Chapter 7 /-Selene-/ The growl was low but deep, like a gentle earthquake. The creature stiffened. Its bloodstained claw stopped midair as if the very sight of the other wolf had him glued to the spot. But the black wolf didn't wait. I watched as the two monsters clashed. Deep snarls filled the air and blood splattered the ground, but nothing could match the rage of the black wolf. Soon other warriors from the pack found their way there, and in minutes, bodies began to drop. Of course I had expected it. The RavenCrest pack was not one to mess with. I knelt, rooted to the spot, as bodies fell beside me. Just then my eyes caught something. The masked beta. He didn't shift. But that wasn't what caught my attention. I saw him stab a soldier! No, no, no; it can't be. I must be hallucinating. He did that and continued fighting the other creatures as though nothing had happened. What If? I thought to myself. "Maybe he thought the soldier was a rival? Or had he killed that man deliberately?" I was still staring at him when a body landed very close to me. "Argh!" I screamed in fear, and coiled more in the corner. Soon everywhere became calm, and I opened my eyes just in time to see the black wolf transform back. Guess who it was? Thorne! My jaw dropped. Why had he helped me? And how did he know I was in danger? "You must be as stupid as you are ugly," he muttered and walked away without any support! No one held him; he walked by himself as though his eyes were completely fine. I touched my head. Maybe I was sick, because why was I seeing unimaginable things? I wasn't the only one amazed. At the far end of the entrance, the masked beta stood equally amazed. We both watched Thorne walk away without stumbling on anything. Was he lying to us all that he was blind? "It can't be," I shook my head. Kaelen had said he was born blind. But how was he able to walk past those little trees? I heaved a deep sigh of relief, somewhat grateful that the fight was over and even happier that the Alpha had helped me out. I slowly dragged myself and made to stand when I felt an excruciating pain in my fingers. The masked beta stood on my fingers. "You are hurting me," I cried with a shaky voice. "Please stop." "You are lucky, huh? Lucky to be saved. Well then, you will live the next twenty-seven days wishing you were long dead." "My fingers," I cried more. "It's hurting me, I beg of you. Stop doing this; I won't tell anybody what you did." He froze. Then slowly removed his leg from my finger. "Oh, my hands!" I winced in pain and stood upright slowly. Slowly I carried that hand he stood on with my right hand and blew on it like I had imaginary healing powers. If only the moon goddess would have mercy on me and grant me a wolf. If only she would give me healing powers. "What did you see?" He whispered, making sure that no other soldier was in sight. I thought for a second, do I tell him what I had seen, or do I pretend? Were there going to be dire consequences if he knew I saw him kill that soldier? "What did you see?" He shouted, causing me to flinch. A lie quickly crept to my mind. "You were the only soldier that didn't shift," I spat. He looked around, then held me by my throat. I saw red. "Stop," I choked. "Is that what you saw? Speak!" "Yes. I swear," I forced the words out of my mouth. "You might die here if you don't say what you saw. Carefully arrange your lie, because I wasn't the only one who didn't shift. Kaelen too didn't shift, and many others. Thorne shifted because he sensed danger here, which gave other soldiers little time to transform. So you see, that's not what you had in mind. Speak, or you will be choked to eternal damnation." He tightened his grip on my neck, and I couldn't speak again. I was dying slowly and all this masked monster could think of was hear what I had seen. "Wa...wait," I managed to mutter. He released his grip on me, and I fell down with a loud thud. My neck still hurt as though he was still holding me, and I kept coughing, trying to catch my breath. "I will ask one more time, and if you don't say it, I will kill you here and now, and nobody will find out. What the hell did you see?" "I saw.....I...." My breathing was so fast yet shallow. "Promise not to....." "Speak!" He roared. "I saw you kill a soldier," I said hurriedly. He stiffened but quickly regained composure. "How did you see that? No one else saw it," he muttered. "I don't know, I....." "I wasn't asking you," he snapped. "Now listen to me. If you breathe a word of this to anybody, consider yourself a forgotten tale. Am I understood?" "Yes," I whimpered. "We are even now. Should anyone hear of this, especially Thorne, I will also report you as a fake healer. Think carefully: whose story would be more believable? A loyal beta who killed his fellow soldier in battle or an ugly, deformed being who lied about being a healer in order to kill the Alpha completely?" He leaned closer to me and then whispered. "Even you will only believe the latter. So to be on the safer side, act like nothing happened, ok?" "Okay," a familiar voice answered on my behalf. We both turned in unison to see Kaelen standing with a bloodstained sword. I bowed, and so did the masked beta. "You can continue your conversation; don't stop because of me," he said, his eyes glued to the beta. "I want to hear what you were threatening her about. SPEAK!" He growled and stamped the tip of the sword on the ground. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!