Bad Moon Rising

Amelia looked on in horror from the small boat. Pieces of charred wood and tattered sail floated in the water around her, the remains of her once proud ship.

She collapsed exhausted and heartbroken, they were all gone. she had escaped one disaster only to sail straight into another. She was alone.

The creak of rigging jarred her from her daze. Blinking against the harsh sunlight, she could make out the silhouette of a tall ship approaching. The wolves, she realized with dread. They must have spotted her boat and closed in while she was grieving. She had nothing left to give, her vision began to blur and before she could fight her way to the wakeful world she had slipped under.

Rough hands seized her as the ship drew near, yanking her from the boat up onto the deck. They dragged her below and threw her into a cell.

"Amelia!" a familiar voice drew her back into consciousness. Finn's weathered face appeared between the bars.

"You're alive!" She fell into his embrace with relief. At least one of her crew had survived.

Finn's expression was grim. "I'm the only one...." He trailed off, pain in his eyes.

Amelia squeezed his hand, drawing strength from her loyal friend. "We'll get out of this, Finn. Together."

Their reunion was cut short by the cell door slamming open. Finn was wrenched away and Amelia dragged up to the deck. She blinked against the sudden sunlight, taking in the crowd of leering faces.

"Well well, the little runaway princess," a voice rumbled. The captain strode forward, tall and imposing. Gabriel. She'd escaped him once now here she was again. His green eyes glinted with amusement as he looked her up and down.

"You have some explaining to do," Amelia said coldly, holding his gaze. She wouldn't be intimidated. "Why did your mutts attack my ship?"

Amused murmurs rippled through the werewolves. Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "You dare speak to me that way? After running from my gracious hospitality?" He towered over her.

Amelia stood her ground. "I speak only the truth. What quarrel do you have with me that you destroy my ship and slaughter my crew?"

Gabriel stared her down. For a moment she glimpsed uncertainty behind his stony facade. Her words had struck something.

"My reasons are my own," he said finally. "You humans have meddled too long in werewolf affairs, princess."

Amelia's blood boiled. "So you sink my ship and kill innocents? You're nothing but a coward and a murderer! I've meddled in nothing!"

The werewolves bristled, yellow eyes glowing. Gabriel seized her arm, claws digging in. "Watch your tongue," he growled. She saw the conflict raging within him. But why? What was he hiding?

Wrenching free, she drew her dagger, the crew gathering with bared teeth. "Enough games," she spat. "What is your true purpose, wolf?"

Gabriel hesitated. In that moment she saw past the monster to the man beneath. There was more to this attack than met the eye.

Gabriel turned away. "Lock her up," he ordered. His eyes met Amelia's for a heartbeat. A silent promise lingered between them.

This was far from over.

Amelia allowed herself to be led below deck, her mind racing.

There was more to Gabriel than she'd assumed. The wolves had an agenda. But what?

She thought back to their confrontation, the secrets hinted at beneath his surface. Her instincts told her Gabriel wasn't the real enemy.

Finn rattled the bars, snapping her back to the present. "We're trapped like rats down here!"

Amelia squeezed his shoulder. "We'll get out of this, I promise."

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Gabriel appeared, expression unreadable. Amelia's pulse quickened.

"Princess," he said. "A word alone."

Finn bristled. "You'll not lay a hand on her, beast!"

"It's alright, Finn," Amelia said. "I can handle him."

Finn reluctantly left them. Gabriel approached the bars, torchlight flickering over his chiseled features.

"You seek answers," he rumbled.

Amelia lifted her chin. "You'll tell me everything, wolf."

His eyes bored into hers. "Not everything. There are forces beyond my control...a scar you might say upon my pack."

Her brow furrowed. "A scar? What do you mean?"

Gabriel gripped the bars, conflicted. She glimpsed his inner torment.

"I've said enough." He turned to leave.

"Gabriel, wait!" Desperation tinged her voice.

He paused, muscles taut, poised on the edge of revelation. Amelia held her breath.

Finally, he glanced back, eyes glowing in the shadows. "For now, princess...have faith."

Then he was gone, leaving her with more questions than answers. But she would uncover the truth.

There was more to Gabriel than met the eye. And despite everything, she realized her heart trusted him.

Amelia paced the cell, her mind spinning. There was more to this situation than a random werewolf attack. Gabriel's words hinted at some deeper mystery, some mark upon his kind.

What weren't they telling her?

She thought back to the ferocity of the earlier battle, the inhuman savagery in the wolves' eyes. Gabriel had restrained them, as if holding back a rabid force.

Amelia shuddered. She had never seen creatures so consumed by bloodlust. It was as if they were possessed...

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She steeled herself as Gabriel appeared again outside the bars.

"Come to interrogate me further?" she challenged, masking her nerves with bravado.

His expression remained impassive. "The moon rises soon. We must prepare."

Cryptic as ever. Amelia crossed her arms.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, beast."

Gabriel's eyes flashed. In two strides he was at the cell door, rattling the bars.

"You know nothing of what's to come," he growled. "I am the only one who can protect you now."

Amelia stood her ground, pulse racing. His hulking form seemed to fill the tiny cell, his presence overwhelming.

Yet she sensed the desperation behind his anger. Her defiance wavered.

"Protect me from what?" she asked, softer now.

His jaw clenched, the shadows accentuating his sharp features. For a moment, his guard dropped, and she glimpsed a soul-deep torment.

"From myself," he whispered.

Their eyes locked, and in that charged moment, Amelia felt the force of his inner battle. She reached for him without thinking...

Gabriel pulled away sharply with a guttural snarl, leaving her hand extended through the bars, her heart pounding.

There was much left unsaid between them. But she knew then that Gabriel wasn't the real enemy.

Amelia slowly lowered her hand, her mind racing. There was more to Gabriel's behavior than she realized. She had to get him to open up.

"Gabriel," she began gently. "I know there's something you're not telling me. Let me help you."

He turned away, raking a hand through his dark hair.

"You can't help me," he said hoarsely. "When the moon rises, the beast takes over. I won't be able to stop it from hunting you."

Amelia's breath caught. "The moon...it turns you feral?"

Gabriel nodded grimly.

"I've fought it for so long. But the wolf is stronger." His fists clenched. "You being here has made the battle harder. Your scent, your voice...you awaken things in me I've tried to bury. I know I have spoken harshly but the wolf can be, Possessive"

He looked at her then, eyes burning with longing and self-loathing. Amelia's heart ached for him. She reached through the bars again, caressing his cheek. This time he didn't pull away.

"This isn't you," she whispered. Amelia had always had a good sense of people. She could tell who was genuine and who was not. This was not the man who had captured her initially. That was a façade of bravado and anger. This was a man fighting demons

Leaning into her touch, Gabriel closed his eyes with a pained expression. Amelia's words resonated within Gabriel, sparking a glimmer of hope in his darkness. But the sun was setting, and he could feel the wolf stirring inside, clawing to get out.

Reluctantly, he stepped back from her touch.

"I have to go," he said raggedly. " There is a private cabin just behind that door and there is an iron door beyond this point." His eyes flashed with urgency. "No matter what happens, or what you may hear, don't come out."

Before she could respond, he turned and strode away, his tall frame rigid with tension. Amelia watched him go.

As darkness fell over the ship, Amelia retreated to the small cabin she'd been given, barricading the door. She had tried to coax fin into the cabin but he assured her he would be just outside behind the bars of his holding cell. After all she was a lady and deserved her privacy. She paced the cramped space, straining to hear any sounds from above deck.

Suddenly, an anguished howl split the night air. Gabriel and his crew. Her pulse racing, Amelia pressed her ear to the door. She could hear the crew shouting in pain, then the sounds of a scuffle, a snarling wolf's cries.

Every fiber of her being wanted to run Amelia sent up a prayer. Somewhere in the dark, the wolf howled again, as if in answer.