Beneath The Blood Moon {TMT #2}

Chapter 5

"You are going to regret doing that." He growled so deeply that my body unmistakably vibrated along with the intensity of it.

"Please," I pleaded weakly once again, backing away from him as I cautiously edged away from the tree. "I don't know you. I've never even seen you before-"

"Your pretence is not going to get you anywhere." His baritone, which suddenly sounded very much like a combination of two echoed voices, sent shivers down my spine as he began to take deliberate steps towards me. Which happened each time I took a step back.

"You are going to pay for what you did," he continued, and I didn't even think about trying to mask my fear when his fangs elongated even further and glistened in the moonlight.

If the threat was aimed at the fact that I had hit him or that he assumed I was this Alba person, I chose not to dwell on that for now. What I really needed to think about was how I was going to get the hell away from there.

I lifted my palms up in surrender before taking another huge step back. I cleared my throat nervously as my hands shook. "Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know - no!"

Barely avoiding the claws that had lashed out at me, I lost my footing and fell to the ground once again. But this time, instead of lying there and succumbing to the pain the fall cost me, I quickly scrambled up from the ground, fought hard to ignore my protesting muscles and took off as fast as I could. Which was not nearly as fast as I'd hoped.

However, the time I'd spent leaning against the tree that that beast had backed me against had aided my body in regaining a little lost energy and that made me grateful in the least. And with that little energy, I jostled through the woods, brushing away the branches and leaves that were seemingly set out to slow me down.

After running as far as I could handle, I was tempted to look back and see how close the stranger had gotten when a thought struck me so hard that I gasped and immediately halted in my tracks.

Why hasn't he caught up with me already?

I knew it was stupid of me to stop and ponder on that thought instead of heading far away from there as possible, but I couldn't help myself. For one thing, it certainly was logic since that giant-like being was obviously way faster and stronger than I was. Yet the way the woods were devoid of any signs of heavy feet thumping the ground, it didn't look like he'd catch up with me any time soon.

That should've made me inwardly and outwardly relax. But instead, it only made fear grip me tighter.

Then the fear intensified and spread throughout my system when I heard a loud howl echo from the portion of the woods that I'd just escaped from. The sound was so loud and terrifying, holding a deadly and menacing edge to it, that even the whole atmosphere seemed to vibrate to its effect.

He had turned. That fact was obvious, but why the hell was he allowing me to run ahead after all that he accused me of? What the heck was he playing at?

Does it really matter? He's let you go, let you escape. Take this opportunity and get the hell out of there!

I would've. I really wanted to. Had to. But there was something he said that nagged me at the back of my mind and kept my feet rooted to the ground. Something which I just could not brush away.

I know it is you.

Alba.

I was certain that I had heard that name before. It was a name surprisingly familiar to me and although it clearly wasn't said on a daily basis, it held an important edge to it that I wasn't able to decipher.

The beast howled again. But this time, it sounded much closer than it did before and that made my heart beat frantically and much harder, causing my breathing to become shaky and uneven.

Faint mist clouded the area as the full moon started to gradually descend from its highest peak in the sky. The trees proceeded to sway according to each cool gust of the night's breeze and my stomach sank when the howling was suddenly cut short. The moment it did, I heard a firm rustle in the bushes right beside my slightly quivering frame.

What are you waiting for? Run!

I was able to get my tired legs to move, thankfully, but I didn't even get to reach a metre ahead when the enormous creature jumped over my head and settled heavily on the ground before me.

I let out a scream at the sudden movement and barrelled towards the opposite direction. But this time around, it appeared to not have the patience of giving me a head start because it quickly blocked my path again. Its movements were so fluid and predatory that I knew that I wouldn't stand a chance against it. Even though that fact was obvious the second it had set its glowing red eyes on me.

It was then, when the creature was about to charge towards me, that the nagging feeling of clear recognition of the name Alba hit me in the face once more. And it was in that minute when my eyes connected to that of the large werewolf in front of me that it finally clicked.

You look just like her.

"Alba," I said the name gently though shakily, testing it on my tongue for the first time, before realizing that I truly did recognize it.

Nevertheless, the name said aloud seemed to have struck a nerve in the beast because the second I voiced it, its nose flared. That action was accompanied by a deep, dangerous growl that rumbled from the depths of its chest.

My eyes widened and I took a cautious step back. But that motion seemed to agitate it further as it moved to close the distance between us in a not-so-friendly manner.

"Wait! Wait!" I yelled frantically and held out my palms as it prepared to tear off my limbs with its pointed fangs barred in my direction. "I'm not who you're looking for! My name's Kara and...and I'm not even like you!"

Apparently determined not to mind a word I said, it growled even louder and slightly bowed its head and crouched a little on its forelimbs, as if readying to strike.

"No, stop! I'm not lying!" My voice croaked as tears dared to blur my already shady vision.

"Please," I begged the beast again for the last time before I shrivelled to my knees on the ground and said feebly, "I'm not her."

I looked up from the forest floor and into the creature's remorseless eyes. "Alba," I spoke again so softly that I could barely even hear myself. "She was my grandmother."

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