***Lyla’s POV***
“I can’t find him Lyla!” Faylinn shouted a few yards away. Allen’s been missing for a day now and the whole pack is out searching for him. I can’t believe I was out shopping! I hate shopping!
“I can’t get a scent on him!” Cashmere shouted.
Jack was beside me, “It’s so illogical for him to disappear like this.”
I looked down at him, I was far past the crying. “We need to keep on searching. Come on, we might be in the wrong forest.”
I shouted out to the pack, “Everyone gather up!”
All of them formed a little crowd around me, “If we can’t sense him here, we are probably in the wrong forest to being with. Does anyone know a bigger park around the area? Three mile radius at the least.”
A small girl squirmed her way out of the crowd, “I know! There’s a huge park just a few miles south from here.”
Oh what a relief that was, “Okay, we’ll search over there, let’s get it moving!”
Most of them suddenly started to arch forward as the bone chilling cracks echoed through the forest. After the disturbing transformation, they ran off barking.
I turned to Jack who was in his wolf form, “Carry me?” I asked.
He barked and lowered half of his body. I swung my leg over and got on. He stood up and barked. I turned to Fay and Cashmere who were in their human form, “You guys ready?”
They nodded. Allen, hang on, I’m coming for you.
***Allen’s POV***
I woke up again to the gagging smell of burning flesh. I expected a part of my body to burn but when my eyes focused around the room, I saw a girl strapped onto a table in front of me.
“W-what?” I groaned.
Lance suddenly opened the steel door and walked in with a tray.
“Oh, I see you have woken up. Say hello to Miranda.” He said as he set the tray on the table. I finally saw what was on the tray, surgical tools.
The girl on the table groaned, “W-where am I?”
Lance grabbed a scalpel and slowly walked over to her, “Oh this is just so exciting! I get to torture TWO werewolves in one day!” He stabbed her in the thigh as she screamed in pain.
“Who are you! What do you want from me!” She screamed.
My eyes widened at what Lance did to her next, he cut her stomach open, and shoved wolfsbane in there. She screeched as Lance chuckled uncontrollably. As weak as I may look, I closed my eyes shut, trying to get the image out of my head.
Lance suddenly grabbed my face, “Look at her! Look at how much pain she is going through. Ah~ Don’t you just love the smell of fear? ‘Cause its reeking from you.” He hissed.
I glared at him, “If you’re going to kill me, do it. I don’t wanna see you torturing people in front of me.”
Lance swiftly turned around, “Nah, this is a way of torturing you. ‘Till I decide when to kill you, I’ll bring in a new victim everyday. Oh this is going to be ecstatic!”
The girl groaned, “P-please don’t do this...I-I have a family that I need to take care of…” Her voice sounded so weak.
Lance grabbed the silver knife and stabbed her arm, “I don’t care about your pathetic life!”
Her flesh around the blaze sizzled as she screamed again. Lance was grinning evilishly. He’s the monster, not me.
He turned to me after yanking the knife out of her arm, “Now, I can’t have you just staring! This is supposed to be fun!” He took the knife and slashed it across my chest.
I gritted my teeth as I slowly hissed, “Just kill me.”
He chuckled, throwing the bloody knife onto the tray, “Where would be the fun in that? I will slowly torture you, bit by bit ‘till you beg for mercy. So don’t beg me to kill you.”
He looked at the girl and leaned in, “Shh Miranda, no matter how loud you scream, no one will hear you. We are under twenty feet of dirt, there’s no way someone will hear you, so save the energy.”
Miranda started crying, “Please let me go! I’m begging you! I need to get to my-” Before she could say anything, Lance shoved wolfsbane down her throat. I almost threw up as I saw his fist make its way down her throat.
“There there...shh everythings ok now…” He grinned.
Miranda stopped struggling; her hand fell limp to the side. What is this monster capable of?
***Lyla’s POV***
“Allen!” We all were shouting as we disbursed into the park. No one was out since it was one in the morning.
Jack howled as I looked around.
“Jack, over there.” I pointed to a little dirt path that lead into the deeper parts of the forest.
He yelped as he ran to the path; entering the deep forestation. I’m sure we’ll find him. We have to find him. We will find him.
My night vision is greatly enhanced since I’m a werewolf, but it’s not as good as it is when I’m in my other form. We made our way down a steep hill and got to the bottom of it. Jack looked around, sniffing the ground and air. He suddenly yelped, sprinting forwards. I was almost thrown off as he ran through the trees.
“Slow down Jack!” I shouted.
He suddenly stopped and lowered half of his body. I got off,
“Did you catch a scent?”
He nodded and pointed east of me with his nose.
We slowly walked until we reached a clearing. At this point, I could smell Allen distinctly; he was definitely here.
“Jack? Scan around this area and lock on his scent. He was here, now we need to find out where he went from here.”
Jack barked and took off. I glanced around and saw a tree in the middle of the clearing. I slowly made my way to the tree and placed my hand on it.
“Don’t worry Allen...we’re coming.”
I felt a nuzzle, which startled me.
“Huh?”
Jack was whimpering, pointing his head to a direction. I got on and he took me deeper into the woods. He stopped and whined. I looked around and saw a piece of cloth hanging from a branch.
“Allens?” I pulled it off and sniffed it. Yup, definitely his. I looked around desperately,
“Allen~!” I shouted. The forest seemed empty, except the crickets that were chirping obnoxiously.
Jack started to run again. “Did you get a hold of his scent?” I asked.
He didn’t give me a yelp or bark, he just focused on running. He continued for about twenty minutes when we approached a cabin.
I got off, “I smell him.”
Jack growled.
“What’s wrong?”
Jack started barking at the abandoned cabin,
“Stop it Jack! Hush down.”
His body was really tense and his teeth were bare.
I looked around, “We need to inform the others, could you do it Jack?”
He looked up at me, and sat down. He tilted his head up and with all his strength, howled. It wasn’t a strong one, but it should be loud enough. I looked around, concentrating on my hearing. The pack members who heard Jacks howl were running over. I blinked a few times and focused on the cabin. It was definitely abandoned; a few windows were broken, part of the roof has collapsed and the wood was decomposing. A spine chilling breeze swept by us. I sniffed the air and noticed two more scents, from two different people.
Faylinn and Cashmere showed up panting, “We heard.” They said taking deep breaths.
I ran up to them, “He’s in there, I’m sure of it Fay.”
Cashmere walked near it, “Why here though. What is he doing? Have you went inside yet?”
I shook my head, “I..I don’t know why he would be in there but I know for a fact that he’s in there. We haven’t went inside either, I wanted some back-up.”
He nodded and scanned the place. Fay turned to me, “He’s been missing for a day and a half now, I’m sure there’s a reason to all of this.”
Then it hit me. What if he doesn’t want to get married? What if he doesn’t love me anymore? Maybe he couldn’t confront me, so he left.
Left me.
Something I have experienced before…
That day when he disappeared and left me. Tears started to blur my vision,
“W-what if he left because it was the easiest way to leave me?”
Fay looked at me bewildered, “What do you mean “leave you”?!”
It’s been exactly twenty hours since he’s been gone. Maybe he came all the way out here so we couldn’t find him. I fell to the ground as I held my head in my hands.
“What if he left me because he doesn’t love me anymore?!”
Jack, Cashmere and Fay all shot a look at me.
Faylinn grabbed me by my hoodie and yanked me up, “Don’t you ever say that! You of all people know that Allen loves you more than he loves himself. Don’t you ever say that he left you because he doesn’t love you!” Her eyes were full of fury.
“I...I...I can’t lose him again Fay!” I hugged her so tightly, I thought I could snap her in half.
She hugged me back, “We’ll get him. He’s in that cabin. We’ll take him out, and everything will get back to normal, okay?”
I looked at her and nodded.
We both jumped when Jack started snarling. Cashmere looked on guard as well. I looked around, was Allen near?
“Jack and Cash, stay here. I’m going in.” I couldn’t wait any longer, I needed him.
I ran in and shouted, “Allen?!”
I anxiously searched the cabin top to bottom over and over again but I didn’t find him.
“Allen?! Allen please come out! I need you!” Tears were blurring my vision. I angrily wiped them away and searched the floors again.
Fay caught me before I ran upstairs again. “Stop it Lyla! He’s not here!”
Without thinking, I pushed her into the wall, causing her body to crash through it.
Cashmere came barging in, “What the heck is going on?!” He shouted helping her up.
I felt my body tensing up, “Stay away from me!” I growled.
Terror filled both of their eyes. He picked her up and dashed out of the cabin. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. A rush of rage filled my body top to bottom. What was happening to me?! I shot open my eyes and felt my claws retracting. I was panting as I tried to control my body. My head felt like someone was continuously beating it with a bat. I fell to my knees and held my head with my hands. Why was my body doing this?! My breathing fastened as my heart started pounding. I got up and walked outside. Jack was still there but he looked terrified. I felt a sharp pain as I fell to the ground. Jack rushed over but something in me wanted to destroy him. I glared at him and through the reflection of his eyes, I saw my eyes glowing gold. I reached out for him and tossed him across towards the trees. He whimpered as he hit one and dropped to the ground limp. What was happening to me?!
I looked around, the whole world seemed to be spinning around. It was still dark, but everything seemed so normal. I saw perfectly in the dark, but I’m not even in my wolf form.
I looked down at my hands and saw that my claws were still out. I needed help. I turned around and flinched when I saw paths of smoky trails that headed towards where Fay and Cashmere went. What was this? The smoky trails did have their scents, but I’ve never seen this before. I looked around and my eyes stopped at Jack. Oh no.
“Jack?!”
I ran over to him and kneeled beside him, “Jack!”
He was still breathing, but his pulse was extremely weak.
I picked him up, his wolf form was definitely heavier than his human form. I managed to put him on my shoulder. “Hang in there Jack…” I said nervously to myself as I ran towards my car.
***Allen’s POV***
Lance has been out for hours, Miranda and I were definitely dehydrated and hungry. Especially her, her heart beat slowed significantly every minute; she was dying.
“M-miranda?” I said.
No answer.
I formed some saliva in my mouth and swallowed, “M-miranda?” I spoke louder.
Still no answer.
A rush of terror and panic struck me, was she dead?
I squirmed in my chair, trying to break the chains, but the chains were made out of silver. It was draining my energy as I made an effort to get loose. I tilted my head back and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes, do the others know? Are they looking for me?
Oh god, Lyla. No no no, I can’t have her thinking that I abandoned her. I struggled against the chains again, I needed to get out alive, for her. She is my life, she completes me. I needed to survive for her, not me.
Lance suddenly barged in with a large bag being dragged behind him, “Figured Miranda would die. Brought another specimen.” Amusement filled his eyes. I needed to survive, I needed to get out alive, but first; I needed to kill this monster.