The sky sparkled, although not much was going on on it. Stationary clouds gave no alarm for a storm. For most parts of Fridgeton, this was the kind of night perfect for cookouts. Holly Creeks was anything but...holy. An out-of-town region on the eastern border, it was a ghostown having a head count of less than 50. It went without saying that not too many people paid it a visit. This, however, couldn't be said for a young man who zoomed out from the shadows. He couldn't be more than 18, even with his five foot two-ish height. He stopped to catch his breach, his hands clapsed on his knees. His shoulders heaved, as he pushed out breath noisly. His dreadlocks swinging as he did. Indeed jogging all the way from the subway to this place was an excerise reserved for the tough-hearted. It had been nothing less than twenty minutes. When he must have gotten himself, he resumed—taking a stroll this time. There weren't much buildings here. Again, that didn't come as a surprise. Bushes, howev
==Matteo==Work work work work. That had been my mantra for the past week. That was all I thought of. Consequently, there were no rooms for wishful thoughts, forbidden desires and of course the nightmares. What's more, my other self had gone on a long vacation—if not died. My mind was basically refreshed. However, something wrestled to remain stuck. Olivia and the thoughts she brought. Contrary to what one might believe, I hadn't been as lovestruck as I used to. Wait, did I just admit to… Fuck, shut up. Anyways, I wasn't all engrossed in her as I used to. I had gained control of my emotions, only letting thoughts about her seep in whenever I wanted such.We both hadn't seen each other since Dr. Joelle came—making it five days of non communication. I was cool with it now. I know so. I'd been frustrated with her not showing up for meals, but I'd come to realise that that was in fact in my favour. The girl just had something about her. I mean, I could summon her and she'd decide to clad
==Matteo==The building was actively burning, coughing out puffs upon puffs of smoke. I charged towards the entrance, not minding the sharp objects littered around and the bedlam around me. The fierce flames shooting out from the building did little to deter me. I dove forward and jostled into the building, coming to arrive at the lobby. The smoke was dense here. It went straight into my nose, irritating me. It hurt my lungs and I coughed. Hard. I looked around me. All i saw was destruction. Blinded by rage, I growled. The deep guttural sound leapt from the depth of my stomach. It was evidence of anger and hurt. Before I knew it, red covered my vision and I was pounding hard on someone. I held it by the neck and punched hard, deep into his face. I punched, vetting all my anger, all my bitterness on him until he bleed. That didn't make me stop. The sour smell of blood only irked me more, making me continue with the battery.Then, someone hit my back. I left the bleedy fucker and fac
Andrea stepped onto the porch with a magazine in one hand and her phone in the other. She sat down flipped through the pages for a while and shut it close. She sighed. Her mind went back to the events that happened ealier. Two nights ago. An insane ruckus had broken out, rendering the entirety of Brookehurt barren. Even worse was the fact that Vintage hadn't been left out in the destruction. Her roommate, Yvonne had come home with all the gist and with photo evidence from her phone to support her claim. Andrea had been to the sorceress's, giving her a piece of her mind. Now, learning about the sad fate of Vintage only made her want to embrace The Master and whisper words of consolation to him. She'd seen the video footage, how fierce his wolf was. It was an instant turn on. She felt guilty for getting the arousal, but how could she stop it? There was no getting that. The same way there wasn't getting around the fact that The Master was a wolf! She'd been clueless all this time. Clue
==Matteo==A knock came through, snatching me from my lifeless gaze. I glanced at the door, shut my eyes close and threw my head back at my swivel chair. I grumbled a 'come in'. The door pulled open, and there was a moment of silence. "Sir—""What you got?"Yosef cleared his throat. "The curfew has extended to Brookehurt, starting from 7 in the evening to 8 in the night."The raid had temporarily interfered with internet connection. Yosef, however, saw to it that it was promptly fixed. "Is that all?"He was silent for a while before replying. "A lot of buildings were...destroyed . Vintage happened to be one of them, unfortunately.""And? What're the statistics?""Total. Total raid." I shut my eyes tight. Emotions eating me raw. I swallowed the bile that'd found its way into my mouth, and even getting it removed hurt. The lump in my throat was a stumbling block. A lone tear ran down from my left eye. I didn't bother to wipe it off. "Sir…A body was found two nights ago. That's t
==Matteo==I found myself in that usual space. The middle of nowhere in which the concept of time and logic were null and void. However, unlike other times, I wasn't encircled by darkness but rather bright blinding whiteness. I sat with my legs crossed on top of each other. I appeared to be floating because I couldn't feel my bum make an impact with any surface. I didn't look down to make sure of the fact. It wasn't necessary.Beside me in each side were nightmares. Two if my worst nightmares: Angela De La Crux and the one I didn't have a name for yet. A caricature of me. I wasn't actively staring at them. But my peripheral vison did the trick. Angela was staring at me while the other fixed his gaze on his toes. "I mean, the main winery's in Tuscany. Isn't it? This isn't the end of the world."I didn't speak. A long stretched silence settled in, Angela thought it wise to thaw the ice. "I sincerely apologise for the raid and the losses incurred."Indeed. "You're a seer, aren't you?
==Olivia==I was in high spirits. One, because my period had just ended. The little devil came as usual and crippled me. This time, there hadn’t been any wolf-in-human being to massage the pain away. I had to deal with the agony. Secondly and more fantastic, tomorrow would make it three days to my exit. Precious day 27, it was. I stared at the mini calendar on the nightstand, still finding it difficult to believe I was almost there. Funny thing was that the days left had escaped my memory. Or rather, I had given up on the hope of being free. However, I chided myself. I shouldn't surrender. I oughtn't. And surely, come Day 29, I'd meet Matteo and remind him it was over.I sniffed. Beads of tears rested on my eye lids. I survived. I actually...did fucking survive. I pulled my legs to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I thought about Matteo. I couldn't help but wonder if he had taken the doctor's word for it, just as I had. He hadn't showed up ever since. I didn't care though. I
==Olivia==At first I'd thought I was dreaming reason why I vigorously rubbed my eyes. But reopening them, I was met with the same scene: Matteo whipping himself mercilessly. I didn't think much before racing out of my room. I hurried down the stairs, the drowsiness suddenly vanished. Reaching the living room, I charged for the front door. I was about opening it when a voice startled me. "Miss, you should be in bed.""Your boss...he's hurting himself!" I said, but my words hung in the air. The butler simply took his eyes outside and returned then to me. "He's whipping himself.". Yet again, he didn't move an inch, which only made me question my credibility. Had I actually seen Matteo or was that perhaps, hallucination? No… No, I was sure I saw him. It was clear. "You should be in your bed, Miss." What the fuck? This was unbelievable."Listen, okay. I know I had…" I belched. Ordinarily, I'd have recoiled in embarrassment. My body had been invaded by department of sympathetic nervou
EPILOGUEFew months later...==Olivia==I applied one last coat of lipstick on Leah's lips, before bloating the excess. It was said that pregnancy brought out a person’s glow. Well, I partly agree with that. Leah was a beauty queen. Her dark hair had taken up this lustre I didn't know its origin. Her skin was smooth, her body chubby. Pregnancy looked so good on her. However, my case was different. I was fatigued most of the time, and the only plump thing right now was my boobs. Although, in retrospect, I'd have squealed in glee. The baby had begun to kick, especially at night. Phew. If I didn't know better, I'd say there were as much as five foetuses in me. "Isn't this too much?" Leah asked, looking at the mirror skeptically."Too much for your baby shower and my housewarming?"She rolled her eyes and I couldn't help but smile. I was glad she agreed with me that this wasn't much. I helped her hold down in a French braid and added some decorative pieces around it. "And done," I sai
Later that night…==Matteo==Darkness had covered everywhere now. Night had set in. I could hear the irritating sound of crickets and the breeze. Fucking nature. I laid on my makeshift bed—which was my perpetual position now—and stared straight ahead. I waited for sleep to take me. One of my men rose from his bed and walked out of the room, probably to take a piss. I didn't care. Moments later, he dashed back inside, eyes wide open.But still, that didn’t move me. His words, however, shook my up. "We're surrounded." At first, it didn't make sense, but then he repeated himself. "Sir, we're surrounded. There're people around the precinct."I rose from the bed. Surrounded? Bu whom? Whispers broke and I glared at my men. "Shut up!" And there was dead silence. "Philemon," I called the guard that'd come with the news. "What did you see?""Wolves. White wolves. They're hiding in this bushes and possibly armed as well." I shut my eyes, trying to process the information. White wolves! H
==Matteo==It had been 84 days of hell. I had lost everything. Everything. The mansion, my business, my men, my image….Olivia. Everything. And funnily enough, I hadn't spilled a tear, neither had I roared in pain in the beginning. The entire occurrence had simply felt surreal. The stench of silver hanging in the air was a proof though, that none of this was a dream.Yosef had lost his life. I'd spotted his charred body in the gazebo, while I was scampering away for my life. My trusted butler was gone. He had been the only living vestiges of my childhood, as he was my Dad's secretary. And now, I had lost him. Just like I had lost everything that mattered to me.Like I'd said, I hadn't cried initially. Upon finding shelter around the Brookehurt—Eggortin mountains, however my composure broke. I had done that which I hadn't done for years. Cry. The truth was scary. I would never see Yosef again. I'd never repay him for all his loyalty and endurance. Yes, that man had kept up with my exce
Two days later...==Olivia==Suddenly, all I saw was a bright white light. It was so harsh I tried shutting my eyes, all to no avail.It came pouring in, inflicting a pounding headache to me. I groaned, even as my body began to tremble. And then everything ceased. The light, the trembling. Everywhere was quiet for some time and darkness pervaded. I didn't know why, but the thing that came to my head was: death. I must have died. And now, I was in this sort of limbo where nothing existed. Having this belief, I gasped and started to grope around for anything I could touch. Surely, this place wasn't a void! And I was right because someone grabbed my arm. I whipped my head in the direction, ready to punch whomever it was off. "Olivia? Oh God, yes! Wake up. Open your eyes." Open my eyes? Did that mean my eyes were shut? And so, I did obeyed… or rather, my eyes did so on its own accord and I came face to face with this brown haired lady who looked so fucking familiar. I took a second,
==Matteo==9:13 pmI held a wolf by its throat, pinning it to the wall. I had punched the hell out of him and he was almost lifeless now. But I wasn't done. I'd make sure I snuff the life out him. And so, my hands held his neck like a vice, tightening as seconds rolled by. His eyes began to glaze over and just when I was about to deliver a deathly blow, someone called my name."Macini!" I frowned. Who dared to call me by my last name. I delivered the intended blow on the wolf, watching it slip to the floor.I was startled the moment I turned around. "Oh, you recognise me. Good riddance." Not much of that was the truth, because the reason behind my surprise wasn't this jerkass standing before me, but Olivia. I growled, "Let go of her now.""Who? Oh, her?" He laughed. The sound grate my ears. "Nah, she won't appreciate that."My frown deepened. The fool was messing with me. I attempted taking a step forward when Olivia spoke."Don't." There was something strange about her voice
7:00 pm==Matteo==We were ready. With the snipers, grenades, shotguns and pistons, we were prepared for battle. In addition to the guards at the gate, there were those stationed at strategic places all over the Malchian Grove. They would take them down even before they reached the mansion. I could hear the distant sound of gunshots and wolves growling. They were near.I cracked neck. I flexed my fingers. With my fist balled and my eyes staring straight ahead, I was ready. The sound approached, getting dangerously close to the gate. Just like that, shots begun to be fired. The guards at the gate fought well. They fired all their bullets on the invaders, but then, something weird happened. The invaders came pouring in numbers.I stood, shocked. I hadn't expected this kind of number. A sea of people forced themselves through the gate. They had with them ammunition.Someone threw a grenade, shooting everyone around the gate off. Yosef gave me a look; I shook my head. No. We wouldn't
==Olivia==5:55 pm.I would so fucking deal with Matteo! The fuck, the dude had told me to stay in his room pending his quick arrival. Guess what, eons….epochs had passed by and there had been no sign of him. Not even his shadow. Not even his smell, scent, whatever. The room was growing darker, and dear mister wasn't here yet!Initially, I had left the room to meet him outside. Lo and behold, the entrance was completely manned by guards. My anxiety peaked. I'd guessed a similar phenomenon existed in other entrances/exits, and I hadn't wasted my energy trying them out. Again, rather than going to my room, I'd returned to Matteo's, mainly because it had a balcony which would likely offer me access to the outside. However, to my chagrin, that balcony was locked. I had remained in Matteo's room because I felt safe here. I couldn't tell why I felt so, but that was it. I stopped pacing about and sat on the bed. First it was a curfew, and now this? What… I buried my face in my palm befo
A knock came and Lyons—still with his eyes fixed on his nightstand— said, "Come in."The door swing open. It was the butler. "Sir, the hall has been assembled." Lyons waved him away. Now was the time. Turning away from the nightstand, Lyons walked out of the room and reached the hallway. He descended quite a number of stairs, before reaching the basement door. As he opened the door, noise of chattering people hit him. He could make out what each one of them was saying.The noises died down as the people spotted Lyons. He looked ahead to see a multitude. Hundreds and hundreds of Brookehurtian citizens. He smiled to himself.He stood in front of them. "Good evening, the great people of Brookehurt. I'm so glad you honoured my request. As you know, our town has been under attack, in which loves and properties have been destroyed. May I use the opportunity to apologise for that." He paused fir let that sink in. Everyone paid rapt attention. "As a way of helping out, I am donating a sum
==Matteo==Pulling shirt down my face, I was set to leave. Olivia on the other hand was still in the process of putting on her bra. I looked away, not sure I wanted to catch sight of her pointy breasts. They were so fucking tempting. When I looked her way again, she was done. Her hair was tossed, an evident of the body slamming exercise we'd had moments earlier. A look on the clock on the wall confirmed it was way last our lunch time. I walked up to her; a smile appearing on her face. I picked up her scarf that laid some feet away and gave it to her. "Here." Still having the tiny smile on her lips, she took it from me and tied up her hair.As we left the chambers, I could sense she was exhausted from the thing we had. So, to save her any more troubles, I'd let her rest for some time before we met for lunch. I escorted her to her room and when we got to the door, I leaned to kiss her light. Yes, a chaste kiss this time around."See you at lunch."She smiled in response and steppe