Moon Child

All Alone

- Alex Thorn –

The boys and I sat at the large dinner table prepared for us by the lady keeper. I noticed that she kept stealing glances at me the whole evening while she served our food. Hmm. I’m not in a particular mood tonight but if she tries harder, I might just accept the invitation. My wolf grunted in disapproval. I get it. Werewolves are not supposed to be like me – a ladies’ man. Loyalty is second nature to us and once we find our mates... we are bonded for life. But that part of me already went out the window ever since… I stopped myself before I start thinking of the past… of her.

I took my fork and knife, and with heavy hands, I cut through the steak on my plate.

“What’s the plan, Alpha” Gunner was the one who first broke the silence. I looked at Calum to my left and saw him put down the piece of meat he was about to eat.

“We head back first, and execute her on the next full moon. From what I’ve seen, her hair and eyes turn silver under the moonlight of a full moon. That’s when we should kill her. In front of everybody.” Calum answered, his voice almost whispering.

“But Calum –“ I found myself speaking up. Damn. What am I going to say? I felt everyone’s gaze shift to me. I hate to be the one to bring this up but f**k it.

“Dolores entrusted that child to you. Won’t you reconsider this… to honor her dying wish?” I closed my eyes as soon as I finished talking. Man, Calum would be pissed I brought up Dolores… but someone’s gotta do it.

The room fell uncomfortably silent. So, I did what I thought was the best option - pretend I didn’t just drop a bomb like that and continued eating. All of us knew how Dolores’ words burdened Calum. I’m sure that was also the reason why he was gone for most of the evening. He left immediately after he dropped off the child in this inn with us and it’s only a few moments before supper that we saw him again.  

“Alex” Calum called me as he stood up from the dinner table. The chair behind him dragged on the floor.

“Bring her some food before you rest for tonight” he ordered. I opened my mouth to say something but he was already out the dining room before I could respond. Adam sighed in relief as the tension in the room eased. But I just stared at the door. I’m honestly worried about Calum, most of the time he just shuts off and won’t let anyone in. Even after all the years we've known each other, he's still as stubborn as a rock.

- Selena Rhys -

I stirred with the noise of people chattering from a distance. People? My eyes fluttered open when I realized this. Where am I? I fell back to my bed as quickly as I tried to get up. I touched my forehead and figured I might be coming down with a fever… is it because I soaked in the lake? The lake. I suddenly remembered what happened… how my hair and eyes changed to silver under the moonlight… and that man… oh… he must have been the one who saved me.

I studied the unfamiliar room before me. The lights were out and the room was illuminated by the light coming from the window. I checked myself. My clothes were changed and I am now wearing an oversized polo with matching oversized pants. Whose clothes are these? I wondered as I raised my arms to get a better look. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock on the door and my heart thumped in anticipation who the person behind the door is. It wasn’t long before a tall figure appeared before it. He switched the lights on and I squinted my eyes to adjust to the brightness.

“You’re awake” the man said as he approached the bed side table near me and placed a tray of food. I found myself staring at him. He has a tall nose and bluish dark eyes. His short blonde hair framed his face perfectly and his face... I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find him attractive. He could easily pass as the handsome leading man in the novels I read.

“Were you the one who saved me?” I asked, finally finding my voice. His face darkened for a moment but he quickly changed it to a smile. Did I imagine that?

“You must have a lot of questions for me… Go ahead eat and I’ll answer those questions for you” he said as he took the chair from the side of the window and sat beside my bed.

He introduced himself as Alex Thorn, the Beta of the southern pack. He said it was their Alpha that saved me from drowning in the lake. That I was entrusted by Dolores to him and that… and that… Dolores is DEAD. I almost choked on my food when I heard this. Dolores is dead? I repeated in my head, refusing to process his words.

“You’re lying!” I almost screamed at him; my tears falling from my eyes. It can’t be… Dolores would never… She’s powerful…isn’t she? She’s a sorceress…. No. she wouldn’t leave me like this. My thoughts went into haywire.

“You’re lying to me! Where is she? What did you do to her?” I accused him as I trembled profusely… I don’t want to believe it. A sudden pang of loneliness hit me. I’m in this place… this foreign place. I don’t know anyone. Now the only person I have is gone? I can’t believe it. My tears continued to fall. I felt so helpless.

He stood up and grabbed some tissues on the table and placed it on my side.

“We can… visit her grave in the morning before we leave. I’ll see you then” he said as he left me alone in the room. I just cried the whole night… I didn’t even notice that it was already morning until the sun shone from my window. I stood up, feeling light headed from all the crying. I probably worsened my fever. But at this point… I couldn’t care less about my wellbeing. As if on cue, he entered my room again and brought breakfast. But I couldn’t touch my food. I feel disgusted just seeing it.

“Can we go now?” I asked him with all the strength I have left. He hesitated for a moment, maybe he wanted to insist that I eat first. I don’t know. But his better judgment told him to just nod and he did.

He guided me downstairs and we passed by two men who greeted him. The two men looked like siblings, I heard him call one of them James as he ordered him to accompany us. ‘James’ was slightly smaller than Alex. He had shoulder length dark brown hair that was tied up neatly. He wore a black leather jacket with a black shirt showing inside. The other one, his sibling? Was as tall as Alex, if not slightly taller. He had the same shade of hair as James but it was cut shorter. He also looked a lot simpler and only wore a plain long-sleeved jacket.

The drive to the ‘grave site’ was quiet. Neither of them talked and I was comfortable with that. We drove as far as the road could take us and we had to walk a couple of minutes towards the cliff. The cliff? I felt a sudden chill in my spine. I mean. I don’t know these guys and Dolores told me there are people who would want to harm me. Are they one of the bad guys? I felt the need to run and I took a step back. I was shocked when I bumped into one of them. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t realize that one of them was walking behind me. Alex was the one leading the way and James walked behind us.

“Don’t worry, we’re near” Alex assured me as he motioned for us to continue walking. I reluctantly followed him.

We finally stopped near the end of the cliff. I walked ahead of Alex when I saw a small pile of stones that marked a grave. There was something tied to the stones and it blew with the wind. I curiously approached it… my heart weighed heavier with every step. I instantly cried when I got nearer and realized what it was. It was the scarf Dolores wore when I last saw her. I fell to the ground on my knees. It’s TRUE then.

Dolores is… gone. And I’m all alone.