A Luna's Flame

Chapter Fifty-Seven

-Nyx's POV-

The sun's golden rays warmed my plump cheeks as I basked in the beautiful summer skies, a soft breeze sweeping my inky coils into my face. The unkempt grass tickled my calves as my toes wiggled in the dirt, relishing the touch of the cold earth beneath me. My handmade white, puffy-sleeved dress pooled around me on the ground, creating a soft halo. I often mindlessly played with the polished brown buttons that ran down the front, my favorite piece of my mother's latest work.

I softly smiled as I watched a vibrant monarch butterfly float in the gentle wind as I held my wrapped lunch in my small hands. Moments like this, stolen seconds in this untainted part of the pack, filled me with a warm contentment that had recently begun to escape me. I couldn't help but savor each minute. I tucked a few rogue curls behind my ear as I unwrapped my sandwich, my stomach grumbling with anticipation. My mother prepared it perfectly. The tomato was fresh, my bread was crustless, and the crisp leaf lettuce crunched as I pressed down. I smiled in delight as my new favored obsession exploded with flavor along my palate as I took the first bite, my eyes closing in bliss.

"Well, look at what we have here, Sylas," a boy taunted, leaves crunching beneath his boots.

I opened my eyes, startled by the sudden intrusion, cautiously watching the two boys that inched forward from the surrounding trees.

"A bastard mutt," he spat with a dark smirk.

The rude boy had jet-black curls messily braided back to show off his pointed nose and angular, honeyed jaw. His name was Augustus, and he was next in line to become Alpha once he was of age. I was older than him by a year and a half, though by the way hate churned in his greyish-green eyes and anger tightened his fists, I doubt he even cared.

"I thought we told you that you weren't allowed to eat today, mutt. You know what happens when you disobey us," Augustus' friend chirped as he folded his arms.

His comrade, Sylas, matched his superior's ugly personality in hopes of becoming the next Gamma one day. Sylas' orange hair turned fiery under the sun's unwavering gaze, only heightening the contrast of his striking blue eyes. Agitation poured from him in harsh waves.

"That was yesterday! I already gave you a day's worth of my food," I defended as I quickly rewrapped my meal before holding it close.

The future Alpha growled at the defiance.

"You will speak once you're spoken to! If you knew when to shut up, maybe you would've heard me when I told you that I would be collecting the rest of your meals for the week," Augustus reprimanded.

It was only Monday. I looked down at my sandwich and back at the boys, my stomach growling. I slowly shook my head and placed my free hand behind me, bracing myself for one of their attacks.

"Care to make it two, then?" Sylas chuckled as my defiance egged him on.

Augustus crouched down a few feet in front of me and held out his hand, gesturing for me to turn over my new favored lunch. I glanced behind their shoulders, silently praying for my friend's always timely appearance.

"He won't be here to intervene this time, mutt. He's away on an errand for the Alpha," Sylas casually stated with a smirk, seemingly overjoyed by the revelation.

My stomach dropped when I realized that I was alone with my two aggressors, knowing they would be able to overpower me quickly. Augustus snapped his fingers before opening his hand again, his temperament growing darker.

I thought back to my mother handpicking the tomatoes from her garden this morning, humming a foreign tune. She was excited to learn about my not-so-secret obsession with snacking on her unique heirloom tomatoes. I thought I was stealthy when plucking them off the vines to eat in my room before sunrise, but apparently, she had been watching me for weeks. Imagine my gleeful surprise when my mother offered to make me a sandwich instead, promising to use the bread she brought from our neighbors. I couldn't imagine letting it go to waste.

"I won't let you have it. My mother made it special for me," I refused with absolute certainty as my fingers curled in the loose, dry dirt behind me.

Augustus tsked as he rose to his feet, shaking his head.

"You know what happened the last time you disobeyed me. All this for that trash? What a shame," he coldly stated.

A shudder traveled down my bones as I remembered the time they had caught me without Noah. I was forced to hide my bruised ribs from my mother and best friend for days as they threatened to do worse if I exposed their brutality.

They charged at me within an instant, giving me only seconds to react. Once they were inches away, I threw the dirt at them, aiming for their eyes. Capitalizing on their momentary blindness, I got to my feet and ran away, clutching my sandwich.

"When we catch you, I'll skin you alive," Sylas shouted before they gave chase.

My heart pounded as I forced my legs to move faster than they ever had, the world fading into harsh greens and blues around me. I wasn't old enough to experience my first shift, so I had no one to help me. But in moments like these, I prayed to the Moon Goddess that she would make an exception.

Tears streamed from my eyes as the thought of the punishment they would put me through twisted my mind, causing my anxiety to peak. Because of my poor standing in the pack and the high blood of my assailants, I didn't entertain the thought of someone intervening. The pack members never aided me and my mother's pleas.

My hair whipped around me as I took sharp turns, jumped over overturned logs, and dived under low-hanging branches. I thought I felt the ghost touch of Augustus' hand on the back of my dress, so I pumped my legs even faster until the thudding of their uneven footfalls became distant drumming.

After a few minutes and several glances over my shoulder, I was convinced that I had lost them, but before I could stop running, an unnerving feeling tensed my entire body. My heart felt strained as my hair stood on edge. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked around, confused as to what was making my anxiety skyrocket further. A distant scream echoed from my left, and it was all that it took before I pushed my body to the brink.

My muscles screamed for a break as my heartbeat boomed in my ears. I slid across the dirt as I took hasty turns and cut my skin on the thorns of the bushes I barreled through. But I didn't feel a thing as my white dress dirtied from the effort. My sandwich was crushed in my death grip as my adrenaline ate away at my nervous system. With one last, almost neck-breaking turn, I saw her.

My mother lay motionless in a heap of the soiled, blue ribbons that once were her dress. The wicker basket she used to gather medicinal herbs was trampled on the side of her, flowers strewn across the forest floor.

"Mama," I gasped as I dropped to my knees beside her, gingerly turning her serene face toward me.

"Mama, it's me. Please open your eyes," I begged as I tried to rouse her.

I dropped my head to her poorly covered chest, desperate to hear her always strong heartbeat. I held my breath as I counted with teary eyes. Her pulse was very weak but there. I sighed heavily before I looked down at her body. She was littered with bruises and claw marks, blood staining the fabric she took her time to hand dye. A slight rustle from my surroundings alerted me of our lack of protection. I looked around cautiously as I angled my small frame to shield her, ready to protect her as best as I could. Once reassured of our solitude, I softly held her face.

"Mama," I called out again as my tears multiplied as her blood coated my fingers.

"Mama, please. I'm not strong enough to bring you back by myself yet, but we can't stay out here. It's dangerous," I said in a quivering voice.

I rested my forehead against her chest as a sob shook my body, my eyes closing tight with defeat.

"Please...Moon G—Goddess...let—t her b—be okay. I c—can take her p—punishments fr—rom now o—on but—t please—e stop h—hurting her," I pleaded between sobs as my tears soaked into the fabric of her gown, diluting the reddish-blue hue.

With all the anguish in my body, I whistled into the distance for the next hour, praying that my only savior would find us.

"I'm sorry."

And with a gasp filled with excruciating pain, my eyes shot open to see Nox peacefully sleeping beside me.