The Lycan Within

c. fourteen

My body seemed to bretray me as my heart thumped out of my chest, all my limbs painfully wrapped around the tree as fear pumped vigourously through my veins, making me feel alive in a sick and twisted way. I tried to calm my breathing and focus on the sound of the heartbeat that thumped steadily in the background.

My limbs were wrapped so tightly around the strong bark of the tree, I could hear the small cracks being made from the sheer force of my grasp.

I simply listened, trying to identify where the sound was coming from. I turned my head as I tried to listen and it seemed to be coming from everywhere, but nowhere all at once. I decided sitting here would do me no good and I began to hurriedly leap from tree to tree as I'd done before , desperately taking deep breaths through my nose, trying to find some kind of familiar scent somewhere in the trees, some kind of offer of safety. There was none. I came to a stop, forcing my mouth closed despite the burn in my chest begging for air and I listened once more. It was still there.

I closed my eyes, and began to explore my senses. I opened them once more, to see the suddenly vibrant colours of the forest. Somewhere nearby, I saw a cloaked figure taking gentle strides through the bramble of the forest, and dancing in the wind were the few rebellious tendrils of dirty blonde hair that escaped her cloak. I tried to leap from tree to tree, closer to the mysterious figure as silently as I could, and as I did, she giggled quietly to herself. Although she was so far, her voice was loud and clear, as if she were right beside me. I dropped from the tree and immediately began running as fast as my legs would carry me, darting through the trees as though hell were on my heels and I could sense the underlying strength I held, pushing my body into incredible speeds.

"Hello, Celeste," her smooth voice said. And suddenly my limbs were no longer my own and I was being pulled through the air and slammed into the forest floor, and I groaned in pain as black dots danced across my vision.

"I didn't come all this way, just for you to take a nap, little girl," she scoffed, her voice bored. And I groaned as I came to my feet, forcing myself to be strong as I couldn't imagine what was going to happen to me. I looked all around me, only catching glimpses of the cloaked figure circling me much like Irene had been, although unlike with Irene, I felt genuine fear.

I caught a whiff of Sebastian's comforting scent and I subconsciously took a small step towards it. With this very small movement, she was in front of me, her eyes staring into my soul, forcing me into a trance as her bright purple eyes gleamed. As much as I wanted to look at the rest of her face, my body betrayed me and I couldn't. She tilted her head and Sebastian's scent grew stronger and stronger with each passing second.

"I just had to see you, for myself," she said, seeming curious as she circled me.

I felt the familiar ache in my fingernails as a plan formulated in my head.

"He was almost driven to lunacy before he found me," she said, behind me. "But I gave him purpose, I gave him the love he'd lost at the hands of your family." She took a step and hummed to herself in question. "He's going to kill you Celeste, your family needs to pay for how they've hurt my Master," she says her tone laced with venom.

"He was broken when I found him, and I fixed him," she said once more.

"Once he has his revenge, we can be truly happy, be real mates," she said, a deranged giggle escaping lips that I couldn't see.

As she came once more to my face, the same inability to look away from those glowing eyes returning, I moved into actions. I swiftly crouched and swiped my leg forward, making her lose her balance and as she fell, I swiped my hand across her face and as I heard her shrill scream, I set my legs into motion, moving as fast as I could, weaving in and out of the trees as effortlessly as the wind towards his scent.

A sharp pain entered my head and I immediately cupped my head, trying to subside the pain as I fell over my feet, stumbling into the forest floor.

"You're so lucky that I love Master, otherwise I'd have killed you myself," came the hiss of a familiar voice. As she spoke her last words, the pain in my head eased and I staggered up to my feet and took a deep breath once more, setting off once more into the direction of the scent.

"Sebastian!" I called out, my breaths laboured as my body begged for air that I'd so cruelly denied it. I heard distant shouts and the sound of their feet hitting the ground so fast, you'd assume it were one continuous sound, rather than the thudding of feet against the ground and I almost burst into tears at the thought of seeing them.

Moments later I'd collided into a familiar chest and my arms instinctively went around his neck, pulling him closer to my body. I breathed in his delicious scent without shame and I felt him gently shiver at my touch. At this moment I resented how weak I felt, how unable I was to fend for myself. And it lit a new fire within me however I was brought back to reality at the sound of a low snarl.

"I can smell witch all over her," came the voice of Irene, who's fiery hair was no match for the fire in her eyes.

"Did it hurt you?" came Sebastian's terrifyingly cool voice.

"I think I did more damage than it did to me," I said, and Sebastian sniffed the air, immediately bringing my hand up in his own and a small proud smile appeared on his face as he noticed the blood dripping down from my fingertips. I felt the familiar tingles as his bare skin touched my own and I could feel all the fead I'd felt moments ago dwindling into nothingness. I noticed Irene who walked around, as her eyes were tightly closed, head tilted backwards, taking deep laboured breaths and I noticed both Benjamin and Catori doing the same. I turned to Sebastian to notice him sniffing the air as he gazed around the surroundings, and I too took a deep breath and I noted the faint, yet strange scent that lingered through the air.

"All of you, go home, I'll make sure it's gone." Irene stated simply, the ever present playfulness in her gaze gone. And seeing this alone, seeing someone like her so serious made my blood run cold. She was gone in a blur and Catori simply nodded in our direction.
"I'll go with her," she stated simply and she too was gone. Benjamin took one last glance through the forest and nodded towards the direction in which I could see glimpses of their large mansion.

Without warning, I was in Sebastians arms and the forest became an imcomprehensible blur of colours around me and as he carried me through the woods, I remained haunted by the glowing purple eyes.

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This is honestly such a poo chapter, and for that I'm so so sorry and I promise I'll make the next one much much longer and hopefully better. I'm gonna try to have around two chapters a week or more if thats cool with you guys!
Also, would anyone want me to do like a get to know me tag thing in the next authors note?

As always my loves, please leave comments and replies and leave a vote too♥️

Shout out to mistandfuryy for being a precious bean WITH AN AMAZING BOOK YOU HAVE TO READ!!

Have a good day my loves!

-channy