Darkness of the Moon

C3: Hunted

The light of dawn shines gently through the trees, but the sun is not yet high enough to warm my bare arms. Shivers run down my spine as I recall the events of last night. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it.

I have to move again, get away from this place before he follows me. I clamber down the tree swiftly and start a light jog further into the forest. The wind blows gently through my hair and calms my whirling thoughts.

Smoke rises in the distance and I pick up the pace and run towards it. Eventually I reach the clearing. It looks like a small camp has been set up in the middle of nowhere. A dying fire is surrounded by logs of wood and a few blankets. I guess it's been abandoned, or whoever was here simply went hunting or something.

A twig snaps behind me. I whirl around to face the sound. The beautiful black wolf stands on all fours on the edge of the clearing. His golden eyes look deep into my own. I can sense others behind him, lurking in the shadows. I slowly take a step back, fearing the worst. He follows my movements, taking a step towards me. I turn to grab some of the burning wood, but freeze mid reach.

Footsteps sound in the distance, thumping against the cold forest floor.

"She went this way. I can sense her presence," a voice calls, I know that voice anywhere. Daniel.

I desperately want to run to him, even though I can't see him, but I remain stationary.

"Bring her to me!" At that I try to run, for that was my fathers voice, but the wolf growls and barks at me. I freeze again, unsure of how to run from this situation. I can see my fear reflecting in the wolf's eyes and his growls soften to a deep rumble.

Suddenly Daniel appears at the edge of the tree line. He smiles at me and suddenly he is by my side.

"Oh my, what have we here? I thought I told you to run. You were supposed to hide, your not doing very well," he speaks in a low voice.

The growls of the wolf increase behind him. He turns to the wolf, "and what happened to you, Alec? I told you to leave her alone, go find someone else for lunch."

"Why are you chasing me?" I speak up, finally.

Daniel returns his attention to me, "well, let me see... You are my next target, victim if you will. I have been sent to kill you. But, since you are my baby sister and I love you and all that crap, I gave you a warning. You didn't run."

"Why are you doing this?" A sense of icy fear runs through me.

"Why am I doing this? Well, my dear sister, I am helping the humans to become a better, more evolved species and either you will help me, or you will die." His eyes glow red with anger, literally.

"What are you talking about?" He must have hit his head really hard that night.

"You ask to many questions. You always were a curious child, but now I have had enough," he yanks my arm, "you are coming with me."

"What makes you think I will go with you?"

He pulls a knife out of his sleeve and poises it over my throat, "because if you don't I will make sure you suffer."

That's when the growls silence. Daniel grabs my arm firmly and pulls me behind him. I look over my shoulder, the wolf is gone. Daniel pulls my arm so harshly that it knocks me off balance and I stumble. I hear a piercing scream and look up. The black wolf is towering over Daniel, who is on his back, blood running down his temple. The wolf stands over his body, growling once again. Daniel turns his head to look at me, he smiles, not the loving, caring smile that I know and remember, the look on his face is of pure evil.

And then he is gone, like he just teleported out of here and the wolf is left growling at the bare grass. He looks up at me, concern in his eyes. He growls shortly at me and runs into the bushes. He saved my life. A freakin wolf just saved my life! Somebody must love me up there, I'm talking to you God!

I sit and stare at the smoking wood, the flame no longer burning, just coal and wood. My brother nearly slit my throat! Wait, he was talking to my father... I get up to run, but stop when a boy walks out into the clearing.

He is shirtless, his tanned skin and abs on show. He looks around my age with black hair and the most amazing eyes. They are golden and shimmering like liquid gold, wait, golden eyes...

"Harper, you're safe now, they are gone" his voice startles me out of my little daydream, man I have got to stop doing that!

He walks closer to me, closing some of the distance between us.

"What are you? How do you know me?" I step away from the stranger.

A sexy stranger who just happened to save your life. A voice says in the back of my head.

I force it away and focus on the situation at hand.

"You won't believe me if I told you, but you can trust me, I won't hurt you."

"I don't know you, you could be plotting to kill me, you could be working for my father."

"I promise you, I won't kill you and I do not work for anyone," he takes a step closer to me, "listen to yourself."

What is he talking about listen to yourself? I'm not deaf!

He means me. The voice in my head says.

I turn a bit dizzy. Why do I keep talking to myself, I have got to quit doing that.

I feel a strange gravitational pull towards the stranger, like the one I used to have towards Daniel.

"Who are you?"

He sighs, "you're not going to like my answer. My name is Alec, I'm a werewolf, alpha to be precise," my head spins, "and you are Harper, daughter of Willow and Ronan Gray. Your have a brother Daniel and, if I am not mistaken, he just threatened to slit your throat with a kitchen knife."

"How do you know this?"

"I am connected to you, I always have been, I knew you when we were children."

I do vaguely remember playing with a boy with dark hair and golden eyes when I was a child, we used to build sandcastles in the sandpit in my backyard.

"What do you mean connected?" I feel lightheaded as I am bombarded with new information.

"You are my mate."

And then I black out.