Hi all!
Welcome to the long awaited, pivotal chapter 14 of Pure Moonlight! This chapter has been very difficult for me to write, which is one of the reasons it has taken so much longer than I originally intended.
This has been my plan all along, and it is not the end, so never fear! I am hoping to have chapter 15 submitted before the end of October. I am one of those leave it to the last minute kind of people, so hopefully with a deadline I can meet it. If not, get on to me and nag!
Please don't forget to comment and send Private feedback or emails. It really helps me to focus and get excited about my stories and write more.
Enjoy!
<3 Shadowsung90
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Keith moved to stand in front of his Alpha as the car came screeching to halt. Zac put a hand on his shoulder and stepped out in front, not wanting his best friend to be involved. A Were leapt out of the car and set upon Zac, howling in rage, its jaw snapping inches away from his face as it snarled furiously. Zac held him at bay while the rest of his pack descended and pulled the wolf off of him.
The wolf, hauled off of Zac, caught sight of the blackened form that was the Branaan woman and roared. The sound morphed into a man's screams as he shifted back to his human form.
He broke their grip and raced to her, cradling her gently in his arms. "What did you do?" He roared at Zac, hatred in his eyes as he glared.
Zac sat up and held out his hands in an open palm gesture to show he was no threat, "I didn't do this," he said as calmly as he could, "That woman was friends with my mate, and was with her when they were ambushed. My mate was kidnapped, and she was left behind."
The man looked down at his mate and brushed the hair from her face. Soot coated her, but her wounds were slowly healing. He morphed his snout and gently licked a cut on her cheek, watching as it slowly disappeared.
The onlookers watched silently as he repeated the process, crying softly and murmuring to her gently.
~~~
Caitlin sat on the edge of the fountain and considered what Bart had told her. She seriously considered moving towns. She had been born and raised in another pack, but the Colemans had taken her in from the dark place she had fallen to and brought her back.
It hurt her so badly that she would never be able to return to her home and friends. Finding a new and accepting pack that was as loving as they had been seemed impossible. Caitlin knew that most packs were harsh to newcomers, and the good ones rarely accepted any outsiders.
Without warning her stomach growled, causing her to chuckle quietly; she still had basic needs after all. Getting up, she went in search of food.
~~~
Ally watched as the cauldron bubbled furiously, its contents viscous and a startling shade of blue. Her arms had gone numb, and she could barely feel the cuts and chafing on her wrists.
More and more of the disfigured creatures arrived, each kneeling before Alamihr and presenting him with a bloody heart, which he would ingest with relish each time.
The first time Ally had seen the offering and devouring she had nearly screamed and vomited. She quickly learned to look away and do the best she could to block out the squelch of his eating. She definitely knew better than to wonder where the hearts were coming from.
Once the creature had presented their offering and Alamihr had eaten it, he would make a circle on their forehead using the blood from the heart. They would exchange the same murmured words in a foreign language as he did. To Ally it sounded like an oath, but she had no idea.
The creature would then take up vigil, kneeling just outside the circle of torches while Alamihr would wipe his hands on a rag before returning to the dusty tome.
If Ally hadn't been afraid for her life she would have been bored and sore. She tried to get a look at the book that Alamihr was reading, but she could barely make out the writing form. Judging by the language they had spoken, she doubted she would be able to read it anyway.
This clearly was some cult that had the wrong person, she thought to herself. They clearly didn't have anything good planned for her, and she was losing all hope of being rescued. Her heart hurt and her body ached. Her hope of a rescue was all she had to hold onto to help her through her predicament.
Her head started spinning and she began feeling light headed. Her arms had been above her head and she didn't know how long it had been since she was able to move around at all. Her feet had pins and needles which stung against the chains cutting into her ankles. She had never been so uncomfortable in her life.
Trying to distract herself from her situation, she set her mind to happier times and attempted to imagine her happy place. It was harder than she thought to find. She tried to remember Zac, his smile and their time together, but the jagged hole in her heart throbbed with a vengeance. Her last words to him echoed through her mind as she saw the hurt and devastation etched into his face.
Shaking her head to rid herself of his face, she thought back to her childhood. It had always been just her and her mother. They had lived such happy days of bliss. Then the screeching of tyres and screaming of metal had torn her mother from her forever. She could still remember waking up in the car to find her mother dead in the seat next to her. It was a sight that had haunted her day and night for years.
She clenched her eyes and fists, trying to change her thoughts. Happy times, happy places, she thought to herself. Next she tried to remember Kate, who had pulled her from the wreck and became the friend that saved her from her dark depression. She tried to remember her smiling face, but all she saw was the sad look in her eyes as she sat trapped in a car about to explode as Ally herself was being pulled away to her own dark fate. Ally's heart hurt again. She hoped with her whole being that her best friend had somehow survived. Maybe she had gotten out before the car had gone up. Maybe she took the impact but survived because she was a Werewolf.
Werewolves. The word struck her suddenly. They hadn't existed to her yesterday. Never had she imagined there were hidden worlds among the human populace. She wondered what else there were out in this new, hidden world of secrets. All the mythical creatures played through her mind. What if they were all real and just hiding? What if they didn't have to hide? How different the world would be.
A sizzling broke her reverie. The small cauldron was hissing and bubbling furiously, its blue had turned very dark. Alamihr turned with a smile, pulling a jagged ceremonial dagger from somewhere in his tattered black robes. Rubies studded the hilt and tiny skulls decorated the cross guard. He advanced on her, his smile never faltering.
Fear and adrenaline rushed through her veins. His shadow fell upon her, and she clenched her eyes shut, suddenly scared for the end. She hoped it wouldn't hurt to die. The knife dug into her fore-arm causing her to gasp in pain and surprise.
Ally opened her eyes to see Alamihr holding the blade, its tip red. Looking at her arm, there was an open wound. He reached down and dipped his finger and thumb into the blood welling on her arm. He drew an intricate symbol on his forehead, his eyes closed and mumbling something.
The onlookers slowly stood and approached one by one. Using the blood pooling on her arm like an ink pot, Alamihr put a thumbprint of her blood into the centre of each circle, murmuring the same thing each time. Each creature retook their position silently after receiving her blood.
