(COMPLETED) The Lunar Chronicles - Winter's Summer

Part 19

Scarlet arrived at the graveyard in three hours. She had gotten the name from Wolf, the first time he told the story. She had search up the directions on her port, but Scarlet knew that even if she hadn't been given exact directions to where she needed to go, she would have found it anyways.

She saw the wolves. They mingled seamlessly in society, and Scarlet seemed to be the only one to recognize them. She knew the characteristics, and the subtle way that their jaws were elongated to make room for their teeth.

She saw more and more of them as she went deeper into the city, going in whichever direction she could see the most pack members. And for as much as she could recognize them, they seemed to recognise her right back. She was flashed sharp-toothed grins whenever she passed a pack member. It was unnerving, at the very least.

She pulled up at the graveyard, stopping in front of the large iron gates, that were suspiciously open. She got out, slamming the door of the podship behind her. She walked around to the back of the podship, popping the trunk. She reached for the suitcase, which she had been unable to leave behind, as it would seem, and pulled out her gun, shoving it in the waistband of her jeans.

It felt so perfectly right, feeling the cold metal slide against her skin. It felt like it had been missing from it's rightful place.

She pulled the hem of her shirt away, letting it cover up the handle that was conspicuously sticking out. After Scarlet had determined that it was adequately hidden, she braced herself, taking in a deep breath before marching into the cemetery.

The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Scarlet instantly felt several pairs of eyes on her, and tried to discreetly scope out the land, but there was no visible sign that anyone was there.

Scarlet stood in the middle of the open field, in front of all of the headstones that started rising from the earth.

She crossed her arms over her chest. She would wait for them to approach her instead of her going to look for them. If they wanted her, they would have to come and get her. She started tapping her foot, and held her wrist up to her face, mimicking the action of second era people checking a watch as a sign of impatience.

"Well? I don't have all day!" She called, trying to taunt the wolves out of their hiding places. She was above going looking for the people who wanted to kidnap her, but she needed to leave. Quickly. Before Wolf noticed she was missing. She would be willing to sacrifice a bit of her dignity to protect him.

A deep chuckle came from behind her, and Scarlet tensed, whipping her head around so that her short curls hit her face.

One figure emerged from behind a tombstone, shaking his head with a slight grin on his face.

Scarlet didn't recognize him, but she took what Wolf told her and tried to piece it together. The alpha in this pack was Wynn. He would be the first to engage with her.

A small flame bloomed in her stomach. Beta Wynn had been the one who had murdered her father. She clenched her fist tightly, then released it with one breath. She would make him pay. But now was not the time.

He crept forward, a mixture of grace and barely restrained instincts to kill. When he was close enough to put his arms around her, he bent forward in a bow, grabbing her hand and brushing it against his rough lips.

"Enchanté, mademoiselle." He said, warm breath tickling her hand. She held steady, refusing to pull away or flinch. She figured that that was the exact reaction her was hoping for.

"Mords moi, monsieur."

A grin formed on Wynn's face. He seemed amused with Scarlet's opening statement. He was still holding her hand, though he had straightened up. Now he was just close. Scarlet felt supremely uncomfortable, the stench of his breath nearly enough to knock her over.

"Aha. So, this is the one to make the wolf howl." He chuckled, a dark noise. Scarlet spat at his feet.

"Well, aren't you a delight." He motioned with his head to another pack member that Scarlet hadn't noticed appear, and said "Rafe. The hover." Glancing around, Scarlet could suddenly see that there was at least ten pack members surrounding her. When had they arrived?

The pack member that was spoken to nodded once, then he walked off to a hover that had been hidden in the shadows of the trees by the clearing. He opened up the driver's side door and got in, bringing the hover around so the backseat door was right next to Wynn.

He opened it with a flourish of his hand. He climbed in, pulling Scarlet by her hand along with him. He sat on one of the two bench-like seats that were in the hover.

He then patted his lap, and said "You sit here." Scarlet fumed, but sat down without complaint. She didn't want any excuses for Wynn to force Wolf to join the pack, like they wanted to exchange Scarlet for him because she was 'difficult'.

It was a trade Wolf would make. Which was why she had to make sure it was never an option. They wanted a silent, pretty girl to harass, fine. They wanted a person to use as a training dummy, she would be kicked in the face daily. As long as Wolf was safe, she would take any form of mistreatment.

The hover filled with five more wolves, three on each bench. As they started moving, Wynn placed one hand on her thigh, and the other low on her hip. Scarlet tensed, sitting up rod straight so her back wasn't in contact with Wynn's chest.

Meaningless chatter filled the hover, all of the wolves engaging in pleasant conversation. Scarlet didn't speak at all, even after she was asked a direct question, though it only happened once.

"Darling, do you by any chance have any idea what this is?" Wynn pulled the gun from the back of her waistband. She had felt his hand move from her hip to her back, but hadn't moved for fear he would notice her tense up and find her weapon. She figured he would find it anyways, but she didn't want to draw extra attention to herself.

He looked imploringly at her, eyebrows raised. Scarlet did nothing. Wynn sighed, then released the safety on the gun and held it against her head.

Scarlet instantly tensed, hardly daring to breath. This was not the first time she had a gun held to her head, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but this was the closest she had actually been to the end of the barrel.

Wynn leaned forward, pressing his chest into Scarlet's back. "Understand this," he said, hissing into her ear. The gun remained where it was. "You will do what we say. You will not speak unless directly told to. You will not complain about anything, and the punishment for each of these is severe. You're playing by our rules now. Don't forget your place."

Wynn leaned back against the seat, Scarlet following the motion. Wynn lowered his hand, so that the gun was now pointed at her thigh. Scarlet released a miniscule sigh of relief, and for the first time since she had heard that the pack had threatened to take her, she thought about something other than Wolf's safety.

Scarlet could very well die here, surrounded by these monsters who broke apart her relationship. She was scared.

She sat silently, hating the man who held her against him, away from Wolf, and plotted his death. A small smile was just barely hinted at. Yes, she might die here.

But it would be worth it if she would be able to take Wynn with her.