Chapter Three
990 Words
The Monster's Cave
The journey to the northern mountains felt like a funeral procession.
Because it was.
Aurora sat in the back of the wooden wagon, her wrists bound with silver chains despite the fact that she possessed neither a wolf nor the strength to escape.
The pack warriors rode alongside her in silence.
Nobody looked at her.
Nobody spoke to her.
It was as if she had already died.
Aurora stared at the familiar forests passing by and fought against the tears burning her eyes.
Twenty years.
She had spent twenty years in Silver Crest Pack.
Twenty years trying to earn their approval.
Twenty years hoping her wolf would appear.
And now she was leaving as nothing more than a sacrifice.
A burden being discarded.
The wagon finally stopped at the foot of the northern mountains.
The air was colder here.
Darker.
Even the trees seemed twisted and lifeless.
One of the warriors roughly yanked Aurora to her feet.
"We're here."
Aurora's legs trembled as she looked up.
The mountain cave stood before her like the mouth of a giant beast waiting to devour its prey.
Massive claw marks covered the stone walls.
The scent of blood lingered in the air.
Fear squeezed her heart.
This was where the monster Alpha lived.
The creature who had slaughtered warriors.
The beast who no longer remembered what it meant to be human.
Aurora swallowed hard.
One of the warriors unlocked her chains.
For a brief moment, hope flickered inside her.
Maybe they had changed their minds.
Maybe—
"Go."
The warrior shoved her forward.
Aurora stumbled.
Her knees scraped against the rocky ground.
She turned back in disbelief.
"W-Wait."
Nobody moved.
"Please..."
Her voice cracked.
"I don't want to die."
The warriors avoided her gaze.
Not one of them looked guilty.
Not one.
Aurora's chest tightened painfully.
"I grew up with some of you," she whispered.
Still silence.
One warrior finally spoke.
"The pack comes first."
The same words.
Always the same words.
Aurora laughed bitterly.
A broken sound.
Then she looked one last time toward the people she had called family.
Nobody stepped forward.
Nobody stopped this.
The heavy iron gate leading into the cave creaked open.
A gust of freezing air rushed out.
The warriors pushed her inside.
The gate slammed shut.
The sound echoed through the mountain.
Final.
Absolute.
Aurora was alone.
Silence surrounded her.
For several moments, she simply stood there trembling.
Then she began walking.
The cave stretched endlessly into darkness.
Water dripped from the ceiling.
The rocky floor felt cold beneath her feet.
Every step echoed.
Every shadow looked like a monster waiting to strike.
Her breathing became uneven.
This was it.
This was where she would die.
A sad smile touched her lips.
She remembered when things had been different.
When pack members had smiled whenever she passed.
When elders called her "our future Luna."
When children followed her around, asking questions.
When her father used to carry her on his shoulders.
When her mother braided her hair and kissed her forehead.
Back when they believed the prophecy.
Back when they loved her.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Funny how quickly love disappeared when expectations weren't met.
The same people who once celebrated her birth had delivered her to death.
A low growl suddenly echoed through the darkness.
Aurora froze.
Her blood turned cold.
The sound was unlike anything she had ever heard.
It was deeper than thunder.
More terrifying than a nightmare.
The cave walls vibrated.
Another growl followed.
Closer.
Much closer.
Aurora's heart pounded wildly.
He was here.
The monster.
The stories flashed through her mind.
Bodies torn apart.
Warriors ripped in half.
Blood staining the snow.
Her legs shook violently.
Then she heard it.
Heavy footsteps.
One.
Two.
Three.
Something enormous was approaching.
Aurora backed away instinctively.
A pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.
Her breath caught.
Moon Goddess...
He was huge.
Far larger than any wolf she had ever seen.
Black fur covered his massive body.
His claws dug into solid rock as he moved.
Scars crisscrossed his muscular frame.
His glowing eyes locked onto her.
Predator.
Danger.
Death.
Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But there was nowhere to go.
The beast released another growl.
Hot breath fanned across her skin.
Aurora squeezed her eyes shut.
This is it.
This is how I die.
She waited for teeth.
For claws.
For pain.
Instead...
A wet nose brushed against her hand.
Aurora blinked.
Confused.
The giant wolf nudged her gently.
Almost cautiously.
As if testing whether she was real.
"What...?"
The beast inhaled deeply.
Once.
Twice.
Then something strange happened.
The growling stopped.
Aurora stared in shock.
The monster lowered his massive head.
His red eyes remained fixed on her.
Not with hatred.
Not with hunger.
But with something that looked painfully close to disbelief.
The giant wolf circled her once.
Then again.
His enormous body moved around her carefully, almost protectively.
Aurora couldn't understand it.
The stories had said he was a mindless killer.
A monster.
Yet he wasn't attacking.
He wasn't even threatening her.
Instead, he kept nudging her shoulder with his nose.
A soft whine escaped him.
The sound shocked Aurora more than the growls had.
A whine?
From the feared Alpha King?
The beast lowered himself onto the cave floor.
His massive golden-red eyes never left hers.
Aurora's fear slowly gave way to confusion.
Then she saw it.
The pain.
Hidden beneath those terrifying eyes.
The suffering.
The loneliness.
The desperation.
For the first time, Aurora realized something no one else seemed to notice.
The monster wasn't trying to kill her.
He was hurting.
And somehow...
For reasons she could not understand...
Her presence seemed to ease his pain.
The giant wolf rested his head near her feet and released a tired breath.
As though after years of agony...
He had finally found something he had been searching for.
Or someone.
- Writer
