28. Tayla

Chapter twenty-eight

Tayla

I quickly transformed into my wolf and prepared myself for the fight ahead—whatever the outcome may be. One of the rogue wolves charged towards me, its paws slashing mere inches from my face, but I dodged the attack. A massive blow landed on my side, though, and I stumbled backward.

A sharp pain seared through me as one of the wolves sank its teeth into my flesh. I retaliated, landing a blow across the wolf’s jaw, and it crashed to the ground. There were too many of them for me to handle alone, but I didn't want to give up. If I could just take the Alpha down, the pack would be scattered.

I snarled at the Alpha, lunging my body towards him, and my claws snapped against his jaw. Without wasting any time, I pinned him to the ground before plunging my teeth into his neck.

The Alpha made a loud howl as he whimpered in pain. I sank my teeth further into his skin before lifting him up and hurling him into the river. My body was so tired, but I kept going.

The wolves panicked as they saw their Alpha lay unmoving in the water. They encircled me with intense gazes. Seeing me not back off and ready to put up a fight with another, they slowly began to retreat, their tails tucked between their legs as they pulled their leader from the water.

I remained standing as I watched the wolves drag their Alpha out of the water and run away. With a deep breath, I shifted back to my human form, collapsing on the ground in pain. Glancing at the side of my ribs, I saw the deep wound I had sustained during the fight. Taking out some clothes from the bag, I dressed the bleeding cut as best I could.

As I rummaged through the bag, my fingers touched a small bottle. I fetched it out before opening the bottle to reveal a healing ointment. Nora had been kind enough to add this to the bag as she knew the journey wouldn't be easy. I poured some of the liquid into my hand before rubbing it to the wound.

Slowly, the burning pain subsided, and I felt relieved. I knew I had to keep moving and look for shelter before night.

Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I stood up from the ground. I began to climb the wooded mountains, sniffing the air for any unfamiliar scent. I sensed none, thankfully.

The mountains stretched for miles, but I pushed forward, determined to continue my journey. Finally reaching the top, I felt exhausted. I dropped my bag before spreading the blanket across the ground. I brought out some snacks from the bag and ate while gazing at the sunset.

I laid down to rest and fell fast asleep.

As I slowly opened my eyes hours later, I blinked once, then twice before pushing myself to sit up. Confused, I looked around to see myself surrounded by a group of women in long black gowns.

Their eyes fixed on me with intensity, and I knew instantly that they were witches.

One of the women, a tall, fair lady with long silver hair, raised her hand toward me. I felt a strange feeling wash over me…then it became hard to breathe.

“You are one of them, aren't you?” she spat. “One of the Werewolves who have been killing us for years now.”

I gasped, my vision slowly tainting with black dots, and I begged her to release me.

“I… I am not a member of this pack,” I muttered. “I am also running from them just like you are.”

But the woman shook her head. “You are all the same,” she squeezed her hands and I felt all the air kicking out of my lungs.

Her face morphed with anger. She looked at me with intensity—her gaze moved to my chest, and…she released me.

I started coughing, dropping my head as I rubbed my neck. When I raised my head back, I saw her squatting closer to me. Her hands reached for the pendant necklace, and she touched it with a stunned expression.

“How did you get this?” She asked.

“I... I…”

“Speak!” she ordered.

“It was given to me by a friend in the pack castle,” I responded. “A young maid named Nora.”

“Nora?” She looked at me with her eyes wide.

“Yes, did I say something wrong?” I questioned.

“Nora is my daughter, and I have been looking for her for a long time now,” the woman said. “How do you know her?”

“I met her at the pack castle. She is working as a maid there,” I replied.

The woman's face lit up. “Do you know where she is now? Is she safe?”

“Yes, she is safe,”

The woman stared at me with concern. “I need to find her. Will you help me?”

“Yes, but first, I need to know who you are and what is going on,”

"I am Mallory, leader of this coven," the woman's voice carried an air of authority, tinged with a hint of sadness. "Nora was to be my successor before she... vanished."

Thunder cracked overhead, and I glanced up to see storm clouds gathering, mirroring the turmoil in my heart.

Mallory's eyes softened as she extended her hand. "Come. You'll be safe with us."

I attempted to stand, but my legs betrayed me. As I stumbled, Mallory's grip found my wrist, steadying me. The touch sent an unexpected jolt through my body.

"You're hurt," she murmured, her gaze falling to my battered feet. Without hesitation, she knelt before me, gently cradling my wounds in her lap.

As Mallory began to chant, her voice low and melodic, I felt a warmth spreading through me. The pain ebbed away, replaced by a tingling sensation that left me breathless. Was it just the healing, or something more?

"I... thank you," I managed, reaching for my bag to hide the flush creeping up my cheeks.

We trekked for what felt like hours, the silence between us charged with unspoken questions. Finally, we crested a hill to find an array of tents sprawled across an open field.

Mallory turned to me, her eyes reflecting a mix of pride and sorrow. "This is our haven," she said softly, "since the darkness fell upon Silvermoon."

As I took in the sight of the makeshift camp, a memory flashed unbidden – flames, screams, a sense of overwhelming loss. I shook my head, trying to clear the vision.

"Are you alright?" Mallory asked, her hand finding my shoulder. The warmth of her touch grounded me, chasing away the shadows of my fragmented past.

"I'm fine," I lied, offering a weak smile. "Just... overwhelmed."

Mallory's gaze lingered on me, as if she could see right through my facade. "Rest assured," she said, her voice low and intense, "you're among friends now. Whatever secrets your past holds, whatever burdens you carry – you don't have to face them alone anymore."

As we made our way into the camp, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd stumbled into something far bigger than myself. Mallory turned to me. “This is where we have been staying since the tragedy in Silvermoon.”

My curiosity was piqued by her words. “What happened in Silvermoon?”

She took me into the tent, and I sat down.

“There are people being killed because of the search for the Silvermoon Luna,” she explained, eying me. “It has been brutal there. But you can stay for the night. You will be safe here.”

Mallory offered me a bowl of warm soup, and after that, I laid on the blanket to rest, thinking of the journey ahead of me tomorrow. Was all that really because of me? Was my father okay?

I would need to be extra careful and not get myself into trouble. Remembering the fight I had with the rogue wolves, I looked down at my rib to see that the wound had healed, thanks to the help of the ointment.

I knew that Mallory and her people wouldn't let me go unless I helped her reunite with her daughter. But going back to the castle was the last thing on my mind. After enduring the suffering from walking miles, I wouldn't want to give up at this point.

Very early the next day, I grabbed my bag and tiptoed out of the tent before Mallory and her people woke up. As I began to walk through the forest, I took out the bottle of water from my bag and gulped the water down before putting it back.

This time, I walked faster than the previous day when I was wounded. I continued sniffing the air to find any scent. I walked many miles away from Mallory and her people before coming across another open field with a handful of trees in the middle.

As I sniffed the air, I caught the scent of unfamiliar figures that didn't have the scent of a wolf or a witch. I frowned, turning around in confusion to see a creature that I had never seen in my entire life standing behind me.

It looked like a werewolf….standing like a human. It had thick fur like that of a werewolf, covering its body from head to waist. Its face was a mix of werewolf and human features. Its teeth were very sharp, and its eyes were glowing yellow.

The werewolf wasn’t like any wolf I had seen before, it looked strange. Instinctively, I took a step backward. Not a second later, its hand came at me sending a punch across my face.

KO

I woke up to an extremely heavy body. I wanted to open my eyes to know where I was but my eyelids felt heavy.

What happened to me? My throat felt dry and my stomach grumbled as if I had been starved for days.

“It's been four days!” a deep husky voice spoke up.

“I know, but the spell isn't working on her,” another voice chimed in. It appeared to be a woman about sixty years old.

“It doesn't look like she is the descendant,” the woman continued. “You picked the wrong girl.”

When I opened my eyes, I scanned the surroundings to see that I was in a dim room. The memories of what happened before I blacked out flooded in. Panic set in as I recalled the creature I had seen in the field.

My eyes turned sharp as I looked around to see an older woman and some men who looked huge with scars across their faces.

“Hello! I think there might be some misunderstanding here. I am not supposed to be here,” By the information I had gathered from them, they were searching for some descendant.

“I am not—”

“One more word from you, and I will unleash my wrath on you,” at the cold voice of the man, I felt a shiver run through my back.

I brought my hand to touch my neck, and I realized the pendant necklace was gone. My eyes widened in fear of being tracked by Asher and his men.

“Please, you have to let me go! I don't know what you want from me but please just let me go! And the necklace you took from me…I need it back. That's all I have left,” I pleaded.

The man with broad shoulders and red eyes approached me, his frame towering over me. All of a sudden, he grabbed my neck before pushing me against the cold wall.

“Enough! You will get nothing from us, and if you continue to scream, you will regret it!” He yelled.

He snarled at me before releasing me, and I fell to the ground in pain. He returned his gaze back to the woman whom I realized was a witch.

The old woman approached me before kneeling in front of me. All of a sudden, she clamped both of her hands on the side of my head, and I felt shock run throughout my whole body. As I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the growing pain in my head, I felt my memories begin to rush like a gush of wind until they stopped in a particular memory.

It was the memory of the time I did a makeover with Asher. As he sat down in front of the mirror, my hands worked themselves on his hair and face. I saw the satisfied expression on his face when he saw his new look in the mirror. He looked so handsome.

Before I could dwell more on the memory, the old witch pulled back. I blinked, feeling my body drenched in sweat and my heart racing fast. The old witch stood up before returning to stand next to the other man.

“She is not a descendant,’’ the woman said.

The frown on the man's face deepened, and he punched the wall in front of him, creating a deep hole in it.

He then turned back to the guards. “Kill her.”

Without sparing another glance at me, he walked out of the room with the witch next to him.

I slowly turned my head to see the men approach me. One of the men grabbed me. I struggled, kicking and screaming as the men dragged me out of the enclosed space.

My heart raced with fear at the thought of what the men would do to me. They threw me onto the ground outside, slowly shifting to the creature form. My eyes widened in fear, and I instinctively took a step backward.

Just as the creatures closed in, the sound of wolves growling and snarling filled the air.

A pack of wolves burst into the scene, their thick fur shining under the sun. As I sniffed the air, I realized these were my friends from Silvermoon. Heldi, Anastasia, and Penelope. My friends!

The wolves snarled, baring their teeth at them.

The Lycans, seeing how outnumbered they had become, turned around and ran into the forest. The wolves gave them a chase, ensuring they wouldn't return.

As the pack returned, their eyes fixed on me with intensity.

Penelope approached me, her tail gently wagging. “Tayla, we have been searching for you since your sudden departure. What happened?”

I took a deep breath, explaining everything that happened as quickly as I could.

“You're safe now,” Anastasia said to me using the pack's link. “We won't let any harm near you.”

I smiled. “How did you guys find me here?”

“We were out hunting when we caught your scent and tracked you down here,” Heldi replied.

I brought my hand to touch my neck. The pendant necklace was definitely gone, and soon enough, Asher and his men would find me.

Anastasia looked at me with concern. “Is there something wrong?”

“I need to get to my father,” I said, and without wasting time, I began to walk. They followed close behind.