THE FALTERED BOND

Ava | Chapter 3

It's a quiet trip to the village. The cobble roads are just ahead now, with them the end of my journey. It was a small town tucked quite far from the buzzing city life. The perfect spot for a pack of werewolves to settle down and blend amongst the civilians that resided here; some kind of 'hiding in plain sight' strategy from what I've read.

I close in on the edge of the village then I catch myself facing a bit of a dilemma; I couldn't just waltz into the town like this, I'd surely cause a massive panic if any human were to spot me! Can't risk hiding in the bushes either, my dress will get messy. Can't afford making a fool of myself, not on this day.

My families' legacy is on the line.

There. I turn my attention to a small alleyway between two buildings where a huge dumpster resides, filled to the brim with trash. The putrid smell rips a gag from my throat. No way I'm hiding behind that! I'd risk getting my dress dirty and smelling like an absolute mess. There had to be somewhere else...

A door suddenly swings open, the smell of sweat, cigarettes and booze pouring outside as a trio of men stumble into the alleyway. I crouch and keep low to the ground, watching them silently as they mumble gibberish and stumble around in a drunken stupor. I step back and watch quietly.

"Fuck man, I'm so wasted!" Blurts the first, wiping a drop of liquid from the corner of his mouth.

His friend chuckles and they turn to the third man. "Yeah, the hell you put in those drinks anyway Ryder? That shit hits hard!"

The man called Ryder smirks. He pulls out a cigarette and whistles out a puff of smoke. "A bit of Moondust." He casually pulls out a small flask of purplish liquid, the content swirling before his friends' mesmerized eyes. "You asked. I delivered."

Those three are Wolves. I conclude by recognizing the liquid from a book I've read. Although its use currently eludes me, it seems to be some kind of powerful wolvish concoction or drug.

"Shit." My attention pulls back to Ryder gazing at his watch. "Let's go, the ceremony begins in ten."

My heart drops. Ten minutes?! Oh shoot, that means I'll be late too if I don't hurry up! Having no other options available, I duck further behind the bush and hastily shift as I pull my dress out of its basket and slip it on.

I stand up, rogue wrinkles smoothed by a quick swipe of my hand through the fabric, the silky fabric gently gleaming in the sun. I smile sheepishly as I recite the plan. Head down, say the words and leave. I engage onto the closest paved road and head for the mansion. Many minutes pass by, my heart beating hastily with the sound of my heels clicking against the pavement. The roads were mostly empty, filled by an eerie silence which grew with every passing second.

I take a left when a voice calls to me; "And who's this!" I halt my steps and gaze to where the voice came from. The stench of booze makes my throat clench as the three men from before catch up to me. Shit.

"Looky here!" The first man slurs, his steps awkward as he stumbles on. "What a pertty dress youz have!" His eyes trace the contour of my legs before he settles towards the slit of my breasts, his face lifting with a grin.

I yelp as wind sweeps between my legs making me realize the second man had lifted my dress, giggling in amusement as he peeked at my underwear. I urgently pull the fabric from his hands, horror clenching my throat.

His chuckle is dark and low as he speaks. "Aw, don't be so tense now... We just wanna have a bit of fun with ya."

My stomach wretches at his words. Fearful hazel eyes plead to Ryder as I gaze in his direction, hoping he would step in and speak sense into his drunken friends.