Secrets of the Moon

by Kristy Centeno

  “Wait! Don’t go by yourself!” I yelled after her, but she didn’t seem to hear me because she kept going.

  The loose ground gave way beneath my feet, and had it not been for a single dead tree whose roots were still strongly embedded in the soil, I would’ve fallen downhill and possibly broken a dozen bones on the way down. I was finally able to get a steady grip on a rock and hoisted myself up once more. Yanking the knife out of the ground, I spun around and as I did so, I came face to face with one enraged werewolf.

  Before I could even react to his presence, the werewolf lifted one hairy paw-like hand and struck me so hard across my face I thought my neck was going to snap. The second he hit me, I lost my balance and before I knew it, my body was tumbling downhill faster than it took me to climb. My body collided with several objects–rocks, logs, and small trees. As it rolled down, my body screamed in agony at every single blow. I couldn’t tell how many times I actually rolled, since I stopped counting after the sixth time.

  Fortunately for me, I didn’t roll all the way down the hill. In a very painful manner a large tree stopped my body from tumbling down any further. The force with which I careened into the tree took my breath away immediately and fractured several ribs. The pain was so incredibly unbearable I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t even think of anything aside from the agony. My ribcage hurt and I was pretty sure something was broken. I lay there for several agonizing minutes, trying to steady my racing heart and my ragged breathing. Every breath I took nearly sent me into unconsciousness.

  I tried taking several slow shallow breaths but the pain radiating from my ribcage was just too much. And when I tried to sit up I nearly lost consciousness. Despite the intense noise around me, I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the pain. I hugged myself in an effort to relieve some of the throbbing by supporting my ribs in place, but I soon realized it just made the pain worse.

  When some of the agonizing waves of pain started to die down I tried to push myself into a sitting position again, but so much movement only caused me to have sporadic episodes of unwelcome dizziness. By this point, my head was pulsating with a life of its own. I could smell blood on me but it was too dark for me to determine what part of my broken body was bleeding. The hair sticking to the side of my face provided a clue as to what part of my anatomy was suffering from blood loss.

  The fall had left me nearly incapacitated and in a lot of pain. I didn’t know which was worse, the fact that I was bleeding profusely or the fact that I had a few broken bones.

  From above I heard the girl scream and I knew her battle was over. She had lost, just as I was about to lose. I wanted to cry from fear and frustration but I found much to my surprise that I couldn’t cry; the tears weren’t forthcoming for some reason. I didn’t know if it was because I still hadn’t given up hope or simply because I knew that I wouldn’t fix anything by crying.

  While I lay as still as a rock, my eyes were roaming the area around me. So far there was no sign of any werewolves but I knew they were around. By the stillness of the immediate area, I knew they were near. After all, when a place goes suddenly still and remains locked in an eerie silence, it can only mean that something menacing is lurking nearby.

  A sudden image of the werewolves eating the girl just a few feet away from where I lay caused another flow of nausea to assault my stomach. I felt a strong urge to vomit and I had to turn to my side to keep from emptying the contents of my stomach onto myself.

  Once my stomach was comfortably empty, I made one more effort to try to sit up. It was easier said than done. No matter how much I tried to sit, the force of the pain in my ribcage, combined with the dizziness, stopped me. I wasn’t going anywhere. It was over. I didn’t want to give up, but who was I kidding. I was too hurt to even move, much less try to escape.

  Just as I was beginning to think things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a sudden flash of movement to my left caught my attention. I stared in horror as the same werewolf that slapped me senseless appeared out of nowhere and advanced toward me. My heart leaped inside of my chest when I saw him approach on two legs, his powerful strides bringing him to me sooner than I expected. Within moments, he was behind me. With one hand he grabbed a handful of my hair and started to literally drag me downhill.

  In spite of myself, I screamed both from fear and agony. The pain was excruciating as he pulled me like a damn rag doll. Every time my rump bumped against any solid objects, the sheer extent of the pain made me wish for death. My screams didn’t disturb or slow him down one bit. In fact, he never even looked back at me as he savagely pulled me behind him as if I was nothing but a bag of trash he was placing on the curb to be picked up.

  Desperate to ease the pain from my head, neck, and ribcage, I reached up with both hands and grabbed his paw-like hand. Planting both feet flat on the ground, I tried pushing my body upward. That was one gigantic and very painful mistake. The pain that shot from my leg to my chest nearly caused me to faint. As I tried this maneuver I realized that my right leg wasn’t working properly. I couldn’t move it very well and it hurt like hell every time I tried using it.

  After what seemed like hours rather than a few seconds, the werewolf let go of me. He released me so suddenly my upper torso crashed onto the rough ground and I cried out in agony as fresh sparks of pain shot throughout my body.

  You should have stayed where I left you!

  Startled by the voice, I opened my eyes to stare at the tall figure gazing down at me.

  Now look at you! I’ll hurt you more than necessary now. You stupid and disobedient girl!

  Santos was speaking to me without even moving his lips. How was that possible? “I…how are you doing that?”

  His eyes widened in surprise. You can hear me?

  “Y…yes.”

  Amazing! You truly are a wonder. I knew you were special from the first moment I laid eyes on you. Seems like I was right all along. No normal human would be able to hear us as you are now.

  I hated that compliment. I was seriously beginning to believe that I wasn’t by any means normal. “Well, you have me where you want me. Just get this over with already.”

  That creepy voice actually laughed. Even though his lips didn’t move, I still heard his blood-chilling laughter. You’re not afraid of dying, are you?

  I thought about it for a second. When I responded I did so with honesty. “Not anymore.”

  Good…unfortunately for you my plans don’t include killing you.

  Damn, I was hoping he was angry enough that he wouldn’t bother with anything but killing me. I was more afraid of becoming his eternal mate than I was of dying.

  Santos leaned over me somewhat, his eyes assessing my injuries thoroughly. You will heal rapidly once the deed is done. Unfortunately, it will hurt much more than necessary since you disobeyed me and got yourself hurt.

  That bastard! Got myself hurt? “If you hadn’t touched me, I wouldn’t be hurt now, you asshole!”

  Santos didn’t laugh that time; instead he shifted back into his human form. I turned my head away as I caught the first glimpse of his naked body. My eyes misted at the thought of what would happen next. I would rather die than suffer that humiliation.

  “Don’t worry, Marjorie, it only takes one bite after we mate and it will be over.”

  Those words caused my body to involuntary shiver. I didn’t quite understand the entire process but I was certain of two things. One, he was going to force himself on me. Two, he was going to turn me into a werewolf afterward. Yuck couldn’t even begin to describe the revulsion I felt when I imagined him putting his hands on me.

  Santos grabbed my right leg and pulled me a little closer to him. Of course, that being my injured leg, I couldn’t help but scream in agony as he tugged me closer to him. My body protested being mistreated in such a way by shaking violently as new waves of pain scattered throughout my leg and up my torso. I wanted to beg him to stop, but I had the feeling he would only laugh at me. God, let this
be over quick!

  When Santos grabbed my shirt, I began to fight him with what little strength I had left. There was no way I was going to make it easy for him to do with me as he wished. I wasn’t going to put myself on a golden platter for him. Using my good leg, I kicked him as hard as I could every time he tried to get closer. The adrenaline coursing through my body prevented me from feeling the full force of the pain. I could see my attempts at keeping him at bay for as long as I was able were irritating him. His patience was wearing down quickly but so was my strength, and I knew he was counting on that.

  Now angry to the point where murder was written all over his dark eyes, Santos reached down with one hand and pushed on my bruised chest. The pressure was so that I screamed and screamed as the pain suddenly became too much for me. His hand was pressing down on my already damaged ribs, creating a never-ending, torturous wave of pain unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and he did so deliberately so I would stop fighting him. My eyes blurred from the pain and I knew I was losing consciousness.

  A sudden growl emanating from somewhere nearby startled Santos and he removed his hand from my chest. His head snapped sideways and he growled loudly, showing off his already extended teeth. The last thing I remember seeing just before I lost consciousness was a big, hairy mass slamming into Santos.

  ***

  As my eyes began to slowly open, the blissfulness of unconsciousness wore off and the pain returned with a vengeance. It seemed all I could feel was the pain. My head ached. My ribcage felt as if it was on fire, making every breath I took more like an effort rather than a way to get air into my lungs. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t make out my surroundings.

  The lighting pouring in from a nearby window indicated it was daylight and that I was in some kind of room, but other than that, I couldn’t see much. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that when I opened them again my vision would clear. Am I dead?

  When I tried to move I almost lost consciousness due to the excruciating pain that nearly overwhelmed me. Trusting that the unbearable pain was a sure sign that I was still alive, I immediately discarded the dead theory.

  “You shouldn’t try to move, Marjorie.”

  My eyes snapped opened at once. “Kyran?”

  A tall figure approached me. “Yes, Marjorie, it’s me.” He grabbed my hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

  “Where…am I? Where is Santos?” The blurriness of my vision finally cleared and I was able to gaze upon Kyran’s handsome face.

  “He’s dead, and you are in the hospital.”

  Hospital? How in the world did I get there? “But…how…what happened? Santos was going to…”

  Josephine’s voice startled me. “Now isn’t the time, Marjorie. We’ll tell you what happened once you feel better. Right now, just concentrate on getting better.”

  I didn’t see her standing next to the bed. A quick look around the room revealed that Gage was also in the room with us.

  “Josephine. Gage.”

  Gage smiled at me and Josephine stepped closer.

  “How long have you all been here?”

  “Since we brought you in last night,” she responded. “You gave us quite a scare.” She reached down to remove a lock of hair from my face and tucked it behind my right ear.

  “How did you find me?” Every time I spoke my chest hurt so badly I thought I was going to faint from the pain and from the effort it took just to breathe.

  “You called Alexis, don’t you remember?”

  I called Alexis? When? “I couldn’t have called Alexis because I lost my cell when I started running.”

  “Well, Alexis’s cell rang and it was your number. He answered his phone but all he heard was your scream. Upon hearing that we knew something happened to you.”

  Of course! When I pressed the talk button on my cell for light as I was looking for Tracy’s keys, I must have accidentally called Alexis. He had been the last person I spoke with over the phone that night.

  “It took us a little longer than expected to find you, since some of the werewolves held us back a bit.”

  “There were more? I mean…I counted at least ten when I was with them, but I didn’t…see any more.” There could have been more. I didn’t think Santos would have been so dumb as to go on a hunt and not have others keeping watch.

  Kyran sat on the bed next to me, his hand still holding mine.

  “Ten sounds about right. But we got past them…” Josephine didn’t elaborate and I didn’t want to question her further.

  “I…think I remember…seeing a figure just before…I drifted off.”

  Josephine retrieved her cell from her hoodie pocket and opened it.

  “I’m texting Marquis and Alexis to let them know you’re awake. They’ll want to come up and see you.” She said.

  “Wait! What about my parents? Do they know I’m here?”

  “Your father tried calling you to tell you they had an emergency and had to leave.”

  “What happened?” I tried to sit up but almost passed out from the pain.

  “Don’t be alarmed, Marjorie. I spoke to him personally and he said a woman by the name of Sandra wasn’t feeling well and they were going to her house for the rest of the week.”

  Sandra, Vicki’s older sister, had cancer. Whenever she had chemotherapy, Vicki would head to her sister’s house to help take care of her. Most times, Sandra would be feeling better within a few days after her chemo and Vicki would come back home. My stepsisters usually ended up staying with me, but since my parents couldn’t reach me I imagined they decided to take the girls with them.

  “I didn’t tell him you were hurt. I figured he’ll find out when he gets back.” She added with a sympathetic smile.

  I rubbed my forehead as the pain started to grow stronger. “What did…you tell him…?”

  “That you decided to spend the night at our house and were asleep.”

  “They left yesterday?”

  “Last night, soon after you left for the party, but I only spoke to him this morning. I told him that as soon you woke up you would call him.” She handed me my cell.

  “Thank you…” I had to close my eyes to relieve some of the pain. When I opened them again I noticed that Josephine and Gage had moved toward the door.

  “I think we should let you rest some more, you really need it. We’ll be in the cafeteria if you need us, Marjorie.” Josephine nodded to Kyran. “Marquis and Alexis will come up in a few minutes to see you.”

  I nodded and they quietly slipped out of the room.

  Kyran, who had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation with Josephine, stayed in the room with me. I deduced his family trusted him with me, at least for the time being. I welcomed his presence gladly; just gazing at his handsome face made me feel happy to still be alive.

  “Marjorie…” He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “I nearly lost you…” His voice was so full of regret and pain, my heart constricted just by listening to those words.

  “No, Kyran, I’m fine.”

  For the first time since I had met him, Kyran just seemed like any ordinary young man concerned for someone he cared for. His pain and concern was completely discernible in his silver eyes.

  “You’re not fine, you’re hurt. I should have been there to—”

  “No, Kyran, don’t torture yourself with those thoughts. You not being there wasn’t your fault. It was going to happen anyway, there was no way for you to prevent me from getting hurt. If anything, it was my fault for getting careless and letting my guard down. I should’ve known they would try something when I least expected it.” I let my words sink in, hoping it would ease his mind away from the guilt he felt. “Santos had been following me for some time. I should have been more cautious, but since I didn’t know what to look for or what to expect, I assumed he wouldn’t try anything as long as there were people around.”

  “Santos was clever, but he made his share of mistakes. He was too confident.�
��

  I looked down at our joined hands and sighed. “Why do you say that?” I glanced up again, watching his handsome face as he spoke.

  “He thought we wouldn’t come after you because they outnumbered us two to one. He also made the mistake of allowing two of his betas to run off from the location of the restaurant. He covered your scent by placing you inside the car and driving away. But all we had to do was follow the scent of the two betas, and that led us straight to you.” He let out a loud sigh then looked at me. “I’m sorry, Marjorie.”

  “Don’t be, Kyran. None of this was your fault.”

  “I feel that by coming here we led the rogues straight to you.”

  “Why would you even think that had something to do with you?” Unless they knew something I obviously didn’t. “The rogues found me on their own. Having your family and you here…at least I’m protected.”

  He frowned. “We weren’t able to protect you enough.”

  “Quit blaming yourself. That doesn’t help my case much, does it?” My voice came out harsher than I intended.

  Kyran dipped his head. “I’m sorry for all of this.”

  What exactly was he apologizing for? I was afraid to even ask. How could things get worse?

  I reached up to touch his face and he eased up closer to me. “I really don’t understand why—”

  “This isn’t over…” His words took a moment to register but when they did, my heart sank.

  “What do you mean?”

  Kyran squeezed his eyes shut. “Santos wasn’t the alpha male we were looking for.”

  No, this isn’t happening. “Jack? Was it Jack, then?” I knew the answer even before he shook his head.

  “Jack is just a beta.” he finally met my eyes.

  “Did you kill Jack?” My heart raced as I waited for him to respond.

  “No, I killed Santos!” There was anger in his voice. “He’ll never place his hands on you again!”

  Under any other circumstances, his irate demeanor would have caused me to blanch. But right then, I understood the anger display was just a way for him to vent what he truly felt.