>>Calliope
I chose to stay
What else could I do?
I held no power, and no ability to challenge the people after me. So, I chose to listen to Matthew and stayed in the pack.
"Luna," Runy grabbed my hand, "Please stop biting your nails," She forced my thumbnail out of my mouth.
"Runy," I looked at her while we both sat in the lounge of the pack house, "My mother should be here by now, no?" I was super anxious, "They left city D hours ago!"
As soon as we got the info that Silas was planning on hunting Matthew and Azef since they were protecting me. They chose to spring into action and not let them find me.
Although of course, I was worried about my mother. Matthew said he'd have Bezof bring her here. The pack doesn't allow strangers to get to know about werewolves but since she's my mother and my only family, I had to bring her to safety.
It was decided that it won't be revealed to her that it's a pack, we were going to tell her that it's a safe place that Matthew owns but WHERE THE HELL IS SHE!?! I'm losing my mind here. I need her here with me, I won't be satisfied otherwise.
"I'm sure she'll be here any moment," Runy answered while I looked out the window, then at my phone.
I had tried calling Mom a few times, she did answer when they were leaving but she hasn't answered me for the past two hours.
It's making my mind go dizzy with worry.
"The sun is going to set soon Runy," I grabbed her hands and clasped them in mine, "Can you go check, please?"
"Um," She was a bit hesitant, "The Alpha told me not to leave your side,"
"What's going to happen to me when I'm literally sitting in his house?" I asked, "Surrounded by werewolves?"
"Most of us left with the Alpha and Beta,"
"They left with them?" I frowned,
"Yes," She answered.
Why? Why would pack members go with them?
Wait,
Could it be?
The pack is involved in the underworld too?
...
I shook my head
No, it can't be,
I bit my nail again
Can it? Well, they're werewolves, so they are hunters....
"Please, stop," Runy grabbed my hand again and got it out of my mouth, "Fine," She stood up, "I'll look around the pack, is that fine?"
"Please!" I looked at her with desperation, "And contact as as soon as you find something,"
She let out a sigh, "Okay," I watched her leave and folded my arms. There was this ominous feeling swirling in my mind, constricting my chest. I clasped my hands together and prayed.
'Oh please God, I just want some sort of hint that she's fine,'
The sudden vibration of my phone jolted me from my reverie, and as I glanced at the screen, a chill ran down my spine. The text read: 'I'm lost in the forest,'
I frantically grabbed the phone and texted her back, 'Lost? What happened to Bezof?' I chewed my lower lip waiting for her reply. I knew something was wrong. Bezof went to get her for a reason. He's a wolf himself, so why would Mom be alone?
'Mom?' I texted her again since she was taking a long time to reply.
'I don't know where he is,' Her reply made me stand up, 'Someone was following us and we got separated.'
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
Without a second thought, panic surged through me, propelling my legs into swift motion and I ran out of the pack house.
Someone's following them??! Who?! Why? And why would Bezof let Mom get lost!?!?
That idiot!! He should have stayed with her no matter what!! The forest loomed ahead, its shadows now imbued with a sense of urgency. Each step felt like an eternity as I sprinted towards the heart of the wilderness, my mind plagued by the ominous unknown.
"Luna?!" Some of the kids saw me running, "Luna, where are you going?!?" But I didn't have the time to stop and respond to them. I had to get to my mother.
As I reached the forest's edge, a gnawing dread settled in the pit of my stomach. The air was thick with an eerie silence, the usual rustle of leaves and chirping of birds replaced by an ominous hush. A sense of foreboding hung in the air, intensifying with each step deeper into the woods.
I ran like crazy without even knowing where I was supposed to go or where to find her. But there was something there. Movement that made me suspicious.
"MOM!?" I yelled out to her but in return I received no response back, yet there was this sound of someone running, "MOM!?!?" I went after it. Paying no heed to anything else, I went deeper into the forest, expecting to find my mother but-
I stopped when a familiar figure came into my view.
!!!?
"Bezof?!?!"
I had stumbled upon an unexpected sight – Bezof was sprawled unconscious on the ground.
"Oh God," I ran to him and crouched down to see if he was breathing, "Whew," Then let out a sigh of relief when I noticed that he was fine. But he was knocked out cold, which made me frown.
He's a werewolf, how did someone manage to knock him out? I looked around, shooting my head in every direction as I stood up again.
Panic intensified as I scanned the surroundings, desperately searching for any sign of my mother. A knot tightened in my chest, "MOM!?!?!?" My calls echoed through the trees, unanswered, "Mom?" The only sound that came back was my own echo and the realization that my mother was nowhere in sight sent a wave of cold fear coursing through my veins. The stillness of the forest became a haunting backdrop
In that unsettling moment, I stood alone amidst the silent trees, grappling with the fear of the unknown and the desperate need to find my mother, hoping against hope that she was still out there, waiting to be found in the depths of the mysterious forest.
Oh shit, I took out my phone to call her, but the call didn't go through.
"SHIT!!" I looked at my phone screen, only to find that this far in the forest, there were no signals, "Hell!!" I chewed my lower lip and looked around again, after which my gaze settled on Bezof.
What do I do now? I shouldn't just leave him here...
The forest enveloped us in an eerie silence, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the distant calls of nocturnal creatures. Unease prickled at the edges of my awareness, a nagging sense that something was terribly wrong.
"Bezof," I crouched down, "Bezof, wake up," I started moving his body, "Wake up!" I was so frantic, I was ready to strangle him, "Please! I need you to tell me what happened!!"
In my panicked state, I didn't notice someone silently come and stand behind me. And I didn't notice until a bit too late.
Shock and fear attacked when a weird smell went up my nose as a cloth came to my mouth from behind along with someone's hand trying to constrict me.
!!!
Panic surged through me. I began to resist, flailing my arms around and I instinctively ended up elbowing the person behind me as I made an attempt to stand up.
My elbow hit the corner of his eye, making him falter and giving room for me to escape, "Ah," A soft groan left his lips and I took a step back, shooting my head around to look who it was.
He let out a laugh as I got away but my heart dropped.
OH No...
"Murim?"
***
>>Matthew
His steps echoed through the desolate corridors of the abandoned building, each footfall a somber percussion against the silence. The air was heavy with the scent of blood that enveloped the surroundings.
How stupid,
I let out a sigh,
The dim light filtering through shattered windows painted eerie patterns on the walls. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, frozen in twisted poses as the crimson pool beneath them marked the violence they themselves wanted.
I looked at my shirt and the splatters of blood that stained it.
"Take it from here," I told Azef, "I need to get to Silas,"
"I already told you, there was no need for you here, you should have gone for Silas from the start," He wiped the blood from his cheek
"I wanted to get my hands on that boy, Murim," I replied and looked at the pack members who came with us. Some were here, while some were sent to other places by Azef for a 'thorough clean up.' "Why isn't he here?" I looked at my brother, "You said he isn't with Silas,"
He shrugged, "I got the info that he left with the henchmen,"
I let out a sigh, "But he's neither here nor at the other locations?" Where the fuck did that little bastard go then? "Are the Misfits on duty?" I asked
"Of course!" Azef passed me a sinister smile, "They trained under me," He dropped the person he just killed, "They'll do a great job."
I began to move, "I'll take care of Silas, keep an eye out for the boy,"
"Word must have already reached him that we're killing his men."
"You're certain Somi doesn't know anything?" I walked over the bodies
"One hundred percent," He smirked, "Silas doesn't get along that well with the rest of Somas," Azef made a thinking face, "Well, except Murim I guess."