Bound by the Blood moon

Chapter 14

Prudence, her eyes glinting with malice, lunged forward, the gleaming knife poised to inflict harm upon Charlotte. With a swiftness, Charlotte countered her fierce advance, blocking the blow and delivering a formidable strike to Prudence's abdomen. Seizing Prudence's wrist, she twisted with all her might, forcing the weapon from her grasp and casting it aside. "Run!" Charlotte urged Lilias, who faltered with the thought of abandoning her friend to certain peril. Just as Lilias hesitated, Prudence capitalised on the distraction, delivering a vicious punch that sent Charlotte reeling, blood cascading from her nose. The two women engaged in a fierce struggle, grappling for dominance. Charlotte, with both hands, pulled Prudence down, landing a punishing knee to her adversary's face, splitting her lip and eliciting a cry of pain.

"Go, Lilias!" Charlotte commanded once more. Without a moment's hesitation, Lilias snatched the blade nearby and struck Prudence's back with a swift blow, then handed it to Charlotte, who, in a desperate act of survival, sliced the knife across Prudence's throat. Even as life ebbed from Prudence's form, she managed to charge towards Charlotte, knocking her to the ground and sinking her teeth into Charlotte's cheek. Charlotte screamed in agony as Prudence persisted, unwilling to succumb to her fate. In a moment of sheer panic, Lilias darted towards the door, only for it to burst open, revealing Victor brandishing a small revolver, smoke curling from its barrel as a shot rang out. Lilias staggered back, her hands pressed against her midsection as crimson spread across her garments, and she collapsed against the wardrobe, struggling to utter a word.

Victor's eyes fell upon Prudence, who was nearly still atop Charlotte. In disgust, Charlotte heaved her off, wincing as Prudence's fangs withdrew from her flesh. Victor inhaled deeply, speech failing him as he dropped to his knees, gathering Prudence into his arms, kissing her brow in a moment of despair. Charlotte, anxious, scrambled over to Lilias, who looked as pale as a ghost. "You will be alright," she soothed, but her words were cut short as Victor seized Charlotte by the hair with anguish.

"You have slain one of your own!" he mourned, pointing a trembling finger at Charlotte. Tears streamed down his face as he wept. Charlotte squirmed in Victor's hold, propelling a swift blow to his jaw that sent him staggering backward as he let her go. He laughed with wild abandon, the madness evident in his eyes. "Mercy is a luxury we do not possess," he taunted. "You choose to play with beasts, and you shall meet a beast's end."

In a sudden flurry of motion, Victor gripped Charlotte's hair again, tilting her head back and pressing the gun beneath her chin. Charlotte closed her eyes, bracing for the end. But then, in a miraculous twist, a large black wolf bounded into the room, colliding with Victor and sending him reeling. The shot rang out, but the wolf remained undeterred, a low growl rumbling from its throat. "Leo!" Charlotte cried, as she witnessed the black wolf slump over Victor. The creature, filled with fierce determination, bit down hard on Victor's leg, tearing flesh from bone, eliciting a piercing cry of despair.

Charlotte caught sight of the discarded knife and, without a moment's hesitation, plunged it into Victor's neck. She withdrew, only to strike again, the ghastly gurgle that escaped his lips signalling his demise. As Leo whimpered, he crawled away from Victor's lifeless body, panting heavily. Charlotte, frantic, sought to assuage her mates injuries, running her hands over his soft, dark fur. She soon felt the warmth of blood and stifled a gasp upon discovering the wound where the bullet had struck. "You must endure, dear Leo," she pleaded. "I shall take it out, but it will hurt." She stared into his yellow eyes, and he let out a soft bark, as if to say he understood.

With a steady hand, Charlotte delved deep into the wound, earning a whine from Leo as she extracted the bullet. Urgency propelled her actions as she licked the wound clean, marvelling at how rapidly he began to heal. Yet her attention was pulled back to Lilias, who lay deathly still. "I shall tend to you next," she promised, lifting the hem of Lilias's gown. But as she assessed the injury, she realised that Lilias was not healing at all.