All Chapters of Blood and Moon: Araya: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

My feet moved through the forest. I looked back, barely dodging a tree branch as I searched for the predator that was chasing me. It seemed like I had been running forever. My breath was getting shallow as the cold air stabbed at my lungs. Had I gone far enough? I wasn’t sure. The creature seemed to have disappeared. Had I managed to escape? Finally, I came to a stop leaning against a tree trying to moderate my breathing. I grimaced at the pain brought on by the forcible deep breaths. The sound of a twig snapping caused me to jerk. Something was here. Fear crept from my stomach to my chest as I peered around the tree. A pair of golden eyes met mine. I was staring into the face of a big black wolf, one I had seen before. I felt his warm breath on my face. He snarled revealing his canines as saliva dripped from his mouth. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I was frozen. I closed my eyes in anticipation of the attack.“Araya. Araya.” A voice called out from a distance. “Are you okay?”

That’s it? That was the big reveal? I couldn’t help but giggle at his words before I finally spoke. That seemed to be an odd way to describe our situation.“Huh? What’s that?” I asked. “‘Mate’ as in friend or ‘mate’ like a soulmate?” I finally asked him.There was no way it was the first one, but if it was the other, well, I wasn’t ready for that either. It was a lose-lose.There was a point in time I thought Tristan was my soulmate and that obviously didn’t work out. I scoffed at that thought. I didn’t want to be just his friend or his soulmate, but I would settle for a happy median, somewhere in between.“Yes, something like a soulmate, but more than that. It’s a strong connection and something that I have no control over. When a wolf finds their mate, they need that person. The connection makes you stronger, and it builds over time. It’s a fated bond.”Oh. So that’s probably what he had meant before when he asked if I believed some people were fated to be with one another and that

My eyes were open but I couldn’t see. They strained trying to adjust to the darkness. Two. That was the number of times I’d passed out in my lifetime. Both instances happened within a week of each other, this week. My life had become a circus. Where was I? What happened? I remember I had been home with Trinity and then someone busted through my door. No, not just someone. Acelin. I saw his face. I remembered the way he looked at me with intensity that I had seen before. Oh, my God. What happened to Trinity? Was she okay? I was lying down in what felt like a bed, so I sat up quietly and searched with my hands trying to guide myself to feel around looking for any indication of where I might be. Finally I bumped into a table and found a lamp that I quickly turned on. “What the hell!” I gasped. Acelin was sitting right there staring at me in the darkness. “What are you doing? You scared the hell out of me. I couldn’t see at all.” I crossed my arms and glared at him annoyed and freak

Say what now? Unable to let me leave. Was he joking? I looked at Acelin and he was wide-eyed with shock. Apparently he wasn’t joking. “Claudis, I can’t” -“Araya, do not.” Acelin spoke to me quietly shaking his head. Claudis had a stern, matter of fact look on his face now. All traces of his fake smile had now disappeared. Who did he think he was? He wasn’t my leader. There was no way he was going to keep me here against my will. “Only until we get these matters sorted out. I’m sure everything will be cleared up soon. You are important to my son, so no harm will come to you. But you will stay here until I am able to discern the issues at hand. All accommodations will be made for you. That is all.” His words were final. No room for discussion. He was dismissing us. “Yes, Father.” Acelin bowed. “Yes, Claudis,” I said through clenched teeth not taking my eyes off of his. He looked at me intrigued that I would test his order with a hint of defiance. I left the room following Acelin

I backed away from him trying to wrap my head around the words that just came from his mouth. Why was Claudis after me so bad? Both of those options were a lose/lose to me, as they both affected me and Adrian in a negative way. I had no idea what Claudis’ intentions were with him. Acelin said he wanted “an agreement,” but I didn’t trust that. It very well could be a trap. That option was just too risky, not just for him but possibly Trinity and their whole pack. I just could not allow that. The other option was I had to commit myself to Acelin and his coven. I wasn’t sure exactly how that would work, but I was pretty sure there would be no way for me and Adrian to continue our relationship, whatever that was exactly. How could I be loyal and committed to Acelin and his vampire coven while also be in bed with a werewolf, their sworn enemies? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t going to fly with Claudis. The uneasiness in my stomach grew making me weak. I needed to sit down. I was beco