Thud!
Just as I shut the door behind me, I realized it was probably a stupid idea to do what I was about to do. The whole place was dark and I could barely see anything at all! I quickly reached back to find the door to my room amidst the darkness and once I did, I gently pulled open the door. The light from the lamp made a slight change but it was barely enough to see. I could only make out the walls and a dark space that seemed to lead to somewhere; another hallway perhaps, I couldn't tell. Step after step, I gently proceeded while trailing the wall toward the vacant hallway ahead. I knew this was deadly considering if Darren caught me roaming about his house like this, I could end up in trouble. However, I couldn't hold back this curiosity in me. Darren seems too mysterious and he makes me feel like it would severely harm me to stay around for too long. I could smell danger on him and I find him untrustworthy. I believe every man is like this. They prey on weak and vulnerable women, and I won't fall prey again. Not after Jason! I gently made it across to the dark hallway and took a turn to the left while holding the walls for support. I couldn't see a thing as the hallway was quite far away from the reach of the light from the lamp, but I hoped that my sight would adapt to the darkness. Just as I took a step forward, it occurred to me that I had made a terrible mistake. " Ah!" Clomp! The step I took landed on nothing, and so I found myself tripping into darkness as I lost balance. Rumble! Rumble! My legs split and I rolled and tumbled down, hitting my face, hands, legs, and whole body as I fell across the hard surface. Thud! " Tss!" I let out a painful hiss when I hit a flat floor soon. I felt a contorting and excruciating pain from my abdominal wounds, and my whole body ached terribly. " Ngh!" I knew I had reopened my wounds but I gritted my teeth to bear the pain as I pushed myself up. The damned hallway wasn't what it seemed. It was a damn staircase and I had crashed all the way down! No! No! No! I wasn't supposed to wake Darren up. But the fall just now is probably more than enough to do just that! Oh no, Darren mustn't find me out here, I'd be in trouble! With me still hurting all over, I held a palm to my wound and turned around to find the stairs, rapidly hit-searching the floor with my other hand like the blind would. I know I was supposed to be a being of the night but It was just too dark down here! My senses weren't that heightened even as an omega, thanks to Jason! Nonetheless, as soon as I found the staircase, I instinctively crawled up the stairs. And as I drew near the upper floor, my sight slowly readjusted to the darkness from the slight reflection of light from the lamp. I quickly stood with the support of the wall and practically rushed back into my room. I slowly crept in bed and laid myself on my uninjured side, facing away from the door while whispering in pain. I hope he doesn't wake up! I hope he doesn't wake up! I couldn't help but pray with my eyes tightly shut. I knew there was no way he wouldn't have heard me falling from the stairs like that. It was such a hard roll, and I bet the house probably thundered from the sound of it. There was just no way he wouldn't have heard that. it's only a matter of when he'd walk into my room now. After all, there were only us two people in the house. I think... Oh, I'm so fucked! I couldn't help but open my eyes to this realization, literally. I needed a way out of this mess. Yes, yes! An idea suddenly occurred to me. I'll pretend to be asleep and act like it was probably his dog or his cat. Now the question becomes, Is Darren a dog person or a cat person? Ah, that won't work! This too! I screamed internally and reached to turn off the lamp. My whole body hurts so bad but I was so scared of Darren to even think about it. It really was a stupid idea to explore the house while Darren was asleep tonight. I probably would have realized should I have given more thought to it. Now I had more problems at hand, as Darren would soon come in to inquire what I was doing roaming about his house. I'm doomed! Even if I tried to deny it, I still have to bear with this hurt all over my body and try not to make him notice my wounds. Oh yes, I'm most certainly bleeding right now, and he'd definitely catch a sniff. What to do now?! I shut my eyes, tears slowly rolling down my cheek from the pain, panic, and fear that I was going through at the moment. I thought of what to do with every bit of my being in panic. It extended for a very long while until I felt my self slowly drifting away into a deep slumber. ... Alphonse stood staring with an incredulous gaze at the sight before him. The place was a large room and there were lots of people everywhere, each with a mat, mattress, or a piece of clothing with which they marked their territory. " Make yourself at home." Yoldes snared as he stormed off. Just as he was about to exit the place, he stopped and turned halfway as if remembering something. " You only have a few days to stay and you'll be out before you know it." He said with a slight smirk and left. Alphonse couldn't help but shake his head at Yoldes' attitude. He was right though, Alphonse did not wish to spend the rest of his time in what seemed not unlike a shelter. That is exactly what the place before him was! A werewolf shelter! The place was quite silent and there was only one source of light, being a bulb that hung in the middle of the room. The shelter stank horribly of piss, shit, vomit, and pus, but no one seemed to mind. Even though it was nighttime already, there were only few who seemed to be asleep. Alphonse looked around to find a vacant spot and he soon found one in the far corner. He calmly walked towards the spot while observing the place. He noticed several staring at him with a cold glare but he didn't give much attention to it. People were lying ill and wounded while they had others beside them, tending to them. Cough! Cough! The shelter was just a terrible chance at survival that every one of them couldn't help but take. As he passed by, Alphonse couldn't help but pity these people. He knew most of them were in this state as a result of some sort of persecution. Whether in the supernatural world of werewolves themselves or from humans' persistent hunt of their kind. ' The curse that burdens us all is like a crucifix, we must carry on or be blessed with cold ruthless death...' ' Just like Sam did...' Alphonse's brows furrowed at this thought as he reverted his gaze and headed straight towards the spot in the corner. He gently sat by the wall and closed his eyes, feeling the coldness from the floor seep through to his bone. The place was underground after all, hence, the coldness. " Here, you won't survive the cold without it" Alphonse heard and quickly opened his eyes, only to meet the sight of a shivering hand outstretching a blanket over to him. Baffled, he couldn't help but look towards the person who offered him the blanket. It was an aged man whose skin was wrinkled and whose hairline had receded. Alphonse contemplated for a while before reaching out to take the blanket. " Thank you" " Don't sweat it, just take it from another bald man" The old man said. Alphonse didn't take offence in his sarcastic remark. As a matter of fact, he nodded frankly at the old man in appreciation. Although the blanket had a pungent odor, Alphonse didn't mind as he covered himself with it. " So what brought you here to town" The old man asked after seeing that Alphonse had settled in. Alphonse was silent for a long while, unwilling to entertain this old man. However, he realized he needed as much information as he could get about this place and the whole of the town if he wanted to survive. " Left my pack." He said. " A classic, hehe. Being in a pack can be suffocating at times. However, it's one of the reasons why what you see around is now a common occurrence..." " You see, my friend. Solitariness was never our way, and look where it's got us" The old man stated, his voice full of pity and disappointment as he went on and on about how all werewolves should always belong to a pack. Alphonse wanted to say he didn't leave his pack out just to be free, however, he couldn't bother with it. It was pointless telling him about it anyway. The old man just wouldn't stop rambling on about it. ' He's probably gone senile, I should find someone else to ask tomorrow ' Alphonse decided to ignore the old man. " Hah! how I wish for a day where all werewolves would unite under a single pack and stand against the persecution of our race." The old man sighed and turned on his side, backing Alphonse. ' He fell silent, probably asleep huh?' Alphonse thought. ' ... About the old man's last words' He was unable to shake the big picture off his mind. Alphonse looked around the place wondering when all of it would ever end. The battle between werewolves and that between them and the humans. It was quite the dream the old man had, but... ' A dream is a dream, and the real world is nothing but a nightmare...' Alphonse closed his eyes and slowly drifted asleep.The morning dew covered the woods densely, causing a damp coldness all around. The air was crisp and fresh, carrying the earthy scent of the forest. "Ngh!" Darren grunted as he squinted his eyes open, the first thing in his field of vision being the damp area of dried leaves and twigs, surrounded by tall trees with thick branches. It was the early grotesque appearance of nature at dawn. " Aagh!" He groaned in distress and held his head as he pushed himself up, a severe ring reverberating through his head. Darren couldn't help but clench his eyes shut and shake his head. Slowly recovering from the splitting headache, Darren looked around, unfamiliar with the terrain he found himself in. He wondered just how far he'd wandered into the woods this time. This wasn't a surprise to Darren. Afterall, it wouldn't be the first time it would happen to him. It was more of a common occurrence to him. " Ugh! I have to find my way back home" He muttered and slowly rose from the floor.
Kyley looked between the bed and Darren, her entire being still shivering in fear and anxiety. " Will you?" Darren asked, pointing towards the bed with his gaze. The expression on his face made it obvious just how furious he was. ' He's gonna treat my wounds? Not harm me?' Kyley was confused and didn't know whether to believe Darren. ' Nonetheless, there was nothing to do but play it calm and by his rules' Kyley decided to listen to Darren for now. There was no way she could escape now anyway. " O-okay" Kyley nodded nervously. She slowly and cautiously got back in bed, her gaze moving to watch Darren with every move she made. Darren exhaled heavily and walked over to the bedside, he placed the needle holder down and revealed the suture needle and thread that he'd held in his palm the whole time. Kyley looked at this and couldn't help but grow tense. Darren tied the thread to the needle and raised his fierce gaze to look at Kyley. " Show me your wounds!" Darren order
Kyley stared at the wooden ceiling beams that added a rustic feel to the room's aesthetics, while still deep in thought about what had happened earlier." Show me your wounds!" Darren's stern face appeared in her mind as he yelled at her over and over again. Her pain had significantly reduced after Darren had attended to her wounds. However, Kyley still didn't know how to feel about it. The fear and anxiety in her heart still remained, and her body would shudder every now and then.Her trauma had kicked in.Kyley felt like a trapped mouse, waiting to be slaughtered. She was wounded and had nowhere to go. She couldn't help but curse her ill-fate.' Why do I always have to go through this?' Tears threatened to break out of her eyes. Kyley was hurt, in pain, and was mentally exhausted- she's collapsing. She could barely hold on to the last bit of sanity left within her, Kyley believed she would soon lose it. And Darren was probably the last straw.' Darren...' Kyley didn't know just wha
" I didn't mean to hurt you or anything, but you were throwing things at me and making it difficult for me to tend to your wounds. So I had to force you to stop throwing a fit. Sorry if I made you feel some sort of way" Darren slowly recounted, choosing his words carefully. Darren didn't want her to think he was calling her crazy. It was obvious that he believed the pain from her wounds was what made Kyley react as aggressively as she did earlier. He understood, and he wanted her to know he really did. Silence reigned over in the room for a long while. Kyley didn't respond to Darren's apology, she just lowered her gaze in thought.' He is genuinely apologizing?' Kyley repeated in her mind, over and over again as though she were trying to remind herself that this was real. Kyley had never been apologized to by anyone. Never! And hearing Darren apologize to her made her feel some kind of way. ' Moreso, he actually cares' Kyley could tell from the sincerity in his tone that Darren mea
'Huh?' Kyley thought she heard him wrong. " Oh! I have an idea. Give me a second" Darren said and turned around to leave the room. However, he grabbed the wooden bucket and mop stick before leaving the room entirely.' Huh?' Kyley was even more confused. She watched his back with a stupendous expression as he walked out the room. Did he really just asked if she wanted to go outside? Kyley was left baffled. Just what was Darren thinking? Soon, Darren returned to the room while Kyley was still deep in her thought. The latter raised her gaze and was shocked to see Darren row in a wheelchair." I've had to use it in the past, plenty of times" He said with a small grin. Kyley gasped in shock hearing this and she instantly expressed hesitation. Just what did he mean by having used the wheelchair plenty of times? It sounded a bit creepy " O-of course, I've used it myself is what I meant" Darren clarified seeing the look of contempt on Kyley's face. He smiled wryly realizing his mistake.
Kyley looked at Darren for the longest while, confused as to what he meant with his words. The evocative expression on his face made her rather curious as to something." Why?" She asked.Darren switched his gaze to Kyley and raised a brow. " Why do I feel this way?" Darren wasn't sure of what Kyley was asking." Why did you move out here in the middle of the woods?" Kyley rephrased her question. It was something that baffled her ever since, and it shaped her image of Darren being undeserving of trust. After all, who in their right mind lived in the depths of the wood all alone? It just didn't make sense no matter how much she tried to look past it." That's a long story. I'll tell you when it's right time to do so. But... Just know it wasn't by my own decision." Darren said with a bitter smile. How could he blurt out that he'd moved all the way out here because he was cursed? He was trying to win her trust here, not scare her. Kyley would definitely jump out of the wheelchair and fle
In the residence of the Moonblood pack, Jason stood by the window with his arms crossed behind him. He looked outside to watch as his betas brought in the Stingfang pack members who'd been held captive by the Moonblood pack. Jason's gaze was resolute and condescendingly stern. Being at the rear end of the town and secluded, whatever was done in the Moonblood pack residence was hidden away from prying eyes.And thus, no one complained as the captives were pushed into a large building that seemed like some sort of warehouse. Although the structure appeared weathered and old, it blended perfectly with the surrounding as many other buildings in the residence weren't too far from being the same. Save for Jason's house which was a bit more modern, most of the other houses gave off a countryside vibe.Being a cold cruel leader, Jason looking down at the growth of his pack with a stoic expression made everyone reverent of their duties. They operated with due diligence. Having no idea as to
Paige who had been hiding by the entrance hall, opened her mouth wide in shock and gasped hearing Ivan's words. ' To think he's really found that bitch!... Talk about being unfortunate' Paige was devastated at the fact that her chance to redeem herself with Jason was gone, just like that." Where are they now?" She heard Jason ask and couldn't help but give up on her thought and focus on listening in on the conversation even more. " The traitor was spotted in Portico city. He is wounded and is now looking to find help and heal. Caleb Last saw him entering some local pub. Yoldes' palm it was called..." Ivan recounted slowly.' To think that fool has gone that far...' Jason creased his gaze and rubbed his chin in thought for a second before asking. " And Kyley?" " ... I found her myself..." Ivan didn't let up the chance to boast of his achievement. After all, it was a rare opportunity that every other pack member had been hoping to grab so as to impress Jason. However, he didn't was