Beneath The Blood Moon {TMT #2}

Chapter 3

I pulled my mother - or at least I tried to - as we hurriedly made our way down the stairs.

My legs ached, my body burned, my head throbbed, but I couldn't stop, not while I hadn't even reached the landing of the staircase. Mum, however, was moving down the stairs much faster than I was and it hurt to keep up with her. But I had no choice.

We had reached the front door when suddenly a loud, bone-chilling roar broke out from somewhere upstairs.

My heart froze. My mother's hand around mine stiffened and I heard a tiny gasp escape her throat. I hadn't expected him to die because I knew I couldn't kill him - I'd tried that before - but I hadn't anticipated that he'd be on his feet in a matter of seconds.

"Mum hurry," I ordered frantically as I pushed my mother out of the cabin. But before I could make it over the threshold, loud thudding noises echoed across the wooden floorboards, making me aware - with fear gripping my heart - that my father's wolf was chasing after us.

Hurriedly, I stepped across the threshold and flung myself onto the door, momentarily forgetting that my body was in pain. The door creaked loudly at my sudden force but halted abruptly when something on the other side applied a much bigger force to it.

Dad's head penetrated the doorway and I almost screamed as he bared his fangs and snapped his enormous jaws wildly at the hand that was braced close to the edge of the door. My right hand constantly slid towards his giant mouth and at times, his left fang would scrape my skin and coat it with saliva. But my main focus was shutting the door so I barely had time to grimace each time the sharp end of his fang pierced my flesh.

"Mum!" I gritted out amidst the beast's loud barking as the wood that I was supporting cracked under Dad's heavy weight. "Help me!"

It took her a moment longer before she joined me and we both pushed the door with the little strength that we had. That I had. Mum had connected with her wolf so she was much stronger than I, but unfortunately, not in the least bit stronger than my father in his wolf form.

With both our strengths combined, we had almost managed to shut the door and lock him in, but one final shove from the wolf right against the door sent us both flying backwards.

A sharp pain pierced my back and added to my already aching body as my back collided mercilessly with the ground. I grunted, turned on my stomach and squeezed my eyes shut while I tried to subdue the pain. But I didn't keep long because I knew what was at stake. My mother's safety, and perhaps my life.

So with all the energy I could muster, I steadied my palms on the ground in an attempt to rise again. However, just as I was about to lift myself to try and protect my mother, a low growl caught my attention and made me stiffen. I swung my head around and my eyes widened when I saw my mother hovering over me in her wolf form. She was tiny compared to Dad's wolf, but nevertheless didn't back down when he took a threatening step forward.

I sprang to my feet when I saw her shift into a fighting stance but then fell back down the minute my legs suddenly gave way. Damn it! I clenched my teeth in agony and tried to not concentrate on my burning limbs. They hurt like hell.

I tried hard to put my misery aside and help my mum but the least movement made me want to scream again. It hurt!

Protect her. Turn and protect her!

I pathetically laid on the floor, black spots gradually crowded my vision despite my attempts to keep a straight head. However, I couldn't allow myself to remain crippled, so I forcefully got on all fours and struggled to maintain my balance.

Let her free. Damn it, open the cage, Kara!

Although I would do anything to protect the woman who raised me, there was no way I was giving in to that monster within me. And even though I knew that my dad would not lay a finger on my mum, it didn't stop me from being the protective daughter that I'd trained myself to be.