It was an eerily quiet night, and the young, unsuspecting Asha Monroe sat idly in front of the fire, twiddling her fingers as her mother's delicate, slender fingers braided her daughter's hair. The girl's emerald green eyes watched as the flames danced in the fireplace before her. Her long dark eyelashes caressed her cheeks when she blinked. Her father had always told her that she inherited them from her grandmother which she had never met. She, a young naive girl, could never tell if he told the truth. He always lied to her. Her mother was the honest one. Amongst her loving family she was more than happy. But it was all taken away from her in a matter of minutes. And nothing was the same again.
The evening was the same as any other evening. Her mother sighed as she struggled to braid her daughter's crazed hair. Little pieces kept falling out here and there. The heat from the flame kept Asha warm, and the candles littered around made the little cottage smell like cinnamon. It was always a smell that had soothed her when she was nervous. And she had every reason to be. The next day was her fifteenth birthday, and it was the day that her Instinct would kick in.
On every wolf's fifteenth birthday, the Instinct would activate and that therefore meant that from that day onwards it was possible to find their mate. And it was the day that they would fully connect with their wolf.
Most of the time it was unlikely that you would meet your mate on the day of the Instinct being alive, yet it had happened before and the very idea of being tied to someone in that way terrified her.
Her twin brother Lukas was sitting on the sofa with his face submerged in a book like it always was. That was his strange habit. Even though he was obviously handsome with his dishevelled hair and electric blue eyes he was a quite quiet boy.
Her father was sitting in the corner hopelessly trying to learn how to play the piano. He had been spending the past four years inconsistently trying to learn an instrument and the piano was his latest obsession. Yet, it didn't bother her in the slightest. In that moment, with her family around her, a smile on she face, she was content.
Then the midnight black wolf crashed though the window. Her mother screamed and her father ushering her, her mother and Lukas up the stairs. Asha was young but she knew that wolves didn't come in like that if hostility wasn't on their mind. And so did her father.
They sprinted up the stairs as she heard her father shift. She lost her footing and slipped but her brother grasped her hand. The twins were pushed into the closet as they heard their father yelp and the footsteps of a wolf fast on their heels. Their mother held a finger to her lips as she latched the door shut and left them there. As their Instinct hadn't kicked in the wolves found it hard to smell them and had to search for them in their human forms. So their mother, like the brave woman she was, knew they would be safe if she led them away. Asha clutched Lukas' hand as the sounds of paws pounding on the floor passed them. Tears we streaming down her face.
The next thing she heard was her mother's scream and the sound of a body hitting the floor. She sucked in a breath and tried not to scream also. She knew that if my mother had just perished she wouldn't have wanted them to get caught because of her own weakness.
They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Their hands clutched together, trying not to make a sound. The house was silent. It was almost like nothing had happened. Almost. Then Lukas decided to go and see if they were safe. Asha shook her head at him furiously as he tried to pull away from her, silently begging him to wait for help. But her brother was too stubborn to do what she said, too brave.
She silently watched as he disappeared from sight. Little did she know that was the last time she'd ever see him.
The smell of cinnamon still lingered in the air, and then there was smoke. She peeped through the gap between the door and the wall and saw the flames licking the walls. They slowly crawled and twisted. Knowing she couldn't stay she made the quick decision of leaving her sanctuary and exposing herself. But she knew she couldn't stay. Without a second thought, she lifted the latch and slipped through the gap. She took a deep breath and ran into the bathroom. It was the only window in the house which opened fully. With a push she opened it and slowly crawled to the ledge. The girl took another deep breath and carefully lowered herself down. Her fingertips clinging onto the ledge, she closed her eyes and let go. And then she ran far away, leaving her family, her home and her happiness behind.
(Note: this has been re-written to be better and was changed from first person to third, but the rest of the book is still in first.)
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed it, I would really appreciate a vote or comment :)
{Picture to the side is Asha when she is hiding...}
New trailer I made myself up above!
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Instinct {The Half Moon Chronicles}
WerewolfI held my breath, waiting for the attack. He was here. Shivering, I felt his breath caress my neck with a promise. "Oh poor, little wolf. Did you really think you could escape me?" ...
