Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 5

The guard took two slow steps forward, each one echoing sharply in the silence that gripped the room. Gem's face twisted with fear, her wide eyes filling instantly with tears, but her gaze was steely, hatred mixed with raw terror. 

The guard didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care. His attention was entirely on her, his focus narrowing to a point as he whispered in a possessive growl, "Mine."

The tension was thick, and everyone froze, thrown by the shock of his claim. Uriah's mouth dropped open in surprise, well as wide open as it could get with it being broken ; Nick and the other guard exchanged a look, their expressions a strange mix of fascination and disbelief.

Gem's legs gave out, and she dropped to the ground in a heap, her breaths coming in ragged, fearful gasps. Kaiden's hardened expression softened as he knelt down, reaching out his hand slowly, as if touching her too suddenly might cause her to shatter. His fingers hovered near her arm, almost brushing her skin, and he murmured softly, "Hey there, it's alright..."

The instant his fingers brushed against her, Gem let out a choked scream, jerking her arm away as if she'd been burned. "NO! No, no, no..." She clutched at her head, digging her fingers into her scalp as she rocked back and forth, shutting her eyes tightly as if she could will him away. I knelt down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to shield her, feeling her tremble beneath my touch.

Nick looked at Kaiden, his voice low and concerned. "Maybe you should give her some space, Kaiden. Let her adjust—"

But before he could finish, Kaiden gnarled in a way that was deeply inhuman, his gaze shifting to Nick, a wild, desperate anger flickering in his eyes. Gem shrank back further, her voice a faint, fractured whisper. "M-m-monster..."

I turned to Kaiden, forcing myself to keep calm as I stepped forward slightly, still shielding Gem. "Kaiden, just... maybe give her a little time. You're scaring her."

His face twisted with pain at that, and for a moment, he looked like he might break. Then, without another word, Kaiden let out an anguished howl and shifted into his wolf form, a flash of light brown fur and feral intensity. He tore out of the room, the sound of his powerful paws thundering down the hallway echoing long after he was gone.

Gem's voice cracked as she whimpered  "This can't be possible. I'm engaged to Richard—he proposed, I said yes. We're supposed to have a spring wedding..." Her words became a fractured chant, a desperate mantra she repeated over and over, as if holding onto her past could anchor her in this nightmare. Her eyes were glazed, as though her mind had cracked, struggling to process the impossible.

Uriah scoffed, stepping forward with a twisted grin. "So does that mean blondie over here can't be my little personal helper?" His tone was flippant, and I saw the thinly veiled malice behind his smirk. Before I could react, Nick stepped in, his jaw clenched, and sent Uriah a glare sharp enough to silence him.

"Uriah, get out," Nick growled, his voice a low, lethal warning. Uriah stood his ground, defying him, Nick repeated "Get. Out. I outrank you, I'm a Beta, you're a Gamma, or do you want let our wolves battle it out?" He let out long sharp claws and Uriah took a step back, put his hands in his pocket and walked out of the room without uttering a single word.

As he left, Miss Musket bustled into the room, blissfully unaware of the tension choking the air. She barely spared Gem a glance, rolling her eyes at the sight of her tears. "Tell that one to stop crying before I give her something to cry about." Without waiting for a response, she flung two scratchy brown shirts and pants at us. The clothes were threadbare and as worn as her patience, a dull brown that looked about as appealing as mud.