Intertwined Fate

CHAPTER 2

MIA'S POV

The world around me felt like it had come to a halt. My ears were ringing in disbelief, and my heart felt like a brittle glass that had just been smashed on the floor with the intent to break it into a million pieces. I struggled to hold back my tears and pain.

Pain that came as a result of my dream man being just a facade, one I had dreamt up from my teenage years, and the physical pain he inflicted on me that almost cost me my life.

What if he comes back here to tear me to shreds as he said earlier, I thought to myself, filled with fright.

Discombobulated, heartbroken, and afraid, I hurriedly scrambled to pick myself up to leave his territory and avoid a brutal fate.

I stood up slowly and grimaced in pain, limping as fast as I could because my thighs were hurting.

I limped out of his territory pitifully. Thoughts of the whole scenario that just played out began flashing before my eyes.

Did he love me at all?

Why did he attack me?

Was he pretending to be a gentleman all this while?

How did he manage to fool Mr Stones and I?

Was he just having a bad day?

In between the thoughts that swarmed through my mind and my body ache, I spotted light rays a distance from where I was currently standing.

I decided to limp towards it since I wasn't familiar with this environment and that could be my only way out of this forest.

On getting there, I realised that the light was coming from an old-looking bar spot with a thatch roof and a depleted threshold that I was currently standing in front of.

I limped into the bar; it was dimly lit and filled with various people whom I'd rather not be seen with, but I'm battered and only a bottle of whiskey found here can patch me up.

On entering the bar, I noticed the counter opposite the door and I could single out the bartender who is an average-looking man with a cute smile but that doesn't sway me.

I walked up to him and said blankly, "The biggest bottle of whiskey, please"

The bartender replied smiling, "That'll be the 1841 Evans and Raglan Old Ingledew Whiskey from…."

"Just get me a bottle of whiskey, goddamnit", I cut in to save myself from a brief history of whiskey when all I want to do is chug a bottle of whiskey down my throat.

"Here's your bottle of whiskey and a shot glass, enjoy!", he said, leaving me to attend to another customer.

"Keep the shot glass, I won't need it", I said gesturing to the shot glass while picking up the bottle of whiskey to take a swig out of it.

"Ahh, that's exactly what I needed", I said, feeling a bit lightheaded and drifting into my thoughts.

What did he mean by wolf out?

Am I like him?

Why would he hurt me?

I thought he loved me, at least his letters said so… his Luna?

Is that his love name for a girlfriend?

All these questions plagued my mind as I sat down bruised, drunk, and cursing my long-awaited 21st birthday.

I kept drinking and staring into nothing with my mind being busier than the marketplace in the festive season.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by the sound of a bottle bashed on a man's head, and as I looked up, I saw a grisly tall man with beards as long as my forearm and on his left hand, a scar the size of my pinky finger holding a broken bottle and standing above the man that was currently on the floor.

He catches me gawking at him and yells out, “Hey you! Whatcha lookin' at?”

“Uhmm, me? I'm sorry, nothing” I replied, scared of causing trouble.

“You got an issue with me?” He replied, storming towards me.

“I'm sorry I didn't mean any trouble”, I retorted with my head down to avoid eye contact.

"Oh, you must think you're some big shot! Miss 'I don't want any trouble'", he said as he held my shoulder firmly.

“Please let me go” I muttered, barely loud enough for him to hear as I was between sobs, scared of what he would do to me.

"You think you're some smart-ass lady, huh?" He asked before gruesomely landing a punch on my jaw. For a few seconds, I could feel my teeth shake, but before I could register what was happening, he punched me in the ribs.

He landed a couple more and I tried running away from him but I found myself in a tight corner. “Where do ya think ya going?” He questioned as he picked up a broken bottle and charged towards me.

“Please, I'll give you my money or anything you want, just don't hurt me please” I cried out, boxed into a tight corner, with thoughts of my 21st birthday being my last day in this world.

I could taste the tears streaming down my cheeks. It had the savor of the fear I felt in that moment as he charged towards me.

As he enclosed the little distance that was left between us, I closed my eyes and let out a shrill scream expecting my insides to be on the floor by now, but it never came...

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the grisly man bleeding out in front of me. The bottle he once held was now in my hand and I quickly dropped it.

I could hear my heart thumping in my head, the grim looks on their faces, all directed at me, as I looked down at my hands, the sight of crimson red blood dripping from my hand, “What have I done?”

Without thinking twice, I ran as fast and far as I could before taking in what I had done, and with the constant thoughts came the realization that…

“I just killed a man.”

I raced aimlessly as though I was running away from myself and what I just did unconsciously, before realizing that I had gotten lost in the wild once again when I came to a halt.

Feeling sad, heartbroken, scared, worried, and with the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, I suddenly began to feel an unimaginable pain in my back that brought me to my knees, each bone breaking at once. I was on all my limbs as I spread out my arms in front of me to act as my support.

The pain suddenly stopped and, for the first time in my life, I felt at one with the earth. I could hear things from a distance and I could see the smallest insects in the dark. The air smelled fresher and the wind had the scent of many rivers. For a brief moment, I forgot my pains and injuries.

~You finally let me out! Hey Mia~

“Who’s that?” I asked, surprised and ready to sprint, but my legs didn't feel the same as before.

~I’m your wolf, don't you know what you are?~

“What am I? Where are you talking to me from?”

~ You're a wolf, and I'm talking to you from your mind. No one can hear me except you. Call me your subconscious, but with much more power.

I tried to storm off because it sounded like I was going crazy when I noticed that I was not walking on my legs like a human being. I was on four legs, and it looked like the fur of a wolf or a bear on my skin. I screamed out in fear of myself, but I heard a howl instead.

Amidst my confusion, I heard a rustle in the bushes. I didn't bother to see who that was before I took to my heels because I had already taken enough of what was thrown at me that day.

Whilst running, I got distracted by the reflection of myself in a pond and I didn't notice the tree that was in front of me.

My head crashed violently into the bark of the tree, and I was met with immense pain with my vision becoming blurry.

I fell to the floor writhing in pain and I noticed the shadow of a wolf coming toward me. The last thing I saw was a huge wolf standing fully fledged in front of me with its red eyes staring into my soul before I passed out.