As the moon rises

Chapter 4

"How was the pack? Did they treat you well?" he says sternly, his expression gloomy, he continually seems irritated.

"Very well, Sir, they were incredibly welcoming."

"Good, good. How was practice? Did you get all of the help you needed?"

"Yes, Sir. Doctor Greene was very helpful."

"Good. Your exam is in two weeks, are you prepared?" he says.

I try not to roll my eyes since I don't have time for this right now.

I must meet Sienna.

"Yes, Sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet someone," I grumble as my mother enters the study.

"Meet someone? Is it a girl?" my father inquires, and I give him a look that conveys how irritated I am that he has said that.

He's going to irritate Mum now.

3...2...1...

"A girl? What girl? You've met a girl?" my mother inquires, her eyes twinkling with delight.

My mouth opens to respond, when the phone on my father's desk rings. He motions for us both to leave the room, and I roll my eyes as Mum wraps her arm around mine and leads me out of the study, asking questions I don't understand.

"Mum, I'm meeting a girl, but she's just a friend; she's not my mate," I assure her as she drags me into the kitchen and seats me down.

"What do you mean she's just a friend? Is she pretty?" my mother inquires, turning the kettle switch.

If she thinks I'm going to sit down with a cup of tea and tell her everything, she's incorrect.

"She's very pretty Mum, but she's a brunette, and as you know, blondes are my type." I sigh deeply, knowing this won't stop her.

For the next five minutes, I'm being grilled on everything Sienna, so it's probably a good thing I didn't welcome her onto our turf. Mum would have swooped down on her.

"Anyway, I've really got to go meet her."

I manage to sneak out of the kitchen. I grab my coat and dash out the back door, across the garden, and into the forest. It will only take me a few minutes to get to where I instructed Sienna to wait for me.

Sienna's point of view.

"You'll come to a clearing near the border."

He made it seem so simple, yet here I am, more than a mile later, still trekking through the leaves! I'd have murdered him if I'd been wearing my suede boots, but these black ones are holding up well.

"It's just typical," I mumble furiously to myself, checking my phone for the millionth time to discover it still shows No Service.

As the woods separate and I approach a huge clearing, I breathe with relief; this must be what he means.

I wait a few seconds, toggling my airplane mode on and off again in the hopes of finding a signal.

A howl, long and powerful, bursts through the quiet, raising all the hairs on my body. I tremble as I realize the wolf must be from the Black Mountain pack.

What am I doing here, Goddess?

As I anxiously seek about for a place to hide, my eyes are drawn to a big tree on the other side of the clearing, its branches low enough that I might climb it. Another scream is heard, this time accompanied by more.

There's a bunch of them, and they sound a lot closer.

As I panic and race across the clearing to the tree, I throw my purse over my shoulder and slowly hoist myself up onto the first limb, standing up on it and reaching for the second branch above me, dragging myself to it.

I glance down and wish I hadn't since I'm afraid of heights and I'm about three meters above the ground, which is enough to make me nervous. I hold the trunk of the tree and check my phone again, but still nothing.

Cade is going to die, Goddess.

A growl twists my stomach into knots; I steal a glance down at the ground and hastily clap a palm over my lips to keep the scream in. Two grey wolves move under the tree, their gaze scanning about.

Are they searching for me, or do they realize I'm here?

If they locate me, I can explain, and they'll see it's all a great mistake.

"You! Descend from there!"An authoritative female voice sounds from the bottom of the tree, and I look down and pray as an angry face looks back up at me."

When I reach the bottom, she takes my purse and pulls me off the limb and down the tree.

"I'm so sorry, this was such a misunderstanding," she says before I finish.

"Hands behind your back." "Now," she says, and I swiftly comply.

She delivers my luggage to a guy, who begins to search through it.

"Oi, be careful with that," I snap, and he resumes his hunt.

The lady with the furious face takes my wrists and tightens silver handcuffs around them, and I realize I'm surrounded by four wolves and three humans, including the b***h and handbag-groper.

"This is a complete mistake, I'm not trespassing, I'm meeting a friend," I assure her, but she ignores me and looks over to the woods behind her.

She lowers her head, and I realize someone significant has come; all of the wolves and the two males bend their heads in reverence, and even the b***h lowers her head; I glance over her shoulder to see who's approaching, and instantly regret it.