Mafia's Mate

Your biggest mistake

"Runy," The other kids were worried but so was I... "Runy, the Luna," They called out to me again.

"Yea," I replied, "The Luna should be here somewhere,"

"No," The kids answered, "We saw her run into the forest."

!!!

I shot my head at them, "What?! When!??!"

***

"Luna!!" The voices of other pack members echoed in the forest. I gathered the wolves I could and immediately came to look for Calliope.

"Luna!?"

"Miss Luna?" Even the kids were helping out.

The search became a desperate quest, my footsteps quickening as I combed through the underbrush. Anxiety gnawed at my every step, each passing moment amplifying the fear that something had gone terribly wrong. The knots tightened in my stomach as I envisioned the worst.

Considering how badly Bezof is injured, Calliope is bound to be in trouble. Unfortunately Bezof didn't wake up and I couldn't ask him anything!

I haven't found Luna's mother either... I let my wolf sniff the air and find any leads possible. Most of the people in the woods had shifted and were doing the same thing.

Oh Lord! This happens even though we promised her we could protect her. I bit my lips in anger and disappointment.

I ran around, following the scent I found familiar and reached the clearing where I picked Bezof from. The air grew heavy with a foreboding sense of dread. My eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any trace of the Luna or a clue to her whereabouts. The forest seemed to hold its secrets tightly, refusing to yield any answers.

I had no choice but to go deeper in but as I ventured deeper into the woods, my heart sank. My calls for Calliope or her mother remained unanswered, and the ominous stillness pressed on me like a weight. Then, in a patch of moonlit clearing, a glint caught my eye.

There, in the middle of the forest floor, lay Luna's shoe. Panic surged anew as I ran towards it, shifting as I reached it and scooped it up, my fingers trembling.

Oh No...

***

>>Calliope

As consciousness slowly clawed its way back to me, I became aware of the disorienting haze that enveloped my senses. The air felt heavy, and my eyelids were reluctant to part. A dull throbbing echoed in my head, each pulse a reminder of the fog that lingered in my mind.

Blinking against the grogginess, I attempted to make sense of my surroundings. The darkness around me, with only a hint of red filter light painted an unfamiliar scene.

What...? Where am I...? No matter how much I blinked, the darkness wouldn't leave.

Panic threaded its way through my dazed thoughts as I took in the unfamiliar interior.

I almost lost it.

WHERE AM I!?!?!

The unsettling sensation of being adrift in an unknown place settled in the pit of my stomach.

WHAT THE HELL!??

My attempts to move were met with sluggish resistance, limbs heavy and uncooperative. It was as if my body existed in a world separate from my racing thoughts. I fought against the lethargy, desperate to understand how I ended up in this disconcerting state. And it took me a few seconds to recall what happened, but I did,

OH NO...

A sense of vulnerability washed over me as I pieced together the fragments of memory—a struggle, a cloth, and the encroaching darkness.

As I stood frozen, I slowly realized something... I was moving...

No,

I was in something that was moving. I shot my head to the red filter light. The car's movements were rhythmic, a lullaby that did nothing to soothe the rising anxiety.

I'm in a car trunk!?!?

Fear constricted my chest as I realized the gravity of the situation. I wasn't just disoriented; I was trapped in a confined space with an unknown driver.

Unknown?

Or is it Murim?? It has to be him, he was the one in the forest. He must be taking me to the city!

Fear clamped its icy fingers around my heart as I recalled the pain and suffering his family had inflicted upon me. The scars, both physical and emotional, throbbed with the weight of a dark history.

Why does he and his family always have the upper hand? How much every time I meet them, something traumatizing happens to me?!!

My mind raced, connecting the dots between the past and the present, realizing that I was once again ensnared in the clutches of their malevolent influence.

"Oh, no, no, no...." Hatred, a visceral and consuming emotion, churned within me the more I thought of them.

As the details unfolded in my memory, a surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins. The sluggish limbs now responded with newfound urgency. Anger and defiance replaced the initial fear, propelling me to resist the familiar threat that loomed in the car.

I clenched my fists, determination replacing the initial sense of helplessness. The very thought of them became a bitter pill to swallow, a reminder of the pain they inflicted and the emotional toll endured, but all of it fueled my resolve.

Tears welled up in my eyes as the fear and panic only increased, but that wasn't it. I had so much anger bubbling inside of me as well.

In the confined space of the car, I felt the adrenaline pump through my veins, awakening my senses. The fog of confusion began to lift, replaced by a resolute clarity. I scanned the interior for any means of escape, my senses sharpened by the adrenaline pulsing through my veins.

The darkness enveloped me, and my hands fumbled in the dimly lit space, searching desperately for any means of escape.

I can't just lay here! I have to get out! I have to get away! And I have to find Mom!! I moved my hands and feet carefully, looking for even the smallest of things to use for myself.

So many thoughts raced in my head. About so many things but there was something at the top of the list.

'I never got to say it," I bit my lower lip hard, 'I never got to tell Matthew I love him,' It was such a bitter and ugly regret, it started eating me up

God...

I sniffled as I kept moving my hands around,

Let me meet him again, I sniffled again

I have something to tell him, I have to say it!