BOUND BY FANG AND CURSE

CHAPTER 3

Adonay

Under the light of the full moon, I prowled the village. Thatched cottages lined the streets. Their windows were dark. Darker than night. Perfect for hiding who I was now. Asher was running through the woods as always, but I preferred to stay close to home and my books. He didn't understand my love for the written word. Or how I vanished into the stories the authors wove. Maybe he didn't understand, but he loved me anyway.

Ever since he bit me and turned me into a werewolf, I'd been filled with rage. I never asked to become this monster. Every full moon, I lost control of my body and my destiny. I became a hideous creature over two meters tall, with hair all over my body, claws at the tips of my fingers, and fangs protruding from my mouth. Not to mention my face became more animal-like.

I hadn't been near a woman since then. I was too afraid of transforming during s*x and destroying her. A shudder ran through me as I imagined the horror of that scene. I had destroyed several people in the first year of my transformation. Most had been my village bullies, and I hadn't shed a single tear for causing their deaths. But once, an old man approached me during my transformation. I didn't mean to harm him, but my contorted body inflicted a grievous wound from which he never recovered.

His death still haunts me.

I hadn't even told Asher.

Asher had accepted his werewolf form more easily than I had. He still struggled with power. Strength. The enormity of the situation was that he would live like this forever. He would no longer be human, but something else entirely.

Thinking about Asher, where was he? I should have returned hours ago. Worry about my brother tormented me. I raised my nose and searched for his scent. I found a trail from our house leading deeper into the woods. Prickling my ears, I scanned the woods for any sounds of conflict, but none came. Sensing no threat, I followed Asher's trail deeper and deeper into the woods until the trees loomed so high above me that they completely obscured the moonlight. My beastly eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light. I walked over fallen, dead, and moss-covered logs, crouched between solid trunks, and followed Asher's scent to a castle nestled in the thick forest.

I'd lived in this area my whole life. No one had ever mentioned a castle buried deep in the woods. I paused beneath the shade of the trees, whose branches formed a sort of eerie umbrella over my head, shielding me from the moon's glare. My unearthly eyes scanned the area. The castle was tall, with thin towers reaching up toward the moon; turrets decorated the exterior, making it more attractive rather than imposing. It was also quiet. As if deserted. A ruin, then? Had Asher wandered into an abandoned castle for fun? I slowly crept out from the trees. Asher's familiar werewolf figure was slowly slithering around the brick wall surrounding the castle garden.

“Asher,” I yelled and ran toward him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, turning his head on his massive shoulders.

I was looking for you. What is this place?

I pointed at the castle, the unnatural feeling emanating from the building. How strange to think about. Buildings didn't vibrate like humans, but then my gaze returned to the structure.

"I don't know. I've never seen him or heard of him. Have you?

Asher's voice brought my attention back. I always enjoyed his werewolf form. His chest, hell, his whole body was bigger, but it was more than that. It was the way he carried himself proudly now.

"No."

"Let's take a look inside." He waggled his thick, bushy werewolf eyebrows.

I looked at the wire gates, which were wide open in invitation, but a tingling sensation ran down my spine, telling me we shouldn't enter.

"I don't think so."

Are you afraid of an old castle? There's not even any light inside.

His voice provoked and annoyed me like a younger brother who is arrogant knowing that his older brother always had his back.

That's what scares me the most. Have you never read a horror story?

I'd read a lot. Maybe that's why the castle seemed alive. I must have read too many horror stories.

"No, and I don't want to." He threw back his ugly head. "I'm going in. Are you coming?"

"I'll wait for you here." I crossed my arms over my enormous chest, the hairs standing up on the palms of my hands as I rested them on my biceps.

"Whatever." He shrugged with Asher's usual indifference and walked toward the open door. He was always prone to bumping into things. I wondered again if it was his personality, the absence of our parents, or if he just didn't care about life.

He crossed the threshold, and a dark blur swirled around him. I straightened, watching the pattern as it dissipated into the air and disappeared.

"Are you okay?" I called.

"That seemed a little odd to me."

"How?" I asked, approaching him. My older brother's protective pleas came through loudly. If he didn't protect himself, I would.

He shook his whole body like a dog shaking water off its fur, but nothing flew from his coat. My whole being vibrated with nervous energy. He turned and walked toward me, a cocky smile on his face, but uncertainty gleamed in the depths of his eyes. As he reached the door, his body fell back as if he had crashed into a wall.

"Asher?" I ran forward. I ran toward my brother.

"Stop." He sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Don't go through the door."

I skidded to a stop, kicking up dirt and grass from my heels. "Why not?"

"I don't think so..." He looked left and then right before looking back at me, imploring me to stay still. "I can go out now."

A white blur crossed the broken ground, and then a woman appeared beside Asher. She was stunningly beautiful. Her long, dark hair fell to her waist in curls that moved with every sudden movement. As did the white dress she wore. A vision of loveliness under the bright moon.

"What do I have here?" he asked, kneeling beside Asher.

He backed away as if he were afraid. The white flash in his eyes grew larger with each passing second. Since when had the great werewolf Asher been afraid of anyone?

"Leave my brother alone," I said.

"What if I don't?" She raised her face to look at me.

Her eyes struck me with the force of blue ice crystals. Deadly and beautiful at the same time. My gaze remained fixed on the beautiful woman. I found it hard to look away. I had never seen anyone like her.

"He's my little brother." I took a small step forward. "Please, I'd do anything for him."

"Something?" She arched a delicate eyebrow. Even that was beautiful. "Then switch places with him."

"Gladly, but he said he can't go out.

I would do anything for my little brother. Always. I would give my body, mind, and soul to set him free.

Her ruby-red lips curved into a smile. "That's a problem. Maybe if you pass at the same time, it'll work."

"Is this your castle?"

"It is." A touch of sadness tinged her eyes, but then it disappeared before he was sure he'd seen her.

How come I didn't understand how to get my brother out if this was his castle?

"Is it yours?"

"Yes. Enough questions, werewolf. Who could it be? You or your brother?

"Me. Always me," I said without hesitation. My life for his was a simple exchange, and I always risked it.

"Adonay. No. Leave me here. Save yourself, Asher said.

The panic and fear in her voice further convinced me that she was making the right decision, but when it came to Asher, there was no other option. I would protect him.

"No way, Asher." I approached the door. In that place, the strange wave of the dark stain appeared one moment and disappeared the next.

The woman gestured to Asher with her delicate hand. It wasn't as if she could hurt me. She was tiny compared to my enormous werewolf frame.

"How do you know I won't just take it and leave?" I asked.

Because your brother knows who I am and knows better than to run away. I'd catch you both and kill you.

Perhaps my appreciation of the beautiful woman was wrong. But she had claws and muscles. She would fight for Asher if he tried to harm her. And if I killed him... the beast inside me would tear her apart.

"We didn't do anything wrong," I said, trying my hardest to prevent this exchange from ending in bloodshed.

"Your brother invaded my property".

We stared at each other as Asher shook his head, as if he was too afraid to speak. So, unlike Asher, I knew. Who the hell was this woman?

"That's true, but I didn't have any bad intentions.

He grabbed Asher's arm. "Werewolves always mean harm. I don't want either of you here, but you," he said, pointing, "at least seem to have some decorum, and I'm afraid the doors won't let you out, but an exchange might work."

-Could?-

"Magic." She shrugged.

As if saying magic worked on the door explained everything. What was she hiding? And why did it intrigue me so much? Everything about her appealed to me. From the ball gown"wait, was she wearing a ball gown? I frowned and looked around the peaceful castle. It didn't look like there was a ball going on. Even more questions plagued me. I craved answers more than I'd ever craved food in my life, and that was saying something.

"At the same time, then. I approached the place where the “magic” had appeared. My skin tingled as I realized it.

She walked Asher to the door, took a step back, and crossed her arms. Her eyes lit up with an emotion I couldn't decipher. If I knew her better, maybe I'd understand what she was thinking and feeling. That longing intensified even more.

All right, Asher. Let's get you out of there. Remember when we used to imitate each other?

"Yes," he whispered.

-So.-

She bit her lower lip. Such a slight gesture reminded me of our childhood. I couldn't leave it there.

"Now, Asher.

He nodded. So did I. I raised my hand, and he did the same. Slowly, we approached the door. The moment my hand passed through the barrier, a thick sensation made my skin crawl. I wanted to jerk my hand back, but what would happen to Asher if I did, since his hand was on the other side of the door and it seemed like this would work? Tiny movements at a time, and Asher and I passed each other. My eyes were wide with fear, but I kept my mouth shut because the mirror image wouldn't work if I spoke. I didn't understand how I knew. Maybe I'd read too much into it. As we passed the point of no return, the barrier erupted with black light, sending us sprawling on opposite sides.

"Damn," the woman said. "I didn't think that would work."