Chapter 3

CALISTA was sprinting rapidly while crying uncontrollably from fear and agony. Her father's terrified expression was still vivid in her mind. She wailed as she recalls how Henry savagely lashed out at her father and twisted his neck until his head separated from his body.

Even though she's injured and exhausted from running, she could not rest in fear with Henry and his companions getting closer to her. Despite the distance, she could still hear and feel their presence.

She came to a halt when someone grabbed her and threw her to the ground. She screamed when she felt the person pinning her to the ground bite her on the shoulder. When she turned around, she saw that it was Henry and had already transformed into a wolf.

"Grrr!" Henry started growling.

Calista pushed Henry with all her might, causing Henry to collide with a large tree. She stood up and ran once more.

Henry was overwhelmed because he had been slightly injured. When he heard his allies approaching, he looked behind him. "Find her!" he exclaimed in wolf language.

*****

"THIS is all your fault, Simeon! Look, it's already getting dark!" Mercy grumbled to her husband Simeon as she organized their belongings inside their bag. Every time she hears a crackling sound, she constantly looks around.

As it was a holiday, the Gomez couple decided to explore nature by visiting the Montgomery forest.

"We can just stay here in the forest for the night," Simeon said, still lying down inside their tent.

"What if something scary appeared out of nowhere_. Ah!" The old lady was baffled when a wounded girl appeared not far from her.

"H-help me..." the girl stammered before collapsing to the ground.

Simeon sprang from the tent, astounded to see the girl. "Who is she?!"

Mercy quickly approached the girl instead of responding to her husband. "My God! What happened to you?!" she exclaimed as she stared at the strange girl's wounded body and ripped clothes. "Who did this to you?" she asked as she handed her a glass of water.

*****

CALISTA felt relieved upon meeting the Gomez' but that was only for a brief moment. Her eyes widened as she sensed Henry's presence.

"Run..." She pushed the old lady with her trembling hands.

Mercy looked at Calista, perplexed. "W-what?"

"They're coming; you should go!"

Simeon yanked his wife away from Calista.

Mercy attempted to flee from her husband. "We can't just leave her!" she shouted. She was about to move toward Calista again when she saw a large black wolf appear behind her and jumped on her.

But not long after, Mercy and Simeon were taken aback when Calista tossed the wolf that seemed to be three times her size.

Many more gigantic wolves emerged from the darkness in a flash. Their sharp eyes and huge mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth are terrifying. They all seem to be itching to tear Calista apart.

The couple was horrified when one of the wolves locked eyes with them. Mercy screamed in terror and quickly hid behind Simeon.

Calista turned around as soon as she heard Mercy's cry. When she saw one of the werewolves about to grab the couple, the sleeping wolf within her seemed to awaken. She dashed in their direction, and as she leaped to catch the opponent, she transformed into a white wolf.

It used to be difficult and painful for her to transform into a wolf, but this time she did it fast and easy.

Mercy knelt in front of Calista, trembling. She couldn't believe who was in front of them; the recently meek maiden they'd been assisting had turned out to be a ferocious monster. She shrieked as she witnessed Calista engulf the large wolf that was about to attack them.

Simeon found an opportunity to flee as all of the wolves' attention was drawn to Calista. He quickly grabbed his startled wife's arm and bolted.

*****

SHIVERING and weak, Calista looked at her attackers as she lay on the ground without a single piece of clothing on her body. They were already laughing as if they were ecstatic about her terrible state.

Calista shut her eyes tightly as she was certain that that night would be her end. She gasped when someone suddenly grabbed her head and gripped her hair tight. Even with her eyes closed, she knew it was Henry. She waited for his next move but she was startled when she smelled a familiar odor. Althaia's scent.

"What's up, Althaia? Should I wrap things up now, or do you also want to play with your cousin?" Henry asked sarcastically.

Calista was hoping that Althaia will help her but she was heartbroken after she heard her response.

"Let's go," Althaia said flatly, her face devoid of emotion.

Confused, Henry turned to Althaia while he was still grasping Calista. "But she's still alive_."

"Let's go, Henry!" Althaia said, glancing at Calista. "She'll die eventually," she said heartlessly as she walked away.

Henry shook his head and smiled. "Kill joy," he murmured as he let go of Calista and motioned for his comrades to leave. "Farewell, dear Queen!"

Due to the bruises and whack wounds, Calista was unable to move any part of her body. She could feel nothing but extreme numbness. She looked at the dark sky in tears. "Queen Mother... Why did you let this happen?"

Calista and her attackers had no idea the couple she had met before was hiding behind a large tree. They saw how she was mercilessly attacked by the wolves.

"Are you insane?!" Simeon yanked back his wife Mercy, who was about to return to Calista when she confirmed that the evil werewolves had left.

"Don't you feel sorry for that child?" Mercy shook Simeon's hand violently.

"Child?! Do you hear what you're saying?! Mercy, that's a monster!"

Instead of listening to her husband, Mercy dashed out of their hiding spot and approached the now unconscious Calista. She checked her pulse and was relieved to confirm she was still alive.

*****

"MERCY, I'm telling you, this is a big mistake!"

"What do you want?! Leave this poor girl in the middle of the woods and let her die? My goodness! You're worse than those monsters, Simeon."

"That girl is also a monster, Mercy! What if she attacks us suddenly?"

Calista overheard the couple fighting. A part of her mind told her to pretend she was still unconscious. Not knowing whether it was due to fear or shame.

She focused her attention and became aware of her surroundings. She realized that she was no longer in the woods. She could feel and smell the soft mattress she was lying on, as well as the strong scent of disinfectant all around her.

"She won't do that, Simeon," Mercy said emphatically. "She saved us back there. I'm sure she is a good person."

Calista felt the approaching presence of the woman and its gentle caress on her cheek.

"She can't hurt us. You heard what the Doctor said earlier, it will take months before her broken bones heal_."

Calista heard the squeak of the door causing the two to go quiet. And then she heard a woman's voice. The woman told the couple that the doctor wanted to discuss something with them. When she heard them coming out, she opened her eyes.

She found herself in a small white room. She looked around; the only things inside were the long sofa on the side, her bed, and the dextrose attached to her.

She sat and examined the bandages on her arms. She also has difficulty standing on her own because one of her legs has been cemented.

She is certain that she no longer needs the bandages and the other things attached to her body because one of the rare characteristics of werewolves is their ability to heal wounds quickly.

Again, she attempted to stand on her feet, but the cement on her leg proved to be a significant impediment. She slammed her cemented leg against the wall several times in frustration, but she came to a full halt when the door unexpectedly opened and a young man with a large bruise around his eye entered. She was certain he was a patient like her because they were dressed similarly.

The man's mouth dropped open as he stared at her leg and the cement scraps on the floor. Soon after, the elderly couple who had rescued her arrived, also stunned by the scene.

Mercy stammered, "Yo-you can walk already?"

Calista returned her gaze to the door when another elderly man appeared. "Clyde, stop running away from us!" the man yelled angrily to the young man before dragging him out of the room.

Calista and the young man, whom the old man called Clyde, exchanged glances before he finally left. Calista returned her attention to the couple, who didn't appear to be recovering from what had just occurred.

"Can... Can you help me with these?" she asked timidly, pointing to the cement chunks on the floor.