~XIV~
On the ancient stretch of English land, far away from the horrors of industry and civilisation, the temperatures had taken an unexpected rise within the forests and despite the bright sun dipping lower towards the land, the air remained humid. All wildlife, from the tiniest woodland animals to the largest four legged creatures knew of the power of the full moon had abandoned their shelters for the fear of the oncoming beast threatening their existence.
Ainslie had been anxiously flitting throughout the house all morning, her hands wrung tightly together and her heart tied up in knots. Though her body was plagued with a longing for sleep, her mind was afflicted with concern and such a feeling would not allow her to rest. Tonight, she had been informed, was a night of the full moon - the trigger of the horrendous curse.
All four men would have to be bound and locked in chains in that horrid basement before the setting of the sun and Charlotte and Ainslie would have to remain far away from the doors and make as little sound as possible during the night. No matter what they may hear, they were not to wander anywhere near the hallway leading to the basement, this command had been repeated to Ainslie repetitively.
The warnings had her pacing anxiously around the kitchen as Charlotte was napping in her chair and the men prepared themselves. Allister sat hunched over the table, seeming as fearful as Ainslie felt. His fists were clenched above the wooden table top and his teeth sunk heavily into his lower lip as his brows furrowed in worry. He wouldn't meet her gaze, no matter how much time Ainslie spent with her attention locked onto her companion.
She spent hours simply standing within the confinements of the kitchen, unable to offer any form of aid to the men and unwilling to remove herself from this area of the household. Throughout this time Allister's worry only appeared to increase.
"Charlotte," the sound of Dante's hushed voiced shattered the thick silence of the room and Ainslie turned to find the dark skinned man hunched over her friend with his hand placed gently upon her shoulder. The sleeping women, at the disturbance of his voice, squinted through the dim lighting, her eyes were glassy and her concentration lay elsewhere.
"Dante?" she queried in a slow voice, her words slightly slurred.
The man nodded, looking back at Ainslie over his shoulder, unperturbed to find her staring right back at him with a monotone expression. Ainslie felt her cheeks flush hot at the unexpected attention and she was thankful when Dante's concentration returned almost immediately to Charlotte.
"It's time to take you upstairs Charlotte," he mumbled, gripping one of her forearms and helping her rise to her feet as Charlottes other hand moved to support her back against the shift in position.
"Is it that time already?" She murmured to herself and Ainslie deduced that she was still dazed from her extended nap. The small yawn that escaped between her lips confirmed such suspicions. "Come on Ainslie," the mother to be mumbled, a hand moving to stroke her protruding belly as her eyelids fluttered to a shut and then wide open once more. Dante continued to lead Charlotte out of the room towards the stairs leading towards the bedrooms on the floor above. Ainslie followed behind mutely.
Her stomach felt as if it had dropped to her feet as the trio ascended the narrow wooden staircase and her lips twisted themselves while her small brows knitted together.
She did not want to leave Allister behind but what other choice was there? Come nightfall he would be cursed to shift. She could not be with him and he could not be with her. She was not all sure she could even bare the sight of Allister's beast. The creature that frequented her nightmares was not a pretty sight.
By the time the sun had descended into the depths of the earth and the full glow of the moon had emerged from between the cover of the clouds, Ainslie and Charlotte had been placed within the furthest bedchambers from the cellar. An hour had passed since the faint sounds of rattling chains clanging heavily against brick had ceased. And it was then, as Charlotte rested upon a bed and Ainslie took to a small cushioned chair, that the first howl of the night echoed through the empty halls of the household.
Ainslie tiny body froze like winter ice, her heart beating so forcefully she was certain it would burst from her chest at any second.
"Charlotte," she whimpered, her eyes locked on the door of the room. Her weak voice was drowned out by the echoing of multiple howls, all as loud as the rumbling of the sky within a storm, all far more frightening that that first night Ainslie was drawn into Allister's world.
Her friend didn't respond, at least not with words. Charlotte groaned a low, deep moan, her cheeks flushed red and her hands clutching at the bulge of her stomach.
"Ch-charlotte?" Ainslie's voice stuttered as she lurched closer to the bed on unsteady feet. Her hands reached out to brush away the strands of hair that had fallen across Charlotte's face, hoping the movement would capture the woman's attention. Charlotte's eyes were clenched shut and her teeth gritted together tightly.
"I think-" Charlotte groaned before throwing her head back against the pillow behind her and releasing a deep exhale. "The baby is coming. Of all nights," her words broke into a whimper as Charlotte's eyes watered. Ainslie also had to fight off oncoming tears at the panic which was seeping into her body. They needed Dante, there was no way on this earth that Ainslie could help deliver this baby, not by herself, not when Charlotte would be in such excruciating pain and Ainslie held no knowledge of childbirth.
A high pitched wail filled the room as Charlotte screeched and clutched tightly at the bed sheets surrounding her. Ainslie sobbed quietly to herself, unsure of what action to take. She could not leave the room, Hale had told her so numerous times. She could not fetch water or clean sheets for Charlotte. The woman would be having her baby tonight and there was nothing anyone could do to help.
As Charlottes cries of pain grew louder, so did Ainslie's sobs. Her small, quivering hands worked at unlacing the front of Charlotte's gown, knowing that she could not give birth in so many layers, already the women was covered in a thick layer of sweat and the heat in her face had not subsided.
But as she began to remove Charlotte's dress - once the women had ceased writhing across the bedsheets in agony - the loud thunk of multiple metal chains clanging against solid brick and a horrific, thunderous growl that rumbled through the air hit Ainslie's ears and she was rendered motionless.
A crack. The sound of wood splintering against an unrelenting weight and power followed. Thuds. Great, booming thuds of a beast lumbering across wooden boards and barrelling against walls of narrow corridors incited a heart wrenching shot of fear throughout both her small quivering body and her petrified mind.
Charlotte was oblivious to the oncoming danger storming towards them on the lower floors of the house with an unrelenting obsession. Charlotte was too preoccupied with the dangers of childbirth and the pain that wracked through her aching body.
But Ainslie was all too aware of the impending threat imposed on the two young, defenceless women.
YOU ARE READING
In The Night
Werewolf"Despite her most overpowering instincts to run and hide from the great beast that lurked beneath Allister's deathly pale skin, despite the most natural instincts engraved into her human mind, Ainslie couldn't resist the deep bond she felt for a man...
