Bad Moon Rising

“That was not a request.” He said and moved to reach for her injured foot to pull it closer to him. Alarmed and anxious, Mara felt the urgency to defend herself and moved away from his outstretched hand. Though she was wounded, which meant that whatever she planned would not make much impact, the beast-man was much stronger than she was and at a more extraordinary advantage form. Compared to him, she was merely nothing. But that did nothing to dampen her morale. It gave it a push. “Neither was mine.” She said spitefully and slapped away his hand. He smirked before shooting her a warning glance to tell her that should she make the same move again, he would tear her into bits. However, she was confident that it was an empty threat since they had destroyed an entire village to get their hands on her, which all but meant one thing: she was even more valuable to them alive than dead. They wouldn’t go through all that, only to kill her at the end. Whoever sent them needed her for a

Mara scrambled back into bed, terrified that they would find out about her eavesdropping. She had no idea there were far worse things to be terrified of than she could imagine. She’d just gotten back under the covers when her mother barged into the room, nearly sending the door flying off the handles. Lucinda was no longer concerned if she woke up Mara. The door hit the wall, creating a loud bang that made Mara sit up in bed. She saw her mother standing by the threshold, her face gaunt and eyes wide. Lucinda looked like she’d seen a ghost, and blood had completely drained from her face. “Mara,” she hissed in a low voice. “Come with me quickly!” Still paralyzed by surprise, all Mara could do was stare at her mother, wondering if she was having another breakdown. She nearly dove under the bed when her mother marched into the room and grabbed her by the arm. Despite her mother’s petite frame, she had enough strength to haul Mara out of bed. “Mother, where are you taking me? What

Clutching the necklace tightly in her hands, Mara took off running. Her feet sank into the snow with every step she took, slowing her progress. When she heard the snarls coming from behind her, she made the mistake of looking back. Whatever was happening to Anias was over. Standing in the little patch of moonlight that reflected off the white snow, he looked different but also the same. She recognized some of his features, but they were distorted under a thick smattering of fur that had grown in certain parts of his body. His nose had also merged with his mouth, forming a snout that looked like a dog's. Long, pointed ears peeked from his hair, which had also grown longer.A scream built up inside Mara, but when Anias lunged toward her, she turned and ran instead. It seemed that the monsters who’d come for her family were, in fact, real monsters and not just the worst of humanity. No wonder she heard growls, and that howling noise she’d heard from her hiding spot underneath the floor

The woman stared intently at her out of curiosity."You must be the one he brought home. Strange. He never brings anyone home." She said, and Mara began to feel scared "Him? Who is he?" she asked the woman looking frightened now.Her gray and silver locks were pulled into a tight bun, and dark glasses were perched on her nose, making it impossible to see her eyes. There were wrinkles on her cheeks and hands, belying her advanced age. Despite her shaking fingers, she somehow managed to sew whatever she was repairing. "Well, don't just stand and gawk over there, child. Come and sit." The woman gestured to a vacant chair opposite her. Mara looked between her and the gates, wondering if she should run for it. She was surprised when the woman spoke up again, seeming to read her thoughts. "Would you rather be trekking through that awful garden and climbing past those gates rather than sitting comfortably here with me?"Mara felt her fears and plan sounded stupid when she put it like that.

As if taking her sight was not enough, he had his men take her into a forest to murder her.That had been when a much younger Sebastian and certainly more carefree had seen them. He butted in instantly(just as he had with her, Mara thought), and then he fought them off to save her.That day he made an enemy of the alpha who called himself the alpha of all alphas. He took her back to this place, where he nursed her into health.Since then, he let her stay with him and would ensure she had what to eat.The more she learned about these beasts, the more gruesome and cruel their stories turned out.She instantly because curious as to who this dangerous alpha was.“Do you remember his name?” she asked the woman“His name? Who child?” the woman asked“The alpha who took your sight,” Mara said“Like the feel of my skin, I do, child. His name is…” she began saying...“And what is she doing out here, Sonya?” a voice demanded angrily.Blast him and his timing, Mara thought.“Sebastian, so nice o