My heavy eyelids fluttered open, disturbed by the blinding rays of sunlight peeking through the dense canopy of leaves, casting a glow across my face.
I instinctively try to raise my hand and shield my face from the brightness, only to realize that an arm was wrapped around me, firm yet oddly comforting, and a faint heartbeat was beating gently against my ear.
I stiffen, holding my breath.
Panic washed over me like a wave as memories of the previous night invaded my mind, unrelenting, chaotic, and disorienting.
The beast from last night?
"Oh, Selena. Help me out of this," I desperately whisper inwardly. As if my silent plea had been heard, the arm around me slowly moved off me. Yet, a new wave of fear surged through me at the thought that the beast might have awoken.
Ten seconds passed. Thirty seconds. A full minute ticked by, and when he still remained motionless, I released a soft, weary sigh, poised to slip silently out of the bed, but a stifled whimper escaped my lips as pain jolted through my body from every direction.
My body felt wrecked. Heavy. Aching and used.
My limbs feel heavy, as if weighed down by an invisible force, and tears begin to pool in my eyes, blurring my vision.
How did it come to this? Just yesterday, I had been blissfully savoring the warmth of what was supposed to be the best day of my life, only for it to spiral into a nightmare.
What will Craig think of me now? And also, didn't he make it back home safely last night? Why hadn't he come to rescue me?
"Thalia, can you take over? I doubt I'll be able to move a muscle." I say, but she didn't respond, "Thalia, please. We really need to get out of here before he wakes—" I trail off when I feel her stir weakly before saying, her voice barely audible.
"I can't. I've used all my essences and transferred the remaining to you. You're conscious now because of that," she whispers, exhaustion evident in her tone.
I couldn't argue with her after that. I had felt the inhuman torment the beast inflicted upon us throughout the night, and I knew that had Thalia not intervened last night, enduring the brunt of the agony while I was spared, experiencing mostly pleasure with fleeting moments of pain, I would likely be lifeless now.
"I'm so sorry," I choked out, my heart heavy with guilt as I felt her pain and suffering resonate within me. Yet she musters a faint smile, though it was tinged with sadness, and replies,
"It's not your fault. But can you at least try? We'll be dead meat if he wakes up." I nod, determination slowly building within me.
With deliberate slowness, I muster every ounce of strength and roll onto my side, landing heavily on the hard, unforgiving ground.
A cry almost escapes my lips, but I bite on my inner cheek to stifle it.
After what feels like an eternity, I finally push myself to my feet. My legs tremble as I begin taking shaky steps away, but an irresistible urge to glance back tugs at me, compelling me to see the beast that had put me into this nightmarish predicament.
But the sight on the bed wasn't what I expected.
In place of the beast-like creature was a man.
Muscular. Short-trimmed hair. Chiseled features. Scruffy beard. Too handsome; it feels like a sin. Too many tattoos covered his torso, and he was seriously pale, like a corpse.
He would have passed as harmless if I didn't know better.
For a fleeting moment, I forget the man on the bed was the person I wanted to get away from. I forgot my desperate plan to escape, my mind ensnared by his unparalleled beauty until I noticed him stir.
"Oh, my goddess," I whisper, panic igniting frantically within me as I remain rooted to the spot.
"Hide. I've concealed our scent," Thalia commands, her voice firm yet soothing. I dash behind the trunk of a tree, my heart racing as I peer out from my makeshift sanctuary.
Time seems to stretch as I watch the man leap from the bed with an agility that leaves me breathless. My eyes widen in disbelief.
A vampire? He's a vampire.
No. My memory flashes back—last night, he… was also a half-werewolf, or, to be precise, a lycan.
A shiver runs down my spine as my hands fly to cover my mouth, my vision getting blurred by tears. The realization crashes over me like a tidal wave.
He is… He's the lycan king. The hybrid. The cursed one. The doom of all our kind.
"Oh moon goddess. Oh moon goddess!" I keep chanting inside my head, my body trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down my cheeks, betraying my fear.
"Heidi, calm down, or you'll blow our cover," Thalia repeats in a reassuring voice. "Breathe. Calmly." I force myself to obey, taking slow, deliberate breaths, attempting to regain control over my fraying nerves.
But then he laughs menacingly, and I almost jump out of my hiding place.
As I finally steady my breathing, I glance up just in time to see him vanish, moving in a blur. I sink to the ground, my back pressed against the rough bark of the tree, relief washing over me like a cool breeze.
After a few minutes had passed, I slowly made my way to the bed, intending to use the sheets to cover myself, but the sight before me sent chills down my spine—it was more than a bloodbath.
It's a gruesome scene, a testament to the torment he inflicted.
That monster wanted to split me in two; I know that much isn't merely a result of the tearing of my hymen.
With trembling hands, I reach for the linens scattered on the ground and wrap them around myself, shivering as I turn to head home, each step heavy with the weight of my horror.
~~~
But as I neared the pack's border, a whirlwind of questions began to creep into my mind from all directions, and they all had one person in common—Craig.
What would he do if he knew I wasn't clean anymore? That I've been ruined and tainted? And not just by anyone, but by our soul enemy?
Would he still want me after knowing that? No, I can't let him find out the truth.
I'll tell him I jumped off the cliff after he left. Yes. It's the only way to keep my secrets safe.
I felt a stroke of luck when I unexpectedly ran into Mrs. Grace, the owner of a small florist shop in our pack, just a few miles from the border. With her warm smile, she gave me a ride home in her Toyota Tacoma.
As we drove, I couldn't help but feel relief that she didn't pry into what had happened to me. I admire her intuitive nature; it was no wonder everyone in our pack held her in such high regard. She had an uncanny ability to understand people's emotions.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Grace," I say, stepping out of her car and onto the lawn of my home, my voice tinged with gratitude.
"I'm glad I could help, Luna," she replies with a wave before she drives off, her taillights fading into the distance.
Then, suddenly, I heard my mother's voice call out to me from behind.
"Oh my goddess… sunshine." I turned to face her, and at that moment, I couldn't hold back the flood of tears any longer.
"Mom," I murmur, my voice breaking with sobs.