HECTOR BAYESThe feeling of the dead man’s body as I writhed on top of him had not left my chest as we rode on horseback, into the gates of the mountain city.“Are you alright?” The green-eyed woman who had been watching me since we passed through the gates whispered, clumps of mud and twigs sticking out of her hair from where she’d brushed her face against mine.The porcelain of her high cheekbones was ashen with dust and grime, and the sight of the salt streak of tears dried and flaky sent a pang through my frame.I allowed myself a shallow breath, We had come a long way, the imp and me, and I was almost certain I couldn't have won the war if it weren't for her quick thinking with the sword.God-freaking dammit, Was I alright? I couldn't tell.The singed fur of my son’s corpse weighed heavy on my heart. Or It might have been the hole of my soul sword that refused to heal.I hadn't wanted to kill the boy, the monster, far from it. Saints! Lord knew Japhtar deserved worse for coming
HECTOR BAYESI didn't want to let her go, Nola, but I knew in my heart that I had to.And she did run, jerking away from my arms, to throw open the underground chamber grates with a strength I hadn't imagined her capable of.I followed on her heels as we ran down the stone slab of stairs at breakneck speed, into the crematorium where Kalden was lying, still as a statue, encased in the frosty insides of a glass coffin.I felt my breath catch in my throat and I paused at the doorway, my eyes widening when I saw the wreath of white and blood-red hydrangea flower bushes decked in small steps around the dias.“Kalden? Kalden, say something!” Nola gasped, slapping open the casing as a whoosh of frigid air swept up from the body, hitting me right in the nostrils.“Hector, you can't do this, I won't let you!” She screamed, turning to grip the lapel of my shirt with tears glistening on her cheeks.I nodded to the mourners huddled off to the side, darting tear-filled looks at us, and they bowed
NOLA BAYESIt had been months since my bonded died, but for the first time since that sordid night, I was feeling confident, happy even.The mountain city troops had grown to staggering numbers in the past months, so I had dispensed a good number of guards to survey the old wolf village.My new city. The King and I hadn't decided on a name yet, but I knew it was going to be soon.We had freed the wolf village captives the next day, after the gruesome war. Alpha Theo’s rescue had been one I handled myself, with admittedly way too much joy than I could think to hide.“R-Reynolds? I-is that you dear girl?” He had rasped, the curved nails of his claws coming through the wrought-iron bars to lace over my hand before I snatched it away, incensed.“That’s Queen of the Highlands to you Alpha Theo, a shame to see you like this I must say, especially with the way you threw us maidens out on our behinds with nothing to our names.” I spouted, watching with a measure of satisfaction when he bent
“Once again, we gather here to commemorate the festival of the beast. As we all know, this tradition is what preserves us a pack and these brave women who gave up everything for their people will forever be immortalised in our hearts…”I was one in about a million wolves who had gathered here tonight for this bullshit.The only reason I was at this cursed place was because Sam practically begged me to go. Everything about the ceremony irked me immensely, but my brother insisted that disobeying the government of the Village — the High Table— would only earn our family their heads. This was a festival in preparation for the Night of the Chosen. According to tradition, on the Night of the Chosen, all the members of the Wolf Village were ordered by the High Table and Council members to come together to pay respect to the beast and all the lives it had taken for the past thousands of years. It was ironic and pretty dumb to me how the entire village worshipped this imaginary evil creature
Mornings were usually peaceful and quiet around here but today was not like every other day. The sobs and loud cries coated with lamenting kept me awake all night. The birds werent singing the humming of insects couldn’t be heard and even the wind whistling around the trunks made the air seem more toxic.Many curled up with their family having ther last Goodbyes with tears streamed down their eyes even the greatest broke down and shattered into pieces. It was only just a matter of mintues before families were going to go there different ways leaving one of their own to die because of a stupid Traditions which has managed to be made supreme over all, crippling the hands of many and forcing them into total defeat over a meaningless superstition. How the thought of this sickened me but I had to admit I myself was scared nevertheless not about the fictitious beasts but the lingling question on my mind on why none of the girls never came back home but I guess I would have to find that ou
I didn't have any time to think, before my eyes, the impossible was happening. We had been left tied in the forest, one of the girls was crying and praying to the moon goddess to rescue us. I had never been so scared in my life, there’s no such thing as a beast, theres’s no such thing as a beast, theres’s no such thing as a beast was all i could keep saying in my head to hold it together. “D-do you guys…hear that?” Someone whispered, I think it was dennis.“Y-yeah…” It was faint but something was coming towards us. “Maybe someone has come to save us,” said Mary and I scoffed.“Yeah sure, the pack would come untie us.” But maybe she was right, another pack might have been freeing the other girls who were sacrificed . We needed hope to survive. I hated it, I was desperate for hope. “Yes, probably,” I agreed with a sigh. I heard the sound of twigs breaking and a shrill howl. Something was coming towards us, when suddenly—“you guys, relax, it’s just a plain wolf.” We all let out a s
The beast's eyes glittered in the split second it took for our gazes to lock before the fur snapped back around his pale skin and he bounded towards me, the slap of his footfalls on the cave’s stone floor loud enough that it froze me in place.“Get away from me! No! I am not going back there! Mmph!” I screamed wildly, pumping my legs as hot hands encircled my midriff and lifted me from the floor.This was it, this was the day Nola Reynolds would die. Sam had always said it was my curiosity that’d do me in the end. The blood pounded hot in my ears as my heart beat a jagged dirge, but the beast remained silent. I felt a wave of vertigo hit as he carted me off into the deep slanted shadows, through a hidden corridor I hadn’t seen before. “Stop! Where are you taking me?” I shrieked, unable to control the note of fear in my voice. I didn’t want him to think I was frightened of him! It was the one thing uncle Ben taught us- Sam and me after our parents died.“Round these here parts, fea
The rattling of the door knob had me hissing awake just in time for it to fly open and the silver eyes of the man to find me curled up on the bed.“What, you won’t even knock?” I snickered and watched his eyes travel downwards to my splayed legs. I slapped them closed, but it was already too late, the heat blooming on my cheeks as his face darkened and could have made an omelette special.“Girl can’t even get some privacy in her cell.” I harrumphed, but it fell flat when he ignored me to drop the tray on a small bedside vanity I hadn’t noticed the night before. There were bulbs fitted on the walls of the cave and a glass roof ceiling. I made several mental face-palms. Of course, he’d have more livable conditions for his inmates, he’d been doing this for thousands of years! The sky had probably been too dark for me to notice the other night as I watched him flick one of the bright white fluorescents on before his grey eyes met mine again and I inhaled sharply.The man-because he was