Matt woke up from a nightmare and immediately looked at his bedside table. Beads of sweat trickled all over his forehead. He got up and walked out of the balcony to breathe fresh air.
He did not realize it was already a full moon until he saw the majestic Luna shining from above. If it weren’t for Aria, if it were not for the prophecy, they would still be in pain of transitioning as a wolf tonight.
He wondered what they were doing in Crescent Hills.
Matt went down to grab some beer, and he almost jumped on Cassie when he saw her lurking in the dark garden. “What are you doing there?” he asked.
Matt opened the glass sliding door and let her in. “What happened?” he asked. He inspected her, but she seemed fine, except for her expression.
“I always have a dreamless sleep,”
Aria’s life flashed before her eyes. She thought of her parents. They already lost her. How would they feel if they lose her again?She thought of the unjust death of her father, Blake, who was imprisoned for years in his own home and died right after taking it back from the oppressors.She thought of her best friends and her pack. The people who rely on her. The people who had their hopes for her.She thought of Leo.The love of his life.Aria knew Leo would never betray her unless he was under some kind of a spell. The person she met tonight was not the man she married.She has to save him. But how?Aria's tears meddled with the summer wind as gravity pulled her towards the dark hollow below. She marveled at the moon that cast its light over Crescent Hills.
Althea came back to the castle of Crescent Hills, raging about losing Aria and her pack’s only hope to be free from the moon curse, which would consequently make them respect and worship her.But she was not the only furious one. Amara’s anger made one of the towers of the castle explode and burn. The dark clouds hid the moon, and thunder bolted on every part of Crescent Hills.The kids in each house surrounding the castle trembled in fear and loneliness as their parents were affected by the spell that compelled every Crescent to turn their back against the alpha.Leo's eyes were still
Aria and Lizzie both dashed to the woods and found a bunch of bodies scattered all around the opening. Blake’s head was still on the spike. Aria glanced at it and clenched her fists. “I will make them pay,” she whispered in between her teeth as she went inside the moonlit forest.They found Cassie kneeling on the ground, embracing Matt’s limp and lifeless body in her arms.With eyes still full of tears, and a quivering lower lip, she looked up at Aria and shook her head. “He’s gone,” she said. “He’s gone,” she said, her sobs echoed in the middle of the night.A few meters away from them was a distraught Leo. He was looking down on his bloody hands, then to Matt. Aria could hear his heart thumping from there.She flashed towards him and tried to make him focus on her eyes.
It was already seventy years ago since Aria had buried three of the people dear to her heart. It was seventy years ago since the curse of being a hybrid manifested in her life.She buried more people after that, watched them take their last breath as she held them helplessly.For the rest of the Crescent pack, they all met their end and found peace on the other side of the realm.Since she had only shared her abilities with them - taking control of when to shift, vampire-like speed, and heightened senses, not her actual hybrid status, they still stayed mortal.She watched in the background as their skin sagged and white hair filled their head.She wept and mourned and let the earth swallow them - naturally, just like her best friend, Elizabeth France - Wilson.She knew this day would come, but it still hurt like hell. Aria had prepared herself. She and
Aria saw her parents tied on their bed, their mouths covered with duct tape, and both blindfolded. She removed their blindfolds as quickly as she can, then the duct tape as gently as she can, and signaled them to hush.“Everything will be alright,” she whispered to her crying mother.“Are you okay?” her father asked. She nodded.Her father’s face is a mixed emotion of anger to their situation and relief to see her okay.She looked for a scissor to cut the cable ties binding their hands to the post of their bed but was interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching the room.“Hide. Hide,” her father frantically whispered.“Gun in the dresser,” he said while pointing the dresser with his lips. She quickly hid as she was told and stayed silent.They’re at the door. She can hear th
Aria's feet are already sore from running, and she could still feel the blood gushing out of her wound in her shoulder. Despite the hunger, tiredness, and not seeing the path clearly, she kept running.The only thing that lights her path is the moon from above that shines thru the gaps of leaves and branches of the trees. She is confused why she's not healing despite having the ability to do so.Not far from Aria is a group of men and women chasing her. They don't have anything that illuminates their path, but they run as if they see everything in the dark forest."You can't run away from us, Aria," their leader said. His voice echoed in the woods and made every bit of Aria's being tremble for fear.The fear made her run faster, but it was too late when she realized that she has already reached the precipice of the cliff. Now, she needs to choose; go back and die fighting or fall and take a risk in t
Since they were kids, Aria and the other kids were taught not to walk alone late at night."Don't go in the woods, especially during a full moon, for that's when beasts grow stronger," they say.The dark forest kills people every year, so they are warned not to go there.She thought those were all just made-up stories that go way back to their ancestors.Ancient history.Except for the killings in the woods, she knew about that. They knew about that. But they still had a party there. It was just in the clearing of the woods, but it was still in the woods.As for the beasts, she thought those were just myths. Stories to scare kids at night. Stories that eventually faded as they grew older.Stories about the beasts who kill people, but they got buried as years went by. They realized beast is a metaphor for people who can't control their emo
Aria tried to swallow the food that Nora gave her. She still can't get off her mind what happened last night.Despite appearing to be calm, the thought that she killed someone and going to jail because of it still lingers in her mind."Aria, I know you were so exhausted after what happened last night," Nora said. "But you need to eat to regain your strength.""I haven't seen Leo," she started, contemplating whether to start asking questions or not yet. She thinks Nora seems trustworthy, but not Matt.Somehow, Matt gives this weird feeling that he doesn't like her that much. She needs Leo.Aria wants to talk to him. But she hasn't seen him since she woke up."He's just trying to get an update in the crime scene," Matt said.Aria looked up at him and tried to read what was really in his mind; maybe she was judging him too early. But he gaze
It was already seventy years ago since Aria had buried three of the people dear to her heart. It was seventy years ago since the curse of being a hybrid manifested in her life.She buried more people after that, watched them take their last breath as she held them helplessly.For the rest of the Crescent pack, they all met their end and found peace on the other side of the realm.Since she had only shared her abilities with them - taking control of when to shift, vampire-like speed, and heightened senses, not her actual hybrid status, they still stayed mortal.She watched in the background as their skin sagged and white hair filled their head.She wept and mourned and let the earth swallow them - naturally, just like her best friend, Elizabeth France - Wilson.She knew this day would come, but it still hurt like hell. Aria had prepared herself. She and
Aria and Lizzie both dashed to the woods and found a bunch of bodies scattered all around the opening. Blake’s head was still on the spike. Aria glanced at it and clenched her fists. “I will make them pay,” she whispered in between her teeth as she went inside the moonlit forest.They found Cassie kneeling on the ground, embracing Matt’s limp and lifeless body in her arms.With eyes still full of tears, and a quivering lower lip, she looked up at Aria and shook her head. “He’s gone,” she said. “He’s gone,” she said, her sobs echoed in the middle of the night.A few meters away from them was a distraught Leo. He was looking down on his bloody hands, then to Matt. Aria could hear his heart thumping from there.She flashed towards him and tried to make him focus on her eyes.
Althea came back to the castle of Crescent Hills, raging about losing Aria and her pack’s only hope to be free from the moon curse, which would consequently make them respect and worship her.But she was not the only furious one. Amara’s anger made one of the towers of the castle explode and burn. The dark clouds hid the moon, and thunder bolted on every part of Crescent Hills.The kids in each house surrounding the castle trembled in fear and loneliness as their parents were affected by the spell that compelled every Crescent to turn their back against the alpha.Leo's eyes were still
Aria’s life flashed before her eyes. She thought of her parents. They already lost her. How would they feel if they lose her again?She thought of the unjust death of her father, Blake, who was imprisoned for years in his own home and died right after taking it back from the oppressors.She thought of her best friends and her pack. The people who rely on her. The people who had their hopes for her.She thought of Leo.The love of his life.Aria knew Leo would never betray her unless he was under some kind of a spell. The person she met tonight was not the man she married.She has to save him. But how?Aria's tears meddled with the summer wind as gravity pulled her towards the dark hollow below. She marveled at the moon that cast its light over Crescent Hills.
Matt woke up from a nightmare and immediately looked at his bedside table. Beads of sweat trickled all over his forehead. He got up and walked out of the balcony to breathe fresh air.He did not realize it was already a full moon until he saw the majestic Luna shining from above. If it weren’t for Aria, if it were not for the prophecy, they would still be in pain of transitioning as a wolf tonight.He wondered what they were doing in Crescent Hills.Matt went down to grab some beer, and he almost jumped on Cassie when he saw her lurking in the dark garden. “What are you doing there?” he asked.Matt opened the glass sliding door and let her in. “What happened?” he asked. He inspected her, but she seemed fine, except for her expression.“I always have a dreamless sleep,”
Aria woke up with the sound of a woman yelling words she could not understand. The woman had long black curly hair and looked a bit older than her mother. She was holding some kind of herb, her eyes were closed, and below her is a wooden table with a little glass.The smell of wolf's bane, chrysanthemum, and other herbs Aria could not recognize lingered in the air around her. She could feel the two ropes binding her.“Hold her down,” the woman said when she noticed Aria was already awake. Before Aria could even fight back, arms surrounded her, pressing her against the tree she tied at.Aria did not know how many people were there, but she saw familiar faces with vacant eyes as if they did not recognize her.“What did you do to them? Who are you?!” she yelled at the w
Aria grunted in frustration after trying too many times to remove the ropes binding her hand on the two opposite poles. Her wrists were already red, and she could feel every fiber of the rope pricking her skin as she tried once more.Each and every one of her packs was inside the castle, celebrating with the enemy while mosquitos were biting every exposed part of her body.Her wounds did not help her in getting out.Aria tried once more with all her strength, and a muffled scream escaped her lips. She freed herself from the ropes binding her, but not without wounding her own wrist. She ignored the wounds and just ran as fast as she could, hurting herself once more in the shoulder.She knew something was in the drink they forcefully gave her. It seemed like it took all her strength. She ran towards the woods of Crescent Hills and glanced at the moon.
“Where are they?” Aria asked Matt right after torched Raymond Valle’s body together with the vampires they killed. The other vampires escaped death and ran far from Crescent Hills to God knows where.“They are with Abigail,” Matt answered.Aria breathed in relief and glanced at her father. Blake was silently staring at the dancing fire burning the bodies of those who made his life a living hell.“Father.”Sometimes, it still feels odd for her to say those words out. But, they came out of her tongue naturally as soon as she met Blake.Blake turned around, and Aria welcomed him back with a tight hug. “Thank you, for coming back,” she said, trying to speak without breaking her voice, but she failed.Aria sniffed and leaned back.&ldq
The stench on Aria's nostril was replaced by a sharp and thick smell. It permeated the air in the whole new chamber they had reached.The iron-like smell became stronger as they left the secret tunnel. Aria glanced at Leo, who was crunching his nose after the smell hit him. “It’s a lot of blood,” Aria said.They walked further inside that room and had found out why the smell of blood was so strong in that room. Aria gasped after pulling out the huge curtain. Hundreds of bodies, being drained of their blood, were on the other side of that room.Some of them were still conscious that they raised their hand as high as they could, asking for Aria to help them while most of the people there were unconscious, pale, and probably, dead.“Help us,” the girl said in a weak voice. It was almost inaudible. There were tubes all