Page 32 of The Crimson Wolf
A growl tickles the back of my ear, and the hair on the back of my neck stands straight. Something in my gutturns to stone, as if a force inside me knows exactly what lurks behind me. Before I can react, I’m thrown to the ground, banging my head on a rock.
I groan, barely conscious, as I roll onto my back—clenching my head. My vision clouds, but before everything goes black, I make out two grey beasts with glowing red eyes glaring down at me—their razor-sharp fangs closing in on me.
22
On My Own
The space around me materializes slowly. First comes the slow trickle of sound—voices whispering from a distance. Then comes the awareness of my body—the pounding in my head, the cold pressing against me. My eyes flutter open, but absorbing the space around me takes a second. It’s dark, but light flickers from lanterns outside my cell, illuminating the stone walls and tunnels leading away from me.
My cell.
The bars separating the small cavern I’m lying in reveal my imprisonment. I shoot up to a seated position, ignoring my body’s nagging pull to rest more.
“Hello?” I call, immediately regretting my words. Why would I want anyone who put me here to come to my aid? No one puts someone in a cage to have a peaceful little chat, but my brain still isn’t working at one hundred percent. I’m operating purely on instincts, which tell me I need someone to explain where the fuck I am and what’s going on.
“Hello?” I call again, against my better judgment.
Darkness ripples from the far end of the hallway. I rise to my feet and lean forward until I can make out the three black-cloaked figures walking toward me. My heart pounds in my chest as they grow closer, their faces not becoming any more visible.
“Who are you?” I ask, my voice shaky.
They don’t respond; they just continue their descent until they reach my bars.
“Um, hello? Who the hell are you guys?”
A voice booms from the middle figure. “You are Mildred Hoodson, daughter of Charles and Sophia Hoodson.”
I wait for a moment, the air growing thick in the silence. “Uh, yes. I know who I am. Who are you? And why the fuck am I in a cage?” I step closer, anger slowly replacing terror.
A voice lower and more frightening than the first comes from the figure on the right. “Your mother was a Hunter,and you seem to be fulfilling her legacy. You are a danger to us all.”
“A danger to you all? Look at me! Do I look dangerous? I think there’s been some sort of a mix-up.” I lean closer, wrapping my hands around the bars.
“You killed one of our own in the clearing. You have been seen with Hunters.”
“What? No, I…” My mind registers what these mysterious figures' words must mean. They’re werewolves. I back away from the bars.
“I promise I didn’t kill anyone. It wasn't me.” Werewolves kidnapped me from Granny’s. My mind races with worry about her, but then I remember Jack was there. Werewolves wouldn’t get to her with him in the way.
“You will have a trial in three days’ time—the day after the Blood Moon.”
“Are you going to kill me?” I ask, finally realizing the gravity of my situation. This whole story seemed too far-fetched—too impractical to be scary, but now that I’m behind bars, captured by werewolves, I realize why Jack didn’t want me to get into this mess.
“Wait!” A man’s voice bellows down the long corridor.
The three figures turn toward the source.
I don’t move, unsure if I want to know what this new arrival could bring.
The man jogs into view, his features illuminated by the golden glow of the lanterns. “You’ve got the wrong person,” he says, slightly out of breath.
“Cameron?” I ask, lunging forward. “Are you part of this?”
His frantic gaze catches me for a moment before he addresses the figures. “She doesn’t know everything. She couldn’t be the person who killed Leroy.”
The figure on the left hisses, pulling down his cloak to reveal the back of a furry head and animal ears. He seems to be partially changed—his body a man’s, while his head is almost wolf-like. I don’t know shit about werewolves, but it seems that the transformation isn’t always immediate. Maybe the Blood Moon has something to do with it?
“We will decide her innocence before a trial. Until then, she stays here. You know the rules.” He flips his hood up again before all three walk away from my cage and descend back to where they came from.
