Chapter Three

"Andrew run!" A woman screamed, crouching with her hands, holding her bloody abdomen on the other side of the road. 

With one hand, she gestured towards him. Andrew's mind was running, but his body stood frozen, his eyes rimmed with his tears as he watched his battered mother. He took a step forward, beckoning her to join him on the other side of the road before the monster caught up with them. She shook her head.

"Run baby," she pleaded, falling to the ground. "Follow the road until you get to the city, as we planned. No forests, baby, stay away from the forests."

Something roared inside the trees behind her, shaking the grounds and trees as it moved within. Andrew's eyes widened. The monster was close.

"Hide baby," His mother mouthed, hefting herself up. She didn't cross to his side of the road. Instead, she limped away from him towards the tree lines.

Mommy. He wanted to scream, but he didn't. Instead, he bit his tongue and crouched behind the largest tree he could find.

His conscience whipped him. His father told him to look after and protect his mother. Yet, he was hiding behind a tree while his mother protected him. If his father was here, he would sneer at him, calling him a coward.

"Boy, you're growing up to be a coward." He would say.

His mother would always interfere. "Leave him alone, he's just nine."

His father would then grunt something incomprehensible and face the monster, tearing it apart.

But he wasn't there.

The monster still hidden in the forest's canopy changed its direction following his mother.

He whimpered, covering his mouth and sobbing into his palms. She limped, leaving a trail of blood for the monster to follow. Her favorite flower patterned gown hung loosely, shredded and dripping in blood, her black which was normally tied in a messy bum was coated with her blood. Her smooth skin filled with bite marks from which blood pooled out.

The monster caught up fast. It flew out from the trees and pounced on her. Using its enormous jaws to grip her shoulders and toss her around like she was a rag doll. She landed with a sickening crunch on a tree. The monster jumped on her and tore her to pieces.

"Mom!" He screamed.

It's your fault, coward! His father's words rang in his head.

The monster immediately snapped its head in his direction, its yellow gleaming eyes spotting him immediately. It seemed to grin at him. Bitter hatred for the monster stewed within Andrew. He stared it in the eyes, promising to find and kill it. But he didn't know what it was and hadn't seen or heard about any animal like it before. It was too huge and wild to be called a dog, too different from a wolf.

Gripped by fear took off, running back into the forest against his mother's advice. The monster followed.

****

Andrew jolted up, tears and sweat drenched his body

The same dream. He thought, holding his shivering hand. He fell back to the bed and squinted, flapping his eyelids as his eyes tried adjusting to the harsh rays of sunlight streaming in through the window blinds. His head felt like it was going to burst open.

He groaned softly, massaging his temples as he took in his surroundings. They had put him in his old room, he'd realized, recognizing the furniture surrounding him.

"Bravo." Andrew muttered, using his hands to prop himself up and standing up. The room he was in was one of the three places he could not escape from. Whenever he was in it, he forgot his urge to run away because it was the exact copy of his mother's room. It even carried her scent. 

Andrew groaned, ruffling his hair as he walked groggily towards the door. Bells jingled around, but he was still too disoriented to care.

From experience, he knew that reliving his mother's tragic death was an ominous sign that something horrible was coming his way.

Run, run baby. Her words echoed in his head.

Stay away from the forests, follow the main roads, they'll take you to a city. She'd said.

Run, baby.

Andrew shook his head to clear his mind. Goosebumps scattered all over his body. He thought of Emily and the way she made his heart jump the day before. He needed to see her again. There were questions she needed to answer. Maybe after listening to Laura and Larry's ranting, he'd head off into town to see if he could track her, he thought, scratching his belly.

He was midway towards the door when he noted that something was restricting his movement. He glanced down at hot silver chains clasped on his legs and arms, merrily singeing away his skin.

He growled, tracing the source of chains. They were attached to the granite walls of his room.

The door creaked open, and the woman called Laura walked in with a menacing grin on her face.

Andrew growled, struggling with the chains to rush at her. It proved useless. With each movement he made, the chains sapped out his energy, making him weak. She smirked, then dragged in a chair from outside, turned it facing backwards and sat, staring Andrew in the eyes. 

Larry walked in next, pouting with his head bent low.

"Fuck!" Andrew snarled.

Larry shuddered and snapped his head towards him with a small frown, rearranging his sandy blonde, wavy hair.

"Why?" Andrew asked through gritted teeth. “Why'd you people have to stoop so low?

No one replied. Laura grinned wider, cracking and stretching her fingers and arms. After a while, Larry faced him.

"The last time I checked, you've broken through every single thing we've captured you in. So we couldn't take any chances this time around, especially after what you did yesterday." Larry replied harshly.

"By chaining me like an animal?" Andrew retorted.

Larry grinned, turning back to his mirror. "Recently you've been showing rabid behavior, so yes, confining you like an animal was our best bet.”

Andrew snorted.

"Who's idea was this?" Andrew croaked tiredly, his body drenched in sweat.

Larry paused his rearranging, stared at Laura, then hurriedly looked away. Andrew snarled, struggling with the chains.

"Foolish boy, you do not know what you've done." Laura whispered.

"I crashed my engagement party." He retorted.

Laura and Larry chuckled mirthlessly.

"That's not even the worst part, Andrew, while you were proving a perfect distraction…”

The door swung open, revealing a tall willowy platinum blonde woman in a snug suede gown that lapped her trim curves and red bottom heels.

"Witches invaded the pack made away with little ones." She said coolly, completing Laura's statement. 

Andrew stifled a whimper making its way out of his throat. lt felt as if a heavy beam had placed on his chest.

"Nicole." Laura and Larry said, acknowledging her.

"Leave us." She instructed, nodding at them. 

Larry and Laura bowed and trudged out of the room.

"Do you understand the gravity of your recklessness?" She asked, standing before Andrew. 

"Andrew you could…" She began softly.

"What are you doing here?" Andrew spat.

"I came to see if you're doing okay. Who did this?" She gestured to the chains.

"Get out." Andrew growled.

She gasped, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm… I'm your mate for crying out loud. I feel your pain. Everything about you concerns me, we are meant for each other, Andrew." She stuttered, her lips quivering. 

"Oh please, stop with the theatrics Nicole." Andrew sighed.

"How can you still be so cruel towards me?" She croaked, kneeling before him and holding his face.

Andrew growled.

"Let go of me,!" He hissed.

"Why do you keep trying to ignore our bond?" She asked tearfully.

"Fuck it, Nicole, I've told you time and time again. Whatever you have going on in your head is not happening. Get out!" He barked.

She burst into tears, nerve racking tears. Andrew watched her feeling nothing but disgust towards her. After a while she composed herself, sniffling and shivering, Nicolestood up and faced the window.

"I've never seen you treat Larry or Laura like this." She whispered venomously. When she faced him again, all the traces of pain and grief had disappeared from her face.

"You have no idea how much trouble you're in. You've finally done it. You've finally done something that the pack can't overlook even though you're their supposed messiah." She started mournfully.

"And trust me, Andrew, you'll need me to get out of this one alive. You'll still come begging." She said finally, walking out of the room and leaving Andrew alone.

Immediately she left, Andrew heaved a sigh of relief. He looked the chains then at the room. If he was in so much trouble like everyone had just announced, he needed to escape.

The door burst open and Nicole ran in panting heavily.

"Andrew! You've got to go!" She said huffing.

Andrew jumped up. 

"What why?" 

She pulled off her heels and unclasped the chains that held him.

"Run!" She said shoving him towards the window.