Chapter eighteen: Matthew
1293 Words
I couldn’t fall asleep. Mira had drifted off, and I begged the Goddess that she would keep Mira safe in her dreams where I could not protect her.
I hugged Mira tighter. It was all I could do to stop myself from running to the Luna village and kill those monsters who had hurt Mira. I hoped for their sake that their path would never cross mine.
Mira laughed in her sleep and I relaxed a little. I closed my eyes and ran my fingers up and down her back, relishing the feel of her soft skin.
“I will never let anyone hurt you ever again” I promised her.
Sleep eventually consumed me, but it was not pleasant dreams awaiting me.
In my dream, I was tied to a pole, watching helplessly as Mira was being beaten and cut open by two adult wolves. I couldn’t see their faces, but I could see their mouths twisted in a menacing grin.
Mira was screaming in pain, calling for me to help her. I tried to break free, but my ropes turned to chains and they burned my skin. They must be made of silver. I snarled at her attackers, demanding they let her go, but they just laughed at me. One of them grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck. They took a silver dagger and pushed it against her skin. I could hear it sizzle as a steak on a pan. She cried out in pain, and I lunged for them. I reached the end of my chains and fell to the ground, still struggling to free myself.
They brought twigs and branches and placed them at Mira’s feet. I screamed and yelled for them to stop, but they didn’t listen. One of them lit a match and dropped it in the middle of the dry firewood. Soon Mira was surrounded by towering flames, and she was screaming. I looked away but couldn’t block out the sounds of her burning flesh and her screams. I felt tears fall down my cheeks.
I bolted upright in my bed, claws and canines at the ready.
Mira was sitting next to me with a hand on my shoulder.
“Matthew?!” she called, and I turned my head to look at her. “What the hell is going on?” she asked.
Her worried eyes looked all over my face, as if searching for an answer there.
I pulled her close, relieved, and out of breath.
“Matthew!” she said sternly and pushed away from me.
“I just had a bad dream” I said. Mira reached out a hand and wiped a tear away from my cheek that I didn’t even know I had shed.
Now she was the one to hold me close and gently pulled me back down on the mattress. She played with my hair and hummed a tune I had never heard before. Maybe it was a lullaby from her old pack.
I must have fallen asleep again because I woke up to someone knocking on the door.
I felt something soft press against my face and opened my eyes to find myself looking straight at Mira’s breasts. She still had her arms wrapped around my head. I squeezed my face into her soft chest and smiled. I heard her mumble something half-asleep and she rolled on her back.
There was another knock on the door. I snuck out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants, and opened the door.
Colin was standing outside tapping his foot. “Dude, I was expecting you downstairs 10 minutes ago!” he said, clearly not in a good mood. I looked over my shoulder at the clock on my nightstand; it read 10:15.
I was supposed to go on patrol with Colin at 10.
“Sorry. Let me just grab a shirt” I whispered and looked back at Mira, still curled up in bed.
I found a shirt, a pair of shoes and snuck out the door to go on patrol with Colin.
Colin looked at me as we descended the stairs. “I thought you didn’t allow girls in your room” he said, his tone still unfriendly. What was up with him today?
“She’s not just a girl. She is my mate. I prefer her in my room.” I said, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Colin snorted in response. This was not like him at all. I grabbed his shirt and pushed him against the wall, getting up in his face “What is wrong with you? You’re as sour as a lemon.” I was almost yelling at him.
Since I had known him, I had never seen Colin be anything but full of joy and life. It had only gotten worse when he found Julianne.
“Nothing” Colin said and pulled free from my grip. Clearly, he was upset, but he didn’t want to talk about it.
I decided not to press the matter any further right now and we walked in silence to the edge of the forest.
We shifted and began our patrol. Colin seemed to be in no hurry and took his time to test the air every chance he got. I was beginning to get impatient when something hit my nose. It was the scent of a wolf I didn’t recognize, and neither did Colin. His canines were bared, and he was walking slowly towards a small clearing. I could hear the roar of the river and knew we were close to Shadow pack territory.
I saw movement next to Colin and shouted at him in mind-speak to get out of the way.
It was too late. A wolf jumped out of a bush and sank his teeth in Colins flank. I ran towards them and jumped in the air, preparing to bite down on the attacking wolfs neck, but something knocked me out of the air. I landed face to face with another wolf. We were both snarling at each other, ears stiff and raised hackles. I heard a whine but didn’t look away from my attacker.
“Colin?” I called out in mind-speak. At first there was no answer, but then he called back “I’m ok”
I was about to pounce on my own attacker, when I felt a sharp pain in my left hind leg. A burning feeling spread through my leg and to the rest of my body. I turned my head around to see a small dart sticking out of my leg. My body was starting to feel heavy. I turned my attention back to the other wolf, but he hadn’t moved out of the spot. He was just staring at me. I took a step forward but wobbled and fell to the ground. I heard another whine and we both looked towards Colin and the other wolf. Colin had thrown his opponent into a nearby tree. Colin had blood running down his neck and flank.
I heard a faint click at the same time my own attacker moved towards his packmate. Alarm shot through me, as I felt my mind get sluggish and I figured I didn’t have much time left. I knew they were probably about to shoot Colin as well. I tried to clear my head.
“Run!” I shouted at him in mind-speak and used my last strength to get back on my feet. I leaped in the air and landed in front of Colin just as the second shot sounded. It hit me in the neck, and I fell on the ground, blocking the path between Colin and the advancing wolf.
I just had time to see Colin sprint through the forest towards the village, before my eyelids got too heavy and everything went black.
The last thought in my mind was of Mira’s smiling face.
- Writer
