Beneath the Blood Moon (The Moon Series Trilogy#2)

Chapter 7

I cursed silently at the sudden unexpected jolt that pierced through my backside as the stranger roughly dropped me to the ground. The surface was rough, making the force of the impact even more painful.

Warily, I remained in my position on the earth, waiting for the inevitable to happen. But when I heard the thumping of footsteps leading away from where I laid, I sighed, raised my head off the dirt on the ground and placed my palms on its surface.

Grunting, I forced my body into a sitting position in the darkness of the cave he'd left me in and shifted my body backwards until I felt a solid wall collide gently with my back. Cautiously, I blew out a shaky breath and shivered slightly at the coolness of the cave's interior before wrapping my arms around my frame. The fact that I also couldn't see a thing added to my misery. 

Also, it would've been a positive sign if I was able to see the moonlight shining through the entrance of the cave. Yet seeing as I could not, it did not only mean that he'd brought me deep into the mouth of the cave, but he'd also made sure that I wouldn't be able to escape that easily since the whole area was pitch black.

I wasn't scared of the dark - it would be senseless for me to be since I lived in a cabin with virtually no electricity and only candles as the main light source - but I knew that wandering around in such darkness would not in any way increase my chances of escape.

I sighed and shivered again. The cold was gradually eating at my skin and there was little I could do to keep myself warm. I had no idea where the stranger had suddenly vanished to, but if his abrupt leave was in order to go get firewood and prepare a fire - which I truly hoped it was - then I'd just keep my complaints about the cave's obvious hostility to myself. And though I highly doubted he'd present me with such hospitality, it was worth the reassurance.

So it being my only comfort - that I wouldn't freeze to death before he arrived and hopefully after he did, I closed my eyes and waited in the silence, permitting my wounds to slowly heal.

~

My eyes immediately snapped open the second I heard the unmistakable rapid thumping of feet echoing throughout the cave. 

My defense instincts instantly kicked in and I jumped to my feet, grateful that the aching in my body had dulled as I readied myself for an attack, despite the fact that I still couldn't see a thing. Still, I sniffed the air, trying to figure out what creature was making its way towards me and paused when I caught a wolf scent. A strong one, yet strangely sweet. One that I was sure I'd smelt before.

However, before I could recall the owner of such, the thumping noise came to an abrupt halt and was followed by a sudden thundering of what I assumed to be heavy wood falling on the cave's floor, which caught me by surprise and made me freeze in my stance.

Is that...firewood? I thought, my hopes rising. Lord, please let it be.

"Stranger?" I called out before taking an unnecessary step forward. It was pitch black, so having assumed that it was the same stranger that had brought me in was a huge risk. But what else was I supposed to do? And besides, would any other random person or werewolf come to this exact same spot where he had left me a few minutes or hours ago?

"Hello?" I called out again when I heard shuffling and then the striking together of...what? Stones? "What are you doing?"

No response. Great.

I took another step forward in the dark and opened my mouth to inquire what the hell was happening when out of the blue a portion of my vision was invaded by a spark of light. I gasped the second I saw fire suddenly blaze from where that tiny spark had been lit and without a second thought hurried towards it. 

But before I could get any closer than two feet, I was grabbed by thick, calloused hands and snatched away from the only source of heat available.

"Wait stop, stop!" I yelled as I was dragged further away from the fire, the only thing that could provide me with warmth at that instant. "I'll freeze to death. Please, I need the heat!"

All of a sudden, the stranger stopped moving and raised me higher till my body was a hair's breadth away from his. "I am not letting you near that fire until you convince me that you are not who I believe you are."

What the hell is he talking about? And I thought I'd convinced him before when he made that statement, 'Alba never begs'! 

"Listen," I started with a glare, fed up with this stranger's constant refusal to accept the fact that I knew nothing of what he was talking about. I forced my teeth to stop chattering from the chill weather as I clenched them tight and proceeded to speak. "I just told you, Alba was my grandmother. She's dead. I don't know why you're looking for her when she's been gone way even before I was born. Nor do I even know why the hell you'd think I'm her. I might look like her as you think but that doesn't mean that I am."

I paused to take in a deep breath, "And who are you?"

My kidnapper, who hadn't bothered to answer my question, continued to gaze at me. His expression never wavered from the stern one he'd been wearing since the minute he had morphed into his human form. The orange yellowish hue of the fire in the background made his face appear even darker than it had been under the moonlight which made his entrancing grey eyes stand out the more.

It was then that I realized how close we really were. I could hear his heartbeat picking up pace faster than it normally should've and for the first time since he arrived in the cave, I remembered that he was actually naked.

Unwillingly, my breath hitched as heat slowly began to rise to my face. Specifically my cheeks, which was weird, considering the fact that I was still shivering inwardly from the cold air.

"You have changed," the stranger suddenly cut the silence, snapping me away from my thoughts. 

I blinked then asked somewhat breathlessly, "What do you mean?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared at me a minute more before letting me go and taking a step back. "You are bold."

"I'm what?"

"You are bold now."

"Oh." Understanding flooded me at that and I lifted my right shoulder slightly before allowing it to drop back. "I was in my moment of weakness before and after you came, that's why I might've appeared weak," I explained for no reason, since it didn't appear as if he'd asked me any sort of question, then straightened my shoulders. "But I assure that you won't see me in that state ever again if my pride can help it."

"See that I do not," he replied coolly before turning his back and walking towards the crackling fire. "I do not have the patience for dealing with crying, weak she-wolves."

You certainly had an ounce for me. I refrained from uttering those words out loud and rather silently hoped that he'd find someone else to accuse of being my grandmother and leave me to go after my mother like I'd planned.

I could easily escape now that there was light available to help me find my way, my cuts and sores were fully healed and ninety per cent of my energy had been restored. But I was no fool. I couldn't run as fast as any werewolf due to reasons that were unknown to me and I certainly could not wrestle this heavily muscled stranger if it came down to it, which I was sure it would eventually if I dared to run. 

However, there was one thing that I could do. Wait.

Whether or not the odds were against me, I would wait. Wait for the perfect moment to strike this stranger unaware, grab a burning firewood and make a run for the entrance of the cave. And when that time came, he wouldn't know what hit him.

"Tell me," the object of my thoughts started to say the minute I'd quickly seated myself opposite him by the fire and began savouring its warmth. "Tell me all you know about your parents."