pounded against the damp earth.

Stones invaded the soft flesh of bare feet, drawing out blood.

Pebbles felt like jagged teeth biting into her skin.

Rough edges scraped against her tender soles yet she… Yet, Verena dared not stop.

If she did, she'd get killed — she'd be chewed to her freaking death.

“Please! Please!” The earth beneath her rumbled due to the beast's monstrous paws pounding against it as a painful sensation coursed through her veins.

The intrusive scent of the looming, tall trees etched on the sloppy cliff was chased out by Verena's raging soul.

Her guts were wrecked with fright, and mind was disoriented with sickening but slightly predictably thoughts undesirably got her weakened body clashing on the trees.

They loomed around her — their branches tangling overhead like skeletal fingers.

“What is this!?” Verena's eyes glistened like polished emeralds since her tears refused to roll down her cheeks as the forest's darkness seemed to swallow her whole, yet she pressed on.

Still, her pause was a second or two once the Cerberus's snarls grew louder, shaking her to her very core.

Verena's lungs burned as she sprinted once again, now dodging low-hanging limbs and leaping over roots.

Being entirely consumed by fright, Verena struggled with the stones. Some were worn — smooth in some places and razor-sharp in others.

They threatened to twist her ankles, bringing her to her knees, and in a death entailing being chewed, yet she managed to surpass them.

Well, Verena somewhat did, but a snapping branch beneath her foot sent her stumbling.

“s**t!” Her face kissed the earth hard, drawing blood from her nostrils, lips, and she even tasted the metallic liquid in her mouth.

Still, she forced herself to stand up, but swiping her attention back, her left ankle laid there, twisted, swollen and unmoving.

Fuck!

“This… Can't be happening! Goddess please!” The three headed unnaturally big dog's growl resonated throughout the forest, nearly filling her system with only fear.

Yet, her senses remained, and Verena's eyes scanned for something — anything to protect herself.

The imposing creature, thirsty for blood momentarily halted in its tracks at the sight of its prey.

She laid face flat at the edge of the cliff — motionless, obviously hurt, and downright tantalizing.

A quacking growl slipped from its two heads while the middle one ran its slimy, unusually long tongue over its lips.

It was time to feast!

The Cerberus gave out one final growl — earth shaking, and somewhat victorious before it leapt powerfully at his weak prey.

Time once again froze, but Verena considered it slowed down as she swayed her head to it.

Deadly intents drowned her chartreuse orbs as her hand, now clenching hard on a rock shaped roughly like a dagger plunged it into the middle head's third eye.

The creature released an anguish yelp. Pain circulated throughout its body but so did great fury.

“Die, you f*****g dog!” Verena cursed and every ounce of strength she possessed flowed into her right hand, still plunging the rock into its eye.

Blood sprouted from it.

The red thicken liquid poured profusely on her, staining her face and body, yet Verena wasn't stupid enough to let go.

She wouldn't die without a fight.

But her assault didn't continue for long, and once her attention flickered, Verena's eyes dilated at the sight of an incoming… Paw.

The Cerberus's left forelimb swooped down with its massive paw, swatting her off the wet ground with incredible force.

“No!” Helplessly, she screamed, feeling her body lifted off the ground and soon, her figure flew towards the cliff's edge.

Time once again slowed as her body momentarily hovered around then she glanced at the seemingly bottomless pit below.

She took in the sight of countless skeletal remains, and her heart sank with her vision blurring.

So, this was the end?

Verena Clawford had met her end, and accepting it, her blood soaked face surprisingly lightened up.

As her body plummeted below, she shut her eyes tight while preparing for a bone shattering collision in a few seconds.

In a half a minute.

In a minute.

In some minutes but the collision of her body into something else — something utterly warm, soft, and comforting brought confusion into Verena's system.

“H-huh?” She fluttered her eyelashes, and although drops of blood tried to hinder her vision, she beheld the face of… The surreal.

He was otherworldly with features that'd take even the universe's finest artists millennium to craft, and she — a decade to fully assimilate.

A surge of calmness threaded past Verena, and as her consciousness wavered, she muttered:

“Thank.. You” Ultimately, she fell unconscious in his embrace, yet his pair of vermilion red eyes didn't spare her a glance.

Instead, his towering self with arms cradling her continuously levitated until the cliff's top eventually came into. And laying in a pool of his own blood was a lanky body.

His dark hair was soaked in blood, and so were its natural royal blue bangs.

“A shape-shifter…” He whispered as cold as ice, then finally shifted his gaze to the slumbering Verena.

Regardless of the blood, nothing could shroud her beauty, and the Patriarch of the House Of Black, ruler of the Land of The Reaper smiled.

“My soul-bound's strong. What a woman, and…she's mine” Alaric's smile widened, and in the next second, he vanished.